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THE LAST FLIGHT

by Julie Clark ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 23, 2020

A tense and engaging womancentric thriller.

Two women risk everything to leave their troubled lives behind.

In just a week, Claire Cook’s husband, Rory, will announce his campaign to be a U.S. senator from New York. No surprise there, since his family is chock full of high-profile politicians. As Rory’s wife, the poised and beautiful Claire seems to lead a charmed life, but it’s getting harder to hide the bruises under a carefully cultivated veneer of elegance. Claire tried to leave him once, an attempt that ended with cracked ribs. But this time, she’s ready. She’s been squirreling away cash, she’s secured a fake ID and passport, and a trip to Detroit will provide the perfect opportunity to make her escape. However, before Claire leaves for the airport, Rory decides to send her to Puerto Rico to meet with a humanitarian group instead of going to Detroit. Even worse, Rory goes to Detroit in her place and intercepts the package containing her cash and papers. At JFK, Claire, seemingly by chance, meets Eva, a grieving woman looking to make a new start after her husband’s death. Claire suggests that Eva take her flight to Puerto Rico, and Claire will head to Eva’s home in Berkeley, where she’ll attempt to slip into Eva’s life. After touching down, Claire learns that Eva’s plane crashed and Claire is presumed dead, but she’s not out of the woods yet. Claire cleverly set up a way to keep track of Rory’s messages to his head honcho, and when evidence suggests that Eva might not have actually been on that doomed plane, Claire's plans take on a new urgency and it’s revealed that Eva’s story masked a dark truth. Propulsive prose drives Clark’s tale of the intersecting lives of these two smart and resourceful women, and emphasis is placed on the importance of female friendship and support. Readers will surely find themselves hopelessly invested in Claire's and Eva’s ultimate fates.

Pub Date: June 23, 2020

ISBN: 978-1-7282-1572-3

Page Count: 320

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020

SUSPENSE | THRILLER | SUSPENSE | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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New York Times Bestseller

HOME IS WHERE THE BODIES ARE

by Jeneva Rose ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 30, 2024

Answers are hard to come by in this twisting tale designed to trick and delight.

Three siblings on very different paths learn that their family home may be haunted by secrets.

Eldest daughter Beth is alone with her fading mother as she takes her final breath and says something about Beth’s long-departed brother and sister, who may not have disappeared forever. Beth is still reeling from the loss of her mother when her estranged siblings show up. Michael, the youngest, hasn’t been home since their father’s disappearance seven years ago. In the meantime, he’s outgrown his siblings, trading his share of the family troubles for a high-paying job in San Jose. Nicole, the middle child, has been overpowered by addiction and prioritized tuning out reality over any sense of responsibility, much to Beth’s disgust. Though their mother’s death marks an ending for the family, it’s also a beginning, as the three siblings realize when they find a disturbing videotape among their parents’ belongings. The video, from 1999, sheds suspicion on their father’s disappearance, linking it to a long-unsolved neighborhood mystery. Was it just a series of unfortunate circumstances that broke the family apart, or does something more sinister underlie the sadness they’ve all found in life? In chapters that rotate among the family’s first-person narratives, the siblings take turns digging up stories and secrets in their search for solace.

Pub Date: April 30, 2024

ISBN: 9798212182843

Page Count: 270

Publisher: Blackstone

Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024

SUSPENSE | THRILLER | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | SUSPENSE | GENERAL & DOMESTIC THRILLER | GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE

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by Jeneva Rose

THEN SHE WAS GONE

by Lisa Jewell ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 24, 2018

Dark and unsettling, this novel’s end arrives abruptly even as readers are still moving at a breakneck speed.

Ten years after her teenage daughter went missing, a mother begins a new relationship only to discover she can't truly move on until she answers lingering questions about the past.

Laurel Mack’s life stopped in many ways the day her 15-year-old daughter, Ellie, left the house to study at the library and never returned. She drifted away from her other two children, Hanna and Jake, and eventually she and her husband, Paul, divorced. Ten years later, Ellie’s remains and her backpack are found, though the police are unable to determine the reasons for her disappearance and death. After Ellie’s funeral, Laurel begins a relationship with Floyd, a man she meets in a cafe. She's disarmed by Floyd’s charm, but when she meets his young daughter, Poppy, Laurel is startled by her resemblance to Ellie. As the novel progresses, Laurel becomes increasingly determined to learn what happened to Ellie, especially after discovering an odd connection between Poppy’s mother and her daughter even as her relationship with Floyd is becoming more serious. Jewell’s ( I Found You , 2017, etc.) latest thriller moves at a brisk pace even as she plays with narrative structure: The book is split into three sections, including a first one which alternates chapters between the time of Ellie’s disappearance and the present and a second section that begins as Laurel and Floyd meet. Both of these sections primarily focus on Laurel. In the third section, Jewell alternates narrators and moments in time: The narrator switches to alternating first-person points of view (told by Poppy’s mother and Floyd) interspersed with third-person narration of Ellie’s experiences and Laurel’s discoveries in the present. All of these devices serve to build palpable tension, but the structure also contributes to how deeply disturbing the story becomes. At times, the characters and the emotional core of the events are almost obscured by such quick maneuvering through the weighty plot.

