Everybody Knows: A Novel

by Jordan Harper

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

From fan-favorite Jordan Harper comes another riveting crime fiction, steeped in relevant, contemporary themes like the #MeToo movement, as well as addressing crimes and iniquities of the entertainment and media industry. This is a story with a full head of steam, and it pulls no punches on the journey.

In this “dazzling” (New York Times Book Review) mystery from an Edgar Award winning author, a fearless black-bag publicist exposes the belly of the L.A. beast.

A New York Times Best Crime Book of the Year•   A NYTBR Editors' Choice Selection• An Anthony Award Nominee • A Barry Award Nominee •  An ABA January 2023 Indie Next List Pick •

Recommended by New York Times Book Review •  NPR/Fresh Air •  Wall Street Journal •  Washington Post •  LA Times •  CrimeReads • The Boston Globe • South Florida Sun Sentinel • Alta Online •  Lit Hub•  Kirkus Reviews•  Publishers Weekly•  NBC/TODAY and many more!

Welcome to Mae Pruett’s Los Angeles, where “Nobody talks. But everybody whispers.” As a “black-bag” publicist tasked not with letting the good news out but keeping the bad news in, Mae works for one of LA’s most powerful and sought-after crisis PR firms, at the center of a sprawling web of lawyers, PR flaks, and private security firms she calls “The Beast.” They protect the rich and powerful and depraved by any means necessary.   

After her boss is gunned down in front of the Beverly Hills Hotel in a random attack, Mae takes it upon herself to investigate and runs headfirst into The Beast’s lawless machinations and the twisted systems it exists to perpetuate. It takes her on a roving neon joyride through a Los Angeles full of influencers pumped full of pills and fillers; sprawling mansions footsteps away from sprawling homeless encampments; crooked cops and mysterious wrecking crews in the middle of the night.  

Edgar Award-winner Jordan Harper’s Everybody Knows is addicting and alarming, a “juggernaut of a novel” and “an absolute tour de force.” It is what the crime novel can achieve in the modern age: portray the human lives at the center of vast American landscapes, and make us thrill at their attempts to face impossible odds.  

"The book everybody's been waiting for" —Michael Connelly
"An absolute tour de force"—S. A. Cosby
"The best mystery novel I've read in years" —James Patterson

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316458023
Publisher:	Little, Brown and Company
Publication date:	01/30/2024
Pages:	352
Sales rank:	23,158
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Jordan Harper is the Edgar-Award winning author of She Rides Shotgun and Love and Other Wounds. Born and educated in Missouri, he now lives in Los Angeles, where he works as a writer and producer for television.

Editorial Reviews

Everybody Knows rages through the City of Angels like a broken-dam flood. It’s got it all, but most of all it’s got deep insight. It’s the book everybody’s been waiting for.”
 —Michael Connelly

“Good lord, this book is fantastic. Everybody Knows is one of the best LA noir novels I've ever read. The writing is astonishingly good. It's a wild, honest, sharp, and suspenseful ride, full of wry observations about the nature of power and the cost of being good in a bad, bad world."
 —Attica Locke, Edgar Award-winning and bestselling author of HEAVEN, MY HOME and BLUEBIRD, BLUEBIRD

"This tale of a crisis manager's journey of the soul is as bleak as Hollywood noir gets, skewering redemption narratives, romance and idealism. Every sentence sings with heartache."—New York Times Book Review, Best Crime Novels of 2023

"Hollywood noir doesn't get any darker than Jordan Harper's dazzling Everybody Knows, where cynicism is rewarded, romance thwarted and redemption narratives undercut at every turn."—Sarah Weinman, New York Times Book Review

“Harper, a Hollywood writer for more than a decade, perceptively illustrates the contrasts in the entertainment business— “perfect” influencers who hide their drug addictions, giant mansions alongside homeless encampments — and exposes the way people hide desperation under a veneer of fame.”
 —Washington Post

