Brace for impact: 2019’s first thriller is a high-octane, character-driven spellbinder, a gripping tale about a private plane crash, a young woman’s tenacious fight for survival and a mother’s unstoppable quest to discover her daughter’s fate.
The publication of FREEFALL (Harper, $27.99; Hardcover; ISBN 13: 9780062874832; on-sale: January 8, 2019) by Jessica Barry introduces a major new talent. Barry’s mesmerizing voice has captivated early readers and movie rights have been snapped up by Brad Weston at Makeready, the team behind the upcoming release, A Million Little Pieces, and an adaptation is in the works.
A masterful storyteller, Barry crafts an irresistible page-turner that doubles as a thoughtful meditation on grief, deception, betrayal, the transactional nature of female beauty, and the lengths we will go to for those we love.
When her fiancé’s luxury aircraft goes down in the Colorado Rockies, only Allison Carpenter emerges from the wreckage. The danger is far from over, though. Allison cannot afford to reflect on the events that have led to this moment or to wait for rescue. Not if she intends to stay alive. Injured, afraid, and in possession of dangerous secrets, she must navigate the harsh terrain to evade the murderous adversaries who want her dead.
At her Maine home, widowed Maggie Carpenter receives devastating news about the loss of her daughter, Allison, whom everyone presumes dead. Haunted by guilt over their two-year estrangement, Maggie gets another shock when she sees media reports on the tragedy. Ally appears unrecognizable, having transformed from a pretty girl next door into a sleek blonde bombshell. What else doesn’t she know about this enigmatic stranger? Galvanized by regret, she vows to unravel the mystery.
Crosscutting between Allison’s inescapable memories and Maggie’s tireless investigation, the alternating narratives cohere into a revealing portrait of desperation, reinvention, and ambition. Before the ill-fated flight, Allison had been one half of a La Jolla golden couple, cocooned in the glittering orbit of her future husband. Blissfully happy with Ben Gardner, a drug industry hotshot peddling a revolutionary panacea for postpartum depression, she slid into the role of decorative partner and never looked back.
But what really lurked beneath the picture-perfect façade? As a shadowy tangle of moral ambiguities, dirty dealings, and fatal consequences comes to light, the fallout ignites an explosive reckoning that will imperil the resilient Carpenter women and put their bond to the ultimate test.
Twisty, emotionally resonant, and relentlessly suspenseful, this unforgettable debut expertly fuses domestic noir and psychological intrigue into a stunningly original creation. As ingenious as it is
entertaining, FREEFALL takes readers on an exhilarating, wildly unpredictable ride that will have them gasping and guessing until the very end.