Pub Date: April 24, 2018

ISBN: 978-1-5011-5464-5

Page Count: 368

Publisher: Atria

Review Posted Online: Feb. 5, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018

GENERAL THRILLER & SUSPENSE | SUSPENSE | FAMILY LIFE & FRIENDSHIP | SUSPENSE

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by Lisa Jewell

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The Last Flight

Target Book Club Pick for May 2021 New York Times Bestseller USA Today Bestseller An Amazon Best Book of the Year – So Far Indie Next Pick Library Reads Selection Book of the Month Club Selection An Apple Best Books of June Selection

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Description

Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets―Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women―both alone, both scared―and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.

Target Book Club Pick for May 2021

USA Today’s  5 Books Not To Miss Real Simple Best Books of 2020 BookBub Most Anticipated Thrillers of Spring People.com Best Books to Read During Quarantine CrimeReads.com Most Anticipated Crime Books of Summer 2020 Frolic’s Best Books of Summer 2020 Good Morning America’s 25 Novels to Read this Summer Publishers Weekly Books of the Week Entertainment Weekly Best Books of June Parade Best Thrillers of Summer Mashable’s Books to Read this Summer Sinclair Syndicated Summer Reading List POPSUGAR’s 18 Page-Turners Our Editors Couldn’t Put Down Marie Claire’s Best Books of 2020 BookBub’s 8 Books That Will Make You Glad You Stayed Home This Summer Glitter Guide Thrillers To Read This Fall

“It’s hard to become engrossed in a book just now, with so much noise crackling inside and outside of our heads, but The Last Flight is thoroughly absorbing — not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin.”  — New York Times Book Review

“But it all works and comes together in a powerful, high octane, suspenseful read. Clark along with her two strong, courageous female characters effectively bring this exciting, fast paced story to a final satisfying conclusion.” — New York Journal of Books

“Propulsive prose drives Clark’s tale of the intersecting lives of these two smart and resourceful women, and emphasis is placed on the importance of female friendship and support. Readers will surely find themselves hopelessly invested in Claire’s and Eva’s ultimate fates. A tense and engaging womancentric thriller.”  — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“The moral dilemmas that the multifaceted, realistic characters face in their quest for survival lend weight to this pulse-pounding tale of suspense. Clark is definitely a writer to watch.” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

“Fans of thrillers about gone girls and vanished ladies will enjoy the tale, although some readers may wonder if Claire and Eva’s situations might better have been resolved in a more straightforward way.” — Booklist

“Clark ( The Ones We Choose ) is an exceptional writer who has crafted a tale about disappearing in an age when technology makes it almost impossible. Highly recommended for fans of thrillers, mysteries, and crime fiction.” — Library Journal, starred review

“ The Last Flight is a delicious thrill ride of a read.” — BookPage , starred review

“The brisk pace and criminal elements make The Last Flight a thriller, but it’s also an affecting exploration of friendship and loneliness, and the search for one’s place in the world.” —Shelf Awareness

“ The Last Flight is a page turner!” — People.com

“A premise that sounds highly thrilling takes its share of poignant turns, too.” — Entertainment Weekly

“ The Last Flight is everything you want in a book: a gripping story of suspense; haunting, vulnerable characters; and a chilling and surprising ending that stays with you long after the last page.” — Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

“I’m a sucker for suspense stories crafted around an airplane crash, and Julie Clark’s  The Last Flight lived up to the hype and then some. Clark starts with a bang then keeps the pace at full throttle, deftly weaving two seemingly separate stories into one wild and entertaining ride. The perfect combination of beautiful prose and high suspense, and an ending that I guarantee will catch you off guard.” — Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of Dear Wife and The Marriage Lie

“ The Last Flight sweeps you into a thrilling story of two desperate women who will do anything to escape their lives. Both poignant and addictive, you’ll race through the pages to the novel’s chilling end. A must read of the summer!” — Kaira Rouda, internationally bestselling author of Best Day Ever and The Favorite Daughter

“Julie Clark’s The  Last Flight is a stunner: both a compelling, intricately woven tale of suspense and a thoughtful, nuanced portrayal of two very different women, each at a dangerous crossroads in her life. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!” — Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told and Follow Me

“Strong women take center stage in this Breaking Bad meets Sleeping with the Enemy thriller. The  Last Flight has it all—original characters, fast pacing, and clever twists, all in one explosive package!” — Wendy Walker, nationally bestselling author of The Night Before

“The  Last Flight will propel you headfirst into the frantic lives of two women, both determined to escape their current reality. Julie Clark weaves their stories effortlessly, delivering a pitch-perfect suspense novel that absolutely lives up to its hype. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!” — Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, authors of The Two Lila Bennetts

“Get ready to hold onto the edge of your seat. This is a fantastic thriller about real people facing tremendous challenges. Exciting, touching, haunting, The  Last Flight will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Julie Clark has written a bang of a novel.” — Rene Denfeld, internationally bestselling author of The Child Finder and The Butterfly Girl

“ The Last Flight is a wild ride: One part Strangers on a Train, one part Breaking Bad, with more twists than an amusement park roller coaster! Julie Clark is a devilishly inventive storyteller.” — Janelle Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear

Monday, February 21 The Day Before the Crash

“Danielle,” I say, entering the small office that sits adjacent to our living room. “Please let Mr. Cook know I’m going to the gym.”

