Her Dying Day

June Masterson, a student at New York Film School and the narrator of Carlson’s enticing debut, decides for her new thesis topic to focus on the disappearance of mystery writer Greer Larkin, “winner of five Edgar Awards... before she was twenty-four,” who vanished 20 years earlier. Reading Greer’s books provided mental escape for June from the dreary commune in the Adirondacks where she lived with her hippie parents before entering film school. June begins her project by interviewing Greer’s best friend, her controlling elitist mother, and her former literary agent. Though the most likely suspect appears to be Greer’s onetime fiancé, Jonathan Vanderpoole, June isn’t convinced that Jonathan’s responsible for Greer’s disappearance. June soon discovers that someone doesn’t want her to find out the truth after she receives a threatening note attached to her door by a knife and a person breaks into her apartment. The charming June is supported by a cast of quirky, yet realistic, secondary characters, including her thesis adviser and lover, and the twisty plot delivers more than one surprise. Readers will be curious to see what Carlson comes up with next. Agent: Abby Saul, Lark Group. (June)