Dear Daughter
by Elizabeth Little
One of the most impressive debuts in 2014, Elizabeth Little’s DEAR DAUGHTER is a page-turning novel that explores how pathological and dangerous a mother and daughter’s relationship can become, just as Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl did for a marriage.
Ten years ago, Janie Jenkins, a sly and stunning celebutante at the height of her fame, was convicted of murdering her mother, even though she has no memory of that fateful night. Now, released on a technicality into a world utterly convinced of her guilt, Janie chops off her trademark hair and goes undercover. She follows her one lead to a small town in South Dakota, where she hopes she will find the truth about what really happened—even if that means confirming once and for all that she really is a killer.
With the help of some new friends (and the town’s wary police chief), Janie follows a series of clues and pieces together the surprising picture of her mother’s past that forces her to consider the possibility that her mother wasn’t the perfect society philanthropist everyone believed her to be. On the run from the press, the police, and maybe even a murderer, Janie must choose between the anonymity she craves, and the truth she so desperately needs.
As Elizabeth Little guides us through the events leading up to the novel’s shocking conclusion, we can’t help but root for the complex, deeply layered Janie, even as we join her in questioning her own innocence. A gripping, electrifying debut novel with an ingenious and like-it-or-not sexy protagonist, DEAR DAUGHTER follows every twist and turn as Janie unravels the mystery of what happened the night her mother died—whatever the cost.
About the Author
Elizabeth Little is the author of the nonfiction books Biting the Wax Tadpole: Confessions of a Language Fanatic and Trip of the Tongue: Cross-Country Travels in Search of America’s Languages. Her work has appeared in the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, and she has been a guest on NPR’s All Things Considered, The World, and Here and Now. A graduate of Harvard University, she grew up in St. Louis and now lives in Los Angeles with her family. You can follow Elizabeth on twitter @ElizabethLittle.
DEAR DAUGHTER
By Elizabeth Little
Nominated as Best First Novel for the Strand Magazine Critics Award, and Nominated as Best Frist Novel for the Barry Award
“Quick-witted and fast-paced.”—People
“Compelling. . . This novel’s engrossing suspense comes from its unreliable (and not especially likable) narrator who pursues answers with relentless fervor, regardless of the painful truths she turns up about herself. . . Excellent.” —Oprah.com
“When former It Girl Janie Jenkins is released from prison, she embarks on a mission to discover if it was really she who murdered her mother. The debut novel’s twists will easily hook you, but it’s the narrator’s dark wit and sharp observations that make this a truly fun read.” —Entertainment Weekly
“Little keeps you guessing until the end—and then closes her book with a final, twisted flourish.”—The Boston Globe
“Do you want a mystery novel that you can stay up all night reading and then take to the beach to finish it off the next day? Elizabeth Little’s DEAR DAUGHTER is pretty much all you need: the tale of a former high society girl who gets out of prison and goes on a mission to find out who really killed her mother.” —Flavorwire (Must-Read Books for August 2014)
To purchase Dear Daughter make sure to check out Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Goodreads, Penguin, and Elizabeth Little’s website.
