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Learn moreA Most Anticipated Novel by PopSugar * Bustle * Buzzfeed * Crime Reads and more!
"[A] chilling debut novel." -- The New York Times Book Review
A young woman agrees to star in a filmmaker's latest project, but soon realizes the movie is not what she expected in this chilling debut novel.
In the wake of her father's death, Betty Roux doesn't allow herself to mourn. Instead, she pushes away her mother, breaks up with her boyfriend, and leaves everything behind to move to New York City. She doesn't know what she wants, except to run.
When she's offered the chance to play the leading role in mysterious indie filmmaker Anthony Marino's new project, she jumps at the opportunity. For a month Betty will live in a cabin on a private island off the coast of Maine, with a five-person cast and crew. Her mother warns against it, but Betty is too drawn to the charismatic Anthony to say no.
Anthony gives her a new identity--Lola--and Betty tells herself that this is exactly what she's been looking for. The chance to reinvent herself. That is, until they begin filming and she meets Sammy, the island's caretaker, and Betty realizes just how little she knows about the movie and its director.
Melissa Larsen has an M.F.A. from Columbia University and a B.A. from NYU's Gallatin School of Individualized Study. She has interned and worked extensively in publishing. She lives in San Francisco, and Shutter is her first novel.
Reviews
Praise for Shutter"[A] chilling debut novel....While Larsen’s skill at setting up a suspenseful story is deft, the novel’s true power lies in her exploration of Betty’s mind, showing how a talented, intelligent woman slowly--through self-doubt, insecurity and inexperience--exposes herself to danger. There is something of the naïve yet steely narrator of Daphne du Maurier’s 'Rebecca' in Betty: She is both the victim and architect of her own tragedy."--The New York Times Book Review
“Larsen’s thriller is dark, atmospheric, and suspenseful.”--BuzzFeed
“An eerie debut thriller….This slow-burning psychological thriller is atmospheric with a sensationally cinematic finale.”--She Reads
"[B]y the end of the book, you’ll be just [as] freaked out as the protagonist."--Crime Reads
"Taut and barbed as razor wire, Melissa Larsen's prose catches hold of you and won't let go until the last reel. In the tradition of Patricia Highsmith and Daphne du Maurier, SHUTTERis a stunning debut!" --Carol Goodman, New York Times bestselling author of The Sea of Lost Girls
"Shutter makes an excellent case for not accompanying a mysterious filmmaker into the woods."--PopSugar
"Larsen’s chilly thriller promises a page-turning read with an unexpected ending."--Palm Beach Daily News
"Larsen shows in Shutter that she has what it takes to stand above many in the genre....With a chilling end, Shutter leaves the reader thinking well after turning the final page—the essence of a strong thriller."--Mystery & Suspense Magazine
"In this twisty thriller, Betty’s first-person narration will keep readers on their toes. Recommended for fans of thrillers with unreliable narrators, and psychologically intense plots involving movies and filmmaking."--Library Journal
“With precise control over each tantalizing puzzle piece, Melissa Larsen gives us an irresistible mystery. SHUTTER is eerie and intimate, a perfectly plotted dive into a voyeuristic world where nothing is private, even the darkest secrets--where you never know who might be watching."--Danya Kukafka, national bestselling author of Girl in Snow
"An immediately engrossing tale about intimacy and identity. SHUTTER will keep you guessing until the final shot. Melissa Larsen is one to watch.”--Eliza Jane Brazier, author of If I Disappear
"Shutter draws on the familiar--Hitchcock thrillers, tragic starlets, the angst of making art--but in a voice that is wholly new and immediately compelling. Larsen's smart, self-aware protagonist reads like a lovechild between Daphne du Maurier and Lorrie Moore. Larsen’s supple prose and intricate plotting make this book a dark delight."--Nicola Maye Goldberg, author of Nothing Can Hurt You
"Shutter is blade-sharp, tense and surprising at every turn. Melissa Larsen's debut marks the arrival of an incredible new talent."--Lauren Grodstein, USA Today bestselling author of A Friend of the Family
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