SOLVED. Not-Yet-Published Adult Fantasy, mother trying to get someone to look into her soldier-daughter's death and bothering spirits to do it, possibly including a dragon who's been passing as a human. [s]

[Siavahda]

This was a book listed on Goodreads, but hadn't been published yet when I found the listing a year or two ago (I think it was due to be published in 2020 or later). It was Adult Fantasy. The blurb described three character plotlines in three paragraphs, the first of which was about a mother who was trying to get someone to look into her daughter's death - I think the daughter was in the military, and her death had been ruled an accident or natural causes or something similar, and the mother was convinced it was a murder. I don't remember the second plotline, but the third one involved a dragon somehow - I have a vague memory that it might have been a dragon hiding out in human form among humans, who got dragged into the case somehow. There was the implication that the mother kicking up a fuss would disturb the supernatural community in some way.

I thought it was Trouble the Saints by Alaya Dawn Johnson, but the blurb for Trouble is completely different.

[Becca]

Are you still looking for this one? It sounds super interesting. The closest-sounding thing I've been able to find is Sword of Fire by Katharine Kerr, which is about a bard who is allowed to die during a hunger strike - the main character is a scholar who teams up with the bard's daughter to fight the justice system that allowed this to happen. I know those details are quite different but the theme sounds similar, so mentioning just in case!

[Siavahda]

It's actually Godbothering, which the author has unfortunately set aside indefinitely, alas. But thank you, I'll have to take a look at Sword!

[Becca]

Ah, how frustrating!