Where’d You Go, Bernadette meets The Maid in this sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a mysterious job that takes her though the Italian Dolomites and into an international mystery far greater—and more personal—than she could have ever expected.

For someone who hates secrets, Las Vegas hairdresser Lucy Rey is about to be faced with a whole bunch of them. After discovering that her fiancé has been cheating on her with someone from his improv class, Lucy finds herself short on funds and desperate for a change of scenery. Enter a most unusual job opportunity: a Bearer of Bad News.

Sure, it’s a little weird, but Lucy’s employer is wealthy beyond compare, so who can blame her for wanting to outsource? Even if the job description is short on details and the bad news sounds more like a vaguely worded threat, Lucy can’t say no to the perks: an-all-expenses-paid trip to the Italian Dolomites plus a generous bonus if she proves she’s found her client’s sister and delivered the message. Then she learns that her mission is just the tip of the iceberg.

Launched into a world of betrayal and greed involving eighty-year-old secrets, stolen jewels, and a World War II-era mystery, Lucy is in way over her head. And she’s connected to this story in ways she never could have imagined.

For fans of Gail Honeyman’s Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and Kirstin Chen’s Counterfeit, Bearer of Bad News is an exhilarating romp that deftly explores the weight of secrets, the power of friendship, and how, by healing the wounds of the past, we can build a brighter tomorrow.

Elisabeth Dini is a lawyer and prosecutor of war crimes and crimes against humanity at the International Criminal Court. She has previously worked on domestic violence and sex trafficking cases at the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office. Born in Nevada, she is a graduate of Brandeis University and Stanford Law School. Elisabeth currently lives in the Netherlands with her husband and a bevy of mostly well-adjusted houseplants. Bearer of Bad News is her debut novel.