Description

SHORTLISTED FOR THE CRIME WRITERS’ ASSOCIATION ALCS GOLD DAGGER FOR NON-FICTION

‘Brilliant and extraordinary’ Philippe Sands

‘Astonishing … Cooper is one hell of a detective’ Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of The Fact of a Body

‘Seductive … Haunting’ Ariel Levy, author of The Rules Do Not Apply

In 1969, Jane Britton, an ambitious graduate student at Harvard, was found bludgeoned to death in her apartment. A whisper network kept Jane’s story alive: a rumour of an affair with a professor that ended in tragedy when Britton threatened to expose him.

Forty years later, when curious undergrad Becky Cooper first heard the story, she felt compelled to find out more. We Keep the Dead Close is an account of her complex and fascinating investigation spanning a decade.

Publisher Review

A brilliant and extraordinary book. -- Philippe Sands Exhilarating ... Becky Cooper masterfully uncovers the story of Harvard undergrad Jane Britton * Vogue * Exhilarating and seductive ... Haunting, fascinating, and surprising. Cooper will keep you riveted. Ambitious ... A highly sophisticated investigation of a cold case mixed with elements of memoir and trendy cultural criticism. * Spectator * This is an astonishing book: circuitous yet taut with suspense, layered yet gripping. Cooper is one hell of a detective, chasing a long-buried murder mystery not only to the victim and her killer, but to the very core of how we understand one another. Most remarkable is how contemporary and vital every bit of questioning Cooper does here feels. Jane Britton died decades ago, but in Cooper's hands, Britton's tragic murder teaches us about ourselves and the dangers of the institutions we uphold. -- Alex Marzano-Lesnevich, author of THE FACT OF A BODY