Now available in paperback! loset debutante and fledgling journalist Madeline Dare would be the first to tell you her money's so old there's none left. The summer of 1988 finds her in brokedown upstate New York and desperate to achieve escape velocity. When a set of dog tags turns up at the scene of a decades-unsolved double murder, she may have found that longed-for ticket out of town. Downside: the name on the tags is that of her favorite Oyster Bay cousin, scion of a vindictive and still-powerful branch of the family. Maddie's investigation triggers a string of grisly new murders, and the trail of blue blood leads right to her door. Nominated for the Edgar, RT Book Club Critics Choice, Gumshoe, Audie, Macavity, and Barry awards for best debut novel! Read the first chapter. Order the book from BookSense.com, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble. Also available in audio from Blackstone Audio. And now as an ebook from Books on Board. Read a Q & A about the book. A FIELD OF DARKNESS Mysterious Press hardcover, May 2006, ISBN: 978-0892960231 Grand Central Publishing paperback, July 2007, ISBN: 978-0446699495 (hardback) "Read's impressive debut stars the unusual Madeline Dare, a jumble of contradictions who comes from an old-money Long Island family but is married to Dean, a railroad worker, in Syracuse, N.Y., which our heroine likens in a moment of exasperation to "some mental dust bowl." Dean's job requires frequent travel, while Madeline writes fluff features for the local newspaper. Nothing in her background prepares her for trying to solve the bizarre 20-year-old murder of two young women, a crime that her cousin, Lapthorne Townsend, might have been involved in. Read writes with verve and passion as Madeline sets out to clear her cousin's name, an effort that develops into a much larger, life-changing struggle. Some readers may find Madeline's volatile character less than credible, but the fine supporting cast—notably husband Dean and flaky, flamboyant friend Ellis—consistently delights. The author's sharp social commentary on everything from the idle rich to the environment adds to the pleasure."    —Publishers Weekly "Read's sensational debut features spot-on descriptions of upstate-downstate conflicts, strong characterizations and a fascinating plot."    —Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "Every page is a pleasure in this mystery debut featuring barb-wielding, ex-debutante Madeline Dare... Read's plot crackles and pops, but her characters steal the show. Among them: a shifty-eyed silhouettist, a lustful livestock auctioneer, and in-laws who make the cast of Deliverance seem urbane. Madeline's own parents are irrepressible, too. "Mealtime conversation," writes Read, "was like watching Fellini and Wodehouse drop acid." This is sure to be loved by fans of comic mysteries, but don't be surprised if Tom Wolfe readers are equally smitten by Read's venomously witty portrait of a fallen WASP."    —Booklist (starred review) "Read offers a great take on the world of the moneyed and the differences between those who have and those who don't. With her hysterically funny dialog and inspired views on life, Read is a delight to, well...read. One hopes this is the first in what will be a very prolific writing career."    —Library Journal (starred review) "Cornelia Read is a dazzling new voice who clearly has a very old soul. A FIELD OF DARKNESS is written with such assurance and style that it's hard to believe it's her publishing debut. Intense, creepy and wonderfully erudite."    —Laura Lippman, author of To the Power of Three "Completely captivating—wry, knowing, hip, intelligent, exciting. A brand new voice that's entirely convincing straight out of the gate. One of the best debuts I've ever seen."    —Lee Child, NY Times bestselling author of One Shot "Cornelia Read's A FIELD OF DARKNESS is the best book I've read in the past year, with phrases so good, I've stolen them for my personal lexicon. That it's a debut novel bodes well for my future reading happiness. Cornelia, live long and write fast!"    —Harley Jane Kozak, author of Dating is Murder and Dating Dead Men and winner of the Agatha, Anthony & Macavity Awards "Cornelia Read's debut is a marvel. She has a keen eye for detail; her observations are so sharp they draw blood. This is a terrific book."    —Ayelet Waldman, author of Love and Other Impossible Pursuits "A FIELD OF DARKNESS is wonderful—sassy, smart, sad and engaging. What a voice! Here is the beginning of talent writ huge."    —Ken Bruen, Edgar nominated and Shamus Award-Winning author of The Guards "Cornelia Read delivers a smart, darkly funny, and intense read that's the working definition of un-put-downable. Best of all, she introduces the penniless but blue-blooded Madeline Dare, a heroine who's practically the anti-Gatsby—much more likely to pull out a shotgun and blast the green light to smithereens than moon over it. I'm hooked."    —Joshilyn Jackson, bestselling author of gods In Alabama "Cornelia Read's A FIELD OF DARKNESS is a smart and stylish mystery about the fascinating, little-understood, and deeply American theme of old money. For any writer, much less a first-timer, Read's command of the language and especially of cross-cultural idiom is especially effective—wryly funny, erudite, and consistently entertaining. New first novelists beware—if this is the new bar, they're setting it awfully high."    —John Lescroart, NY Times bestselling author of The Motive "A terrific debut. Cornelia Read is a fresh voice in a crowded field. Madeline Dare is a protagonist worth rooting for. I'm looking forward to more from this gifted new author. Highly recommended."    —Sheldon Siegel, NY Times bestselling author of The Confession "You're going to hear a lot about Cornelia Read because she's the real thing. One does not often see such expert wordsmithing in a debut novel, but Read handles prose like a seasoned veteran. It's hard to believe this is her first novel but very easy to believe it won't be her last."    —Victor Gischler, author of Gun Monkeys and Suicide Squeeze "Cornelia Read's debut mystery is as addictive as funnel cakes and skeeball, with all the twists, turns, and terrors of the Funhouse. Tough-talking yet vulnerable heroine Madeline Dare uncovers a 20-year-old murder at the New York State Fair with bravado and sensitivity. Evocative, gripping, and impossible toput down, A FIELD OF DARKNESS isn't just a winner—it's a 'Grand Champion.'"    —Martha O'Connor, author of The Bitch Posse "With searing wit and a deft eye for the telling detail, Cornelia Read lays bare the slithering underbelly of the upper crust, then turns that same unsparing gaze at small town mendacity, doing so at a breathless pace in a first-class thriller—emphasis on class. A FIELD OF DARKNESS isn't just a crackling page-turner, it's a book with heart married to an encyclopedia of stinging one-liners, replete with withering descriptions of America adrift and insights into the addled minds of the clueless rich (and the malevolent rubes who loathe them). Cornelia Read is a writer to watch, and A FIELD OF DARKNESS a book to savor and share."    —David Corbett, author of Done for a Dime "Madeline Dare, a quirky ex-debutante with an attitude totes a shotgun and handles a twenty year old crime in Cornelia Read's unique debut novel, A FIELD OF DARKNESS. Madeline's engaging, whip smart and someone to walk you in a dark alley...prepare to be hooked!"    —Cara Black, author of Murder in Clichy