“Everybody Knows is the best mystery novel I’ve read in years…Jordan Harper writes sentences, and in this case an entire book, that is both terrifying and exhilarating.”—James Patterson

“Jordan Harper’s ‘Everybody Knows’ is a pure hit of neo-noir. It is dark, violent, bold — and romantic as all get out.”—Harlan Coben on the TODAY Show

"It’s more than a crime novel. It’s a fresh take and a hard look at our culture."—Michael Connelly, Wall Street Journal

"A bona-fide page-turner, pings with one-liners and scenes worthy of Raymond Chandler and Nathanael West."—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal

"[A] stunning new crime saga… The novel’s scope is expansive, and so is the buzz that comes trailing it…a wholly contemporary story. The dark epic that unfurls in the pages of Everybody Knows makes ‘ripped-from-the-headlines’ crime shows seem quaint by comparison…. poised to be Harper’s breakout novel…"
 —LA Times

“What a ride! If it were possible for James Ellroy and James M. Cain to produce a bastard love child, it would be Everybody Knows by Jordan Harper. Awash in substance abuse, sex and demented violence, this is the LA of a good drug trip turned very bad.”—Dennis Lehane

"Searing, timely, sprawling, Everybody Knows pulls back Hollywood’s velvet curtain, exposing the sordid machinations on which the industry runs and the seamy complicity which keeps it humming. This is L.A. noir at its most incendiary."—Megan Abbott, bestselling author of THE TURNOUT

"Just as Ellory mastered the atavistic heart of 1950's corruption, so Jordan Harper has mastered articulating the Day-Glo Technicolor nightmare that is postmodern Los Angeles. Everybody Knows is filled with ballsy movers and shakers, of course, but also plastic social media influencers, high-rent hoods, nihilistic cops, and the sorts of lost souls you’ll never forget. Everybody Knows is an absolute tour de force, a trip through an exclusive alluring Hell where everyone gets what they want and just what they deserve.”—S.A. Cosby, bestselling and LA Times Book Prize-winning author of RAZORBLADE TEARS and BLACKTOP WASTELAND

"With Everybody Knows, Jordan Harper takes on the Beast—the monstrous, corrupt, insatiable mass of organs that eats the losers and feeds the winners in capitalist America, with Hollywood as its base of operations. Our guides to this world (our world) are two of its own dirty players, a celebrity publicist with killer instincts and an ex-cop goon for hire, looking for survival and money and maybe, if it's in the cards, a little bit of redemption. It's a juggernaut of a novel, fast and high-impact, with a sense of doomed humor and bright, sharp teeth."
 —Steph Cha, LA Times Book Prize-winning author of YOUR HOUSE WILL PAY

“Jordan Harper writes like he’s L.A.’s avenging angel. Everybody Knows is timely. It’s timeless. It’s a knockout punch.”
 —James Kestrel, author of the Edgar Award-winning FIVE DECEMBERS

"A bold new reinvention of Los Angeles noir with the Hollywood publicist as sleuth, trawling through social media feeds and manufactured cover stories to discover the hushed-up truth — where human kindness still flickers alive in a jet-black vision of Tinseltown. Sharply observed, atmospheric, and indelible."—Winnie M Li, author of New York Times book club pick COMPLICIT

"A mesmerizing whodunit, escapist yet thought-provoking.”—Kirkus Reviews

"Combing the brutality of James Ellroy with the poetic sensibility of Raymond Chandler, Harper takes the reader on a searing journey into L.A.’s underworld where truth and righteousness have become irrelevant and only power has currency. This neo-noir is a must read."—Publishers Weekly

"Fans of neo-noir will find a lot to like here, as Harper displays an encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture and Hollywood history as he spins a tale that isn’t just ripped from the headlines—it’s probably predicting them."
 —BookPage

"Don't be surprised if this utterly compelling thriller, which builds on timeless themes and brings new shading to an iconic landscape, is the noir of the year."
 —Booklist

