Death in the Downline

by Maria Abrams

Genres: General Fiction; Feminist; Mystery; Female Sleuths; Thrillers; Suspense

Synopsis

It's multi-level murder in this darkly funny mystery novel about the glamorous world of MLM "huns"—and the dangerous secrets at the top of the pyramid.

Drew thought she was destined to become a star journalist in New York City. But now she's back in New Jersey, pushing thirty, newly single, and living with her father.

After a chance encounter, she reconnects with her former best friend, Steph, who married young and never left their hometown. But Steph looks . . . good. She's tanned, glowing, and only wears designer labels. Her secret? A skincare sales opportunity called LuminUS. With nothing left to lose, Drew gets sucked into this glamorous world of downlines, sales parties, and girls' trips.

But when a LuminUS distributor is found dead Drew must uncover the dark secret at the heart of the organization—and save her best friend—before it’s too late.

Gripping, wickedly funny, and a pitch-perfect skewering of pyramid schemes, Death in the Downline is a page-turner that will have readers cheering for Drew until the cathartic conclusion.

Release date: January 14, 2025

Publisher: Quirk Books

Print pages: 304

Sample

From the Podcast Pyramid Scream: Inside the LuminUS Murders
Episode 1: How Did Someone Like Her Fall for This?

Before I begin this podcast, I have a message for my listeners.

Joining an MLM doesn’t make you stupid. Some of the smartest, most educated women I know, like the ones you’ll hear about this season of Pyramid Scream, have been duped. Corporations like LuminUS are expert scammers. They know exactly what to say and how to say it with the sole purpose of convincing you to ignore your better judgment and join them.

I have the utmost respect for those who have joined and made it out the other side. I think those in MLMs are some of the hardest workers out there. As much as the companies promise flexible work hours (fit LuminUS into the nooks and crannies of your busy #momlife!), it’s a 24/7 job. Time away from the hustle equals missing out on a sale.

I don’t, however, have respect for predatory CEOs like Dixie LaVey who know the damage they’re causing and do it anyway. Or for those #bossbabes who tell their downlines to take out another line of credit to support their own glamorous lifestyles.

One of the more troubling aspects of this story—apart from the murders—is that here we have this educated, successful woman, Drew Cooper, who by all accounts should have known better. And yet, she still got sucked into this scam. That’s how charismatic these LuminUS “huns” are. They can convince you to go bankrupt selling their bogus products. They can make you refinance your home, sell your assets, take out loans you can’t afford to pay back, and borrow money from family, all to buy more and more inventory despite not moving any.

How do they do it? Is it their charisma? Their enviable, social-media-ready lifestyles? Their promise of a built-in sisterhood?

Or is it the brainwashing tactics they learned from the LuminUS handbook? Whatever it is, it was enough to persuade someone like Drew Cooper to put aside her common sense, as well as the gnawing feeling that this was too good to be true, to become another puppet in Stephanie Murphy’s downline.

Hijacking your finances is the easy part. Once they have control over that aspect of your life, the areas their influence can reach are limitless. They can control your relationships, your social life, your shopping habits, and your appearance, and they can even upend your sense of morality.

As you listen to this season of Pyramid Scream, put yourself in these women’s shoes, and ask yourself, “How far would I have gone?”

Let the LuminUs ladies in—crack the door open even an inch—and they will never leave. Not until they get everything they want, whatever the sacrifice.