Michele Weinstat Miller’s debut crime novel, Gone by Morning, was good enough that I gave it a starred review in my journal review. It has such a great twist as the ending. Just perfect. But, it’s a difficult book to summarize because there are multiple viewpoints and so many events happening at the same time. So, if my review is confusing, but the story sounds good, take a chance on it.

When a bomb explodes in a New York City subway station, it changes the lives of three women. Ex-madam Kathleen Harris, 68, survives the event and walks home to the apartment building she owns. City Hall press officer Emily Silverman, 26, and her young daughter Skye are tenants in Kathleen’s building. As Emily returns home the night of the bombing, she sees a woman get into a car with a man. When the woman is found murdered, Emily recognizes her from a photo. The victim, Sharon, was a sex worker who once worked for Kathleen, but Emily doesn’t know of Kathleen’s connection or Kathleen’s own past.

Emily and Kathleen stir up trouble as they investigate Sharon’s murder. When Kathleen’s apartment building blows up, she, Emily, and Skye barely escape. But, someone is behind that bombing. And, someone is behind Kathleen’s additional problems. She’s arrested for arson, and her bank account is wiped out. Emily is determined to help her landlord and friend, so she asks her mother, lawyer Lauren Clinton to take her case. When Lauren recognizes Kathleen, she’s reluctant to take the case.

The stories of Kathleen, Emily, and Lauren are so entangled that they pose a threat to a powerful figure with connections to the subway bomber.

Author Michele Weinstat Miller was a lawyer in New York, and she brings an authenticity to this intense, intricately plotted thriller. The politics and menacing atmosphere combine in a promising debut. If you can untangle the storyline in my somewhat confusing summary, you might want to pick up Gone by Morning, a fascinating portrayal of three determined women caught in someone’s political and family issues.

Michele Weinstat Miller’s website is https://www.michelewmiller.com/

Gone by Morning by Michele Weinstat Miller. Crooked Lane Books, 2021. ISBN 9781643857404 (hardcover), 336p.

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a .PDF to review for a journal.