"A whip-tight Los Angeles thriller, hardboiled to its innermost core: Mae Pruett is a crisis-management specialist committed to protecting her clients – megawatt movie stars, high-powered politicians, and high-profile Hollywood execs – when she stumbles on a criminal conspiracy that’s breathtaking in its infallibility and reach."—Boston Globe, Best Books of 2023

"Jordan Harper's breathtaking Everybody Knows brings new urgency to the homeland of hardboiled mysteries."—Tampa Bay Times, Best Hollywood Noir

"This gifted practitioner of contemporary Hollywood noir writes with staccato vividness about 'the Beast' the group of corrupt entities that cleans up celebrity messes, and what happens when two of its numbers decide that going 'ugly things for ugly people' isn't the rush it used to be."—Air Mail, 12 Best Mysteries of 2023

“Harper’s dark vision — and it is very dark — imbues ‘Everybody Knows’ with a tight plot that is on fire from the first sentence and believable characters one wants to root for…Harper’s noir vision of L.A. sees the city at its worst but with a sense of hope for its future, enhanced by his evocative writing….‘Everybody Knows’ showcases Harper’s considerable talents.”
 —Oline Cogdill, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

“Virtuosically written...Consider me shocked and awed.”—AIRMAIL

“I love a Hollywood novel, and this one scratched this month’s itch… I found Tusing’s narrations of Mae’s descent into the Hollywood underbelly rhythmically gripping.”—NY Mag/Vulture, Best Audiobooks of the Month

“this novel, like Ellroy’s work, offers ‘that very sort of complicated, sort of almost Baroque sense where, just when you think it couldn't get any darker or more depraved, he'll peel back another layer.’”—MPR News, Ask a Bookseller with The Poisoned Pen’s Patrick Millikin

"Harper is a skilled plot tactician, and his book is well constructed, and unpredictable nearly to the end….I want to be careful not to give away too much; one of the pleasures of the book is how Harper handles all the twists and turns."—David Ulin, Alta Online

From the Publisher

★ 01/02/2023

Edgar winner Harper (She Rides Shotgun) brilliantly taps into the zeitgeist for this crime novel that perfectly reflects its time and place. As a series of bombings ravage the homeless encampments of Los Angeles, the city’s wealthy elite are protected by “black-bag publicists” like Mae Pruett. A crisis manager for L.A.’s rich and famous, Mae helps to keep their dirty laundry and debauched escapades from reaching the public. This can, of course, be a complicated job, and requires a tag team effort from a multidisciplinary group of lawyers, journalists, and, when necessary, hired muscle. When Mae’s boss, Dan Hennigan, is murdered, Mae and her ex, Chris Tamburro, a disgraced former cop who’s now employed by a private security company, wind up working the same case. As they investigate, they follow Hennigan’s side hustle down a dark road involving über-rich predators and some of Hollywood’s most vulnerable. Combing the brutality of James Ellroy with the poetic sensibility of Raymond Chandler, Harper takes the reader on a searing journey into L.A.’s underworld where truth and righteousness have become irrelevant and only power has currency. This neo-noir is a must read. Agent: Nat Sobel, Sobel Weber Assoc. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

Searing, timely, sprawling, EVERYBODY KNOWS pulls back Hollywood’s velvet curtain, exposing the sordid machinations on which the industry runs and the seamy complicity which keeps it humming. This is L.A. noir at its most incendiary.

bestselling author of THE TURNOUT Megan Abbott

Everybody Knows is the best mystery novel I’ve read in years…Jordan Harper writes sentences, and in this case an entire book, that is both terrifying and exhilarating.

