Alfred Hitchcock’s films are a testament to he is perfectionist and his autonomy, yet there was one person whose advice he valued above all others: his wife, Alma. What was her impact on one of the most creative collaborations in film history?

“Pat Hitchcock O’Connell traces her mother’s life from her early career as a film editor, scenarist and silent-movie actress to her ongoing collaboration on the scripting, casting and direction of her husband’s movies. She structures her narrative around a breezy filmography of her father’s movies, notes the development of Hitchcock trademarks like the “MacGuffin,” and regales readers with Hollywood anecdotes and… testimonials from relatives, actors, friends, long-term care providers and Hitchcock himself to vouch for her warm personality, impeccable manners, superb cooking, gracious hostessing and influence on Hitchcock’s creative process. O’Connell’s account of Alma’s life is … touching, like a breezy tour through a family album.”  —Publishers Weekly

So much has been written about Alfred Hitchcock that no aspect of his career hasn’t been explored. Some remain underexplored, however, such as the role that his wife of 54 years played in his career. Starting out as a 16-year-old film editor, Alma Hitchcock began her movie career before Alfred began his. She contributed significantly to his films at every stage of production and received screenplay credit for several of his classics. The couple’s daughter Pat, who has small on-screen roles in several of her father’s films, recounts the making of the Hitchcock oeuvre, but the personal anecdotes she tells–stories of her parents’ vacations and friendships, examples of her father’s notorious practical jokes–will most delight Hitchcockians, few of whom, however, will go so far as to try out the recipes with which she concludes the book. She can be accused of overstating her mother’s cinematic importance, but readers will likely wind up agreeing with critic Charles Champlin, who wrote, “The Hitchcock touch had four hands, and two were Alma’s.” —Gordon Flagg, Booklist