I’ll Eat When I’m Dead

In her debut, Bourland attempts to update The Devil Wears Prada and kick it up a notch with the story of a thoroughly modern assistant editor at a Vogue-like fashion magazine who teams up with an NYPD detective to solve a murder mystery. The action begins when editor Hillary Whitney’s body, in Dior pumps, is discovered on the floor of a Rage Fashion Book workroom. Police conclude she died from a heart attack caused by extreme dieting, but they reopen the case after seeing a cryptic message she sent her brother. Det. Mark Sutton interviews Hillary’s silk-and-leather-clad friend and assistant, Flemish-Japanese Cat Ono, prompting Cat to try to dig up more about Hillary’s untimely demise. As Rage struggles to compete against online startup Mania, Cat assists Hillary’s replacement (the ambitious socialite Lou), while tracking Hillary’s designer eye drops to an upscale Brooklyn cosmetics shop, then joining forces with friends and the police to uncover the shop’s secrets. Bourland narrates at a quick New York City tempo, detailing perks, personal connections, and property values, both satirizing and celebrating fashion and feminism. Will the hot cop and the cool fashionista hook up? Can Rage pivot to adjust to a changing market? Can its employees pivot without ruining their stilettos? Do crimes committed by the cosmetics firm go beyond overcharging? The writing is stylish even when the answers are obvious. (May)