Deliberate Cruelty

Spanning five decades and set at the highest heights of Manhattan's cafe and literary societies, the story of two murders, two suicides, and the strangely intertwined fates of socialite Ann Woodward and literary superstar Truman Capote.

Reviews

"Brash and beautiful, Ann Woodward’s escape from a hardscrabble past and her ambitious rise from model and showgirl to the upper tiers of New York’s high society is a both a rags to riches story and a cautionary tale -- just the kind of story literary provocateur Truman Capote adored. In crafting the side-by-side tales of two arriviste strivers born of humble roots, Roseanne Montillo has given us a thrilling, tragic, Gatsby-esque saga. A wild romp of a story, boldly and beautifully told." —Neal Thompson, author of The First Kennedys and A Curious Man