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Pretty as a Picture
Marissa Dahl, a shy but successful film editor, travels to a small island off the coast of Delaware to work with the legendary--and legendarily demanding--director Tony Rees on a feature film with a familiar logline.
Some girl dies.
It's not much to go on, but the specifics don't concern Marissa. Whatever the script is, her job is the same. She'll spend her days in the editing room, doing what she does best: turning pictures into stories.
But she soon discovers that on this set, nothing is as it's supposed to be--or as it seems. There are rumors of accidents and indiscretions, of burgeoning scandals and perilous schemes. Half the crew has been fired. The other half wants to quit. Even the actors have figured out something is wrong. And no one seems to know what happened to the editor she was hired to replace.
Then she meets the intrepid and incorrigible teenage girls who are determined to solve the real-life murder that is the movie's central subject, and before long, Marissa is drawn into the investigation herself.
The only problem is, the killer may still be on the loose. And he might not be finished.
Some girl dies.
It's not much to go on, but the specifics don't concern Marissa. Whatever the script is, her job is the same. She'll spend her days in the editing room, doing what she does best: turning pictures into stories.
But she soon discovers that on this set, nothing is as it's supposed to be--or as it seems. There are rumors of accidents and indiscretions, of burgeoning scandals and perilous schemes. Half the crew has been fired. The other half wants to quit. Even the actors have figured out something is wrong. And no one seems to know what happened to the editor she was hired to replace.
Then she meets the intrepid and incorrigible teenage girls who are determined to solve the real-life murder that is the movie's central subject, and before long, Marissa is drawn into the investigation herself.
The only problem is, the killer may still be on the loose. And he might not be finished.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 25, 2020
678 people are currently reading
19314 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Little
5 books422 followersElizabeth Little is the bestselling author of Dear Daughter, Pretty as a Picture, and two works of nonfiction. Her crime fiction has been nominated for the Barry, Macavity, and CWA John Creasey Debut dagger awards, and she received the Strand Critics Award for Best First Novel. Her latest novel, Pretty as a Picture, was a Barnes and Noble monthly pick and a Los Angeles Times and Publishers Weekly bestseller. Her writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, McSweeney’s, and the Los Angeles Review of Books, among other publications. Her next novel will be published by Bantam in 2025.
Elizabeth lives in Los Angeles with her family.
Elizabeth lives in Los Angeles with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,198 reviews
February 29, 2020
Give me a movie and I'll find the meaning; I'll find the truth; I'll find the story. Sometimes I'll find all three.
Meet Marissa Dahl, an endearing film editor, who might be perceiving the world slightly differently from you - she is clearly on the spectrum and has to work very hard to survive in this world of human interactions, body language, smiles, jokes, irony, meaningful looks and silences. Marissa is also brilliant at what she does. She lives, feels and breathes movies. She thinks in movie scenes. They are her anchor in this ever changing mysterious world.
When Marissa perceives Amy, her best friend / film director she has been working close for a very long time with/ flatmate needs some time and space for her relationship with Josh, Marissa with her characteristic sensitivity moves out. Now she needs to get a job as soon as possible and she can't be choosy. Her agent arranges an interview during which Marissa is shown a still and is asked to analyse it. Marissa correctly guesses it is from a true crime movie and is hired on the spot. Normally she would ask for a script, but the director is so well-known that she is willing to put up with a few eccentricities. She is whisked away onto an isolated island where the actual crime occured. The murder has remained unsolved. Everything about this production feels wrong. There is an ex-SEAL who is providing security, nobody would talk about why the previous film editor was fired, and there are also weird accidents and mishaps. Marissa starts investigating.
It's the same world as yours. I just notice it differently.
I fell in love with Marissa and her quirky sense of humour. The events are narrated from her point of view, so we get to know this kind and selfless character really well. There are also excerpts from a hilarious 'true crime podcast' which features interviews with secondary characters. The podcast was created by Grace and Suzy - two courageous and extremely creative teenage girls. These aspiring detectives, who happen to be children of cooks working in the hotel/production set, managed to do things even an experienced security professional couldn't have imagined were possible. I love the way Marissa always behaved as a mature and responsible adult with them. There are other fantastic secondary characters you will enjoy reading about, including the above mentioned ex-SEAL.
The book is full of names and movie references, but I didn't mind it at all. For me, in a subtle (or maybe not so subtle) and ironic way, it mirrored the way Marissa navigates the world that keeps throwing information at her which everybody seems to know about and understand, while she needs to study it carefully before she can determine its relevance and significance.
Without giving away too much of the story, it is also a brilliant exploration of authenticity and its role in our culture.
Well-written, fast-paced, extremely entertaining, but also deep and thought-provoking, Pretty as a Picture was a delight to read. I will be looking forward to reading any future book written by Elizabeth Little and I wish this one all the success it deserves.
Thank you to Edelweiss and Viking for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.
January 30, 2021
Give me a movie and I’ll find the meaning; I’ll find the truth; I’ll find the story. Sometimes, if I’m very lucky, I’ll find all three.
And so starts what promised to be a really, really good book for this lover of cinema, cynicism and all things mystifying. Marissa is my kind of narrator--a little uptight, more than a little odd, sharp brain, even sharper tongue--and she doesn’t disappoint. Her thoughts and one liners are some of the best parts of this book.
Sometimes I think everything wrong with my life can be located in the space between what I should have said and what actually came out of my mouth.
The rest of the story, let’s say it got a little convoluted, then downright zany and eventually came to a smirker of a conclusion. I enjoyed the insights into movie making and the honest look at the people who inhabit this world. The writing and dialogue were superb with the interspersed podcasts downright delightful. The cast of characters were mostly believable, but it lost the plot about halfway through.
I enjoyed this read and plan to read her previous which was well received. While I can’t strongly recommend, it was an enjoyable read and more than a 3, not quite a 4.
And so starts what promised to be a really, really good book for this lover of cinema, cynicism and all things mystifying. Marissa is my kind of narrator--a little uptight, more than a little odd, sharp brain, even sharper tongue--and she doesn’t disappoint. Her thoughts and one liners are some of the best parts of this book.
Sometimes I think everything wrong with my life can be located in the space between what I should have said and what actually came out of my mouth.
The rest of the story, let’s say it got a little convoluted, then downright zany and eventually came to a smirker of a conclusion. I enjoyed the insights into movie making and the honest look at the people who inhabit this world. The writing and dialogue were superb with the interspersed podcasts downright delightful. The cast of characters were mostly believable, but it lost the plot about halfway through.
I enjoyed this read and plan to read her previous which was well received. While I can’t strongly recommend, it was an enjoyable read and more than a 3, not quite a 4.
June 12, 2020
…I never knew: Dead girls aren’t actually beautiful.
