Night Film by Marisha Pessl

". . .a riveting story . . ."

Ashley Cordova, daughter of the reclusive film director, Stanislas Cordova, commits suicide. Scott McGrath, a former investigative reporter, decides to find out why. He retraces her steps, picking up clues and helpers along the way. Hopper, her friend, and Nora, the last person to speak to Ashley, bring different parts of the puzzle together. Scott has a history with the father. He published a story based on inside information which proved to be false. Or was it? A mountain of debt, public disgrace, and a failed marriage give Scott incentive to dig deep into the lives of the Cordovas again. Ashley displayed many gifts at a young age, a child prodigy at the piano and as a daring actress in her father’s violent films. All copies have gone underground and have developed a cult following. No one has seen the director in decades. Rumor is he lives in a mansion called the Peak. As the trio uncovers clues, they are pulled into a macabre world including hints of black magic and occult rituals. Secrets and shadows overtake their investigation as danger lurks behind every door and corner.

Night Film is an appropriate title for this book. As with a movie, the reader is drawn into the setting and spirit with vast descriptions of the father’s films. The storylines blur into reality. Scott is the narrator and events unfold before him. Every question ends with another question. This is a riveting story because the mystery surrounding Ashley’s death continues without a full explanation. The journey to the truth takes the reader deep into the challenge of a parent to save a child from real and imagined evil.

Reviewer: K. T. Sullivan