She looks up from her computer, and I see her gaze snag on the bruise along the base of my throat, concealed with a thin layer of makeup. I automatically adjust my scarf to cover it, knowing she won’t mention it. She never does.

“We have a meeting at Center Street Literacy at four,” she says. “You’ll be late again.” Danielle keeps track of my calendar and my missteps, and I’ve pegged her as the one most likely to report when I don’t arrive on time to meetings, or when I cancel appointments that my husband, Rory, deems important. If I’m going to run for Senate, we don’t have the luxury of making mistakes, Claire.

“Thank you, Danielle. I can read the calendar as well as you can. Please have my notes from the last meeting uploaded and ready to go. I’ll meet you there.” As I leave the room, I hear her pick up the phone and my step falters, knowing this might draw attention at a time when I can’t afford it.

People always ask what it’s like being married into the Cook family, a political dynasty second only to the Kennedys. I deflect with information about our foundation, trained to keep my focus on the work instead of the rumors. On our third-­world literacy and water initiatives, the inner-city mentoring programs, the cancer research.

What I can’t tell them is that it’s a constant battle to find any privacy. Even inside our home, people are there at all hours. Assistants. Household staff who cook and clean for us. I have to fight for every spare minute and every square inch to call my own. There is nowhere that’s safe from the eyes of Rory’s staff, all of them devoted Cook employees. Even after ten years of marriage, I’m still the interloper. The outsider who needs to be watched.

I’ve learned how to make sure there’s nothing to see.

The gym is one of the few places Danielle doesn’t follow, trailing after me with her lists and schedules. It’s where I meet Petra, the only friend I have left from my life before Rory, and the only one Rory hasn’t forced me to abandon.

Because as far as Rory knows, Petra doesn’t exist.

When I arrive at the gym, Petra is already there. I change in the locker room, and when I climb the stairs to the rows of treadmills, she’s on the landing, taking a clean towel from the stack. Our eyes meet for a moment, and then she looks away as I help myself to a towel.

“Are you nervous?” she whispers.

“Terrified,” I say, turning and walking away.

I run for an hour, my eyes on the clock, and when I step into the sauna at exactly two thirty with a towel wrapped around my body, my muscles ache with exhaustion. The air is thick with steam, and I smile at Petra, who sits alone on the top row, her face red with heat.

“Do you remember Mrs. Morris?” she asks when I sit down next to her.

I smile, grateful to think of something from a simpler time. Mrs. Morris was our government teacher in the twelfth grade, and Petra almost failed the class.

“You studied with me every afternoon for a month,” she continues. “When none of the other kids would come near me or Nico because of who our father was, you stepped up and made sure I graduated.”

I turn on the wooden bench to face her. “You make it sound like you and Nico were pariahs. You had friends.”

Petra shakes her head. “People being nice to you because your father is the Russian version of Al Capone doesn’t make them friends.” We’d attended an elite school in Pennsylvania, where the children and grandchildren of old money viewed Petra and her brother, Nico, as a novelty, sliding up to them, as if on a dare, to see how close they could get, but never letting either of them all the way in.

And so we’d formed a trio of outcasts. Petra and Nico made sure no one made fun of my secondhand uniform or the beat-up Honda my mother used to pick me up in, rattling its way to the curb, belching exhaust in its wake. They made sure I didn’t eat alone and dragged me to school events I’d have skipped otherwise. They put themselves between me and the other kids, the ones who made cruel, cutting remarks about how I was merely a day student on scholarship, too poor, too common to truly be one of them. Petra and Nico were friends to me at a time when I had none.

It felt like fate, the day I walked into the gym two years ago and saw Petra, an apparition from my past. But I wasn’t the same person Petra would remember from high school. Too much had changed. Too much I’d have to explain about my life and what I’d lost along the way. And so I’d kept my gaze averted, while Petra’s stare drilled into me, willing me to look up. To acknowledge her.

When my workout was over, I made my way to the locker room, hoping to hide out in the sauna until after Petra had left. But when I’d entered, she was there. As if that had been our plan all along.

“Claire Taylor,” she said.

Hearing her say my old name made me smile despite myself. Memories came rushing back, found in the tone and cadence of Petra’s voice that still carried a trace of the Russian she spoke at home. In an instant, I had felt like my old self, not the persona I’d cultivated over the years as Rory’s wife, glossy and unknowable, burying her secrets beneath a hard surface.

