Death in Her Hands

Paperback Published on: 04/09/2025
Price: £9.99
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Bookseller Reviews

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Death in Her Hands
Chasing the white rabbit...
Ottessa Moshfegh’s books are quite difficult to slot in to a specific category. Her subjects varies from psychological murder stories to horror with touch ... READ MORE
Emine at Bromley

Synopsis

Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn't me. Here is her dead body.

While on her daily walk with her dog in the woods near her home, Vesta comes across a chilling handwritten note.

Shaky even on her best days, Vesta is also alone, and new to the area, having moved here after the death of her husband. Her brooding about the note grows quickly into a full-blown obsession: who was Magda and how did she meet her fate?

From the Booker-shortlisted author of Eileen comes this razor-sharp, chilling and darkly hilarious novel about the stories we tell ourselves and how we strive to obscure the truth.

The Vintage Classics Weird Girls series: Dive into the depraved, delectable depths of weird fiction with nine books by nine pioneering female authors. Bold, disruptive, chilling and enchanting, these tales of the weird are strange enough to get lost in.

PRAISE FOR DEATH IN HER HANDS:

'This is a story about what might happen when a woman takes charge' The Times
'Routinely hailed as one of the most exciting young American authors working today' Guardian
'A new kind of murder mystery' New Yorker
'A fine line between shocking realism and the absurd' New Statesman
'A brilliant off-kilter detective story' Evening Standard
'A beautiful novel' Sunday Times
'Dark, devious' Observer

Publisher information

  • Publisher: Vintage Publishing
  • ISBN: 9781529955651
  • Number of pages: 272
  • Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 17 mm
  • Weight: 195g
  • Languages: English

Customer Reviews

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Death in Her Hands
A moody, atmospheric read for the colder nights...
I love Ottessa Moshfegh and her writing and I really enjoyed this one. I think it's a book that you could read in a lot of different ways and I just enjoye... READ MORE
Corey
Death in Her Hands
Not really the mystery it promises to be...
This is the kind of book I have a hard time reviewing. It’s like a pair of jeans that look perfectly fine, are well crafted and would probably be perfect f... READ MORE
JenJ
Death in Her Hands
Lots to ponder and pick apart
I really enjoyed reading this short novel, but it will take me a while and reading some other reviews to understand what I have just taken in. The story a... READ MORE
Daren Kearl
Death in Her Hands
Worth a read
I find Ottessa Moshfegh and I are intrigued by similar scenarios and themes, which is why I am drawn to her books. So far I've only read My Year of Rest an... READ MORE
Lalla Lovaro
Death in Her Hands
I feel I've missed something here
This is the first book written by Ottessa Moshfegh that I have read and, quite possibly, the last. There is nothing wrong with Death in Her Hands. In fact,... READ MORE
KimG9
Death in Her Hands
Bleak and depressing
Vesta is recently widowed and lonely. She was married to a controlling man and has upped sticks and moved to a secluded cabin in the middle of pine woods. ... READ MORE
Sam Williams
Death in Her Hands
Regret, grief and the nature of marriage
Walking her dog in the woods, elderly widow, Vesta, finds a note: 'Her name was Magda. Nobody will ever know who killed her. It wasn't me. Here is her dead... READ MORE
Amanda Read
Death in Her Hands
Darkly entertaining and thought-provoking
Death in Her Hands by Ottessa Moshfegh is both a darkly entertaining and thought-provoking story which may leave the reader speculating for some time after... READ MORE
Ciaran McLarnon
Death in Her Hands
Interesting
This was a great finale to the series of the picture book set. I loved the art style and how the story came full circle. This reminded me why i loved the f... READ MORE
beth younge
Death in Her Hands
A clever book
Seventy two year old widowed Vesta Gul is out walking her dog Charlie in Levant, New England when she finds a curious note on the ground held down by littl... READ MORE
Celia Short
Death in Her Hands
Brilliantly imaginative writing.
This book is one of a kind - the internal monologue of an increasingly frail woman, (mentally and physically) with a macabre, dark imagination. In a way it... READ MORE
Kaye Fraser
Death in Her Hands
Tricky to place
This is the sort of book that I can't decide about. On one hand, I thought it was brilliant, but on the other hand, I don't think I liked it! It tells the ... READ MORE
Laura Newsholme
Death in Her Hands
The Mighty Ottessa Moshfegh Returns
Ah, Ottessa… A writer who can do almost no wrong in my eyes. Chances are, if you’ve read any of Ottessa’s other works, you have already decided whether she... READ MORE
victoria sadler
Death in Her Hands
Another Moshfegh, another genre-defying literary gem in my hands!
Another Moshfegh, another genre-defying literary gem in my hands! Unpopular opinion: I loved this one more than My Year of Rest and Relaxation!! (Eileen... READ MORE
elleestviolette