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 copies, and was translated into twenty-three languages. After this tremendous debut, Tartt was silent for ten years. But in 2002, she reemerged with her second novel, The Little Friend, the story of twelve-year-old Harriet Cleve Dufresnes, who is intent on avenging the murder of her older brother. Writing in the New Republic, Ruth Franklin called Tartt "one of the most mesmerizing writers of her generation."

A Southern Childhood

Tartt was raised in Grenada, Mississippi, a small town where she spent much of her time reading books. "When you read, it's very much about wanting to go somewhere else," she explained to Liz Seymour in Book. "And when you're a...