Synopses & Reviews
Stewart O'Nan is one of the most highly acclaimed fiction writers of his generation, selected by
Granta as one of the Best Young American Novelists and hailed by the
New York Times as "a master." Grove Press is proud to reissue his haunting noir novel
The Speed Queen.
The Speed Queen is the gripping story of a twisted love triangle's drug-fueled killing spree across the desert plains, told in the voice of Oklahoma death-row inmate Marjorie Standiford, who is recounting her experiences for a best-selling horror writer researching the murders. It's a chilling, unputdownable crime novel in the tradition of James M. Cain a voyage into the dark soul of the American West.
Review
"Marjorie's ingenuous and wry voice reveals her essential badness...and makes it almost understandable....Her tragic road trip through America's quiet towns and highways lulls us into detachment, and innocence redefined." Booklist
Review
"I liked The Speed Queen so much I went back and bought five or six copies to send to everyone I know. The conceit is ingenious and the book is beautifully executed. I wish I'd written it." Sue Grafton
Review
"Stewart O'Nan has in abundance the imaginative sympathy his characters lack....In addition to its exacting art, his book features an unfailing intelligence, a grim an bracing humor, an unblinking eye for the telling detail." George Stade, The New York Times Book Review
Synopsis
A bestselling horror writer researching a series of murders receives his information through Oklahoman death-row inmate Marjorie Standiford, who recounts her experiences in the twisted love triangle, drug-induced killing spree across the desert plains.
About the Author
Stewart O'Nan's novels include Last Night at the Lobster, The Night Country, and A Prayer for the Dying. He is also the author of the nonfiction books The Circus Fire and, with Stephen King, the bestselling Faithful. Granta named him one of the Twenty Best Young American Novelists. He lives in Connecticut.