One man, three wives, the perfect murder. A scintillating novel of betrayal and conspiracy.
Picasso Lane is twelve years old when her father, Oliver, is murdered at their summer beach house. Her mother, Diana, is the primary suspect—until the police discover his second wife, and then his third. The women say they have never met—but Picasso knows otherwise. Picasso remembers the morning beautiful Jewels showed up at their house, carrying the same purse as her mother, and a family portrait featuring her father with two strange boys. Picasso remembers lifting the phone, listening to late night calls with Bert, a woman heavily pregnant with Oliver's fourth child. As the police circle and a detective named Kyle Kennedy becomes a regular fixture in their home, Picasso tries to make sense of her father's death, the depth of his deceit, and the secrets that bind these three women. Cunningly paced and plotted, I Love You More is a riveting novel of misplaced loyalty, jealousy, and revenge.
Praise for
I Love You More
“Sexy, smart, and thoroughly addictive, I Love You More is a thrilling work of fiction, so deftly plotted you can’t put it down. This is the kind of book you’ll stay up late for, the kind you’ll recommend to everyone you know. It’s that good. Jennifer Murphy’s novel explores the reckless intensity of love in all its incarnations, how desire shifts into possession, and how the most dangerous lies are those we tell ourselves. I Love You More is that rare and wonderful thing – a masterful debut.”
“Jennifer Murphy’s debut thriller is as quirky and devious as its characters. She keeps readers dangling until the very end, and then hits them with yet another unexpected twist.”
“Intriguing . . . Murphy ably weaves together the characters’ alibis and histories, building a fast-paced and entertaining story of lies and love, vengeance and protection. She also deftly evokes small-town life, with its swirling rumors, tree-lined streets, and Dairy Queen as the hub of all preteen gossip and activity. I Love You More is a juicy summer read.”
“Twelve-year-old Picasso Lane’s dad is killed, and the top suspect is her mom—until police learn that Oliver Lane kept two other wives and had other children. Now the girl has to decide which family secrets are safe to tell. A debut with pizzazz.”
“Jennifer Murphy’s smart addictive debut novel is part Greek tragedy, part southern gothic, part sordid thriller . . . needing to know exactly whydunnit and howdunnit will keep you captive until the very last revelations.”
“Not only an achievement in narrative control and suspense, but a mystery that is as much about its characters’ inner lives as its gripping plot. I Love You More is a terrifically ambitious debut.”
“A chilling and beautifully written debut from Seattleite Jennifer Murphy . . . Someone fatally shot a charismatic lawyer, Oliver Lane, at the summerhouse he shared with his wife, Diana, and their whimsically named daughter Picasso. Turns out that Oliver had two other wives, and all three had reason to kill him . . . Murphy has her own strong, self-assured voice and a knack for keeping us unsettled and off-kilter.”
“When lawyer Oliver Lane is shot to death at the family’s summer rental on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, his wife appears a likely suspect. Then two other women who claim to be married to Oliver come forward, and the investigation takes several unusual turns. . . Told from multiple points of view . . . Murphy examines the periods before and after the murder while providing tantalizing glimpses into the minds of a manipulative sociopath and his targets. . . Her fluent style and descriptive language produce a very readable story with well-articulated characters. A thoughtfully written, original and entertaining exploration of events ignited by love and lies.”
“Tangled relationships. . . good suspense and a nice creepy tone throughout.”
“A wildly talented Seattle writer who regularly roams the cafés and shops of Queen Anne and Magnolia, has written her debut novel . . . This one will keep you up past your bedtime.”
“When I really, truly love a book, I feel a kind of deep excitement-envy-admiration that verges on awe. My requirements: the story must make me forget everything but it, and the writing must be lean, evocative, and powerful. I Love You More is all of these things. I really, truly love it so much that I wish I’d written it myself. . . . Stunning.”
““I Love You More layers lies upon deceit, then peels them away like veils . . . Author Jennifer Murphy tells this eerie tale from multiple points of view, and the detective’s hard-boiled cynicism contrasts with the Wives, who speak as one, as well as Picasso’s innocence and precocity. I Love You More is a genuine whodunit that will keep you guessing, and the North Carolina setting may find you craving a glass of sweet tea and porch swing on which to lose yourself while reading.”
“Murphy’s debut, an absorbing coming-of-age story, revolves around the murder of Oliver Lane, shot dead at his beach house on North Carolina’s Outer Banks. The victim had three wives, starting with his first and legal wife, Diana, a true Southern lady and the mother of his word-obsessed 12-year-old daughter, Picasso… Readers slowly piece together the truth through the eyes of Picasso, the detective, and the wives. Solid, well-defined characters.”
“Picasso Lane’s father is murdered at the family’s summer house. The 12-year-old girl’s mother is the prime suspect. Then two more wives, and several more children, emerge. Many secrets are revealed. Suspense and high drama.””
“A doozy of a plot.”
“A book I couldn’t put down. A literary mystery that deftly uses multiple points of view to reveal secrets, betrayals and the complications of the human heart.”
“Murphy infuses this drama with a throbbing ‘gotta know’ that forced this reader to say goodbye to sleep.”