Rosanne Limoncelli

Rosanne Limoncelli is a writer and filmmaker living in Brooklyn. . Her short fiction has appeared in Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine, Suspense Magazine, and Noir Nation, and her short films have been screened in festivals around the world. Limoncelli also writes plays, screenplays, poetry, games, mysteries, and science fiction and has taught writing and filmmaking for more than three decades at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

Her new novel is Death at King's Cross: A Four Queens of Crime Mystery.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Limoncelli's reply:

When I’m writing a new project, I usually keep my reading to books that will inspire me or keep me in the mood for what I am writing. But I will also take a break and read something completely different. Here are four books I recently read.

The Anatomy of Exile by Zeeva Bukai is a gorgeously written book about a young man and woman from two very different immigrant families growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970’s. It’s told from the mother’s point of view and focuses on her struggle to keep her family together. The beauty of this book is in the writing and the way that the mother’s understanding of the world grows through the love she has for her daughter as she learns what is important in life.

The Dutch House (2019) by Ann Patchett was a book I’d been wanting to read for a while and it pulled me in quickly. The story is about a family that grows up in a strange mansion, and the family dynamics of the brother and sister, their relationship with their father and the world around them, told from the point of view of the brother. The story spans five decades and the way Patchett tells the story through time, and through the experiences of the main characters is fascinating, funny, and heartbreaking all at once. I read it and then listened to the amazing Tom Hanks audio book, both brilliant experiences.

Unfinished Portrait by Agatha Christie writing as Mary Westmacott. This fascinating tale of a woman’s life that is so close to Agatha Christie’s own life that it must be read by any Christie fans who love her autobiography. I’d read all the Christie novels, except the Westmacott books, but once I read this one, immediately scarfed up the rest of them. Christie’s writing is at its best in these non-mysteries.

In keeping with my current need for an Agatha Christie mood, I recently reread The Clocks from 1963. Christie is best known for her murder mysteries, and this is a Hercule Poirot gem. Many of Christie's books written during and after WWII are at least part spy thriller and this one is one of the best. A typist is sent to private home for a job, is instructed to let herself in, but instead of the client she was supposed to meet, she finds a dead body and is then suspected of the crime. The Cold War details, the twisty and satisfying clues, and Hercule Poirot’s inimitable self, make this a fun read.

Visit Rosanne Limoncelli's website.

My Book, The Movie: The Four Queens of Crime.

The Page 69 Test: The Four Queens of Crime.

Q&A with Rosanne Limoncelli.

--Marshal Zeringue