Seven thrillers about filmmakers & subversive art

Kate Reed Petty's new novel is True Story.

At CrimeReads she tagged "seven thrillers that go behind the camera to expose what the art and craft of filmmaking reveal about how we all think of ourselves and our life stories. One title on the list:

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

The filmmaker in Pessl’s second novel is a reclusive horror auteur, Cordova, whose later films are nearly as mythic as the Hitler porn at the heart of Running Dog. Cordova’s work is so beloved, fans devote their lives (literally) to his work. The book unfolds like a detective story, following a journalist who sets out to investigate the mysterious death of Cordova’s daughter for his own redemption. It’s hard to describe without giving away too much, as the book zips through a parade of dream-like settings, fever dreams, and incredibly vivid and creative twists; it’s propulsive and satisfyingly creepy, and Pessl boldly intersperses found documents to complicate the story. I also learned the word “oubliette” from this novel, which is something I’ll be forever grateful for.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Night Film is among Jeff Somers's four huge books that will hurt your brain—but in a good way.

--Marshal Zeringue