Books
Bury Me Deep

by Megan Abbott
Simon & Schuster, July 2009, $15.00

As with 2007's The Song is You, Megan Abbott was inspired to write Bury Me Deep by a true story. The former was based on the disappearance of actress Jean Spangler from Los Angeles in 1949; her new novel is based on the story of Winnie Ruth Judd, also known as the "Trunk Murderess," the "Tiger Woman," and the "Blonde Butcher." Here, the Winnie Ruth Judd analog is the lonely nurse Marion Seeley (abandoned by her strange husband), who falls under the influence of her colleague, the feisty Louise Mercer, and Louise's gal pal Ginny, both ladies famous for the raucous social life they lead. It's at a gathering of theirs that Marion meets Joe Lanigan. Sparks fly, and they embark on an affair that ultimately leads to disaster, as you might intuit if you reflect on Abbott's clever character names.

With her first three novels, Megan Abbott has already been nominated twice for the Edgar Award, crime writing's most prestigious honor: once for best first novel for Die A Little and again for best novel, taking that prize with her last book, Queenpin. Is a third nomination out of the question? Certainly not—Bury Me Deep is a compelling, almost hypnotic piece of work, one sure to garner Abbott even more attention. Reminiscent of the works of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy, Bury Me Deep is another jewel in the crown of one of the reigning monarchs of modern noir.

Hank Wagner

As with 2007's The Song is You, Megan Abbott was inspired to write Bury Me Deep by a true story. The former was based on the disappearance of actress Jean Spangler from Los Angeles in 1949; her new novel is based on the story of Winnie Ruth Judd, also known as the "Trunk Murderess," the "Tiger Woman," and the "Blonde Butcher." Here, the Winnie Ruth Judd analog is the lonely nurse Marion Seeley (abandoned by her strange husband), who falls under the influence of her colleague, the feisty Louise Mercer, and Louise's gal pal Ginny, both ladies famous for the raucous social life they lead. It's at a gathering of theirs that Marion meets Joe Lanigan. Sparks fly, and they embark on an affair that ultimately leads to disaster, as you might intuit if you reflect on Abbott's clever character names.

With her first three novels, Megan Abbott has already been nominated twice for the Edgar Award, crime writing's most prestigious honor: once for best first novel for Die A Little and again for best novel, taking that prize with her last book, Queenpin. Is a third nomination out of the question? Certainly not—Bury Me Deep is a compelling, almost hypnotic piece of work, one sure to garner Abbott even more attention. Reminiscent of the works of Raymond Chandler and James Ellroy, Bury Me Deep is another jewel in the crown of one of the reigning monarchs of modern noir.

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by Megan Abbott
Simon & Schuster, July 2009, $15.00

Abbott
July 2009
bury-me-deep
15.00
Simon & Schuster