3.5 but it’s a hard .5
there are a lot of thumbs-down reactions to this book, and i definitely understand the reasons why, and i suspect that if had i read this during any. other. time. i would myself have been less entertained by it, but honestly, these days a book gets points for the basic feat of ‘holding my attention,’ with the vig of extra credit accruing the longer it keeps me distracted from the multitude of ways the world is falling apart around me.
i really liked little’s first novel, Dear Daughter, and i’ve been looking forward to something new from her for YEARS. and while i felt lousy about how circumstances conspired to prevent me from reading my ARC until three months after the damn thing pubbed, i was grateful to have it on hand for these time-slippery Lost Days of Quarantine.
don’t get me wrong—i didn’t think this was nearly as good as Dear Daughter, but it was exactly what i needed for the me i am now; it was light and charming and moved along with the merry pace of scuffy the tugboat, and it taught me how to spell tszujing, a word i hadn’t even realized i’d never seen written out.
it's a 'murder on an isolated island' story, with 'smalltown secrets' involving 'a many years ago, potentially connected murder,' all of which are my kind of mystery tropes. however, the mystery of it all is not this book’s strongest element—the murders are treated pretty lightly from corpse-to-conclusion, and the tone is as close to a cozy as it gets without actually being a cozy, so a gritty crime thriller this is not.
it's pure character-driven stuff, and if you don’t like the driver, you will hate this ride. potentially-alienating protagonists seem to be little’s MO; the blistering antihero in Dear Daughter was dark and unapologetically unlikeable, while Pretty as a Picture has a lighter and more humorous tone, with a different sort of acquired-taste protagonist.
i don’t have the diagnostic know-how to pin her specific collection of anxieties down with any more accuracy than “neurodivergent,” but it’s enough to get us where we need to go. she's in that category where characters with indeterminate social disorders defined by eccentricities and awkwardness who are exceedingly competent professionally get grouped, escorted by a dramatic voice jazz-handing the word "spectruuummm."
marissa dahl is a film editor who’s great at reading a scene, bad at reading a room. she’s deeply antisocial, a characteristic both innate and nurtured by a profession which finds her sitting alone in dark windowless rooms for hours, squinting at people pretending to be other people.
she’s a tough sell in an industry where getting a reputation for being “difficult” is only forgivable if you’re a man, or a very certain kind of woman, What I wouldn’t give to be granted one-tenth the behavioral leeway a man allows a leggy Scandinavian by default. she's uncomfortable around people, she has difficulty following conversations, she’s frequently agitated, trapped in recursive loops of her thoughts, but is soothed by repetitive motions, or patterns. etc.
fortunately, her long-term bestie amy has become something of a rising star in the directing biz, and working together has given marissa the opportunity to earn a reputation for high-quality work without having to actively pitch herself in any rooms, because her pathological inability to sell herself ? girl, same.
her connection to movies runs deeper than aesthetic appreciation and technical skills; film is how she navigates social interactions—matching IRL facial expressions against a mental archive of actors to determine someone's mood; to extract cues on tone or subtext, to mirror her behavior.
she also uses film scenes to access or translate her own feelings:
ymmv, but to me, that's some enjoyable schtick. and it's like getting a bunch of mini-mysteries within the novel, where you can try to guess the film being referenced and show off your film-trivia knowledge…to yourself. but that’s quarantine, baby!
if you didn’t like that, you probably won’t like the book, because there are many different ways her particular quirks and tics manifest throughout, and that's just one of 'em.
ordinarily, i am impatient with twee and whimsy and quirk, and there were times when i felt the onset of annoyance rumbling up in me, "we get it, you’re awkward," to the extent that—no lie—at least twice, i stopped reading, leaned back, looked up and all around me like bastian to brace myself before diving back in.
this is the closest GIF i could find. i know. i’m as relevant as my pop culture references and nooooobody cares.
the point is that this character skirted dangerously close to "too much" on several occasions, but managed to pull back just in time. for my tastes, anyway. and i’m probably just getting soft like tenderized meat from being battered by
but she didn’t annoy me. even more surprisingly, i wasn’t annoyed (okay, much) by suzy and grace; the two babytween detectives that latch onto her with their back-and-forth bestfriendness and the "we're adorable" forced-humor of their true crime podcast's transcripts that pop up between chapters.
i enjoyed the film references and the character work and even though the 'awkwardness played for laughs' was a too-often-visited well, marissa's discomfort was not always treated comedically, and the way she phrased her experiences of anxiety was often vivid and lovely:
and maybe i was able to tolerate her because she's so “these days” relatable to me.
change “days” to “minutes,” and that’s how i feel now, in my #stayathome life, where it’s a red-letter day if i talk to two different people and go to the grocery store.
in any case.
the mystery is whatever—it wraps with a corny confrontation and then there's twenty-or-so pages of marissa just processing. it's not the psych suspense thriller i was expecting, but i liked it for what it was—a character study set in a mystery plot.
the narrative arc was somewhat predictable, but nonetheless achieved; a socially skittish individual separated from her only emotional support and forced to make new connections with the strangest assortment of (platonic) bedfellows (because, also like a cozy, there’s nothing romantically scandalous here), who learns how to extend her comfort zone’s hard limits to be someone else's emotional support.
ta-daaaa—growth.
and in the middle of all of that growth, there's murder and attempted murder and theft, some shoving, and also a cat.
someone should have stopped my babbling 8 paragraphs ago. back to bed!!
come to my blog!
3.5 but it’s a hard .5
there are a lot of thumbs-down reactions to this book, and i definitely understand the reasons why, and i suspect that if had i read this during any. other. time. i would myself have been less entertained by it, but honestly, these days a book gets points for the basic feat of ‘holding my attention,’ with the vig of extra credit accruing the longer it keeps me distracted from the multitude of ways the world is falling apart around me.
i really liked little’s first novel, Dear Daughter, and i’ve been looking forward to something new from her for YEARS. and while i felt lousy about how circumstances conspired to prevent me from reading my ARC until three months after the damn thing pubbed, i was grateful to have it on hand for these time-slippery Lost Days of Quarantine.
don’t get me wrong—i didn’t think this was nearly as good as Dear Daughter, but it was exactly what i needed for the me i am now; it was light and charming and moved along with the merry pace of scuffy the tugboat, and it taught me how to spell tszujing, a word i hadn’t even realized i’d never seen written out.
it's a 'murder on an isolated island' story, with 'smalltown secrets' involving 'a many years ago, potentially connected murder,' all of which are my kind of mystery tropes. however, the mystery of it all is not this book’s strongest element—the murders are treated pretty lightly from corpse-to-conclusion, and the tone is as close to a cozy as it gets without actually being a cozy, so a gritty crime thriller this is not.
it's pure character-driven stuff, and if you don’t like the driver, you will hate this ride. potentially-alienating protagonists seem to be little’s MO; the blistering antihero in Dear Daughter was dark and unapologetically unlikeable, while Pretty as a Picture has a lighter and more humorous tone, with a different sort of acquired-taste protagonist.
i don’t have the diagnostic know-how to pin her specific collection of anxieties down with any more accuracy than “neurodivergent,” but it’s enough to get us where we need to go. she's in that category where characters with indeterminate social disorders defined by eccentricities and awkwardness who are exceedingly competent professionally get grouped, escorted by a dramatic voice jazz-handing the word "spectruuummm."
marissa dahl is a film editor who’s great at reading a scene, bad at reading a room. she’s deeply antisocial, a characteristic both innate and nurtured by a profession which finds her sitting alone in dark windowless rooms for hours, squinting at people pretending to be other people.
she’s a tough sell in an industry where getting a reputation for being “difficult” is only forgivable if you’re a man, or a very certain kind of woman, What I wouldn’t give to be granted one-tenth the behavioral leeway a man allows a leggy Scandinavian by default. she's uncomfortable around people, she has difficulty following conversations, she’s frequently agitated, trapped in recursive loops of her thoughts, but is soothed by repetitive motions, or patterns. etc.
fortunately, her long-term bestie amy has become something of a rising star in the directing biz, and working together has given marissa the opportunity to earn a reputation for high-quality work without having to actively pitch herself in any rooms, because her pathological inability to sell herself ? girl, same.
