Rust & Stardust

A Novel

By: T. Greenwood

Narrated by: Thérèse Plummer

Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

“Greenwood’s glowing dark ruby of a novel brilliantly transforms the true crime story that inspired Nabokov’s Lolita. Shatteringly original and eloquently written....So ferociously suspenseful, I found myself holding my breath.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You

Based on the experiences of real-life kidnapping victim Sally Horner and her captor, whose story shocked the nation and inspired Vladimir Nabokov to write his controversial and iconic Lolita, Rust & Stardust is a heart-pounding audiobook by award-winning author T. Greenwood, who at last gives a voice to Sally herself.

Camden, NJ, 1948. When 11 year-old Sally Horner steals a notebook from the local Woolworth's, she has no way of knowing that 52 year-old Frank LaSalle, fresh out of prison, is watching her, preparing to make his move. Accosting her outside the store, Frank convinces Sally that he’s an FBI agent who can have her arrested in a minute—unless she does as he says.

This chilling audiobook traces the next two harrowing years as Frank mentally and physically assaults Sally while the two of them travel westward from Camden to San Jose, forever altering not only her life, but the lives of her family, friends, and those she meets along the way.

More praise for Rust & Stardust:

“A beautifully written, unnerving tragedy woven from equal measures of hope and menace.” - Booklist

©2018 T. Greenwood (P)2018 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

"Narrator Thérèse Plummer's striking characterizations and focused tone immerse listeners in the rapidly changing characters and settings...This audio is ideal for fans of true crime and Nabokov's LOLITA, which was inspired by Sally's story." -AudioFile

"A harrowing, ripped-from-the-headlines story of lives altered in the blink of an eye, once again proving her eloquence and dexterity as an author.” —Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of The Good Girl

"Greenwood is unmatched in her innate ability to weave lush, poetic language into a riveting story that hooks the reader from page one." —Amy Hatvany, author of Best Kept Secret, and It Happens All the Time

WOW!

Absolutely no words to describe how moved I am. I could not stop listening. Definitely worth the credit

So moving.

I didn’t even realize it was historical FICTION until the end. It was written in a way that alluded to sex. It would have been unbearable to read otherwise. I commend the author’s imagination filling in the gaps in the real case with believable moments and relationships. Character development was great, just very rich and full of details from that era. The main character has stayed with me. She really was fully formed. Bravo. PS the author did t develop one main character. I think it only accentuates the fact that he had no soul.

Heartbreaking and triumphant

I was already aware of the story on which this book is based. The narrative is raw and detailed and puts you into the mind of a very young victim. There is limited insight into the mind of the kidnapper, but this is probably for the best. It does an excellent job of bringing the thoughts and feelings of the kidnapping victim’s family members to life, too. I highly recommend this book, though it’s not for the faint of heart.

A sugary, sentimental retelling of a brutal historic kidnapping

This fictionalized retelling of the kidnapping of Sally Horner falls short of the mark for me. The writing style is simply too flowery and syrupy for me, as if to contrast with the horrors of some of the content, and it comes across as overly sentimental.

so sad, tragic really

cried q lot when reading this, just don't understand how people can hurt other people like this. the writing is excellent and the narrator was great!!!!!

Riveting

This grabs your attention from the very beginning - the narration is perfect and i couldn’t stop listening until the very end.

cant really hear without headphones or a speaker

only thing that bugged me to no avail is that most of the book is whispered.

Absolutely captivating

It's beautifully written, captivating story of a young girl abducted by older man. Performance was amazing and very accurate.

Riveted

The story the girl, the times, I could not stop listening. Based on a true story this guy would have been tracked down a lot sooner than this if this happened now. Back in the 50's neighboring states law enforcement barely communicated.

One of the best books I've every read..

this was one of the best books I've ever read,,, and the first book that ever made me cry. It just kept going on and surprising me with every little event that occurred. Even in the end with the author's note was another surprise altogether. This was one of the books that I could never put down and just had to finish from beginning to end. great work T Greenwood.