A sharply funny and moving debut in which a young woman accepts a 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, she 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—the job description has few details, and the bad news is more like a vaguely worded threat—but 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 delivered the message. Then she learns that her task 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 over her head. And she’s connected to her mission in ways she never saw coming.
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.
"Wickedly entertaining, Dini suffuses her complex mystery plot with bright humor and a streak of darkness, and Lucy makes for a smart and endearing heroine. Readers will hope she returns for another globe-trotting adventure soon.”
“Writing scenes that would be at home in a Pink Panther movie, Dini skillfully combines Gen Z behavior with Silent Generation expectations and explores intergenerational trauma.”
"At first funny and endearing, later affecting and poignant, Bearer of Bad News travels even farther than its wayward protagonist in search of home, answers, and loves lost and found. Elisabeth Dini’s characters go beyond expectations, her families beyond blood, her history beyond its confines in a bright and moving novel that is more than meets the eye."
"In Bearer of Bad News, debut author Elisabeth Dini delivers that rare combination of witty and deep, clever and vulnerable. Lucy Rey is a young woman thrust into a high-stakes mystery in the stunning Italian Dolomites, a Las Vegas hairdresser reeling from heartbreak, she accepts a strange job delivering cryptic messages (bad news!)—only to uncover secrets that stretch back to World War II. With sharp humor and emotional depth, Dini weaves a tale of betrayal, stolen jewels, and the healing power of connection. Brimming with charm and hope, this unforgettable novel will leave readers laughing, reflecting on what’s most important in their lives, and ultimately believing in the best of humanity.”