We started slowly, making small talk that quickly turned personal as we caught up on the years since we’d last seen each other. Petra had never married. Instead, she drifted through life, supported by her brother, who now ran the family organization.

“And you,” she said, gesturing toward my left hand. “You’re married?”

I studied her through the steam, surprised she didn’t know. “I married Rory Cook.”

“Impressive,” Petra said.

I looked away, waiting for her to ask what people always asked—what really happened to Maggie Moretti, the name that will forever be linked to my husband’s, the girl who’d catapulted from anonymity to infamy simply because, long ago, she’d once loved Rory.

But Petra just leaned back on her bench and said, “I saw that interview he did with Kate Lane on CNN. The work he’s done with the foundation is remarkable.”

“Rory is very passionate.” A response that conveyed truth, if anyone cared to dig deeper.

“How are your mom and sister? Violet must be done with college by now.”

I’d been dreading that question. Even after so many years, the loss of them was still sharp. “They died in a car accident fourteen years ago. Violet had just turned eleven.” I kept my explanation brief. A rainy Friday night. A drunk driver who ran a stop sign. A collision in which they both died instantly.

“Oh, Claire,” Petra had said. She didn’t offer platitudes or force me to rehash things. Instead she sat with me, letting the silence hold my grief, knowing there was nothing that could be said that would make it hurt less.

It became our routine, to meet in the sauna every day after our workouts. Petra understood that because of who her family was, we couldn’t be seen talking in public. Even before we knew what I was going to eventually do, we’d been cautious, rarely communicating by phone and never by email. But in the sauna, we resurrected our friendship, rebuilding the trust we used to share, remembering the alliance that had gotten us both through high school.

It didn’t take long for Petra to also see what I was hiding. “You need to leave him, you know,” she’d said one afternoon, several months after we’d first met. She was looking at a bruise on my upper left arm, the remnant of an argument Rory and I’d had two nights earlier. Despite my efforts to hide the evidence—a towel pulled higher around my chest, hung around my neck, or draped across my shoulders—Petra had silently watched the progression of Rory’s rage across my skin. “That’s not the first one of those I’ve seen on you.”

I covered the bruise with my towel, not wanting her pity. “I tried to, once. About five years ago.” I’d believed it was possible to leave my marriage. I’d prepared myself for a fight, knowing it would be messy and expensive, but I’d use his abuse as leverage. Give me what I want and I’ll stay silent about the kind of man you are.

But it hadn’t happened that way at all. “Turns out, the woman I’d confided in, who’d tried to help me, was married to an old fraternity brother of Rory’s. And when Rory showed up, her husband opened the door and let him in, old boy-ing himself right alongside Rory, secret handshake and all. Rory told them I was struggling with depression, working with a psychiatrist, and that maybe it was time for something inpatient.”

“He was going to have you committed?”

“He was letting me know that things could get a lot worse.” I didn’t tell Petra the rest. Like how, when we’d gotten home, he’d shoved me so hard into the marble counter in our kitchen, I’d cracked two ribs. Your selfishness astonishes me. That you’d be willing to destroy all I’ve worked to build—my mother’s legacy—because we argue. All couples argue, Claire. He’d gestured around the room, to the high-end appliances, the expensive countertops, and said, Look around you. What more could you possibly want? No one is going to feel sorry for you. No one will even believe you.

Which was true. People wanted Rory to be who they thought he was—the charismatic son of the progressive and beloved Senator Marjorie Cook. I could never tell anyone what he did to me, because no matter what I’d say or how loudly I’d say it, my words would be buried beneath the love everyone felt for Marjorie Cook’s only child.

“People will never see what I see,” I finally said.

“You really believe that?”

“Do you think if Carolyn Bessette came forward accusing JFK Junior of hitting her, the country would have rushed to support her?”

Petra’s eyes widened. “Are you kidding me? This is the #MeToo era. I think people would be falling all over themselves to believe her. They’d probably create new Fox and CNN shows just to talk about it.”

I gave a hollow laugh. “In a perfect world, I’d hold Rory accountable. But I don’t have it in me to take on a fight like that. One that would go on for years, that would seep into every corner of my life and tarnish anything good that might come afterward. I just want to be free of it. Of him.”

To speak out against Rory would be like stepping into an abyss and trusting that I’d be caught by the generosity and kindness of others. And I’d lived too many years with people happily watching me free fall if it meant they could be close to Rory. In this world, money and power were equivalent to immunity.

I took a long breath and felt the steam reach down into my deepest corners. “If I left him, I’d have to do it in a way where he could never find me. Look what happened to Maggie Moretti.”

The edges of Petra’s face were blurry through the steam that billowed between us, but I could see her gaze sharpen. “Do you think he had something to do with that?”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” I answered.

