Mortal Friends
Written by Jane Stanton Hitchcock
Narrated by Jennifer Van Dyck
4/5
()
About this audiobook
“Murder, blackmail, and betrayal, all set against the glittering backdrop of Washington society.”
—The Today Show
No one knows the world of high society better that New York Times bestselling author Jane Stanton Hitchcock—and no one captures its behind-the-scenes scandals and secrets better. In Mortal Friends, the Edgar® Award-nominated author of Trick of the Eye and Social Crimes offers readers a comedy of manners and murders which Barbara Goldsmith describes as a “dizzying dash through the heights of Washington society, a high velocity novel with more twists than a corkscrew.” Dominick Dunne said, “I had a great weekend with this book.” Find out how the other half live—and die—by spending some quality time with Mortal Friends.
Jane Stanton Hitchcock
Jane Stanton Hitchcock is the New York Times bestselling author of Mortal Friends, The Witches' Hammer, Social Crimes, and Trick of the Eye, as well as several plays. She lives with her husband, syndicated foreign-affairs columnist Jim Hoagland, in New York City and Washington, D.C.
Related to Mortal Friends
Related audiobooks
MAGIC HOUR Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5After All These Years Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5To the Power of Three Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thomas Murphy: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Goldberg Variations: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Sugar House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Death at Breakfast: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Simply From Scratch Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Last Laugh: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What We Did: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5So 5 Minutes Ago Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Mireille Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rachel To The Rescue Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Last Place Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Secret of the Villa Mimosa Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5What the Nanny Saw Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Trouble With Love Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMagnolia House Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Gilded Life of Matilda Duplaine Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The American Heiress Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dirty Girls Social Club: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Asking for Trouble Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Number Nineteen: Ben’s Last Case Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Last September Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Artist's Secret Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMischief in Maggody Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Man Who Couldn't Miss: A Stewart Hoag Mystery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wellmania: Extreme Misadventures in the Search for Wellness Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Wedding Murders Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
General Fiction For You
A Court of Thorns and Roses Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Court of Wings and Ruin Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Court of Mist and Fury Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5All the Light We Cannot See: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Stardust Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Man Called Ove: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ends with Us Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Bell Jar Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5And Then There Were None Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Leave the World Behind: A Novel Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Court of Frost and Starlight Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Omens: A Full Cast Production Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Their Eyes Were Watching God Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Name of the Wind Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Alchemist Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Finn Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Overstory Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5American Gods [TV Tie-In]: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Duke and I Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Neverwhere Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fight Club Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Return of the King Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Mortal Friends
28 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I enjoyed this book as I got into it. I had to understand the social inner workings of the DC socialites. After reading a few chapters, I began to love the story. I kept guessing at who was killing these girls and was sure I had figured it out several times. But I was wrong every time. Reven was a great character. I loved the way she trusted every one as I often do. She was wrong too. A great mystery that keeps you guessing until the very end.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Interesting mystery, set in Washington, D.C. Lots of power and betrayal and money, observed by an insider who still has to work for a living. It took me a few days to get into it, but then I couldn't put it down. Recommended.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5I thought this book was a total waste of time. So the first question of course, is why did I react that way? And next: why did I read it? A summary of the plot should provide you with an answer to the first question.The protagonist is a 43-year-old divorced owner of an antiques shop who is named “Reven” or “never” spelled backwards (her parents "never" thought they would have her). She’s incredibly self-absorbed (although not as much as the other characters!) and not given to humility. This is how she describes herself in prep school: "I was seductive, no question. But I was also very nice to everyone, which is why people like me. And to be honest, I was gorgeous – a Valkyrie among trolls.”And her opinion of herself hasn’t diminished much over the years.The book is set in Washington, D.C. and involves the glitterati of the city: the very rich and powerful, who, it seems, are also very shallow, superficial, obsessed with protocol and popularity. (Now there's a surprising plot twist!) In fact, there are only two appealing characters in the book, but both of these are “outsiders.” As the story begins, Reven’s best friend Violet is thrilled to find that her obsession with serial killers is paying off by virtue of a new outbreak of murders in area parks. (Apparently it takes something out of the ordinary to interest the glitterati.) We learn about this fixation as we follow Reven and Violet around to concerts, dinners, parties, fashion fittings for the same, and other similar quotidian activities of movers and shakers (or at least their dates). Attempts to sidetrack the reader from identifying the real killer are clumsy and obvious, and the killer’s confession speech is laughable. The dialogue in general lacks sophistication for all the would-be high achievements of the characters.In sum, the characters aren’t likeable; the plot is inconsequential; the dialogue is trite, and the mystery is no mystery at all. So why did I read it?I enjoy mysteries set in cities I love; I like recognizing the streets and restaurants and haunts and traffic patterns. I was born in the D.C. area and love that city. My family is still there, and I have many good memories there. You never know when a scene in a book set in D.C. will resonate with your own experience.Compare any book by George Pelecanos, who stories also take place in D.C. He can be harsh and coarse, but his characters are realistic and his plots are complex. And best of all, in one of his books, a police car was staked out in the very shopping center where I buried my parakeet Tweety and my goldfish Goldy! (Okay, so I wasn’t very original when it came to names.) (And as you can well imagine, I was freaking out: ARE THEY PARKING ON TWEETY AND GOLDY?!!!!) Those moments of serendipity can make a book worth reading. But in this case, there were few redeeming qualities.Evaluation: If you’re looking for an intelligent mystery in which people are not who they seem to be, skip this one and try No One You Know, by Michelle Richmond (see my review below).
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jane Stanton Hitchcock's newest novel Mortal Friends is a seductive mystery set in Georgetown, where the real Washington DC power lies.When the Beltway Basher's latest victim is found in a nearby park, best friends society matron Violet and antique shop owner Reven get involved in the crime. Violet is obsessed with true life crime stories, and Reven becomes entangled when a police detective asks her for help in solving the case.Hitchcock expertly draws the reader into this story and the world of political high society in Washington DC. She gives enough clues for readers to think themselves very clever when they figure out a few of mysteries, then throws in some twists that will send the reader reeling with surprise. Her descriptions of characters place them firmly in the mind of the reader. "Grant was Mr. Straight Arrow. No, actually he was more like a totem pole: tall, wooden, and joyless." You get Grant right away from that. She describes an obscenely wealthy woman as wearing jewelry "clearly designed to illuminate her bank account as much as her face".Grant's statement about his overbearing mother, "Mother can't admit she's wrong, therefore she never is", explains a lot about Grant's relationship with her. But my favorite line is Reven's about her boarding school reunion: "Nobody looks great after forty. We just look better or worse than other people our age". That gives one pause to think.The story moves along at a brisk pace, and Hitchcock spikes her novel with references to real events, like the Chandra Levy murder and the Washington DC sniper attacks, that add to its authenticity. Hitchcock clearly knows Washington DC society, and gives the reader the inside scoop on the intrigue of it.Those who like mysteries that challenge the reader to pay close attention in an attempt to figure it out will appreciate this clever, seductive society story.