Tinker Marks’ debut novel introduces readers to a world where mystery meets academia, and nothing is quite what it seems.

Set on a quiet college campus in the middle of winter, Theoretically Dead follows Claire Sinclair, an economics professor who finds herself caught between a vanishing body, a suspiciously missing philosopher, and her partner’s high-stakes academic conference. What starts as an ordinary evening quickly turns into a sharp, funny, and surprisingly emotional puzzle about truth, relationships, and the things we lose along the way.

Smartly written and quietly subversive, this first novel blends humor, tension, and reflection in equal measure, offering readers a mystery that lingers long after the final page.