To Die For: A Novel

Description for Sales People: FILM TIE-IN: This book is the basis for a critically acclaimed film directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Nicole Kidman, Matt Dillon, and Joaquin Phoenix. Kidman won a Golden Globe for her performance. BASED ON A TRUE STORY: Maynard based the plot on the infamous Pamela Smart murder case. BESTSELLING AUTHOR: Maynard's books, including her memoir "At Home in the World" and the novel "Labor Day," have sold in the hundreds of thousands of copies. VOICE-DRIVEN FICTION: The story is ingeniously narrated by twenty-four different characters in a series of short monologues. VISIONARY SUBJECT MATTER: The theme of a dangerous obsession with celebrity has only grown more relevant in the twenty years since "To Die For "was first published. Biographical Note: Joyce Maynard is the author of twelve books of fiction and nonfiction, including the memoir "At Home in the World," translated into seventeen languages, and the "New York Times"-bestselling novel "Labor Day." Maynard's most recent novel, "After Her," also tells a story of sex and murder. A former reporter with the "New York Times" and longtime performer with the Moth, Maynard teaches writing at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, and makes her home in Northern California. Review Quotes: "A seductive page turner." --"The New York Times Book Review""A triumph." --"The Boston Globe""A powerful novel of murder and sexual obsession. . . . Chilling." --"The Star-Ledger"Brief Description: "That's the beauty of television. It's like an eye that's on you all the time. . . . Kind of like God, if you want to get heavy."Local weather reporter Suzanne Maretto craves nothing more than to transcend life at her suburban cable television news station and follow in the footsteps of her idol: Barbara Walters. When she concludes that her unglamorous husband is getting in the way of her dream of stardom, the solution seems obvious: Get rid of him. She seduces a fifteen-year-old admirer, Jimmy, and persuades him to do her dirty work. Mission accomplished, Suzanne takes to the airwaves in her new role as grieving widow, in search of a TV deal. If that means selling Jimmy down the river, she's ready. Maynard's brilliant, funny, and groundbreaking novel--adapted by Gus Van Sant into the cult classic movie of the same name, starring Nicole Kidman--was first published in 1992 before the era of manufactured stardom and the phenomenon of televised murder trials as entertainment. The book still stands as a razor-sharp satire of celebrity-fixated culture and the American obsession with TV--a novel that imagined the phenomenon of reality television before its creation, with alternately bone-chilling and hilarious accuracy. Review Citations:

Newsweek 10/12/2009 pg. 54 (EAN 9780595269396, Paperback)

Publishers Weekly 11/01/1991 (EAN 9780525933960, Hardcover)

Publishers Weekly 11/23/1992 (EAN 9780451173270, Mass Market Paperbound)

Contributor Bio:  Maynard, Joyce Joyce Maynard is the author of seven previous novels, including To Die For, Labor Day, and The Good Daughters, and four books of nonfiction. Her bestselling memoir, At Home in the World, has been translated into sixteen languages. Maynard's bestselling novel Labor Day was adapted for film by Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman and stars Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin. Maynard makes her home in California.