by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

Faith Crowell, a trompe l'oeil artist, reluctantly puts her well-ordered, uneventful life aside to accept a prestigious commission painting a grand old ballroom on the estate of a legendary and reclusive society hostess. She expects only money and perhaps a little glamour, but what she discovers is terrifying. The ballroom was built for her employer's daughter who was brutally murdered years ago in a crime that was never solved. Faith gradually realizes that her own uncanny resemblance to the dead girl has more to do with her job than she ever could have imagined. This sophisticated, hugely entertaining nail-biter was nominated for both an Edgar Allan Poe Award and the Hammett Prize for Best First Novel of the Year when it was published in 1992. Now in print again, Trick of the Eye will fascinate suspense readers as well as Ms. Hitchcock's many fans.