by Hallie Elizabeth Newton (Author)
"An astonishing debut as mesmerizing as it is unnerving." --Joyce Carol Oates
A day-in-the-life debut novel about a fading socialite on the hunt for someone to kill her before her next SoulCycle class.
"A tale of suspense, a statement, a cry for help, and a delicious tour-de-force." --Nell Zink New York City, 2014. Agnes Maurer seeks a willing murderer and wonders what she should wear. Candidates include: an icy magazine editor with a special cutlery set; an eccentric designer from her past; and Agnes's cruel novelist boyfriend. As she Ubers from Upper East Side shopping to Craigslist gun deals, Agnes' desperation becomes an exhibition, a swan song of millennial sexuality as internalized abuse and consummate style, with the knob righty-tightened all the way.
Newton's prose is disturbingly fun, relentless, shattering. A crafted study of existential despair that culminates in a worthy, intense denouement.
Author Biography
Hallie Elizabeth Newton was born in Mississippi. A recipient of NYU's Goldwater Fellowship, she won first prize for fiction in Columbia Journal's 2020 Winter Contest. Agnes Lives! is her debut novel. She lives in New York.
Number of Pages: 256
Dimensions: 0.97 x 8.48 x 5.8 IN
Publication Date: June 23, 2026
