Trick of the Eye

by Jane Stanton Hitchcock Narrated by Anna Fields

Overview

Artist Faith Crowell is nearly forty and feels-with some relief, some regret-that she's now safely past the age of passion, obsessive love, and unsatisfied longings. Concentrating on contenting herself with a solitary life in Manhattan, complete with cat, comfy apartment, and a successful if hardly brilliant career, Faith is shocked when grande dame Frances Griffin drops in to her studio to ask her to paint murals for the ballroom of her legendary Long Island mansion. Flattered, Faith accepts. She eventually learns of the brutal, unsolved murder of Frances' daughter and begins to wonder why she was chosen for this project, why her employer seems intent on confiding all her secrets to her, and what, exactly, lies beneath the surface of Frances Griffin's public life.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

A tautly controlled narrative voice and a prose style that transcends genre key the action in this gothic thriller about a successful trompe l'oeil artist commissioned to work at a grand old estate on the North Shore of Long Island. Faith Crowell, a 39-year-old self-described ``spinster,'' is happiest when alone with her thoughts. Her ability to ``paint a variety of illusionary images on any compatible surface'' brings her work to the attention of Frances Griffin, a reclusive widow and fabulously wealthy collector, who wants Faith to repaint the huge ballroom of her mansion, the Haven. Mrs. Griffin reveals that the ballroom was built for the coming-out party of her daughter Cassandra, who was stabbed to death shortly after her marriage. As Faith begins her work, the grisly, unsolved murder comes to haunt her, and she sets about attempting to solve the 15-year-old case with the aid of her friend, Harry Pitt. The Haven, Faith learns, harbors many lurid secrets, not the least of which may be Mrs. Griffin's own connection to the crime. Readers of Hitchcock's well-made tale will enjoy discovering whether this master craftswoman of the art of surfaces will be able to penetrate the moneyed Griffin veneer and locate the shocking truth. (Sept.)

Library Journal

Wealthy New York society matron and patron of the arts Frances Griffin commissions Faith Crowell, a 39-year-old trompe l'oeil artist, to paint the interior of her ballroom, built 20 years earlier for the debutante cotillion of her now-deceased daughter, Cassandra. During this assignment, Faith learns that Cassandra's murder remains unsolved, and Mrs. Griffin seems to know more about it than she is telling. Intrigued with the mystery and possible cover-up, Faith digs beneath the surface and uncovers the extraordinary, evil truth dividing appearance from reality. First novelist Hitchcock's material borders on the melodramatic, and her plot borders on the unlikely, but her writing commands attention. Recommended for lovers of suspense and Gothic novels.-- Sheila Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, D.C.

Kirkus Reviews

Dramatist Stanton's first novel is a thoroughly satisfying thriller—simultaneously luscious and ladylike as it traces the cat-and-mouse relationship between a wealthy old New York dowager and the solitary artist she hires to help re-create her past. Faith Crowell is nearly 40 and feels—with some relief, some regret—that she's now safely past the age of passion, obsessive love, and unsatisfied longings. Concentrating on contenting herself with a solitary life in Manhattan—complete with cat, comfy apartment, and a successful, if hardly brilliant, career as a specialist in trompe l' oeil—Faith is shocked when grande dame Frances Griffin drops into her studio like an errant comet landing on a desert floor. The primly dressed, sharply opinionated elderly woman has come to ask Crowell, who creates artistic illusions for the very wealthy, to paint the ballroom of her legendary Long Island mansion. Flattered, Faith accepts, despite a reluctance to shut down the rest of her business for the six months that the project will take. She quickly becomes enthralled, however, as she enters the beautiful, marble-floored ballroom, hears the story of its single night of service as the site of Frances's only daughter's debutante ball, learns of the daughter's brutal unsolved murder a few years later, and realizes with an unpleasant jolt that she herself almost exactly resembles the dead girl. As Frances draws a golden net around the unwary artist, Faith begins to wonder uneasily why she was chosen for this project, why her employer seems intent on confiding all her secrets to her, and what, exactly, lies beneath the surface of Frances Griffin's public life. A truly wonderful twistnear the end transforms this creation from lively entertainment to gasp-provoking, attention-grabbing imbroglio. Those few among Hitchcock's characters who aren't charming, unusual, and thoroughly likable are certainly overflowing with surprises. Pure pleasure for psychological-suspense fans.

AudioFile

Anna Fields portrays Crowell as savvy and intuitive, traits that will help her when she learns of the unsolved murder a decade earlier…Fields captures all the suspense of the story as Crowell explores the past just a bit too creatively.”

Kliatt

With touches of Edith Wharton, Jane Austen, Patricia Highsmith, and Daphne du Maurier, [this] will appeal to any listener who appreciates excellent writing, complex characters, and absolutely fantastic narrators.”

New York Post

Hitchock’s mysteries are savvy social satires and well-constructed clocks, ticking down to nail-biting climaxes.

JUN/JUL 04 - AudioFile

Comfortable and settled, nearing age 40, artist Faith Crowell takes pleasure in enjoying a quiet, uncomplicated Manhattan lifestyle with her cat as a solitary companion. Of course, that's precisely when her life takes an unexpected new course, leading her to the assignment of a lifetime--painting interior ballroom murals for an extraordinary Long Island mansion. Anna Fields portrays Crowell as savvy and intuitive, traits that will help her when she learns of the unsolved murder a decade earlier of her benefactor's daughter within the mansion. Fields captures all the suspense of the story as Crowell explores the past just a bit too creatively. B.J.P. © AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169805376
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	06/27/2005
Edition description:	Unabridged

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