Eliza Jane Brazier Books In Order

Publication Order of Eliza Jane Brazier Standalone Novels

Eliza Jane Brazier has written Young Adult novels under the name of Eliza Wass and has now debuted her adult novels with “If I Disappear” which immediately garnered high praise and her second, “Good Rich People”, marked her as a suspense writer with exciting potential for more.

In “If I Disappear”, Ms. Brazier’s first adult novel, the protagonist, Sera, becomes deeply, emotionally, and potentially dangerously involved in the abrupt disappearance of her favorite podcast presenter. Sera is convinced Rachel has been the victim of the same type of crime she presents to her listeners.

True crime stories of Ted Bundy, Black Dahlia, Charles Manson, and the Zodiac killer are rich with a crazed man, youthful foolishness, and lots and lots gore. As Rachel guides her followers through the acts of the victims, the deranged killers and the senseless murders, she offers to her listeners sound advise and cautions them how to avoid the same fate as those in her stories, usually young women going about alone. Advise Sera has been, until now, careful to follow.

Sera is obsessed with the podcasts, binging on episodes until the early morning, unable to work the next day, listening to each episode over and over.

When Rachel’s podcasts stop in April, mid-story with no announcements as to why, Sera is confused and deeply concerned. When she notices Rachel’s social media has gone dark this brings another layer of anxiety. Sera feels compelled to investigate her disappearance herself and starts out using the subtle clues during the latest podcast to find an out-of-the-way ranch in northern California where she begins her search for the very missing Rachel.

Rachel isn’t the first girl to disappear from this remote ranch and she’s not going to be the last. As Sera dives deep into the backwoods she becomes a detective intent on rescuing Rachel from what she is sure, mortal danger. Sera is sure Rachel will be proud of her for learning so well from her.

She confronts religious patriarchy; frightened, docile, controlled women, and a community that is willing to conceal dark, ugly, old family secrets. Dozens of bodies have been buried over the decades and no one is talking. They will guard their secrets with deadly determination.

Ms Brazier’s second novel, “Good Rich People” opens with her character, Lyla, noticing blood in the outdoor fountain. The tone of the disconnect of this rich person is set immediately when, rather than becoming alarmed, calls the maintenance man to immediately clean out the pool. The odd thinking is rapidly set for us as she dresses to go shopping in coordinating cashmere top and pants, just enough diamonds, and gazes in the mirror and thinks she is stunning and beautiful and she’s scared she will lose it.

While shopping for needed groceries to make spaghetti, Lyla admits to herself she absolutely has no idea how to cook spaghetti. She selects a jar of the most expensive sauce and complains to the stock boy that there must be something wrong with the sauce since it is so inexpensive.

Overhearing this, a woman shopping tells her to make the sauce from scratch- it’ll be more expensive that way. Lyla unashamedly admits she has no clue how to make a simple sauce. The woman offers to help her shop for the ingredients, telling her as she adds items to her basket what to do with each one. Lyla tunes her out. “I hate listening to people when they talk.” Oh brother…

Having recently lost her cook who got “spooked and quit”, Lyla offers to hire the woman on the spot to come cook for her, Astrid, being currently at loose ends, accepts and goes home with her. Walking into the expensive home, she admires it and tells Lyla so. Lyla says nothing. “I was taught to never take a compliment well. It’s rude.”

Astrid is destitute, has been “couch surfing” with friends, and is running out of options and places to go. Shopping at an upscale grocer in an expensive neighborhood may have been her way of trying to hook up with an viable living arrangement. She thinks she gets lucky when Lyla offers her a place and a job. She has no idea what a bad idea it will be.

The bored, useless, rich family upstairs from Astrid use her for their own entertainment, thinking of her as disposable. What they don’t realize is that “Astrid” is really Demi, a women who has had to live a hard-scrabble life, one who has street smarts and has had to develop cunning instincts to survive.

It’s truly a contest to see who will survive. Will money win or will grit and determination?

Ms Brazier lives in California and has been asked to develop “If I Disappear” for television. Certainly exciting for a young novelist with her first novel gaining Hollywood’s attention!

In interviews she shares her love of reading many different genres of books and like most avid readers, will read anything you put in front of her, be it cereal boxes, free pamphlets, or jam labels.

A favorite question to ask all authors is “What’s the one book you want to have with you on the proverbial deserted island.” Her response: “Anything by Donald Trump. I’ll need to start a fire.” Seriously… she said that.