“If, as they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, this fictionalized account of author Patricia Highsmith’s 1964 sojourn in Sussex is high-grade flattery indeed… Fans of The Price of Salt (the basis for the 2015 film Carol) will savor this phantasmagoria.” — Library Journal
“Suspense novelist Patricia Highsmith finds herself caught in a real-life situation that seems to have sprung from the pages of one of her novels. It’s a clever conceit, plunging an author into a scenario right out of her own queasy-making fiction, and it’s adroitly handled, forcing Pat to live out her ideas of crime and guilt.” — Kirkus Reviews
“[A] dreamlike, high-tension novel...Dawson smoothly marries fact with fiction to capture the famously prickly Highsmith while astutely exploring love, obsession, and the myriad shades of darkness within us all.” — Publishers Weekly
“This novel is the real deal. Beautifully written and a must for all Highsmith fans.” — Phyllis Nagy, scriptwriter of the film Carol
“It’s brilliant.” — Paula Hawkins, Bestselling Author of The Girl on the Train
The Crime Writer represents an astonishing act of literary ventriloquism, easily on a par with The Master, Colm Tóibín’s fine novel about Henry James. — Craig Brown, Mail on Sunday
“Ventriloquy is Dawson’s forte . . . this fascinating, skillfully constructed novel builds a convincing picture of Patricia Highsmith ” — Andrew Taylor, Spectator
“All great writers’ biographies are less interesting than their work, but Patricia Highsmith gave hers a run for its money...[The Crime Writer is]sharp and absorbing, with brilliant imaginative flights and a fine sensitivity to its subject’s thorny, wounded, uncanny mind.” — USA Today
“You do not need to be a passionate Highsmith fan to admire this beautifully written and elegant novel, but I think it will particularly appeal to those who have read her books and know something about her life; they should recognise many of the allusions and ideas.” — Jessica Mann Literary Review
“A beautifully crafted and utterly riveting blend of fact and fiction about a fascinating 20th-century figure.” — Carla McKay, Daily Mail
“Dawson has drawn a witty, creepy plot as well as a convincing character sketch of a woman all too easy to caricature.” — Jake Kerridge, The Daily Telegraph
“Dawson skillfully constructs a dark tale that Highsmith fans will love.” — Sunday Times
“A dark tale of madness and murder, of obsession and delusion, that’s worthy of Highsmith herself.” — Red Magazine
“[An] impeccable portrait . . . a hugely compelling read, jam-packed full of tensions and psychological insight, all beautifully observed.” — Sunday Express (London)
“An assured and visceral page-turner, as convincing as it is bold.” — Stephanie Cross Lady
“An intoxicating, shadowy narrative . . . [Dawson’s] version of events will delight Highsmith’s fans.” — Crime Scene magazine
“This novel is one wonderful long riff on Patricia Highsmith . . . Unsettling, sexy and gripping.” — Tim Pears
“Fantastically moody and appealingly unhinged — a piece of sophisticated literary ventriloquism that achieves a wonderful blurring of the lines between fact and fantasy.” — Sarah Waters, Guardian, Summer Reads