The Photographer is a slyly observed, suspenseful story of envy and obsession, told in the mesmerizing, irresistible voice of a character who will make you doubt that seeing is ever believing.

Pictures are fixed. It's one point of view, one moment in time. We tend to trust pictures.

As a photographer, Delta Dawn observes the seemingly perfect lives of New York City's elite: snapping photos of their children's birthday parties, transforming images of stiff hugs and tearstained faces into visions of pure joy, and creating moments these parents long for.

But when Delta is hired for Natalie Straub's eleventh birthday, she finds herself wishing she wasn't behind the lens but a part of the scene—in the Straub family's gorgeous home and elegant life.

That's when Delta puts her plan in place, by babysitting Natalie; befriending her mother, Amelia; and seeking out chances to listen to her father, Fritz. Soon she's bathing in their master bathtub, drinking their expensive wine, and eyeing the beautifully finished garden apartment in their townhouse. It seems she can never get close enough, until she discovers that photos aren't all she can manipulate.

Mary Dixie Carter’s debut novel The Photographer will be published  in May 2021 by Minotaur Books - St. Martin’s Publishing Group in the US and by Hodder & Stoughton in the UK.

Mary Dixie’s writing has appeared in TIME,  The Economist, the San Francisco Chronicle, the Chicago Tribune,  The Philadelphia Inquirer,  The New York Sun, The New York Observer and other print and online publications.  She worked at The Observer for five years, where she served as the publishing director.  In addition to writing, she also has a background as a professional actor.

Mary Dixie graduated from Harvard College with an honors degree in English Literature and holds an MFA in Creative Writing from The New School.  She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two young children.

Livestream: Mary Dixie Carter