A Hurricane Shattered Hometown.
A Murdered Best Friend.
An Uputdownable Debut Mystery.
“Costa is especially skilled in showing the gray layers in flawed men and women" -Book Life
A hurricane-shattered hometown. A murdered best friend. A secret buried for decades.
After tragedy leaves both of Jimmy Miller’s parents dead, he spends his teenage years in juvenile detention before escaping to a new life in Costa Rica. But when his childhood best friend, Dillon, tracks him down—and later turns up murdered—Jimmy is forced to return to the New Jersey town he’s spent years trying to forget.
Back home, the place is nearly unrecognizable. Hurricane Sandy has torn the town apart, leaving behind wreckage, grief, and suspicion. When police arrest a childhood classmate for Dillon’s murder, Jimmy is convinced they’ve got the wrong man.
As he searches for the truth, Jimmy uncovers a web of secrets that threatens to destroy everything he thought he knew about his friends, his family, and himself. The closer he gets to the real story behind Dillon’s death, the more he realizes the past never stayed buried — and that even his mother’s death may not be what it seemed.
“Costa is especially skilled in showing the gray layers in flawed men and women.” — BookLife
The Day My Mother Died is a gripping literary mystery and psychological crime thriller about guilt, redemption, and the hidden darkness of small-town America. Fans of Dennis Lehane, Laura Lippman, and James Lee Burke will be captivated by its emotional depth, vivid setting, and unforgettable characters.
Perfect for readers who love:
✅ Small-town murder mysteries
✅ Emotional psychological thrillers
✅ Hurricane or storm-driven suspense novels
✅ Gritty, character-driven crime fiction
Powerful, haunting, and impossible to put down — The Day My Mother Died proves that sometimes the hardest truths are the ones closest to home.
Readers Say:
★★★★★ “Fast-paced and evocative with a dark, witty, slightly damaged main character you want to follow from page one."
★★★★★ "Jason Costa is a terrific stylist, with great narrative, dialogue, and pacing. It’s a pleasure just coasting along in the sentences of this whodunit."
★★★★★ “Excellent story couldn't put it down 10 stars.”
★★★★★ “I loved Jason Costa's characters. Could not put it down.”
★★★★★ “This novel brilliantly combines elements of mystery, suspense, and human drama, making it an engaging and unforgettable read.”
Average Customer Rating 4.3 across all platforms and over 100 reviews
Booklife Review Says:
The Day My Mother Died is a compelling mystery about an ex-con who finds himself back home under circumstances almost as bad as the reasons he left in the first place. Jimmy Miller finds himself hip-deep in long-buried secrets and must solve his friend's murder between pummeling from locals who will do anything to get him to leave the lies alone. Costa's prose is punchy, yet vivid, and to the point, and he builds dread from page one, even when describing innocuous surroundings. Costa's storyline proves alluring and keeps readers guessing throughout.
Jimmy Miller is driven by his past and sees the world through decidedly black humor, an understandable coping mechanism given what he endured as an adolescent. As a protagonist, he's driven, brave, and entirely root-able. The other characters are equally vivid and fleshed-out, and though his mother is killed in the first chapter, her death looms large over the rest of the book, as does the memory of his late father. Costa is especially skilled in showing the gray layers in such flawed men and women.
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The Day My Mother Died is listed at $9.99 on all the major platforms but clients who buy direct receive a 50% discount on any other Bay Road Publishing book.