June 2021

THE PHOTOGRAPHER by Mary Dixie Carter is a brisk psychological thriller about a young woman named Delta Dawn, who photographs the birthday parties of children who come from privileged families. Not only does she shoot the parties, she manipulates the images to ensure that everyone looks happy and smiling.

At a party at the Straub home, Delta likes what she sees, a lot, and then insinuates herself into the family’s lives. However, as you might expect from a suspense novel, she has a ton of issues. Readers spend a great deal of time inside her head, and it’s one place full of dark imagination. But at the same time, there is a lot of social commentary to be discussed about who needs a professional photographer for a child’s party…and oh, about the use of Photoshop.

It is a total escape read, which we all need these days! But when you hear a camera click in the future, the picture in your head very well may be that of “the photographer.”