Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Apr 2013
304 pages
Genre: Thrillers
Publication Information
Paperback Original
There Was An Old Woman by Hallie Ephron is a compelling novel of psychological suspense in which a young woman becomes entangled in a terrifying web of deception and madness involving an elderly neighbor.
When Evie Ferrante learns that her mother has been hospitalized, she finds her mother's house in chaos. Sorting through her mother's belongings, Evie discovers objects that don't quite belong there, and begins to raise questions.
Evie renews a friendship with Mina, an elderly neighbor who might know more about her mother's recent activities, but Mina is having her own set of problems: Her nephew Brian is trying to persuade her to move to a senior care community. As Evie investigates her mother's actions, a darker story of deception and madness involving Mina emerges.
In There Was an Old Woman, award-winning mystery author Hallie Ephron delivers another work of domestic noir with truly unforgettable characters that will keep you riveted.
"The narrative never strays far from home, but Ephron's double portrait of the intimate details of the inescapable consequences of age and alcoholism is as gripping as any traditional mystery." - Publishers Weekly
"Enjoy [There Was an Old Woman]...for the characterizations - particularly of Mina, still sharp in her tenth decade - and the nicely detailed sense of place." - Booklist
"Ephron, who wrote five novels with Donald Davidoff as G.H. Ephron, continues to assert her own thoughtful style with her third fictional effort under her own name." - Kirkus Reviews
"[Ephron's] domestic noir will appeal to those who enjoy mysteries without bloody and violent themes, but readers looking for fast-paced action in their psychological suspense will have to turn elsewhere." - Library Journal
"Superb suspense and unforgettable characters make this an absolute must-read. There Was an Old Woman is so good, I devoured this in one ravenous gulp!" - Tess Gerritsen
"Haunting. Compelling. And beautifully written. This insidiously creepy and eerily sinister tale twists and turns with suspense-and a surprise around every corner. Hallie Ephron is the queen of secrets-and the star of suburban noir." - Hank Phillippi Ryan
"Hallie Epron has an extraordinary talent for imbuing the ordinary with menace, and for creating wonderful, memorable characters. Mina, the old woman of the title, shines. This is Ephron's best book yet, and readers won't be able to put it down." - Deborah Crombie
This information about There Was an Old Woman was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Hallie Ephron loves suspense, and she tries to write novels that are one part one part Alfred Hitchcock, one part Mary Higgins Clark, and one part uniquely her own wry take on the world. Her suburban-based thrillers draw you in and keep you turning the pages.
Ephron's latest novel is There Was an Old Woman (April 2013).
Her debut standalone Never Tell a Lie was turned into the movie "And Baby Will Fall" for the Lifetime Movie Network. In a starred review, Publishers Weekly called it "stunning" and a "deliciously creepy tale of obsession." USA Today called it "Hitchcockian" and "unputdownable." It was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and won the David Award for Best Mystery Novel of 2010.
Come And Find Me is the story of a recluse who works and lives online must brave the "real world" when her sister goes missing. Booklist called it "A suspenseful tale of high-tech skulduggery that even low-tech readers will appreciate." It was also honored with a Mary Higgins Clark nomination.
Hallie is also the author of two books about books and two books about writing. She is an award-winning book reviewer for the Boston Globe.
Hallie lives near Boston but grew up in Los Angeles, the third of four writing Ephron sisters. Her parents were screenwriters Henry and Phoebe Ephron who wrote classic movies like The Desk Set and Carousel.
The Bluestockings by Susannah Gibson
An illuminating group portrait of the eighteenth-century women who dared to imagine an active life for themselves in both mind and spirit.
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
