Overview

An intrepid young woman stalks a murderer through turn-of-the-century Chicago in this rich, spooky, and atmospheric thriller that will appeal to fans of Henry Darger and Erik Larson alike. (Sarah McCarry)In the sweltering summer of 1915, Pin, the fourteen-year-old daughter of a carnival fortune-teller, dresses as a boy and joins a teenage gang that roams the famous Riverview amusement park, looking for trouble.Unbeknownst to the well-heeled city-dwellers and visitors who come to enjoy the midway, the park is also host to a ruthless killer who uses the shadows of the dark carnival attractions to conduct his crimes. When Pin sees a man enter the Hell Gate ride with a young girl, and emerge alone, she knows that something horrific has occurred. The crime will lead her to the iconic outsider artist Henry Darger, a brilliant but seemingly mad man. Together, the two navigate the seedy underbelly of a changing city to uncover a murderer few even know to look for.

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9781549154416

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Reviews

A fun-house mirror of a novel filled with Chicago history and detail. Dark and thrilling. -- Lori Rader-Day, Edgar-nominated author

Curious Toys is wonderful! I stayed up late two nights in a row, transported. It will be catnip for readers who love Chicago, circuses, cross-dressers, and early cinema.-- Audrey Niffenegger, bestselling author of The Time-Traveler's Wife Elizabeth Hand is a national treasure. Sinister sideshow hustlers, back alley intrigues, and brilliant outsiders: Turn-of-the-century underworld Chicago comes alive in this rich, spooky, and atmospheric thriller that will appeal to fans of Henry Darger and Erik Larson alike.-- Sarah McCarry, author of All Our Pretty Songs Curious Toys is an utterly compelling read with a sleuth who will win your heart. This is one mystery you won't want to miss.-- Ellen Hart, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and Lambda Award-winning author of the Jane Lawless mysteries An atmospheric crime novel... A phantasmagoric time trip tailor-made for fans of The Devil in the White City.-- Publishers Weekly Elizabeth Hand crafts a story that is, to borrow her own phrasing late in Curious Toys, 'gruesome but peculiar, ' a fun-house mirror of a novel filled with Chicago history and detail. Dark and thrilling.-- Lori Rader-Day, Edgar Award-nominated author of Under a Dark Sky I've long admired Elizabeth Hand for her ability to write in whatever genre pleases her, be it noir, fantasy, or science fiction. With Curious Toys she goes further, spinning a wild, expansive, and bravura tale of carnival life, dead and missing girls, identity shifts, and big dreams transformed into awful nightmares. I loved this book.-- Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized The World This book contains a rare kind of perfection: Elizabeth Hand's rough, observant magic draws into its circle great historical accuracy, a cross-dressing central protagonist, a wonderfully tender portrait of the great Outsider Artist Henry Darger, a vibrant thriller plot, reflections on gender and its place in civic order, a helpful Ben Hecht, and one of the greatest climactic drop-the-mic moments I've ever read -- and does all this while patiently setting into place the warm emotional armatures that make Curious Toys so moving.-- Peter Straub When great artists meet -- in this case Henry Darger and Elizabeth Hand -- extraordinary things happen. For years Elizabeth Hand has been the supreme writer's writer, an inside secret among those in the know. With Curious Toys, Elizabeth Hand confirms her place as one of the great writers of our era. This book is exactly what you want to read -- absorbing, intelligent, bold. As the author says, only a girl would be so brave.-- Sara Gran, author of The Infinite Blacktop A fun-house mirror of a novel filled with Chicago history and detail. Dark and thrilling. -- Lori Rader-Day, Edgar-nominated author

Elizabeth Hand crafts a story that is, to borrow her own phrasing late in Curious Toys, 'gruesome but peculiar, ' a fun-house mirror of a novel filled with Chicago history and detail. Dark and thrilling.-- Lori Rader-Day, Edgar Award-nominated author of Under a Dark Sky An atmospheric crime novel... A phantasmagoric time trip tailor-made for fans of The Devil in the White City.-- Publishers Weekly Curious Toys is wonderful! I stayed up late two nights in a row, transported. It will be catnip for readers who love Chicago, circuses, cross-dressers, and early cinema.-- Audrey Niffenegger, bestselling author of The Time-Traveler's Wife This book contains a rare kind of perfection: Elizabeth Hand's rough, observant magic draws into its circle great historical accuracy, a cross-dressing central protagonist, a wonderfully tender portrait of the great Outsider Artist Henry Darger, a vibrant thriller plot, reflections on gender and its place in civic order, a helpful Ben Hecht, and one of the greatest climactic drop-the-mic moments I've ever read -- and does all this while patiently setting into place the warm emotional armatures that make Curious Toys so moving.-- Peter Straub Curious Toys is an utterly compelling read with a sleuth who will win your heart. This is one mystery you won't want to miss.-- Ellen Hart, Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and Lambda Award-winning author of the Jane Lawless mysteries I've long admired Elizabeth Hand for her ability to write in whatever genre pleases her, be it noir, fantasy, or science fiction. With Curious Toys she goes further, spinning a wild, expansive, and bravura tale of carnival life, dead and missing girls, identity shifts, and big dreams transformed into awful nightmares. I loved this book.-- Sarah Weinman, author of The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized The World When great artists meet -- in this case Henry Darger and Elizabeth Hand -- extraordinary things happen. For years Elizabeth Hand has been the supreme writer's writer, an inside secret among those in the know. With Curious Toys, Elizabeth Hand confirms her place as one of the great writers of our era. This book is exactly what you want to read -- absorbing, intelligent, bold. As the author says, only a girl would be so brave.-- Sara Gran, author of The Infinite Blacktop Elizabeth Hand is a national treasure. Sinister sideshow hustlers, back alley intrigues, and brilliant outsiders: Turn-of-the-century underworld Chicago comes alive in this rich, spooky, and atmospheric thriller that will appeal to fans of Henry Darger and Erik Larson alike.-- Sarah McCarry, author of All Our Pretty Songs A fun-house mirror of a novel filled with Chicago history and detail. Dark and thrilling. -- Lori Rader-Day, Edgar-nominated author

Author Information

Elizabeth Hand is the author of more than fourteen cross-genre novels and collections of short fiction. Her work has received the Shirley Jackson Award (three times), the World Fantasy Award (four times), the Nebula Award (twice), as well as the James M. Tiptree Jr. and Mythopoeic Society Awards. She's a longtime critic and contributor of essays for the Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Salon, Boston Review, and the Village Voice, among many others. She divides her time between the Maine coast and North London. Carol Monda is an Earphones Award-winning narrator and accomplished voice-over artist. She is also an award-winning actor known for her work in Out of Season, After You Left, and The Gentlemen.

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