Susan Ryeland is author Alan Conway’s editor at Cloverleaf Books. She helped discover him when he was still unpublished, and has edited all of the books of his successful mystery series. Susan is in her mid-forties, unmarried and sans children, and dating a Greek schoolteacher named Andreas. She is a bright, ambitious, and hardworking woman who quickly becomes embroiled in a real-life mystery when she discovers that Alan Conway has died. Throughout the novel, she plays the role of amateur detective, investigating the Alan Conway's death and looking for clues that indicate his supposed suicide may not be all that it seems. Although this investigation upends her life, Susan is determined to pursue it to the bitter end. Along the way, Susan, a life-long reader and book enthusiast, also reflects upon the nature of books—particularly mysteries and whodunits.

Alan Conway is a successful mystery author whose unexpected death causes others to think he has killed himself. His final novel, Magpie Murders, is the last in a bestselling series. Alan grew up with a stern, abusive father and is not close with his family. He always had a dream of becoming a writer, and eventually achieved success with his