Sometimes I think everything wrong with my life can be located in the space between what I should have said and what actually came out of my mouth. No matter how hard I try, no matter how well I prepare, the right words are, for me, forever out of reach. Not because they catch in my throat. A cat hasn’t gotten my tongue. None of the usual phrases apply. It’s a more comprehensive kind of collapse. When faced with any real conversational pressure, my personality just goes offline, AWOL, and no matter how hard I try, it doesn’t respond. Catastrophic system failure.
her connection to movies runs deeper than aesthetic appreciation and technical skills; film is how she navigates social interactions—matching IRL facial expressions against a mental archive of actors to determine someone's mood; to extract cues on tone or subtext, to mirror her behavior.
she also uses film scenes to access or translate her own feelings:
It’s possible I’ve spent so much time watching movies that the language of film has infiltrated some primal, necessary part of my brain. I catch myself processing my own emotions in scenes, in shots, in dialogue. Like when there’s a burn in my sinuses and a sick clench in the back of my throat, but my brain doesn’t supply a single word (sadness). Instead, it offers up a two-second clip from Terms of Endearment: Huckleberry Fox, inconsolable, at Debra Winger’s bedside.
It isn’t easy, or efficient, or necessarily clear. It would be much simpler, certainly, if I’d only seen a handful of movies, and if those movies had been directed by Steven Spielberg. Maybe then my emotions would be more manageable, more straightforward, a line instead of a scatter plot. But like Josh said, I have a whole encyclopedia up in there, and Huckleberry Fox at Debra Winger’s bedside is very different from Troy Bishop at Debra Winger’s bedside is very different from Shirley MacLaine at Debra Winger’s bedside.
I press my ring fingers into the corners of my eyes and try, once again, to figure myself out.
Eventually, it comes to me.
A man in a bathroom. He’s sitting on the counter next to the sink, one knee pulled up to his chest so he can fit his foot under the faucet. He’s barefoot, bleeding, shirtless.
His walkie-talkie crackles.
“I’m here, John.”
He lifts the radio to his face.
“Look,” Bruce Willis says, “I’m starting to get a bad feeling up here.”
So that’s what this is.
Foreboding.
ymmv, but to me, that's some enjoyable schtick. and it's like getting a bunch of mini-mysteries within the novel, where you can try to guess the film being referenced and show off your film-trivia knowledge…to yourself. but that’s quarantine, baby!
if you didn’t like that, you probably won’t like the book, because there are many different ways her particular quirks and tics manifest throughout, and that's just one of 'em.
ordinarily, i am impatient with twee and whimsy and quirk, and there were times when i felt the onset of annoyance rumbling up in me, "we get it, you’re awkward," to the extent that—no lie—at least twice, i stopped reading, leaned back, looked up and all around me like bastian to brace myself before diving back in.
this is the closest GIF i could find. i know. i’m as relevant as my pop culture references and nooooobody cares.
the point is that this character skirted dangerously close to "too much" on several occasions, but managed to pull back just in time. for my tastes, anyway. and i’m probably just getting soft like tenderized meat from being battered by
but she didn’t annoy me. even more surprisingly, i wasn’t annoyed (okay, much) by suzy and grace; the two babytween detectives that latch onto her with their back-and-forth bestfriendness and the "we're adorable" forced-humor of their true crime podcast's transcripts that pop up between chapters.
i enjoyed the film references and the character work and even though the 'awkwardness played for laughs' was a too-often-visited well, marissa's discomfort was not always treated comedically, and the way she phrased her experiences of anxiety was often vivid and lovely:
The best way I can think to describe it is that there’s a beehive in my chest, and most people upset the bees. The nearer they get, the worse it is—and direct contact makes them swarm.
and maybe i was able to tolerate her because she's so “these days” relatable to me.
I wish I could say that I’m in shock, that I’m reeling from everything that’s happened, but the truth is, I’m always like this when I have to be out in the world for too many days at a time. I have to take to my bed afterward, every time, like a Regency matron with a case of the nerves.
But I suppose it doesn’t help that in the past two weeks I discovered a dead body, tracked down a murderer, and made not one but two phone calls to strangers.
change “days” to “minutes,” and that’s how i feel now, in my #stayathome life, where it’s a red-letter day if i talk to two different people and go to the grocery store.
in any case.
the mystery is whatever—it wraps with a corny confrontation and then there's twenty-or-so pages of marissa just processing. it's not the psych suspense thriller i was expecting, but i liked it for what it was—a character study set in a mystery plot.
the narrative arc was somewhat predictable, but nonetheless achieved; a socially skittish individual separated from her only emotional support and forced to make new connections with the strangest assortment of (platonic) bedfellows (because, also like a cozy, there’s nothing romantically scandalous here), who learns how to extend her comfort zone’s hard limits to be someone else's emotional support.
ta-daaaa—growth.
and in the middle of all of that growth, there's murder and attempted murder and theft, some shoving, and also a cat.
someone should have stopped my babbling 8 paragraphs ago. back to bed!!
come to my blog!
February 20, 2020
This will be short because I don’t like to post unfavorable reviews. This book was just too slow-pacing and predictable for me. It’s definitely a good read for mystery newbies, but when it comes to certified mystery junkies, like myself, it just misses the mark.
December 8, 2022
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3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars because I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan)
Pretty as a Picture tells a slow-burn type of suspenseful story, one that I would definitely recommend to movie aficionados as this novel shines a light on the realities of the film industry: from the demanding, if not downright tyrannical, directors and agents to the power dynamics and hierarchies that are at play in a film crew. This behind-the-scenes setting is perhaps the most interesting and dazzling aspect of this book.
Although there are certain elements within the narrative that would not be out of place in a thriller, Pretty as a Picture is above all a character-driver story. Marissa, our protagonist and narrator, makes this novel. While she may initially strike readers as yet another introverted ‘not like other people’ character—who is later on reassured by others about her looks and personality—Marissa not only experience things differently but others are aware of this and often make the point of commenting on it. Her poor social skills, her ‘ticks’, her struggle to read or understand other people’s tone of voice or body language, her dislike of physical contact….these all contribute to making small everyday things—such any type of social interaction—much harder for her.
Films help her navigate the world. When she doesn’t know what to do or say she turns to the films she’s watched. Sometimes she simply draws strength from the characters of her favourite movies, while on other occasions someone, something, or someplace might remind her of a certain film.
When her best friend, and former creative partner, moves out of their apartment and with her douche-y boyfriend, Marissa finds herself in need of an editing gig. Her agent pushes into accepting an offer for a film based on a true murder case. Marissa is told that the previous editor suddenly left so the director, Tony Rees, is desperate for someone to replace him. Marissa is taken to a remote island where she unearths more than one mystery: from the dismissal of various members of staff to the growing tension between the people working on the film...something is afoot. Marissa, alongside some new acquaintances, plays detective in order to find just what is going on this set.
