Mindy Carlson's debut novel Her Dying Day is a compelling, twisty mystery about an aspiring documentary filmmaker and her search for answers into the disappearance of a famous author.
In Her Dying Day, June Masterson is sorting through ideas for her capstone film project when she alights on the mystery of her favorite author's decades-old disappearance. She decides to interview those close to Greer Larkin to tell the story of famous mystery author. Her film subjects are wealthy, elite, and powerful -- and they all have a different theory about who may have killed Greer. As June unravels the mystery for her documentary film, she makes a discovery that could break the case wide open but also put her directly in harm's way.
Her Dying Day has a twisty plot that kept me guessing. I thought I had it figured out multiple times, but was pleasantly surprised when the conclusion caught me off guard. It's a voice-driven mystery that kept me turning the pages to find out what was going to happen. I enjoyed the main character's intriguing backstory and how she's a regular, sometimes bumbling, young woman who finds herself in over her head when researching for her film project.
When I finish a novel, I always take the time to read the acknowledgments. In the case of Her Dying Day, I was surprised to discover it's a debut! I love discovering a debut, especially when it reads like the polished, fast-paced work of an author who's done this a few times. Even more surprising, it's published by Crooked Lane Books (my publisher) and edited by Terri Bischoff (my editor)! I was excited to find such a neat connection. Also, shout-out to the cover designer -- this is one of the most eye-catching books I've seen lately. I'd definitely recommend picking up a copy!