Celestial Timepiece

An Omnibus by Joyce Carol Oates

London: Titan Books, 2026
576 Pages

Four decades ago, acclaimed literary author Joyce Carol Oates penned her first novel of psychological suspense under the name “Rosamond Smith.” In the Smith books, Oates explored themes of betrayal and deception, lust and murder, through stories involving twins, doubles, and hidden second identities—initially, keeping her own double identity a secret.

Hard Case Crime is proud to bring these extraordinary works of crime fiction, long unavailable in bookstores, back into print in definitive double editions, each pairing two complete novels and two never-before-collected Oates short stories, all linked thematically, to weave a sinister web filled with dark reflections.

In This Volume…

A female serial killer seeks refuge in her twin sister’s home in STARR BRIGHT WILL BE WITH YOU SOON, while a male serial killer murders for the woman he craves in SOUL/MATE — and the echoes continue in the rare short stories “The Murderess” and “An Unsolved Crime.”

• Two complete novels and two never-before-collected short stories—appearing in one curated volume for the first time ever
• The first of three double volumes from Hard Case Crime to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the author’s once-secret suspense-writing second identity, “Rosamond Smith”
• Joyce Carol Oates is one of the most acclaimed authors of the past century, a National Book Award winner and six-time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize

Contents

• STARR BRIGHT WILL BE WITH YOU SOON
• “The Murderess”
• SOUL/MATE
• “An Unsolved Crime”

Image: “The Souls of a Wilted Meadow” by Natalia Drepina