The murder aspect of the story kicks starts around the half-way mark. Before then we are introduced to the story’s many characters and we get a chance to truly get to know Marissa. The slow yet atmospheric start gives way to an increasingly urgent storyline. There are some twists that are somewhat predictable but I still enjoyed seeing the way in which things unfolded.
Marissa is a distinctive narrator. Her interactions with others could be either funny, awkward, or tense, and I appreciated the way in which Elizabeth Little depicted her. We read about her vulnerabilities, her strengths, and her quirks.
The chemistry between Marissa and Isaiah adds a nice touch to the story.
Interspersed throughout Marissa’s narrative are snippets from her a true-crime podcast, ‘Dead Ringer’, run by two teenage girls who, like Marissa, are sleuths of sorts. These sections give us glimpses of what is to come, without ever revealing too much.
Filled with cinematic references Pretty as a Picture offers a sharp commentary about the film industry, the dead-girl trope, the way in which true-crime glamorises death, as well as insight into someone who is labelled as ‘different’ by their society.
Overall, Pretty as a Picture was a thoroughly entertaining novel and I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoyed The Lost Night, books by Riley Sager, or Still Lives.
3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 stars because I listened to the audiobook narrated by Julia Whelan)
“Action, cut, action, cut, action, cut, action, cut. These aren’t commands, not for me. They’re more like everyday punctuation. A capital letter. A period. An indication that I should pay attention to what’s going on in the middle.”
Pretty as a Picture tells a slow-burn type of suspenseful story, one that I would definitely recommend to movie aficionados as this novel shines a light on the realities of the film industry: from the demanding, if not downright tyrannical, directors and agents to the power dynamics and hierarchies that are at play in a film crew. This behind-the-scenes setting is perhaps the most interesting and dazzling aspect of this book.
Although there are certain elements within the narrative that would not be out of place in a thriller, Pretty as a Picture is above all a character-driver story. Marissa, our protagonist and narrator, makes this novel. While she may initially strike readers as yet another introverted ‘not like other people’ character—who is later on reassured by others about her looks and personality—Marissa not only experience things differently but others are aware of this and often make the point of commenting on it. Her poor social skills, her ‘ticks’, her struggle to read or understand other people’s tone of voice or body language, her dislike of physical contact….these all contribute to making small everyday things—such any type of social interaction—much harder for her.
Films help her navigate the world. When she doesn’t know what to do or say she turns to the films she’s watched. Sometimes she simply draws strength from the characters of her favourite movies, while on other occasions someone, something, or someplace might remind her of a certain film.
When her best friend, and former creative partner, moves out of their apartment and with her douche-y boyfriend, Marissa finds herself in need of an editing gig. Her agent pushes into accepting an offer for a film based on a true murder case. Marissa is told that the previous editor suddenly left so the director, Tony Rees, is desperate for someone to replace him. Marissa is taken to a remote island where she unearths more than one mystery: from the dismissal of various members of staff to the growing tension between the people working on the film...something is afoot. Marissa, alongside some new acquaintances, plays detective in order to find just what is going on this set.
The murder aspect of the story kicks starts around the half-way mark. Before then we are introduced to the story’s many characters and we get a chance to truly get to know Marissa. The slow yet atmospheric start gives way to an increasingly urgent storyline. There are some twists that are somewhat predictable but I still enjoyed seeing the way in which things unfolded.
Marissa is a distinctive narrator. Her interactions with others could be either funny, awkward, or tense, and I appreciated the way in which Elizabeth Little depicted her. We read about her vulnerabilities, her strengths, and her quirks.
The chemistry between Marissa and Isaiah adds a nice touch to the story.
Interspersed throughout Marissa’s narrative are snippets from her a true-crime podcast, ‘Dead Ringer’, run by two teenage girls who, like Marissa, are sleuths of sorts. These sections give us glimpses of what is to come, without ever revealing too much.
Filled with cinematic references Pretty as a Picture offers a sharp commentary about the film industry, the dead-girl trope, the way in which true-crime glamorises death, as well as insight into someone who is labelled as ‘different’ by their society.
Overall, Pretty as a Picture was a thoroughly entertaining novel and I would definitely recommend this to those who enjoyed The Lost Night, books by Riley Sager, or Still Lives.
January 16, 2021
Marissa Dahl is a successful film editor and to say she’s socially awkward is a serious understatement. Her brain is just wired differently but thanks to her lasting friendship with Amy, her college and current roommate who is a an award-winning director, Marissa hasn’t had to worry about selling herself for new projects...until now. A fractured relationship with Amy’s current boyfriend has Marissa out on her own and accepting a new strange assignment with a director she fears might not be over their last embarrassing encounter. Once she arrives on location, she finds that things aren’t only strange but downright sinister.
I have such mixed feelings about the story. What really worked for me was the narrator, Julia Whelan who is one of the best in the field. She helped me “get” Marissa and the craziness of how her brain works. There are a lot of back-and-forth transitions that she managed skillfully, allowing me to keep track of where I was every time. I also loved the humor as there were so many occasions where I laughed out loud. The dialogue was often pithy, which is something I adore and was glad it wasn’t lost on me. What didn’t work so well was the mystery. After a time, it just got convoluted. While I love the podcast moments (those teenagers were a stitch), they made it more difficult.
I enjoyed the story but wish it hadn’t taken on so many tangents. If you’re familiar with the film industry, you’ll recognize all of the technical jargon as I certainly learned a lot. It completely changed my perception of the role of the film editor. Finally, I loved that ending. It was perfection. 3.5 stars
I have such mixed feelings about the story. What really worked for me was the narrator, Julia Whelan who is one of the best in the field. She helped me “get” Marissa and the craziness of how her brain works. There are a lot of back-and-forth transitions that she managed skillfully, allowing me to keep track of where I was every time. I also loved the humor as there were so many occasions where I laughed out loud. The dialogue was often pithy, which is something I adore and was glad it wasn’t lost on me. What didn’t work so well was the mystery. After a time, it just got convoluted. While I love the podcast moments (those teenagers were a stitch), they made it more difficult.
I enjoyed the story but wish it hadn’t taken on so many tangents. If you’re familiar with the film industry, you’ll recognize all of the technical jargon as I certainly learned a lot. It completely changed my perception of the role of the film editor. Finally, I loved that ending. It was perfection. 3.5 stars
dnf
January 8, 20242 stars: ⭐️⭐️
Time to DNF this one.
For me, the MC is about as unlikable as one can get—the type to say she is so awkward and bad with words yet she magically finds the perfect thing to say in every scenario.
It’s the socially awkward equivalent of girls who say “I’m fat” for attention. Yuck.
Beyond that, pretty much all the dialogue is hard to stomach in a cringeworthy way.
Hopefully this book finds its way to many, many people who will be able to appreciate it more than me, but it’s definitely not my type of storytelling.
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Time to DNF this one.
For me, the MC is about as unlikable as one can get—the type to say she is so awkward and bad with words yet she magically finds the perfect thing to say in every scenario.
