Elisabeth Dini
Would you deliver a bit of bad news if it meant a free trip to the Italian Dolomites and an escape from a life that's imploding?
Coming April 29, 2025
”One of the most delightful debuts I've ever read, Bearer of Bad News is a laugh-out-loud Bridget Jones-esque tale about a woman searching for a missing necklace in an Italian mountain town while her own life implodes spectacularly. Author Elisabeth Dini--a real-life lawyer and former prosecutor of war crimes and crimes against humanity--also weaves in a heartrending World War II storyline connected to the necklace, which gives this delightful, fast-paced book hidden depth and a surprising amount of emotion. Imagine everything you love about Bridget Jones’s Diary, The Maid, and Where’d You Go, Bernadette, interwoven with a tale that honors those who fled Hitler's Germany and lost everything, and you'll have this pitch-perfect novel. Charming, hilarious, and heartfelt, Bearer of Bad News is sure to be a hit. An enthralling must-read."
- Kristin Harmel, New York Times bestselling author of The Paris Daughter
"In The 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.”
- Patti Callahan Henry, New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Book of Flora Lea
Praise for Bearer of Bad News
"Wow! That's what I said to myself when I finished this book. A fascinating and fabulous story from first page to last, Bearer of Bad News was simply delightful. If I ever get stranded on a desert island, this is the book I want with me because it's worth re-reading over and over and over. Brilliantly written with the kind of characters you carry with you for weeks after you close the book, Bearer of Bad News is a winner from cover to cover."
- Karen Hawkins, New York Times bestselling author
"I laughed out loud as I turned the pages of this delightful romp of a novel as fast as I could — but was also struck by the poignant and riveting historical timeline, which reminded me why it's imperative to examine where we’ve been as we move forward in a complicated world. Elizabeth Dini has shot to the top of my list of favourite new authors. I’ll be recommending this book to everyone!"
- Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of The Lightning Bottles and Lucky
”Entrancing and funny, this is a story about how intergenerational trauma also creates intergenerational resilience. As Lucy Rey delivers an impossibly difficult message in the Italian Dolomites, she discovers truths about her own past and learns the importance of not letting the darkest of nights consume us. A moving testament to the sacrifices friends make for each other.”
- Marjan Kamali, nationally bestselling author of The Stationary Shop and The Lion Women of Tehran
"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, moving, unusual novel that is more than meets the eye."
- Laurie Frankel, New York Times bestselling author of This Is How It Always Is
"From the first page I fell in love with Lucy, a mediocre Vegas hairdresser and newly employed Bearer of Bad News. Elisabeth Dini has created a story both bright and adventurous, but also twisty with the darkness of family secrets. Contrasting the intensity of individual experience against the starkness of historical events, this is an emotional journey wrapped up in a romp—a unique, not-to-be-missed novel."
- Amy Matthews, author of Someone Else’s Bucket List
"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.”
- Publishers Weekly