Over the next year, Petra and I assembled a plan, choreographing my disappearance more carefully than a ballet. A sequence of events so perfectly timed, there could be no room for error, and now I sit, hours away from executing it. The hiss of steam clouds the air around us, Petra just a faint shadow on the cedar bench next to me. “Did you mail everything this morning?” I ask her.

“FedEx, addressed to you, labeled ‘Personal.’ It should arrive at the hotel first thing tomorrow.”

I couldn’t risk hiding all I’d gathered at my house, where anyone—­the maids, or worse, Danielle—might find it. So Petra kept everything—forty thousand dollars of Rory’s money and a brand new identity, thanks to Nico.

“The new government technology is making it harder to make these,” he’d said, the afternoon I’d driven out to see him. We were sitting at his dining room table in his large home on Long Island. He’d grown into a handsome man, with a wife and three kids. And bodyguards—­two posted at his gated driveway and another two at his front door. It occurred to me that Rory and Nico were not so different. Each of them the chosen son, pushed to carry the family into the twenty-first century, with new rules and regulations. Both expected to do more than the last generation—­or at the very least, not lose everything.

Nico slid a fat envelope toward me, and I opened it, pulling out a pristine Michigan driver’s license and a passport with my face and the name Amanda Burns. I flipped through the rest—a social security card, a birth certificate, and a credit card.

“You’ll be able to do anything with these,” Nico said, picking up the driver’s license and tilting it under the light so I could see the hologram embossed on the surface. “Vote. Pay taxes. Fill out a W-­2 form. This is high-level stuff, and my guy is the best. There’s only one other person who can make a full package this good, and he lives in Miami.” Nico handed me the credit card—a Citibank account with my new name on it. “Petra opened this last week, and the statements will be sent to her address. When you get settled, you can change it. Or toss this card and open a new one. Just be careful. You don’t want someone to steal your identity.”

He laughed at his joke, and I could see the boy he used to be flash across his face, sitting next to Petra and me at lunch, eating his sandwich while doing his math homework, the weight of who he was expected to become already bearing down on him.

“Thanks, Nico.” I passed him the envelope containing ten thousand dollars, a small fraction of the money I’d managed to siphon off and squirrel away over the past six months. One hundred dollars here. Another two hundred there. Cash back whenever I could, slipping the money into Petra’s gym locker every day so she could hold it until I was ready.

His expression grew serious. “I need you to know that if something goes wrong, I can’t help you. Petra can’t help you. Your husband has resources that would put me, my livelihood—­and Petra’s—at risk.”

“I understand,” I told him. “You’ve done more than enough, and I’m grateful.”

“I’m serious. All it takes is one tiny thread connecting your new life to your old one and it’ll all fall apart.” His dark eyes latched onto mine and held. “You can never go back. Not once. Not in any way, ever.”

“Rory’s scheduled the plane to leave around ten,” I tell Petra now. “Did you remember to include my letter? I don’t want to have to rewrite it on hotel stationery ten minutes before I leave.”

She nods. “In with the rest of it. Addressed and stamped, ready to be mailed from Detroit. What did you say?”

I think about the hours I’d spent, the many versions I’d shredded, drafting a letter that would close the door on any possibility that Rory might try to follow me. “I told him I was leaving, and that this time, he would never find me. That he should announce our separation publicly, tell them it was amicable and that I was not going to be giving any public statements or media interviews about it.”

“One week before he announces his run for Senate.”

I give her a smirk. “Should I have waited until after?”

Once I’d saved enough money to carry me into a new life, I began to look for the perfect opening to leave. I studied our Google calendar of upcoming events, searching for a trip I’d be taking alone, focusing on cities near the Canadian or Mexican borders. I found it in the Detroit trip. I’m scheduled to visit Citizens of the World, a social justice charter school funded by the Cook Family Foundation. An afternoon school tour followed by an evening dinner with donors.

I lean back on the bench behind me and stare up at the ceiling, obscured by a layer of steam, and run through the rest of the plan. “We land around noon. The school event starts at two, so I’ll make sure we go to the hotel first so I can get the package and put it somewhere safe.”

“I called the car rental place. They’re expecting a Ms. Amanda Burns to pick up a compact around midnight tonight. Will you be able to get a cab?”

“There’s a Hilton just down the road from where I’m staying. I’ll catch one from there.”

“I worry about someone seeing you leave with a suitcase in the middle of the night. Following you. Calling Rory.”

“I’m not taking it. I bought a backpack big enough for a couple changes of clothes and my money. I’m leaving everything else—including my purse and wallet—behind.”

Petra nods. “If you need it, I booked a room with the credit card at the W in Toronto. They’re expecting you.”

I close my eyes, the heat making me woozy. Or perhaps it’s the pressure of having to get every detail exactly right. There’s no room for even the tiniest mistake.

I feel the minutes slipping away. Pushing me toward the moment when I’ll take the first step in a series of steps that will be irrevocable. A part of me wants to forget it all. Go to Detroit, visit the school, and come home. Have more days in the sauna talking to Petra. But this is my chance to finally get out. Whatever options I have now will narrow to nothing once Rory announces his run for the Senate.