It’s the socially awkward equivalent of girls who say “I’m fat” for attention. Yuck.
Beyond that, pretty much all the dialogue is hard to stomach in a cringeworthy way.
Hopefully this book finds its way to many, many people who will be able to appreciate it more than me, but it’s definitely not my type of storytelling.
My Blog | My Books | Podcast | Instagram | TikTok
April 28, 2020
Chick lit/mystery with an extremely annoying protagonist, plus 2 teenaged co-detectives who are equally annoying.
February 27, 2020
Marissa is a skilled film editor who gets sucked into a real life mystery on her latest job. The job is working with a demanding director on a set in an isolated location. The film is based on the unsolved murder of a girl that happened 20 years prior. When Marissa arrives to work, she soon learns that something is wrong on set, and everyone is on edge.
The unsolved murder had a big impact on the locals. Everyone believes they know who did it, and the director sets out to solve the case in his film. It's not as clear as everyone would like to believe though. Marissa gets involved with a couple of teens looking to find the real killer, and things get more complicated.
A slow-burning mystery. I enjoyed Marissa, a socially awkward woman wanting to prove herself in the film industry. The teen podcasters she helps to solve the mystery are entertaining and on point. The isolated setting adds to the intriguing atmosphere. Suspenseful, clever, and witty.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
The unsolved murder had a big impact on the locals. Everyone believes they know who did it, and the director sets out to solve the case in his film. It's not as clear as everyone would like to believe though. Marissa gets involved with a couple of teens looking to find the real killer, and things get more complicated.
A slow-burning mystery. I enjoyed Marissa, a socially awkward woman wanting to prove herself in the film industry. The teen podcasters she helps to solve the mystery are entertaining and on point. The isolated setting adds to the intriguing atmosphere. Suspenseful, clever, and witty.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
September 28, 2020
I have had Dear Daughter sitting on my shelf forever but let me tell you - that is about to change! Pretty as a Picture by Elizabeth Little was such a fun whodunnit mystery, and I absolutely loved the character that is Marissa. Reading from the viewpoint of a film editor was fascinating for me, and I get the feeling I learned a few things I didn't know before about that job. Marissa was very quirky, and she might be shy, but she was smart which I loved since there's nothing better than a strong female lead. I really liked the way the book was broken up by excerpts from a podcast, and I found myself laughing during those and, well, the entire book for that matter.
I will also say that Pretty as a Picture is FAB on audio. One of my favorites, Julia Whelan, is the narrator and of course she did an amazing job. I never wanted the book to end and I never wanted to stop listening to her either. It is about 336 pages and just over 9.5 hours if you do audio, but that time seemed to speed by, and I finished the book in just 2 sittings. The ending surprised me and while I wouldn't say it is overly twisty, it was still a lot of fun and kept me glued to the pages, or audio in this instance.
Pretty as a Picture is on the slower side, but that didn't bother me in the slighest, and I thought it was paced well enough that it still felt quick to me. I was hooked from the very beginning and found it to be a very enjoyable, laugh-out-loud mystery. It's not an overly heavy book, and I think it would be great for mystery newbies, or anyone looking for a lighter whodunnit that involves women out sleuthing like modern-day Nancy Drews. At times it almost felt like a cozy to me and I loved the addition of the cat which wasn't necessary but made me happy. I will definitely be reading more from Little and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via Edelweiss. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
I will also say that Pretty as a Picture is FAB on audio. One of my favorites, Julia Whelan, is the narrator and of course she did an amazing job. I never wanted the book to end and I never wanted to stop listening to her either. It is about 336 pages and just over 9.5 hours if you do audio, but that time seemed to speed by, and I finished the book in just 2 sittings. The ending surprised me and while I wouldn't say it is overly twisty, it was still a lot of fun and kept me glued to the pages, or audio in this instance.
Pretty as a Picture is on the slower side, but that didn't bother me in the slighest, and I thought it was paced well enough that it still felt quick to me. I was hooked from the very beginning and found it to be a very enjoyable, laugh-out-loud mystery. It's not an overly heavy book, and I think it would be great for mystery newbies, or anyone looking for a lighter whodunnit that involves women out sleuthing like modern-day Nancy Drews. At times it almost felt like a cozy to me and I loved the addition of the cat which wasn't necessary but made me happy. I will definitely be reading more from Little and I can't wait to see what she writes next.
Thank you to the publisher for my advance review copy via Edelweiss. All opinions and thoughts are my own.
January 5, 2020
3.5 stars
Marissa Dahl is a socially awkward but successful film editor in need of work now that she and her film partner are taking a break from each other.
When her agent tells her she's needed immediately for an interview, she's quick to respond and stunned to find a whole team of people waiting for her. There's a huge project with big names that she can sign on for ...without seeing a script or knowing where she'll be traveling ahead of time.
And so Marissa finds herself the new film editor of a true crime movie for legendary film director Tony Rees. Filming is taking place on an isolated island off the coast of Delaware in the hotel where the actual murder of a young woman took place.
As soon as she arrives, she hears rumors of multiple accidents and scandals on set. Several crew members have been fired (including the original editor) and the actors are threatening to leave.
Marissa is prepared to basically live in the editing room and get the job done but even she thinks the director's rules are a bit strict---no one is supposed to talk with the locals about the case or ask questions about the accidents or lay-offs on set.
When the body of the lead actress is discovered on the beach, two teen girls hanging around the hotel are determined to solve both real-life murder mysteries and pull Marissa into their investigation.
Marissa believes there must be a clue hidden in the movie that could help her identify the killer.
Pretty as a Picture is an exciting whodunit alternating between Marissa's narrative and a podcast that helps move the story forward. There is so much industry jargon, endless movie references/quotes, and juicy behind-the-scenes scandals that true crime addicts will appreciate.
Thanks to Viking and Edelweiss for providing a DRC in exchange for my honest review. Pretty as a Picture is scheduled for release on February 25, 2020.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
Marissa Dahl is a socially awkward but successful film editor in need of work now that she and her film partner are taking a break from each other.
When her agent tells her she's needed immediately for an interview, she's quick to respond and stunned to find a whole team of people waiting for her. There's a huge project with big names that she can sign on for ...without seeing a script or knowing where she'll be traveling ahead of time.
And so Marissa finds herself the new film editor of a true crime movie for legendary film director Tony Rees. Filming is taking place on an isolated island off the coast of Delaware in the hotel where the actual murder of a young woman took place.
As soon as she arrives, she hears rumors of multiple accidents and scandals on set. Several crew members have been fired (including the original editor) and the actors are threatening to leave.
Marissa is prepared to basically live in the editing room and get the job done but even she thinks the director's rules are a bit strict---no one is supposed to talk with the locals about the case or ask questions about the accidents or lay-offs on set.
When the body of the lead actress is discovered on the beach, two teen girls hanging around the hotel are determined to solve both real-life murder mysteries and pull Marissa into their investigation.
Marissa believes there must be a clue hidden in the movie that could help her identify the killer.
Pretty as a Picture is an exciting whodunit alternating between Marissa's narrative and a podcast that helps move the story forward. There is so much industry jargon, endless movie references/quotes, and juicy behind-the-scenes scandals that true crime addicts will appreciate.
