Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door

Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door is a cozy mystery/romantic comedy novel by New York Times bestselling author Lucy Score. Originally self-published in 2020, the novel is the first title in Score’s Riley Thorn Series, followed by the titles The Corpse in the Closet and The Blast from the Past. Riley Thorn and the Dead Guy Next Door introduces the raucous narrative world of Riley, the novel’s protagonist. Born with psychic powers, Riley tries to defy her uniqueness in pursuit of normalcy. When she inadvertently predicts the murder of her next-door neighbor Dickie Frick, Riley begins to wonder if her magical powers are an asset. Together, she and Nick Santiago (her love interest) investigate the murder while she learns more about herself. The novel is written from the third-person point of view and explores several themes, which include Developing Self-Acceptance Via Personal Challenges, Romantic Tension as a Form of Professional and Personal Motivation, and The Importance of Learning to Problem-Solve and Think Creatively.

This guide refers to the 2024 Bloom Books paperback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the source text and this guide include sexual content, cursing, and depictions of graphic violence, emotional abuse, kidnapping, animal cruelty, death, addiction, and mental illness.

Plot Summary

As the novel opens, Riley Thorn is 34 years old and newly divorced. She works as a proofreader for a marketing firm and lives in the attic apartment of a mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Front Street. Riley shares her living space with a band of misfits, among whom is her neighbor across the hall, Dickie Frick. Riley doesn’t have a personal connection with Dickie, but one day she has a psychic vision of his murder. She writes Dickie a warning note and alerts the cops to the imminent crime. However, no one listens to her. Riley is convinced that her psychic and clairvoyant powers are for nothing when handsome and enigmatic private investigator Nick Santiago appears at her door. He informs her that he’s looking into Dickie Frick, piquing Riley’s interest. She and Nick pretend to be dating so that they can investigate Dickie without raising her other neighbors’ suspicions.

Shortly thereafter, Riley wakes in the middle of the night to the sounds of gunshots. She alerts Nick, who races to the scene. Riley tries to chase after the intruder, but to no avail. She and Nick check out Dickie’s apartment and discover that he’s indeed dead. They call the cops, but the police immediately suspect Riley. Nick and Riley explain that Riley is psychic and has nothing to do with Dickie’s death.

Over the following days, Riley and Nick decide to work together to solve the mystery of Dickie’s murder. Dickie’s aunt (Nick’s former physical education teacher, Mrs. Zimmerman) hires Nick to look into her nephew’s death. Nick thinks Riley would be the perfect sidekick because she’s already familiar with the case. He uses his new job as an excuse to spend more time with her, too. Although unsure if she should get involved, given her recent divorce from Griffin Gentry, Riley agrees to work with Nick. They tell everyone that they’re engaged and work with Nick’s colleagues to learn more about the murder victim.

Meanwhile, Riley’s mother (Blossom), father (Roger), sister (Wander), and best friend (Jasmine Patel) become more invested in Riley’s life. They’re thrilled that she’s taking risks and humoring a relationship with Nick. They also urge Riley to embrace her psychic powers. Riley is reluctant but agrees to work with a spiritual guide named Gabe. In regular sessions, he helps her channel her gifts in more effective ways.

One day, Riley and Nick discover that Dickie co-owned and operated a seedy bar called Nature Girls. Riley insists on going undercover as a server at the bar to look further into Dickie’s activities. Nick fears that she’s putting herself in danger, so Gabe poses as a bouncer to keep an eye on Riley. During the night, she discovers that Dickie had a silent partner and was running an illegal gambling and extortion scheme out of Nature Girls.

Riley and Nick soon learn that Harrisburg’s mayor, Nolan Flemming, was Dickie’s silent partner. They also discover that a man named Duncan Gulliver (whom they’ve seen at Nature Girls) was involved with the band’s illegal activities. Riley goes undercover at the bar again, finds evidence of the men’s crimes in the office, and takes it. Not long after, she gets a call from Flemming on Jasmine’s phone. He informs her that he kidnapped Jasmine and won’t free her until Riley returns the evidence. Despite Nick’s protests, Riley races to the scene to face off with Flemming. After a protracted chase and battle, Riley manages to free Jasmine and inform the cops of Flemming’s crimes. Nick races there to save Riley, too. The lovers embrace.

After Duncan tells the police everything, he and Flemming are arrested for gambling, extortion, and murdering Dickie (who tried to sabotage their endeavors a few weeks earlier). Riley is relieved, but hopes the end of the case doesn’t mean the end of her and Nick’s relationship. She returns home and takes a rest. When she wakes up, Nick is at her bedside. He informs her that they’re moving in together and are now officially dating. The couple converts Dickie’s old apartment into their living room and keeps Riley’s apartment as their bedroom. They quickly settle into romantic bliss. Then one day, Nick’s former colleague, Detective Weber, shows up at their door and asks them to work on a new case with him.