“Time to go.” Petra’s voice is soft, and my eyes open again.

“I don’t know how to thank you,” I tell her.

“You were my only friend all those years ago. You don’t have to thank me. This is me, thanking you,” she says. “It’s your turn to be happy.” She tightens her towel around her body, and I can see the flash of her smile through the steam.

I can’t believe this is the last time we’ll sit here. The last time we’ll talk. This room has been like a sanctuary, dark and quiet, with just our whispered voices, plotting my escape. Who will sit here tomorrow with her? Or the day after that?

I feel the finality of my departure looming, how absolute that ending will be, and I wonder if it’ll be worth it. If it’ll be better. Soon, Claire Cook will cease to exist, the shiny pieces of her facade cracked and discarded. I have no idea what I’ll find underneath it all.

Thirty-three hours until I’m gone.

Book Trailer

Behind the Book

A conversation with the author.

What inspired you to write The Last Flight ?

I’ve been intrigued by the idea of whether someone could disappear from their life for a long time, and have often played out the various ways they could do it in my imagination. The things they’d need. How they’d get them. Where they might go, and what they’d do when they got there. What they’d have to be leaving behind. I knew early on that I wanted it to be a woman, and I wanted her to have an inner strength, even if her current situation didn’t allow her to use it. What might be the tiny ways she’d fight back, fight for room for herself?

Which of the two women—Eva or Claire—did you enjoy writing more? Did you find either of them more challenging?

I love both of my characters for different reasons. I love how scrappy Claire is, how she can look at a situation and figure out how to make it work for her. And I love Eva because she’s so flawed yet lovable. I enjoyed writing them both. I would say writing Claire was more challenging, because I was pushing her forward in time, having her act and react to things she didn’t know yet. Eva felt more natural to me, living in the past, filling in the blanks. With Claire, the tension had to be immediate, the pacing had to be tight. With Eva, I was allowed to sink more into emotion, to flesh out her backstory and how she ended up where she did.

We’re in an era where women are finally starting to feel safe sharing their stories. How does this book relate to the #MeToo movement?

I wanted to acknowledge how hard it still is for women to come forward with their stories. Even in this era of #MeToo, the cost remains high both personally and professionally. Just because we have a name for it doesn’t mean it’s fixed.

Can you talk a little bit about the systemic forces of oppression that both Claire and Eva face? What made you choose to write about these topics?

As an educator, I feel like it’s my obligation to shine a light on what still isn’t working in our society. The way a woman’s truth is sometimes held to a higher level of scrutiny than a man’s. The benefit of the doubt that so often goes the other way. I’ve known people like Claire, and I’ve known people like Eva, for whom things don’t always turn out okay. In the United States, we like to talk a lot about progress; however, change— not just for women but for all marginalized groups—is slow. Too slow.

What does your writing process look like?

I wake up early in the morning to write. During the workweek, I’m up at 3:45 and write until 6:00. Then I teach a full day of school and shuttle my kids here and there after school, making dinner, supervising homework. Early mornings—with a large pot of coffee—is my most productive writing time. My process is somewhat old school. I favor drafting with paper and pen, especially if I’m having trouble. It slows my brain, it allows me to put down words that “don’t count,” and it allows me to get warmed up before committing words to my computer. I draft pretty fast—I think I had a first draft of The Last Flight done in about three or four months. Then I like to spend a year or more revising and rewriting.

As a genre, suspense is huge right now. How do you think this story sets itself apart from other books in the space?

I feel like this book has the commercial appeal of the suspense genre, with the emotion often found in upmarket women’s fiction. But what really sets this book apart from the others on the shelves is the fact that I wanted both of my protagonists to be strong, savvy women. There’s nothing crazy or unstable about Claire or Eva. It’s important that the stories we tell reflect the strong women in the world today.

How did you map out all the twists and turns that happen throughout the story?

With lots and lots of note cards! It was really challenging to be writing a dual timeline and then weave it all together. It helped to have a clear vision for how the book would end, and I knew the ending pretty early on. From there, I mapped out Claire’s and Eva’s story arcs—what I wanted each of them to overcome, what I wanted each of them to learn.

What is the importance of female friendship in a narrative like this one? Have you found friendship with women to be just as important in your life as it is in Eva’s and Claire’s?

Female friendship is incredibly important in this story. We can all think about that one friend who showed up right when we needed her, giving us exactly what we needed to push us forward. I have been lucky enough to have some amazing female friendships. And as a single mother, it’s especially important to have those touchstones. My friends keep me sane. They make me laugh. They listen to what I’m struggling with and step in to help in innumerable ways. Humans are, by nature, social animals. And while I’m a dedicated introvert, I rely on my friends every day.

Why did you decide to set a thriller in Berkeley?