Thanks to Viking and Edelweiss for providing a DRC in exchange for my honest review. Pretty as a Picture is scheduled for release on February 25, 2020.
For more reviews, visit www.rootsandreads.wordpress.com
November 11, 2019
I loved the author's first book, Dear Daughter, so I was super excited to see that she had a new one coming out. It was definitely worth the wait. The author manages to keep the things I loved about Dear Daughter -- the voice, the observations, the elements of celebrity -- while creating a completely different character in Marissa Dahl. You get the sense that the author knows this world and is giving us an inside glimpse of a movie set and a really interesting mystery with some great twists.
July 22, 2020
We need a sub genre called Thriller Lite for things like this.
It’s different than a cozy mystery, with pacing and atmosphere akin to a traditional thriller, but mimics a cozy’s sanitized violence and lack of anything truly scary or icky.
That in itself isn’t a negative (and might even be a positive for some readers). And though the story has some definite positives (buddy comedy vibe, and wow, Little is LEGIT funny at times), the book has some other flaws that are more significant than its ultra light for the genre tone and subject matter.
Far too much of the text is spent on educating the reader about film editing and movie making jargon. Even if you find this sort of thing interesting (I don’t, but would acknowledge that Little has certainly done her research), it takes up far too much real estate in the book.
Then there is protagonist Marissa’s awkwardness (the publishers summary describes it as shyness but it feels more like Asperger’s) isn’t relatable or endearing. Her sense of humor saves the character, but the depiction still grates.
And then there’s the solve/big reveal, which is beyond doltish and introduces an absurd plot hole and structural flaws.
Quality-wise, it’s probably a two-star read, but I enjoyed the snappy dialogue and also have to appreciate that there are options out there in the thriller genre for those who prefer their murder mysteries to be less unsettling than most.
It’s different than a cozy mystery, with pacing and atmosphere akin to a traditional thriller, but mimics a cozy’s sanitized violence and lack of anything truly scary or icky.
That in itself isn’t a negative (and might even be a positive for some readers). And though the story has some definite positives (buddy comedy vibe, and wow, Little is LEGIT funny at times), the book has some other flaws that are more significant than its ultra light for the genre tone and subject matter.
Far too much of the text is spent on educating the reader about film editing and movie making jargon. Even if you find this sort of thing interesting (I don’t, but would acknowledge that Little has certainly done her research), it takes up far too much real estate in the book.
Then there is protagonist Marissa’s awkwardness (the publishers summary describes it as shyness but it feels more like Asperger’s) isn’t relatable or endearing. Her sense of humor saves the character, but the depiction still grates.
And then there’s the solve/big reveal, which is beyond doltish and introduces an absurd plot hole and structural flaws.
Quality-wise, it’s probably a two-star read, but I enjoyed the snappy dialogue and also have to appreciate that there are options out there in the thriller genre for those who prefer their murder mysteries to be less unsettling than most.
February 7, 2020
I was obsessed with Elizabeth Little's debut, DEAR DAUGHTER, and so I have been eagerly awaiting her next book. I'm pleased to report that it was everything I wanted it to be: suspenseful, cinematic, and starring a snarky, sarcastic narrator. I was hooked from the beginning, and couldn't put it down until I'd finished reading the last twist.
March 12, 2020
I'm disappointed. I DNF'd this one at 81% audiobook. It just couldn't keep my interest, maybe it was the wrong time for me to read this, i'm not sure. I do know that if i'm that far into a book and i don't care enough to finish the last 19 % then it's probably not the book for me. I really wanted to like this one too! Oh well, moving on to the next great read!
July 16, 2022
OK this is an unenthusiastic review.
Recently, someone asked me that if I didn't like the book, why the four stars? There are books that disappoint me but, I explained, if I read through and did not DNF there were also things I loved about the book.
So this is what I loved and loved less. I did love the main character and all her peculiarities, she was so snarky (I love snark) that I smiled a lot throughout the reading/listening (I did both, intermittently). Her snarky-ness was mainly aimed at herself, although she was more than capable and a true professional film editor, but maligned because of her peculiar behavior. Her personality issues, in my opinion, were more the issues of others who were less than tolerant of the "other". I found the plot lame and the solutions to the mysteries, meh. One piece of information about a main character came unexpectedly out of left field nearly at the close of the book, which was annoying. If the divulge had been made early on the novel, the mystery might have kept me more interested and guessing. As it was, I really didn't care who the "murderer" was. The exciting scenes were just not so exciting. I did enjoy getting a peek into the film industry in general and film editing in particular.
So there you have it. I can still find pleasure in reading a novel that I didn't love. The author/MC's wit and snark is what kept me reading. 3.5+
Recently, someone asked me that if I didn't like the book, why the four stars? There are books that disappoint me but, I explained, if I read through and did not DNF there were also things I loved about the book.
So this is what I loved and loved less. I did love the main character and all her peculiarities, she was so snarky (I love snark) that I smiled a lot throughout the reading/listening (I did both, intermittently). Her snarky-ness was mainly aimed at herself, although she was more than capable and a true professional film editor, but maligned because of her peculiar behavior. Her personality issues, in my opinion, were more the issues of others who were less than tolerant of the "other". I found the plot lame and the solutions to the mysteries, meh. One piece of information about a main character came unexpectedly out of left field nearly at the close of the book, which was annoying. If the divulge had been made early on the novel, the mystery might have kept me more interested and guessing. As it was, I really didn't care who the "murderer" was. The exciting scenes were just not so exciting. I did enjoy getting a peek into the film industry in general and film editing in particular.
So there you have it. I can still find pleasure in reading a novel that I didn't love. The author/MC's wit and snark is what kept me reading. 3.5+
March 10, 2020
I had no idea what this was when I started but instantly loved the photography talk and then loved the humor! I didn’t know this was a murder mystery, it was just so darn entertaining I couldn’t wait to get back to it, refreshingly different read for me, not often you lol in mysteries, seeking out her other books pronto. For the record I don’t like this genre, hate violence but this just caught me off guard and enjoyed the ride.
December 12, 2019
I couldn't put this book down. Seriously. I was in Hawaii and I basically missed the first day and a half because I was so wrapped up in Marissa. Little's writing is that zippy, that good--she grabs you from the first paragraph and Marissa is such a delight to spend time with--even as she's investigating first a deeply f*cked up movie set and later, murder. There's an insider-knowledge feel to everything to do with the movie business but you don't have to be In The Industry to get a kick out of Little's depictions of it (and yet, she never skews into flat caricature).
God.
Buy this book. Read this book. It's so much fun.
God.
Buy this book. Read this book. It's so much fun.
January 11, 2021
I totally enjoyed this.
Marissa Dahl, a neurodivergent movie editor with serious social awkwardness issues is contracted partway into a production. When she arrives at the film set (which is on an island off the coast of Delaware), she discovers that the production has been plagued by numerous small but escalating accidents and disgruntled and departed staff. It also happens to be a true crime production about the murder of a local young woman in 1994. There are a number of people working and living on the island, including the young man who ferried Marissa to the island (and who was accused of her murder), who were acquainted with the dead girl.
Marissa arrives into a hotbed of anger, lies and secrets, and soon stumbles upon a new murder, staged to resemble that of the girl in 1994.
