From #1 bestselling author Iliana Xander comes a twisty, fast-paced psychological thriller, perfect for fans of Freida McFadden.

Intrigued? Well read on to discover the synopsis and an excerpt from Iliana Xander’s Love Mom, which releases on September 2nd 2025.

Mackenzie Casper is a brilliant student. But she is best known for her mother, a best-selling author whose dark, twisted thrillers have a dedicated worldwide fanbase. When her mother dies in an accident, fans across the world are left grieving, and the investigators are asking: Was that really an accident?

The day of the memorial service, Mackenzie gets the first mysterious envelope, signed,

From #1 fan. XOXO.

Inside are the pages of her mother’s diary that start with the lines:

Want to know a secret?

Love, Mom.

What Mackenzie reads leaves her in shock.

Then comes the second letter.

And the third…

Mackenzie starts her own investigation and stumbles upon secrets that her family has lived with for years.

Quickly, she realizes that her mother’s path to stardom was etched with sinister lies that might have caught up with her.

Sometimes fame is worth a murder. Or worse.

Soon, Mackenzie will come to find out that there are worse things than murder…