Synopsis
An enigmatic man haunted by guilt and a dark secret from the past . . . A beautiful young woman consumed by a desire that could destroy her lifelong dream . . . A madman who stalks them both in retribution for a murder they know nothing about. They are all part of one of the most critically acclaimed suspense novels of the year.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF WATER
"Lushly erotic . . . The centerpiece of Sarah Smith's elegant period novel is the torrential flood that nearly swept Paris away in 1910. . . . An exquisite stylist, she observes her characters in the most intimate detail, defining them with witty precision and placing them in a rain-drenched portrait of Edwardian Paris that could hang in the Louvre."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Compelling . . . Engrossing . . . Envelop[s] the reader with history, mystery, and passion."
--The Boston Herald
"A haunting tale . . . An accessible mix of historical speculation, literary allusion, and suspense, [this novel] could become this year's Name of the Rose."
--Entertainment Weekly
"As satisfying a mystery as the Mona Lisa's smile."
--USA Today
About the Author
Sarah Smith grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and has lived in Japan, London, and Paris. She is a graduate of Radcliffe College and Harvard Graduate School, where she got her Ph.D. in English. A former manager at a computer firm, Smith--who was also a Fulbright Fellow at the Slade Film School, University of London--has taught film and eighteenth-century literature at Tufts University, Boston University, and Northeastern University.
Smith's critically acclaimed first novel, The Vanished Child, was selected by the New York Times as one of the nine best mysteries of 1992 and has appeared on local, regional, and national bestseller lists. It has become an all-time bestseller at one of San Francisco's leading bookstores, outselling The Bridges of Madison County and The Firm. Critical praise continues for Smith's latest novel, The Knowledge of Water, a New York Times Notable Book. It is the second book in a proposed trilogy and follows the fortunes of three central characters from The Vanished Child when they find themselves in Paris on the eve of the worst flood the city has ever experienced. The Boston Sunday Herald said, "Smith--who has resided in Paris--uses her firsthand knowledge and convincing research to depict the city during its 1910 flood. Dark and engrossing, this production is magnifique."
Smith, a hypertext and science fiction author whose work has appeared in several anthologies, including Best New Horror, has served as a judge for the Philip K. Dick Award. She is also on the Regional Board of Directors of the Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, and on the board of the Archives of Detective Fiction.
Sarah Smith lives in Brookline, Massachusetts, with her husband, two children, their twenty-two pound cat, Vicious, and Gracie, the assistant cat!
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