I loved Marissa. I know that seems odd, as she’s difficult to get close to, has numerous habits (like having an obsessively adhered to nighttime routine), doesn’t like meeting people’s eyes, doesn’t like to be touched, questions everything, has real difficulty interpreting people’s words and actions, is obsessed with movies, and incessantly draws parallels between movie characters’ words, actions and situations to help her understand whatever situation she finds herself in. Marissa’s observational abilities come in handy, and her ability to form narratives from facts, as well as the hilarious assistance of two teens investigating the 1994 murder, made this book compelling. I know this is a one-off, but I’d love to spend more time in Marissa’s head.
Marissa Dahl, a neurodivergent movie editor with serious social awkwardness issues is contracted partway into a production. When she arrives at the film set (which is on an island off the coast of Delaware), she discovers that the production has been plagued by numerous small but escalating accidents and disgruntled and departed staff. It also happens to be a true crime production about the murder of a local young woman in 1994. There are a number of people working and living on the island, including the young man who ferried Marissa to the island (and who was accused of her murder), who were acquainted with the dead girl.
Marissa arrives into a hotbed of anger, lies and secrets, and soon stumbles upon a new murder, staged to resemble that of the girl in 1994.
I loved Marissa. I know that seems odd, as she’s difficult to get close to, has numerous habits (like having an obsessively adhered to nighttime routine), doesn’t like meeting people’s eyes, doesn’t like to be touched, questions everything, has real difficulty interpreting people’s words and actions, is obsessed with movies, and incessantly draws parallels between movie characters’ words, actions and situations to help her understand whatever situation she finds herself in. Marissa’s observational abilities come in handy, and her ability to form narratives from facts, as well as the hilarious assistance of two teens investigating the 1994 murder, made this book compelling. I know this is a one-off, but I’d love to spend more time in Marissa’s head.
April 16, 2020
Marissa is a talented motion picture editor and an impressive student of film. She’s shy and socially awkward. Her friendship with Amy, her best friend/work associate/movie star, has become strained. She needs a change and a new job. She’s offered an interesting opportunity to work on a secretive film being directed by a legendary director who has a reputation for being tough and demanding. Filming has already begun on a true crime story about an unsolved murder of a young woman decades ago on a remote island off the coast of Delaware. Marissa is replacing the original editor who was mysteriously fired. She isn’t allowed to read the script, she has to sign a multi-page non-disclosure agreement, her cell phone is confiscated and the shoot is on the same isolated island where the murder took place. And people involved, including the primary suspect who was never arrested because of lack of evidence, still lives there. As production continues, strange and dangerous incidents start to happen.
The book starts slow and takes time to get into. Happily things pick up nicely as the mystery of the murder and additional occurrences unfold. The author offers some humor which adds to the enjoyment of the book. The process of movie-making detailed was interesting. The sleuthing of Marissa and her cohorts make it entertaining. A bit Nancy Drew. A bit Scooby Doo.
3.75 stars rounded up
Review posted at MicheleReader.com
The book starts slow and takes time to get into. Happily things pick up nicely as the mystery of the murder and additional occurrences unfold. The author offers some humor which adds to the enjoyment of the book. The process of movie-making detailed was interesting. The sleuthing of Marissa and her cohorts make it entertaining. A bit Nancy Drew. A bit Scooby Doo.
3.75 stars rounded up
Review posted at MicheleReader.com
June 19, 2021
On a very personal level I absolutely LOVED this. I adore the authors writing, it has that beautiful mix of literary and commercial prose that really appeals to me. That plus the odd, strangely funny and different main protagonist made this one of my favourite reads so far this year.
Set in the world of movies, with a true crime layer plus a semi locked in state of play, Pretty As A Picture is in a lot of ways a classic mystery. A murder, a lack of justice, a "based on a true story" movie in the making sets us up then a group of quirky, cinematic set of characters, a few twists and turns plus an unpredictable plot suck you in until you don't want to put it down.
Extremely enjoyable and beautifully written.
Set in the world of movies, with a true crime layer plus a semi locked in state of play, Pretty As A Picture is in a lot of ways a classic mystery. A murder, a lack of justice, a "based on a true story" movie in the making sets us up then a group of quirky, cinematic set of characters, a few twists and turns plus an unpredictable plot suck you in until you don't want to put it down.
Extremely enjoyable and beautifully written.
April 14, 2021
3 stars--I liked the book.
This was a super quick read--surprising since the plot didn't really start until the 50% mark! But it moved fast and felt breezy. I enjoyed the plot, but everything felt rushed, and characters weren't developed past tropes. Except for Marissa, the narrator--she was very well developed, and I enjoyed her unusual voice. I also loved the movie-production setting.
This was a super quick read--surprising since the plot didn't really start until the 50% mark! But it moved fast and felt breezy. I enjoyed the plot, but everything felt rushed, and characters weren't developed past tropes. Except for Marissa, the narrator--she was very well developed, and I enjoyed her unusual voice. I also loved the movie-production setting.
May 8, 2021
I’m finally finished. It was supposed to be funny, fast-paced and a pleasure to read. This book was none of those things for me, I don’t know why I wasted time and finished it when there are so many books to read out here!
April 12, 2021
3.5
Annie's winter list.
3rd book in a row with a Harry Potter reference!
I love the anxiety-ridden main character Marissa Dahl ("like Roald, not Barbie") who is quirky, knows a ton of film references and is witty. Loved the 2 sassy, smart young girls on the movie set as well. The story itself: she is hired site unseen to be a film's editor on an island with a known hard-to-work-with director. The film is a remake of a murder that took place there 20 years ago. The story itself was a bit difficult to follow. The relationships of the characters a bit tough too. But, what really happened 20 years ago was an accident: she fell down the stairs to the projection room. The now old, new owners' mom, dragged her to to beach (and put red lipstick on her) until she was found. The now director was a teenager back then who had dated her (and was doing the movie to solve the murder?). Then, Liza, the actress playing the dead girl shows up murdered and laid out the same way. But, Marissa figures it out (not sure how?) that Tony, the director did it, and gives a couple of theories of how and he never says how. Also, not quite sure why. The sassy young girls throughout the book have a podcast about the event going on which they've done after all is said and done. Enjoyed that too.
Overall: fun characters but the "mystery" story was just too confusing.
Annie's winter list.
3rd book in a row with a Harry Potter reference!
I love the anxiety-ridden main character Marissa Dahl ("like Roald, not Barbie") who is quirky, knows a ton of film references and is witty. Loved the 2 sassy, smart young girls on the movie set as well. The story itself: she is hired site unseen to be a film's editor on an island with a known hard-to-work-with director. The film is a remake of a murder that took place there 20 years ago. The story itself was a bit difficult to follow. The relationships of the characters a bit tough too. But, what really happened 20 years ago was an accident: she fell down the stairs to the projection room. The now old, new owners' mom, dragged her to to beach (and put red lipstick on her) until she was found. The now director was a teenager back then who had dated her (and was doing the movie to solve the murder?). Then, Liza, the actress playing the dead girl shows up murdered and laid out the same way. But, Marissa figures it out (not sure how?) that Tony, the director did it, and gives a couple of theories of how and he never says how. Also, not quite sure why. The sassy young girls throughout the book have a podcast about the event going on which they've done after all is said and done. Enjoyed that too.
