Donna Tartt has written two novels concerning murders. Her first, The Secret History, the story of murderous college students at an elite Ivy league school, was a sensation. The book earned Tartt a staggering advance of $450,000, sold some one million co...

A TRUNK CALL F A secret history PATHFINDING 3: HEREFORDSHIRE AND THE WYE VALLEY ON ITS placid surface, Herefordshire is both England's most secret, and yet most typical county. Tucked between the Malvern Hills and the Welsh mountains, it oozes Englishness:...

The Da Vinci Code, shot by Salvatore Totino, brings a worldwide best-seller to the big screen. Ever since Columbia Pictures and director Ron Howard announced in 2004 that they would bring Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code to the big screen, fans and...

Like a verdant interval at Yaddo or a sepulchral black-and-white author photo by Marion Ettlinger, a snazzy book cover by Chip Kidd has distinct cachet in Manhattan literary circles (what’s left of them, anyway). The difference is that Mr. Kidd has managed to maintain an...

THE WORLD IS NOT SO FLAT: In his best-seller, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman proclaimed globalization the enabler of emerging countries, "flattening" inequalities with developed nations.But Cambridge University economics professor Ha-Joon Chang says free trade often does the opposite. In "Bad Samaritans: The Myth...

Discusses the novel 'The Secret History', by Donna Tartt. Provides a plot summary. Explores major themes and characters from the book.