You’ll Never Forget Me

Raya’s promising if uneven debut centers on struggling Hollywood actor Dimple Kapoor, who for years has lost starring roles to her professional nemesis, Irene Singh. While Irene has purchased a lavish mansion and launched bidding wars among major directors, Dimple has struggled to book a role since starring in the notorious flop Horrorville 3. One evening, Dimple attends a splashy party at Irene’s mansion, and the two get into a heated argument at the top of a grand staircase, during which Dimple accidentally pushes Irene to her death. Though the press and most attendees assume Irene fell—except for one of the waiters, who saw the altercation—Irene’s distraught, skeptical parents hire a team of PIs including seasoned detective Saffi Mirai Iyer to investigate. With the doors to professional success having swung wide open now that Irene is dead, Dimple does everything she can to keep Saffi off her trail and protect her new place in the pecking order—even if it means trying to take down the investigation from the inside. Raya deftly renders the sinister glitz of Hollywood, but Dimple’s actions are increasingly inscrutable on the way to the novel’s far-fetched ending. Still, it’s an entertaining first outing. Agent: Amy Bishop-Wycisk, Trellis Literary. (Jan.)