Overall: fun characters but the "mystery" story was just too confusing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 8, 2020
This is the book about terrible things happening on a movie set that made me wish again that Plain Bad Heroines had been better, and with that, I've finally read or at least tried to read all of the books that have been sitting around waiting on me since work closed on March 14th.
March 19, 2020
2.5 stars
July 6, 2021
Review published in: https://diagnosisbookaholic.blogspot....
3,5 ⭐️
Pretty as a picture is a slow burn suspense story with plenty of movie references that I’m sure will appeal to those in search of a light mystery set in the movies industry.
Marissa Dahl is a socially awkward film editor who suddenly finds herself working on a movie about the real unsolved case of a murdered girl. A remote island location, a tyrannical director, several crew members fired and a new murder for her to solve with the help of a couple of teenage Nancy Drew wannabes, are some of the ingredients of this story that, although enjoyable, fell a bit short for me in some aspects.
I liked Marissa and her quirkiness and appreciated her take on the film industry. Her interactions with Grace and Suzy, the teen detectives and hostesses of the true crime podcast interspersed throughout the story, were always fun to read but it also made of this more of a juvenile read at times. The general tone was more of a cozy mystery than a thriller.
The podcast snippets were a fun way for the reader to try and guess what had really happened on the island.
Although not as twisty as some other mysteries, I was still surprised by some turns but feel like some aspects could have been better resolved as there were some plot holes left at the end.
Mix of cozy mystery with a thriller atmosphere, some fun dialogue and original characters that made of this an enjoyable yet not memorable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
3,5 ⭐️
Pretty as a picture is a slow burn suspense story with plenty of movie references that I’m sure will appeal to those in search of a light mystery set in the movies industry.
Marissa Dahl is a socially awkward film editor who suddenly finds herself working on a movie about the real unsolved case of a murdered girl. A remote island location, a tyrannical director, several crew members fired and a new murder for her to solve with the help of a couple of teenage Nancy Drew wannabes, are some of the ingredients of this story that, although enjoyable, fell a bit short for me in some aspects.
I liked Marissa and her quirkiness and appreciated her take on the film industry. Her interactions with Grace and Suzy, the teen detectives and hostesses of the true crime podcast interspersed throughout the story, were always fun to read but it also made of this more of a juvenile read at times. The general tone was more of a cozy mystery than a thriller.
The podcast snippets were a fun way for the reader to try and guess what had really happened on the island.
Although not as twisty as some other mysteries, I was still surprised by some turns but feel like some aspects could have been better resolved as there were some plot holes left at the end.
Mix of cozy mystery with a thriller atmosphere, some fun dialogue and original characters that made of this an enjoyable yet not memorable read.
Thanks to NetGalley and Pushkin Vertigo for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2021
Funny mystery that delves into the background of moviemaking. The heroine is a film editor who’s gone to work on a small island off Delaware for a *very* famous director and equally famous leading man. Their movie is about a real-life unsolved murder that took place on that very island - so is the murderer among the extras or other locals hanging around? And why is there SO much secrecy? And what’s up with half the staff either getting fired or quitting?
The editor who narrates can’t stand to be touched and is overcome with anxiety - and is always worrying about her job performance and whether she’ll ever be hired again. Her tone is a bit snarky, the book is sardonic, and the feel of the book is quite entertaining. There are many, many movie jokes.
As a movie-lover I really appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made, and I really liked all the Hollywood jokes. However, I wasn’t that invested in any of the characters. I felt like we could’ve used more backstory on Marissa and Isaiah. I also liked the transcripts of the true crime podcasts as a clue to what was going on. The teenage podcasters were perfect.
Overall a fun read, especially if you’re a movie nerd.
The editor who narrates can’t stand to be touched and is overcome with anxiety - and is always worrying about her job performance and whether she’ll ever be hired again. Her tone is a bit snarky, the book is sardonic, and the feel of the book is quite entertaining. There are many, many movie jokes.
As a movie-lover I really appreciated the behind-the-scenes look at how movies are made, and I really liked all the Hollywood jokes. However, I wasn’t that invested in any of the characters. I felt like we could’ve used more backstory on Marissa and Isaiah. I also liked the transcripts of the true crime podcasts as a clue to what was going on. The teenage podcasters were perfect.
Overall a fun read, especially if you’re a movie nerd.
September 9, 2020
This isn't the first novel I've read with an extremely annoying protagonist, but it might the first one in which said protagonist has no redeeming qualities whatsoever. She's just a total bore. She's supposedly an excellent film editor, but even though the whole novel is set at a film shoot, complete with editing booth, she doesn't spend a single page or paragraph or sentence doing any actual work. Instead she goes around talking too much. Seriously. That's the whole book. it's supposedly a murder mystery but there aren't exactly a lot of clues lying around. Or any detecting, for that matter. Just some obvious red-flash-in-your-face sort of obviousness that leads right to a culprit.
I think the main point of this novel is for the novelist to show off her love of movies she's watched. Unfortunately there are much better/less annoying ways to do so.
I think the main point of this novel is for the novelist to show off her love of movies she's watched. Unfortunately there are much better/less annoying ways to do so.
March 14, 2020
Those of us who loved Dear Daughter have waited years for another book from Elizabeth Little. Once again we have a pert and irreverent narrator overflowing with self-depreciation and totally lacking self-confidence, an off-the-charts introvert who is never so happy than when alone in an editing bay with the rough takes from a movie in the works. Marissa Dahl (“as in Roald”) usually works with her grad school roommate Amy, an award-winning director of documentaries. Unexpectedly she finds herself on an island off the coast of Delaware working for a two-time best director Tony Rees on a movie about the murder some 20 years ago of a local girl. Like Dear Daughter, we have a story about a remote location full of eccentric characters, in continual doubt as to whom our narrator can trust. They include Gavin, an English actor, Isaiah a security guard and former Navy SEAL, and a couple of 13-year-old girls, amateur detectives who excel even Marissa in irreverent pertness and are almost as adorably cute as the reader is supposed to think they are. Marissa has been drenched in “film culture” (calls herself a “cinephile” - which if it meant anything ought to mean “lover of moving”) beginning as a 4-year-old watching The Right Stuff over and over again. She views life essentially in flashbacks to her favorite movies. That rather hindered me from enjoying the book as I’ve seen only about 1 in 10 of the titles she drops. But as I share her phobia against talking to strangers on the phone, I still loved her. But not as much as I did Jane in Dear Daughter, a girl on the run who was in prison for matricide. The risks in Pretty as a Picture are mostly fortuitous for Marissa, though I shared her horror of caves and drowning. Whilst we have an easy-to-find villain the clues were nicely inserted and handled, and when they were revealed I berated myself once again with “Why didn’t I spot this? Why else would it be in the book if it’s not a clue?” And promised myself that the next time I’ll notice all the details. Perhaps some readers will find more technical information about movie editing equipment than they every wanted to know, but even when I didn’t know what the narrator was talking about, the nomenclature convinced me. But I’d dearly love a reappearance of Jane. Pretty as a Picture is an enjoyable one-time read, but not quite in the league with Dear Daughter. I never feared for Marissa as I did for Jane.
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