Hall of Mirrors: A Novel

by John Copenhaver Narrated by Sion Dayson, Ray Ford, Shea Taylor

Overview

When a popular mystery novelist dies suspiciously, his writing partner must untangle the author's connection to a serial killer in award-winning John Copenhaver's new novel set in 1950s McCarthy-era Washington, DC.

*A New York Times Best Crime Novel of the Year*

*A Washington Post and TODAY.com must-read book selection*

*A Novel Suspects Best Mystery & Thriller of the Year*

In May 1954, Lionel Kane witnesses his apartment engulfed in flames with his lover and writing partner, Roger Raymond, inside. Police declare it a suicide due to gas ignition, but Lionel refuses to believe Roger was suicidal.

A month earlier, Judy Nightingale and Philippa Watson-the tenacious and troubled heroines from The Savage Kind-attend a lecture by Roger and, being eager fans, befriend him. He has just been fired from his day job at the State Department, another victim of the Lavender Scare, an anti-gay crusade led by figures like Senator Joseph McCarthy and J. Edgar Hoover, claiming homosexuals are security risks. Little do Judy and Philippa know, but their obsessive manhunt of the past several years has fueled the flames of his dismissal.

They have been tracking their old enemy Adrian Bogdan, a spy and vicious serial killer protected by powerful forces in the government. He's on the rampage again, and the police are ignoring his crimes. Frustrated, they send their research to the media and their favorite mystery writer anonymously, hoping to inspire someone, somehow, to publish on the crimes-anything to draw Bogdan out. But has their persistence brought deadly forces to the writing team behind their most beloved books?

In the wake of Roger's death, Lionel searches for clues, but Judy and Philippa threaten his quest, concealing dark secrets of their own. As the crimes of the past and present converge, danger mounts, and the characters race to uncover the truth, even if it means bending their moral boundaries to stop a killer.

Editorial Reviews

Byron Lane

"But the two parties might be more interconnected than they realize. Set against the backdrop of 1950s Washington, D.C., Hall of Mirrors is a riveting mystery imbued with secrecy and a relentless pursuit of truth."

|Los Angeles Times

"Set in 1954, Hall of Mirrors is a stunner and something rare for a historical mystery. Copenhaver has alchemized the intimacies and pain of midcentury queer characters into something more universal and timeless, reflecting back to us the closets in which marginalized people have been forced to live, and their righteous struggles to break free."

Sarah Weinman

"[HALL OF MIRRORS] has haunted me since I’ve finished it. As Copenhaver details with breathtaking skill, full exposure, however terrifying, flings open the closet doors to truth."

Naomi Hirahara

"A Rubik’s Cube of a period mystery—readers will become increasingly obsessed about the intersection of a biracial ghostwriter seeking justice for his dead partner and two fans who have been on a hunt for a serial killer. Prevailing McCarthy-era attitudes about race and sexual orientation inform the story, yet characters reign supreme. By the end of Hall of Mirrors I cared desperately for the well-being of all three seeking to embrace their truth under oppressive circumstances."

Publishers Weekly

Copenhaver keeps things moving at a relentless pace as he introduces multiple narrators and a plethora of plot twists. Queer history aficionados will find the depiction of the period’s antigay political paranoia fascinating. This series deserves a long life.

Oprah Daily

"The 'Lavender Scare' of the 1950s, during which gay men and women were targeted by J. Edgar Hoover’s FBI as un-American, led to countless tragedies, lost jobs, lost loved ones, and lost lives. Copenhaver employs the noir atmosphere of the time to great effect in his second installment in his Nightingale and Watson series."

Oline Cogdill

'“Hall of Mirrors delivers a skillful historical mystery. We hope that Copenhaver continues this exciting series beyond three novels."

TODAY.com

"Set in 1950s McCarthy-era Washington, DC, Hall of Mirrors is a gripping mystery with secrets, danger, and a race to uncover the truth."

Library Journal

"The second in the Nightingale trilogy, following The Savage Kind, is a mystery, but the historical elements add complexity as the author explores issues of passing as straight or white, concealing an identity at a time of physical and emotional violence toward LGBTQIA+ and Black people."

CrimeReads

"An excellent continuation of Copenhaver’s series, richly detailed and with convincingly realized characterizations."

Carol Goodman

"A searing portrait of a treacherous era and the extraordinary characters who navigated through it at their peril. Hall of Mirrors is equal parts stylish noir and heart-breaking testament. I couldn't put it down."

Sujata Massey

"The very best mysteries blend reality and imagination into a cocktail where no single ingredient overpowers another. In his delicious new novel, HALL OF MIRRORS, John Copenhaver stirs together a twisted criminal and two pairs of lovers in the glamorous atmosphere of 1950s Washington DC. Indulge yourself!”

Ava Barry

"With Hall of Mirrors, Copenhaver deftly toes the line between harmless voyeurism and the type of subversive curiosity that turns fans into predators. You float through the story, an unseen guest watching everything unfold, noting all the beautiful period details that anchor the narrative in the 1950s - brass bar carts, bold wallpaper - until all at once, you realize that this perverse kind of observation may have led to the death of an innocent man. If Architectural Digest started a True Crime Beat, Copenhaver would be the magazine’s star writer."

BOLO Books

"Hall of Mirrors is a complex historical mystery. [A] deep characterization of the leads and well-researched historical details form the backdrop of the action. This one is highly recommended."

Megan Abbott

Praise for The Savage Kind:

"John Copenhaver’s dark sparkler of a second novel, The Savage Kind, tantalizes from its first pages. With rich period detail and a sneaky subversion of storied noir tropes, it brings to life the delicious intricacies of teen female friendship and the slippery line between identification and desire, between desire and desperation."

Hank Phillippi Ryan

"Wow. The Savage Kind is evocative, seductive and rivetingly creepy. John Copenhaver proves he is a brilliant talent, and this gorgeously unsettling story of power, control, gaslighting, and murder is not to be missed.

Shelf Awareness Oline Cogdill

A gripping coming-of-age story set in 1948 propels the character-driven The Savage Kind, which explores the unresolved sexual attraction between two teenage outcasts, quiet Philippa Watson and opinionated Judy Peabody. John Copenhaver's second novel (after the Macavity Award-winning Dodging and Burning) captures the awkwardness of teenagers grappling with identity and a need to belong.

Alma Katsu

"Clever girls with dark leanings. The Savage Kind is a new take on femme fatales in a dazzling 1940s noir wrapper. Copenhaver will have you guessing till the very last page.

Michael Nava

"Fans like me of John Copenhaver’s debut novel Dodging and Burning will be thrilled with The Savage Kind which, like its predecessor, wraps a page-turning story in elegant prose. Once again, in Judy and Philippa, he has created compelling and morally complex characters who are both appealing and appalling. The Savage Kind is an exciting and riveting tale told by one of crime fiction’s emerging talents.

Angie Kim

"The Savage Kind is a superbly multi-layered mix of a dizzyingly twisty murder mystery, a poignant coming-of-age love story, and a psychologically astute exploration of the blurry lines between infatuation, love, and obsession. John Copenhaver is in top form, using an inventive structure to create a haunting and wonderfully atmospheric page-turner. I loved this book.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940194689088
Publisher:	Independently Published
Publication date:	01/21/2025
Series:	The Nightingale Trilogy Book 2
Edition description:	Unabridged

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