Do Tell

'Do Tell is an absolute marvel: page-turning yet thought-provoking, historical in its setting yet contemporary in its concerns. . . A deeply moving, immensely satisfying, blockbuster of a debut novel'

Anthony Marra

***

THERE'S NOTHING STRONGER THAN A GOOD STORY.

THE QUESTION IS: WHO GETS TO TELL IT?

The clock is ticking on Hollywood actress Edie O'Dare's contract with FWM Studios. Her acting career is going nowhere, and she's running out of time to find a new role in the industry - other than providing salacious details of the latest party or premiere to the press.

So when an up-and-coming starlet hands her an explosive letter - alleging an assault by an A-list actor - Edie helps get the story into print, and buys herself a new career as Tinseltown's new reigning gossip columnist.

Edie has more power on the page than she ever commanded in front of the camera. But dealing in your former friends' secrets comes at a price - and when her scoop turns into the trial of the decade, Edie's decisions have the potential to ruin more than one life . . .

Do Tell is a glittering journey into golden age Hollywood, and a sharply relevant exploration of secrets, power, and who gets to tell your story.

Praise for Do Tell:

'Like our intrepid narrator, Do Tell manages to be both funny and substantive, breezy and wise. I stepped into the stream of the narrative and didn't look up until I came to the last page'

Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House

'There is little more alluring than the promise of secrets, and Do Tell is full of them--glamorous, tawdry, and human. Lindsay Lynch has created a rich portrait of the lives of early Hollywood's beautiful puppets and those holding their strings'

Emma Straub, author of This Time Tomorrow

'Gossip columnist Edie O'Dare has enemies and sources, but no friends in a Golden Age Hollywood whose gleam is tarnished by exploitation, cruelty and betrayal. Like a latter-day Cecil B. DeMille, Lindsay Lynch deftly directs her large cast of morally complex characters to illuminate issues of fame and notoriety as relevant now as they were almost a century ago'

Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Horse

'In Do Tell Lindsay Lynch takes a glance back at golden-age Hollywood and captures the fizzy magic, the secret lives, and the deep, destructive misogyny within the industry's DNA. This is a wry, entertaining, and incisive debut'

Lily King, bestselling author of Writers & Lovers

'Reveals the tawdry truth behind the glitz and glamour of Golden Ag

Lindsay Lynch is a writer from Washington, DC. She is the author of the novel Do Tell, forthcoming from Doubleday Books in July 2023. Her work has appeared in The Adroit Journal, The Rumpus, Electric Lit, The Atlantic, The Offing and Lit Hub, among other places.

A longtime indie bookseller, she currently lives in Nashville, TN, where she works as a book buyer for Parnassus Books.

' Do Tell is an absolute marvel: page-turning yet thought-provoking, historical in its setting yet contemporary in its concerns. . . A deeply moving, immensely satisfying, blockbuster of a debut novel' Anthony Marra *** The summer read of 2023: A whip-smart, glamorous and poignant debut set in Golden Age Hollywood It's the 1940s and Hollywood character actress Edie O'Dare is on the last year of her contract with FWM Studios. With the clock ticking and opportunities dwindling, Edie uses the few resources she has - her eyes, ears, and insider access - to pivot to a new role in the Tinseltown machine: gossip columnist. In exchange for favourable coverage, her sources trade exclusive information that will boost the column's popularity. Soon, Edie realizes she has far more power on the page than in front of the camera.Following a glamourous celebration at which the entire industry, including Edie, are in attendance, an underage starlet accuses the country's most popular actor of sexual assault, claiming he cornered her in an upstairs bedroom while the party was in full swing downstairs. When Edie receives a letter from the actress, she must decide whose story to tell, whose reputation to ruin, and how to influence where public opinion will fall. As Edie reluctantly determines the fate of her former peers, one by one-actors, executives, publicists, and costume designers-she must fight to maintain relevance and a precarious foothold in the town that coined the phrase you're only as good as your last role . Praise for Do Tell : 'Like our intrepid narrator, TO BEGIN AND BEGIN AGAIN manages to be both funny and substantive, breezy and wise. I stepped into the stream of the narrative and didn't look up until I came to the last page' Ann Patchett, author of The Dutch House 'There is little more alluring than the promise of secrets, and Do Tell is full of them--glamorous, tawdry, and human. Lindsay Lynch has created a rich portrait of the lives of early Hollywood's beautiful puppets and those holding their strings' Emma Straub, author of This Time Tomorrow 'Gossip columnist Edie O'Dare has enemies and sources, but no friends in a Golden Age Hollywood whose gleam is tarnished by exploitation, cruelty and betrayal. Like a latter-day Cecil B. DeMille, Lindsay Lynch deftly directs her large cast of morally complex characters to illuminate issues of fame and notoriety as relevant now as they were almost a century ago' Geraldine Brooks, New York Times bestselling author of Horse

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.