Book Review: The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia

 

Rating: 4.5⭐

Two women from different walks of life – Stephanie Monroe and Jasmine Littleton – cross paths on a flight to Denver- Jasmine hoping for a fresh start and on the run from an abusive partner and Stephanie on her way to attend a conference in San Diego. Seated in the same row, they share casual conversation during the flight. A few days later, each of them is untraceable, and strangely enough, the last few messages Jasmine and Stephanie each sent to their close friends mention being charmed by a man by the name of Trent McCarthy. Coincidence? What happened to these women and how is Trent McCarthy connected to these disappearances? What follows is a complex web of deceit, manipulation and much more.

An entertaining psychological thriller The Business Trip by Jessie Garcia had me frantically turning pages until I got to the very end. The short chapters and consistent pacing with twists, turns, and revelations that shock and awe rendered this an unputdownable read for me. Just when I thought I had it all figured out, she throws in another shocker, proving me wrong time and time again! The narrative is cleverly structured and shared from multiple perspectives spanning the days before, during and after the plane trip, continuing through when the women are discovered to be missing and the immediate aftermath. The narrative does suffer from minor repetition, with more than one character on occasion presenting their version of the same events, but this in no way detracts from the overall reading experience. The author has done an impressive job of weaving a fast-paced, well-rounded and intense narrative that at no point loses its momentum, topping it off with an unpredictable ending.

As for most books in this genre, suspension of disbelief is required to enjoy the ride. I finished this book in one sitting and thoroughly enjoyed the read.

Overall, I found this to be an impressive debut novel, well deserving of the praise it has garnered. I would not hesitate to recommend it to fans of this genre and I can’t wait to read more from this author in the future.

Many thanks to St. Martin's Press for the digital ARC via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.