Praise for
DEAR DAUGHTER
By Elizabeth Little
“Quick-witted and fast-paced.” — People
“When former It Girl Janie Jenkins is released from prison, she embarks on a mission to discover if it was really she who murdered her mother. The debut novel’s twists will easily hook you, but it’s the narrator’s dark wit and sharp observations that make this a truly fun read.” — Entertainment Weekly, “The Must List”
“Little keeps you guessing until the end—and then closes her book with a final, twisted flourish.” — The Boston Globe
“Compelling…This novel’s engrossing suspense comes from its unreliable (and not especially likable) narrator who pursues answers with relentless fervor, regardless of the painful truths she turns up about herself. . . . Excellent.” — Oprah.com
“Engrossing. . . The unlikable protagonist with a biting personality and outrageous actions, but who is fascinating at the same time, has never been more popular. Just think of Gone Girl. In her confident fiction debut, Elizabeth Little puts a fresh spin on this character in the form of Jane Jenkins, a young woman famous for being famous until she was sent to prison for the murder of her wealthy socialite mother. Little also makes Dear Daughter a parable about the cult of the celebrity stoked by a relentless press and a ruthless public’s thirst for details of a woman it loves to hate.” — Associated Press
“This is not your mother’s mystery. The clever, prickly and profane heroine is, after all, a former It Girl whose aim as a teen was to be the next Paris Hilton, only better…Sassy and lively…The book’s satisfying conclusion somehow manages to tie things up while also providing a cliffhanger, a pretty neat trick for a debut novel.” — The Minneapolis Star Tribune
“A former It Girl hunts down her mom’s murderer in this can’t-put-down thriller.” — Cosmopolitan
“Do you want a mystery novel that you can stay up all night reading and then take to the beach to finish it off the next day? Elizabeth Little’s Dear Daughter is pretty much all you need: the tale of a former high society girl who gets out of prison and goes on a mission to find out who really killed her mother.” — Flavorwire (Must-Read Books for August)
“In prison for her mother’s murder, L.A. socialite Jane Jenkins is released on a technicality. To track down the real killer Jane gets plain, goes underground and stirs up dangerous amounts of dirt in her mom’s South Dakota hometown.” — Good Housekeeping
“[A] fun and riveting debut mystery.” — The San Diego Union Tribune
“[A] clever debut mystery. And what a debut it is…This is a killer debut in every sense of the word!” — BookPage
“Part celebrity, part sleuth and all sass, the memorable Janie Jenkins is out to prove she didn’t murder her mother in this smart debut thriller…Little drives Dear Daughter with the string of surprises and buried secrets revealed as Janie unravels the mystery of her mother’s past. It is a thriller much like Gillian Flynn’s blockbuster Gone Girl—except instead of the East Coast literary angst of Flynn’s protagonists stuck in Missouri, Little’s Midwest visitor really does have L.A. ‘glitter in her veins.’” — Shelf Awareness
“The best debut crime novel of 2014, a spiky, voicey, jolting, surprising story of a celebutante convicted of murdering her mother . . . Little also produces one of the best endings of 2014, too.” — The National Post (Canada)
“Little makes a thrilling debut with this gripping read. Fans of Tana French and Gillian Flynn are going to enjoy the smart narrator and the twists and turns in the case. ” — Library Journal (Starred Review)
“Agatha Christie meets Kim Kardashian in this sharp-edged, tart-tongued, escapist thriller. . . A stylishly written tale that plays off our culture’s obsession with celebrity scandal.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Janie keeps them all guessing . . . An unusual protagonist who will intrigue readers who favor strong, smart women.” — Booklist
“Little effectively intersperses outside perspective in the form of emails, text messages, and other communications in Jane’s entertainingly caustic first-person narrative.” — Publishers Weekly
“Dear Daughter has three of my favorite things in a book: a smart, damaged, unstoppable narrator with a slicing sense of humor; needle-sharp writing that brings characters and atmosphere leaping off the page; and a vivid, original plot full of satisfying twists. This is an all-nighter, and the best debut mystery I’ve read in a long time.”
— Tana French, New York Times bestselling author of Broken Harbor and In the Woods
“A really gutsy, clever, energetic read, often unexpected, always entertaining. I loved Janie Jenkin’s sassy voice and Elizabeth Little’s too. In the world of crime novels, Dear Daughter is a breath of fresh air.” — Kate Atkinson, New York Times bestselling author of Life After Life
“What a devilish, delightful treat of a novel! Crackling with wit and shining with originality, Dear Daughter is the kind of whirlwind mystery that will keep you hooked—and guessing—until the very end.” — Sara Shepard, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Little Liars
“Clever, original, and darkly witty, Dear Daughter’s many twists will keep you on your toes as you fall under the spell of its unapologetic, whip-smart narrator.” — Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia
jbronderbookreviews 