James Patterson

Just as Ellory mastered the atavistic heart of 1950's corruption, so Jordan Harper has mastered articulating the Day-Glo Technicolor nightmare that is postmodern Los Angeles. Everybody Knows is filled with ballsy movers and shakers, of course, but also plastic social media influencers, high-rent hoods, nihilistic cops, and the sorts of lost souls you’ll never forget. Everybody Knows is an absolute tour de force, a trip through an exclusive alluring Hell where everyone gets what they want and just what they deserve.

bestselling and LA Times Book Prize-winning author S.A. Cosby

A bold new reinvention of Los Angeles noir with the Hollywood publicist as sleuth, trawling through social media feeds and manufactured cover stories to discover the hushed-up truth — where human kindness still flickers alive in a jet-black vision of Tinseltown. Sharply observed, atmospheric, and indelible.

author of New York Times book club pick COMPLICIT Winnie M Li

What a ride! If it were possible for James Ellroy and James M. Cain to produce a bastard love child, it would be EVERYBODY KNOWS by Jordan Harper. Awash in substance abuse, sex and demented violence, this is the LA of a good drug trip turned very bad.

Dennis Lehane

Narrators Megan Tusing and William DeMeritt swap chapters in this excellent updated take on L.A. noir. Tusing voices Mae Pruitt, a "black bag" publicist who covers up Hollywood dirt. DeMeritt narrates the chapters dealing with Chris Tamburro, an ex-L.A. cop who suffers from faux heart attacks. As their stories merge, the two narrators build on each other's performances to present a spirited but cynical take on Hollywood, private security, teen stars, the police, and L.A. real estate development. The writing is skillful--reminiscent of James Ellroy's with a fresh gloss--and the snappy dialogue gives Tusing and DeMeritt plenty to run with. Their narrative duet powers the mystery's arc and existential ending. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile

Narrators Megan Tusing and William DeMeritt swap chapters in this excellent updated take on L.A. noir. Tusing voices Mae Pruitt, a "black bag" publicist who covers up Hollywood dirt. DeMeritt narrates the chapters dealing with Chris Tamburro, an ex-L.A. cop who suffers from faux heart attacks. As their stories merge, the two narrators build on each other's performances to present a spirited but cynical take on Hollywood, private security, teen stars, the police, and L.A. real estate development. The writing is skillful--reminiscent of James Ellroy's with a fresh gloss--and the snappy dialogue gives Tusing and DeMeritt plenty to run with. Their narrative duet powers the mystery's arc and existential ending. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2023, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2023 - AudioFile

★ 2022-12-24
Edgar winner Harper’s deep dive into a netherworld of murder and sexual perversion among LA's elite power wielders evolves from noir fiction into a knotty morality tale.

Mae Pruett whitewashes celebrity clients’ ugliest imbroglios, from an inconvenient black eye to a drug overdose, for a crisis-management firm specializing in "black bag PR.” Former cop Chris Tamburro works for a high-end security firm that stretches the definition of protection to include physical violence. They both accept that they are complicit in secrets and lies but they love the adrenaline rush of their work. Then Mae’s co-worker Dan Hennigan is killed under circumstances she finds suspicious though her bosses don’t, or won’t. Coincidentally, Chris’ boss offers him what initially seems a choice assignment, to use his old police connections to investigate Dan’s killing. But why is the client’s identity a secret? Soon the former lovers are secretly working together without their companies’ knowledge, connecting a growing list of murders to Jeffrey Epstein–style sexual outrages, questionable land deals, and a host of other unsavory dealings by men of seemingly untouchable clout. As the bodies accumulate, a pregnant 14-year-old becomes the “bloody glove—the objective correlative, the one real thing you can point to that makes the lies feel solid.” Harper’s physical descriptions of LA and set pieces with minor characters are cinematic, evoking classic films like The Big Sleep and Chinatown. While Harper’s take is more graphic and emotionally bleak, his writing is witty, elegant, even funny, as in Mae’s hilarious solution for that inconvenient black eye. The heart of the story lies in Mae and Chris’ relationship. As they fall back in love, they each lose the cynical edge they've always relied on. They begin to weigh what ethical boundaries they won’t cross, or stomach others crossing, and what price each is willing to pay in the future.

A mesmerizing whodunit, escapist yet thought-provoking.

Kirkus Reviews