After college, I landed a job in the Cal Athletic Department. I worked in fundraising, so I spent a lot of time at Memorial Stadium, as well as Harmon Gym (which would later become Haas Pavilion). It was the best job for a just-graduated-from-college person who wasn’t entirely sure she was ready to have a “real job” yet. I loved my years in Berkeley, made many great friends there, and often dream of moving back someday. I decided to set The Last Flight in Berkeley so I could revisit it in my imagination. Go Bears!

What are you hoping readers gain from The Last Flight ?

I want readers to be inspired by the courage of both Claire and Eva, who did what felt impossible to each of them. No matter the circumstances, there’s a way out. As Claire’s mother put it: If you pay attention, solutions always appear. But you have to be brave enough to see them.

Discussion Guide

Download the printable guide.

1. What do Claire and Eva have in common? In what ways are they different?

2. How do you feel about Eva’s decision to manipulate Claire?

3. Put yourself in Claire’s shoes. How would it feel knowing that you’ve traded your life for someone else’s? Would you feel guilty or fortunate? Why?

4. Describe the obstacles Claire faces once she escapes from Rory. Were there any difficulties that surprised you?

5. Compare Claire’s relationships with other women in the book like Eva, Danielle, Petra, and Kelly. Are any of these women similar? In what way?

6. Discuss Eva’s childhood. How does it affect how she behaves as an adult?

7. Identify some of the triggers Claire faces as a result of Rory’s abuse. How do you think she can overcome them?

8. Claire makes the difficult decision to go public with her story, knowing full well that she may be met with criticism and disbelief. Why did she make this decision? Would you have handled the situation differently?

9. Liz is the only person Eva allows to get close to her. Describe their friendship. Why is it important to Eva? What does it mean to her?

10. Eva faces several huge difficulties in her life. Do you think her drug dealing is justified, given her circumstances?

11. Characterize Eva’s relationship with Dex. Why does she feel betrayed when she learns the truth about him?

12. How did you feel after reading Eva’s final chapter? Do you think there was anything different she could have done?

13. What do you think Claire will do next with her life? Will she be happy?

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The Last Flight: A Novel Kindle Edition

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES , USA TODAY BESTSELLER, & INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!

Look for The Lies I Tell , the next novel from Julie Clark, coming in June 2022!

" The Last Flight is thoroughly absorbing—not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin."— The New York Times Book Review

Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns bright and he's not above using his staff to track Claire's every move.

What he doesn't know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish. A plan that takes her to the airport, poised to run from it all. But a chance meeting in the airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision.

The two women switch tickets, with Claire taking Eva's flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico crashes, Claire realizes it's no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva's identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women—both alone, both scared—and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.

Praise for The Last Flight :

" The Last Flight is a wild ride: One part Strangers on a Train , one part Breaking Bad , with more twists than an amusement park roller coaster! Julie Clark is a devilishly inventive storyteller."

— Janelle Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear and Pretty Things

" The Last Flight is everything you want in a book: a gripping story of suspense; haunting, vulnerable characters; and a chilling and surprising ending that stays with you long after the last page."

— Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

"The perfect combination of beautiful prose and high suspense, and an ending that I guarantee will catch you off guard."

— Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of Dear Wife and The Marriage Lie

" The Last Flight sweeps you into a thrilling story of two desperate women who will do anything to escape their lives. Both poignant and addictive, you'll race through the pages to the novel's chilling end. A must read of the summer!"

— Kaira Rouda, internationally bestselling author of Best Day Ever and The Favorite

• Print length 283 pages
• Language English
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• Publisher Sourcebooks Landmark
• Publication date June 23, 2020
• File size 1806 KB
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• See all details

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From the Publisher

Editorial Reviews

"Thoroughly absorbing—not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin." — The New York Times Book Review

"A premise that sounds highly thrilling takes its share of poignant turns, too." — Entertainment Weekly

"There are lots of twists and turns. It will keep you guessing. You won’t be able to put it down." — People

"The moral dilemmas that the multifaceted, realistic characters face in their quest for survival lend weight to this pulse-pounding tale of suspense. Clark is definitely a writer to watch." — Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"A tense and engaging womancentric thriller." — Kirkus Reviews , STARRED review

"Clark is an exceptional writer…Highly recommended for fans of thriller, mysteries, and crime fiction." — Library Journal, STARRED review

"A delicious thrill ride of a read...a suspenseful, timely tale about smart, strong women who support one another in their determination to not just survive, but also thrive, uncertainty and risk be damned." — BookPage, STARRED review

"An exciting thriller that examines what happens if you try to leave your past behind… and asks if anyone, in today’s world of constant surveillance, can truly disappear." — Caitriona Balfe, the star of Outlander , for Book of the Month

"[A] powerful, high octane, suspenseful read." — New York Journal of Books

"An exciting, suspense-filled thriller that shines the spotlight on two women who are desperate to escape lives dictated by powerful men." — The Patriot Ledger

" The Last Flight is everything you want in a book: a gripping story of suspense; haunting, vulnerable characters; and a chilling and surprising ending that stays with you long after the last page." — Aimee Molloy, New York Times bestselling author of The Perfect Mother

