A finalist for the National Book Award and winner of the Edgar Allan Poe Award, Jess Walter infuses his tightly plotted novels with a unique brand of mordant humor that has earned him a loyal and growing fan base. His sixth novel, Beautiful Ruins chronicles an unlikely romance that begins in 1962 along the Italian coast. The love affair wanes, only to be rekindled in Hollywood 50 years later. ''Why mince words? Beautiful Ruins is an absolute masterpiece.''- Richard Russo