The First to Die

by

Suzanne Trauth

Mesmerizing tale of a daughter’s search for her mother’s killer.

The First to Die by Suzanne Trauth is the mesmerizing mystery of a young woman’s deep dive into the circumstances surrounding her mother’s disappearance and subsequent death. Connie Tucker is called home to her childhood home in New Jersey when the remains of her long-missing mother were discovered. Simone Tucker had disappeared from the theatre where she had been in rehearsals for A Streetcar Named Desire, when Connie and her sister, Gaby, were 13 and 14, respectively, never to be seen or heard from again. But someone in her life had seen her at least one last time that night, and Connie was determined to find out who that person was. However, someone was just as determined to stop her. 

Connie is a sympathetic character, stuck in her past, unable to fully move forward until she knows what happened to her mother and whether a secret her mother made her promise to keep could have made a difference in the tragic outcome. Her feelings are further compounded by her father’s perceived betrayal when he sent her younger, grieving, out-of-control self to live with an aunt in California soon after her mother’s disappearance. Her sister, Gaby, is the perpetually wounded one, her main desire being to have her family reunited and happy again. Their father, Liam, while grieving the loss of his wife all over again, tells an inconsistent story of his movements the night of Simone’s disappearance. The combination makes for a riveting story I couldn’t put down. 

The plot alternates between the present and the past as Connie begins her own investigation when the cold case detective assigned to her mother’s murder inspires little confidence. The story unfolds as she chases her own memories of that night and questions some of the most important people from her past, never expecting the twists and turns she encounters. I had so many theories about what actually happened as I read, but the resolution still came as a big surprise. 

I recommend THE FIRST TO DIE to readers of mysteries and domestic thrillers.

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