Freefall - by Jessica Barry (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK OF 2019:

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"Jessica Barry's Freefall is not only an enthralling, impossible-to-put down mystery that keeps the pages flying, but it is also a gorgeous, resonant tale of a mother's unconditional love for her daughter. I could not recommend this more!"
-- Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

"An absorbing treat." - PEOPLE Magazine

"The corporate malfeasance and shady conspiracies of John Grisham, with the frank feminism of two rounded female protagonists." -- Entertainment Weekly

They say your daughter is dead.

You know they're wrong.

When her fiancé's private plane crashes in the Colorado Rockies, everyone assumes Allison Carpenter is dead.

But Maggie, Allison's mother back home in Owl Creek, Maine, refuses to believe them. Maggie knows her daughter - or she used to, anyway. For the past two years, the two women have been estranged, and while Maggie doesn't know anything about Ally's life now - not even why she was on a private plane to begin with - she still believes in her girl's strength, and in their love for each other.

As Allison struggles across the treacherous mountain wilderness, Maggie embarks on a desperate search for answers about the world Allison has been involved in. What was she running from? And can Maggie uncover the truth in time to save her?

Told from the perspectives of a mother and daughter separated by distance but united by an unbreakable bond, Freefall is a heart-stopping, propulsive thriller about two tenacious women overcoming unimaginable obstacles to protect themselves and the ones they love.

From the Back Cover

A propulsive debut novel about survival at all costs and the unbreakable bond between mother and daughter.

When her fiancé's private plane crashes in the Colorado Rockies, Allison Carpenter miraculously survives. But the fight for her life is just beginning. Allison has been living with a terrible secret, a shocking truth that powerful men will kill to keep buried. If they know she's alive, they will come for her. She must make it home.

In the small community of Owl's Creek, Maine, Maggie Carpenter learns that her only child is presumed dead. But authorities have not recovered Allison's body--giving Maggie a shred of hope. She, too, harbors a shameful secret: She hasn't communicated with her daughter in two years, since a family tragedy drove Allison away. Maggie doesn't know anything about her daughter's life now--not even that she was engaged to a wealthy man whom Maggie has never met.

As Allison struggles across the treacherous mountain wilderness, Maggie embarks on a desperate search for answers. Immersing herself in Allison's life, she discovers that her daughter was existing in a world of money and glamour completely unrecognizable to her. What was Allison running from--and can Maggie uncover the truth in time to save her?

Told from the perspectives of a mother and daughter separated by distance but united by an unbreakable bond, Freefall is a riveting debut novel about two tenacious women overcoming unimaginable obstacles to protect themselves and those they love.

Review Quotes

"Most debut thriller writers would be happy to have one amazing story to tell. Jessica Barry's come up with two, and the way she weaves them together will have you on the edge of your seat. Freefall is an electric mix of action and emotional drama that never stops, never slows down." - Liv Constantine, National Bestselling Author of The Last Mrs. Parrish

"Jessica Barry's debut novel is not only a thriller but the story of a mother-daughter relationship that fell apart, as so many do, after one misstep. With feelings so raw, neither one reached out until it was almost too late. But bonds formed over so many years ultimately prove unbreakable and the two women come together to save each other in the final moments." - Woman Around Town

"An absorbing treat." - People

"A daring tightrope walk of a novel. Exhilarating, emotional -- a thriller charged with genuine depth and raw power." - AJ Finn, author of the #1 NYT Bestselling The Woman in the Window

'A gripping page-turner. Freefall is exactly what a great thriller should be.'

"This tightly paced thriller also deftly examines the complexity of the mother-daughter bond." - Crime Reads

"The corporate malfeasance and shady conspiracies of John Grisham, with the frank feminism of two rounded female protagonists." - Entertainment Weekly

"A scintillating thriller that breathes life into every word." - Independent

"Freefall begins as an action-packed/heart-stopping thriller as it logically and smoothly leads into the self-examination of two women estranged from each other but still united by love." - Associated Press

"Hold on to your hats. Freefall is sure to take one on the ride of a lifetime ... This is a gut-wrenching suspense thriller in which both the mother and daughter's only thoughts are to endure, reunite, and make amends while taking the reader on a heartrending journey of trepidation and nail-biting apprehension." - New York Journal of Books

"Jessica Barry's Freefall is not only an enthralling, impossible-to-put down mystery that keeps the pages flying, but it is also a gorgeous, resonant tale of a mother's unconditional love for her daughter. I could not recommend this more!" - Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

"A brilliant, addictive page-turner with sharply drawn, dueling mother-daughter narrators who you will root for and empathize with as they struggle to survive their harrowing present, come to terms with a troubled past and fight to find their way home." - Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her

"Jessica Barry's debut novel opens at full throttle and never lets up...Set aside a few hours before you open this book...once you start reading, you won't want to stop."

- Karin Slaughter, New York Times Bestselling Author

"Hold on to your hats. Freefall is sure to take one on the ride of a lifetime ... This is a gut-wrenching suspense thriller in which both the mother and daughter's only thoughts are to endure, reunite, and make amends while taking the reader on a heartrending journey of trepidation and nail-biting apprehension." - New York Journal of Books

"Written in a fast-paced style, each chapter offers new twists as motives are brought to light and secrets that Allison struggled to hide are revealed. Barry's debut novel will keep readers guessing to the end, and fans of Lisa Jackson and Lisa Scottoline will enjoy this thriller written with a focus on family relationships...this debut will be everywhere." - Booklist

"Pseudonymous author Barry spins a great tale using familiar tropes but adding a surprising amount of heart to the mystery showing the fierce bond between mother and daughter." - Library Journal