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Invisible City

A Novel

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About this listen

A finalist for the Edgar and Mary Higgins Clark Awards, in her riveting debut Invisible City, journalist Julia Dahl introduces a compelling new character in search of the truth about a murder and an understanding of her own heritage.

Just months after Rebekah Roberts was born, her mother, an Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn, abandoned her Christian boyfriend and newborn baby to return to her religion. Neither Rebekah nor her father have heard from her since. Now a recent college graduate, Rebekah has moved to New York City to follow her dream of becoming a big-city reporter. But she's also drawn to the idea of being closer to her mother, who might still be living in the Hasidic community in Brooklyn.

Then Rebekah is called to cover the story of a murdered Hasidic woman. Rebekah's shocked to learn that, because of the NYPD's habit of kowtowing to the powerful ultra-Orthodox community, not only will the woman be buried without an autopsy, her killer may get away with murder. Rebekah can't let the story end there. But getting to the truth won't be easy—even as she immerses herself in the cloistered world where her mother grew up, it's clear that she's not welcome, and everyone she meets has a secret to keep from an outsider.

 Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Mystery Urban Women Sleuths

Critic reviews

<p>“Andi Arndt does an excellent job narrating. She captures Rebekah's mood changers, her loneliness, and her youthful enthusiasm for her job.” —<i>Library Journal</i><br><br>“Excellently read by Andi Arndt, Julia Dahl's taut, suspenseful novel has it all.” —<i>BookPage</i><br><br>“An absolutely crackling, unputdownable mystery told by a narrator with one big, booming voice. I loved it.” —<i>GILLIAN FLYNN, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Gone Girl</i><br><br>“A smart, tightly-wrought page turner and one of the finest depictions of beat journalism I've read. Dahl gives us a new hero in the guise of Rebekah Roberts--hard boiled girl reporter--who risks her life and career to uncover the truth about a murder in the cloistered community of Borough Park. Dahl is a master of pacing and suspense. This lucid, illuminating gem is an outstanding debut.” —<i>CARA HOFFMAN, author of So Much Pretty</i><br><br>“Julia Dahl is a veteran reporter, and her debut novel reads like the work of a seasoned pro. She knows this world inside out, and the result is a tense tale written in prose that crackles and pops. I found the characters every bit as fascinating as the setting. This one's something special, as is the author. I'm eager for her follow-up.” —<i>STEVE YARBROUGH, award-winning author of Safe From the Neighbors</i><br><br>“Thrilling, fun, smart and moving, <i>Invisible City</i> makes me proud and a little afraid to be a Jew living in Brooklyn. We need more reporters like Rebekah and more books about her from Julia Dahl. Hurry!” —<i>DAVID GORDON, author of The Serialist</i><br><br>“[An] impressive debut…Dahl's convincing dialogue and perfect pacing make for a real page-turner. And her storytelling skills illuminate the intriguing worlds of the tabloid press, Hasidism, the NYPD, and Brooklyn's 20-somethings--as well as the fragile boundaries of family, religion, and life itself.” —<i>Publishers Weekly (starred review)</i></p>
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