Stiletto: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Stiletto is a timely, fast-paced, feminine mystery told in two diverse voicesa tense, erotic duet between the sharp, intuitive Detective Anna Crane and her prime suspect, the brilliant biochemist Eleanor Kiernan. Both women are haunted by the tragic loss of a sibling, but Kiernans twin brother died of an overdose of the opiate she helped to create.

When a Big Pharma exec, Leo Cushman, is fatally stabbed, there are many other suspects: Obliterate Opiates activists, a disinherited ex-wife and stepson, a secret lover, an addict vowing vengeance. But Detective Crane prioritizes investigating Kiernan in her first high-profile case, even as she is unexpectedly drawn to her suspect. Can an antagonist also be an ally Can a young detective be seduced by a murderer

A cinematic, stylish psychological thriller, Stiletto is a suspenseful cross between the sensual obsessions of Killing Eve and the compelling drama of the award-winning TV series Dopesick that exposes the greed of Big Pharma and its guilt in marketing an opiate that kills over 100,000 a year. But the real mystery in Stiletto is what its two protagonists discover as its twisting plot unfoldsabout the real crime and about themselves.

Reviews

Big Pharma and Big Tech in the glamorous and rainy landscape of Seattle make a fertile backdrop for crime and for the promising young detective, Anna Cranes, first case tracking her elusive, prime suspect, Eleanor Kiernan. In this very fine, enthralling novel, Peterson is expert with details of murder, and with the intricate human relationships that make her characters triumphantly alive.
Diane Johnson, authorLe MarriageandLe Divorce

PRAISE FOR THE AUTHOR:

ForDUCK AND COVER

A hauntingly funny writer . . . the balance she strikes is almost hypnotic.
Los Angeles Times

A bittersweet and utterly beguiling novel.
Publishers Weekly

Peterson would seem to hold out just about as much hope for the family as she does the planet.
New York Times Notable Book of the Year

The eccentric MacKenzies are a triumph of warmth, problems, complexity, and their concerns are so truly of our time . . . delightful and absorbing.
Diane Johnson, author of Le Divorce

Praise for I Want to Be Left Behind: Finding Rapture Here on Earth:

This loving, luminous portrait of an irresistibly intriguing family is told by the one who doesnt fit in.
Sy Montgomery, author ofThe Good, Good Pig

Unusually affecting and radiant . . . Witty, enrapturing account of a spiritual journey of great relevance to us all.
Booklist, starred review

It is a rich and often lovely lifefull of humor and Petersons own unique brand of faith.
Los Angeles Times

Blends her unique autobiography with compassionate and level-headed observations about family, food, religion, life, and our relationships with living things.
Kirkus Reviews

Praise forANIMAL HEART:

Brenda Peterson weaves a haunting love story into a fast-moving plot. Animal Heart is based on facts that are terrifyingly true, and it captures the exquisite beauty of a world that we are devastating and destroying, piece by piece. Please read it.
Jane Goodall, author ofReason for Hope

One can hardly imagine a more heartfelt work or a more unusual love story than this one. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries.
Library Journal

Praise forTHE DROWNING WORLD:

Amazing and haunting,The Drowning Worldexceeds the grasp ofThe Golden Compassin its themes and imaginative reach. A wonderful novel.

Marion Copeland, book critic atNature in Legend and Story

Petersons glorious imagination is oceanicit quickly lures you deep beneath its waves while time evaporates.
Diane Ackerman,The Zookeepers Wife

Praise forRIVER OF LIGHT

Brenda Petersons deep understanding of country people and the land that is the life and spirit to them, the lovely way she weaves her tale, shows she is writer to watch.
Publishers Weekly

Author Bio

Brenda Peterson is the critically acclaimed author of more than twenty-three books, including five novelsone of which, Duck and Cover (Harper Collins), was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and hailed as a wicked, black comedy. Her recent memoir, I Want to Be Left Behind, was selected as a Top Ten Best Non-Fiction book by the Christian Science Monitor and an Indie Next Great Read, by Independent Booksellers. Her latest nonfiction book, Wolf Nation: The Life, Death, and Return of Wild American Wolves, was chosen as a Best Conservation Book of the Year by Forbes magazine. Her childrens books include Wild Orca, Catastrophe by the Sea, and the art book, Crane Maiden. Her commentaries have appeared on NPR and in The New York Times, Christian Science Monitor, Tikkun, Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, and Oprah magazine. She resides in Seattle, Washington.