Available Formats
Hardback
Published: 2nd October 2024
Paperback, Large Print
Published: 2nd October 2024
Paperback
Published: 4th February 2026
When I Was Alice
By (Author) Jennifer Murgia
CamCat Publishing, LLC
CamCat Publishing, LLC
4th February 2026
United States
General
Fiction
813.6
Paperback
320
Width 139mm, Height 215mm, Spine 19mm
Fame is a dangerous game.
As her brother lies in a coma after a near-fatal car accident, twenty-two-year-old Grace Brighton climbs the Hollywood Sign to make a desperate wish for his recovery. She loses her footing and plummets to the ground below-only there is no impact. Instead, she finds herself the center of attention at a film studio . . . in 1953 Hollywood. Everyone believes she's Alice Montgomery, a rising star she bears an eerie resemblance to, who disappeared just days earlier.
Grace has no choice but to step into Alice's shoes. Meeting Alice's entourage and noticing not everyone is happy that she is back, Grace begins to suspect that something terrible has happened to the young actress. Afraid Alice's miraculous return has now made her a target, Grace must find out who wants to harm Alice to find her way back to her own time. When she discovers one of the missing starlet's deepest, darkest secrets, Grace finds herself in grave danger-she may die long before she's even been born.
"When I Was Alice offers masterful prose and an immersive setting, transporting you to the heart of old Hollywood, and wrapping you in an enthralling, time-bending mystery. You won't be able to put this book down until the final, breathtaking reveal." --Katlyn L. Duncan, author of Her Buried Lives
"[A] genre-bending time-travel tale that melds mystery and romance in glittering Old Hollywood . . . VERDICT: At once frothy and dark, this book will appeal to mystery and thriller fans who loved TV's Quantum Leap, the "Outlander" series, or the works of Susanna Kearsley." --Library Journal
"A haunting thriller of a book--Murgia delivers a timeslip whodunnit, immersing us in old Hollywood's glitter and glamour while exposing its darkest undercurrents." --Lisa Amowitz, author of An Island Strange and Wild
"All in Hollywood might not be gold, but Jennifer Murgia's new book definitely is. A thrilling, high-stakes super-fun ride, the gifted Murgia takes no prisoners in this heart-felt, heart-thumping novel." --Carrie Jones, internationally & NYT bestselling author of the NEED series
"As she seeks the truth, Grace does the acting job of her life, not only to learn Alice's lines but also to save herself. This is Murgia's first adult novel, and it will appeal to fans of 1950s films and light sf." --Booklist
"Like an immersive, romantic whodunnit episode of Quantum Leap, When I Was Alice drew me in and left me desperate for a sequel!" --Gretchen McNeil, author of Ten and #murdertrending
"Murgia's When I Was Alice is a sparkling, suspenseful ode to the Golden Age of Hollywood as seen through the eyes of her compellingly modern heroine, Grace. As Grace finds herself torn between the desire to get back to her own time to save her brother and solving the mystery of what really happened to the doomed starlet everyone seems to think she is, Murgia weaves a clever, genre-bending whodunnit fleshed out by a cast of quirky characters, a vibrant setting, and a star-crossed romance. I was hooked from the very first page." --Jenny Adams, author of A Deadly Endeavor
Jennifer Murgia is the author of six Young Adult fiction novels, one of which earned the 2014 Moonbeam Children's Literature Award for Horror/Mystery. Her books have been published in the USA, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
Wearing many hats, she's founded a teen book festival, worked as a marketing director for a small publisher, an editorial intern for a NYC-based literary agency, and currently works as a freelance editor for several USA Today and NYT bestselling authors.
She resides in Maryland with her family and a spoiled cat named Oscar. When I Was Alice is her adult debut. Visit her at www.jennifermurgia.com.
Jennifer Murgia has always preferred books with mystery. An author of six YA novels, including an award-winning title, her books have been published in the USA, Germany, Poland, Hungary, and the Netherlands. Jennifer is also a freelance editor and currently resides in Bel Air, MD.
When I Was Alice is her debut in adult fiction. Visit her at www.jennifermurgia.com