"I’m a sucker for suspense stories crafted around an airplane crash, and Julie Clark’s The Last Flight lived up to the hype and then some. Clark starts with a bang then keeps the pace at full throttle, deftly weaving two seemingly separate stories into one wild and entertaining ride. The perfect combination of beautiful prose and high suspense, and an ending that I guarantee will catch you off guard." — Kimberly Belle, internationally bestselling author of Dear Wife and The Marriage Lie

" The Last Flight sweeps you into a thrilling story of two desperate women who will do anything to escape their lives. Both poignant and addictive, you’ll race through the pages to the novel’s chilling end. A must read of the summer!" — Kaira Rouda, internationally bestselling author of Best Day Ever and The Favorite Daughter

"Julie Clark’s The Last Flight is a stunner: both a compelling, intricately woven tale of suspense and a thoughtful, nuanced portrayal of two very different women, each at a dangerous crossroads in her life. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough!" — Kathleen Barber, author of Truth Be Told and Follow Me

"Strong women take center stage in this Breaking Bad meets Sleeping with the Enemy thriller. The Last Flight has it all—original characters, fast pacing, and clever twists, all in one explosive package!" — Wendy Walker, nationally bestselling author of The Night Before

" The Last Flight will propel you headfirst into the frantic lives of two women, both determined to escape their current reality. Julie Clark weaves their stories effortlessly, delivering a pitch-perfect suspense novel that absolutely lives up to its hype. Do yourself a favor and pick this one up!" — Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke, authors of The Two Lila Bennetts

"Get ready to hold onto the edge of your seat. This is a fantastic thriller about real people facing tremendous challenges. Exciting, touching, haunting, The Last Flight will stay with you long after you turn the final page. Julie Clark has written a bang of a novel." — Rene Denfeld, internationally bestselling author of The Child Finder and The Butterfly Girl

" The Last Flight is a wild ride: One part Strangers on a Train , one part Breaking Bad , with more twists than an amusement park roller coaster! Julie Clark is a devilishly inventive storyteller." — Janelle Brown, New York Times bestselling author of Watch Me Disappear

About the Author

Born and raised in Santa Monica, California, Julie Clark grew up reading books on the beach while everyone else surfed. After attending college at University of the Pacific, and a brief stint working in the athletic department at University of California, Berkeley, she returned home to Santa Monica to teach. She now lives there with her two sons and a golden doodle with poor impulse control. Her debut novel, The Ones We Choose, has recently been optioned for television by Lionsgate.

Product details

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B083ZLK9PL
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Sourcebooks Landmark (June 23, 2020)
• Publication date ‏ : ‎ June 23, 2020
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 1806 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 283 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ B0B61Y511T
• #2 in Women's Psychological Fiction
• #4 in Mystery (Kindle Store)
• #4 in Women's Fiction (Kindle Store)

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About the author

Julie clark.

Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Ones We Choose and The Last Flight, which was also a #1 international bestseller and has been translated into more than twenty languages. She lives in Los Angeles with her family and a golden doodle with poor impulse control.

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#BookReview The Last Flight by Julie Clark @jclarkab @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheLastFlight #JulieClark #bookmarkedbylandmark

Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets–Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women–both alone, both scared–and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.

Propulsive, intense, and exhilarating!

The Last Flight  is an alluring, character-driven thriller that immerses you into the lives of two strangers, Claire and Eva, as their worlds unravel, intersect, and collide while embarking on a mission to escape their dangerous and troubled pasts.

The prose is sharp and brisk. The characters are desperate, courageous, and strong. And the plot using flashbacks and a back-and-forth, past/present style creates tension and suspense as it unwinds piece-by-piece all the deception, secrets, histories, personalities, and relationships within it.

Overall, The Last Flight  is an addictive, twisty, meticulously crafted page-turner by Clark that does a wonderful job of reminding us that every choice, good or bad, always has a consequence.

This book is available in paperback now.

Pick up a copy from your favourite retailer or from one of the following links.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Landmark for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

About Julie Clark

Julie Clark is the New York Times bestselling author of The Last Flight. It has earned starred reviews from Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, and Library Journal, and the New York Times has called it “thoroughly absorbing”. It’s been named an Indie Next Pick, a Library Reads Pick, and a Best Book of 2020 by Amazon Editors and Apple Books. Her debut, The Ones We Choose, was published in 2018 and has been optioned for television by Lionsgate. She lives in Los Angeles with her two sons and a golden doodle with poor impulse control.

Photograph by Eric A. Reid Photogtaphy.

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1 Comment on #BookReview The Last Flight by Julie Clark @jclarkab @Sourcebooks @sbkslandmark #TheLastFlight #JulieClark #bookmarkedbylandmark

It sounds good. I am going add this to my tbr list.

BookBrowse Reviews The Last Flight by Julie Clark

Summary  |  Excerpt  |  Reading Guide  |  Discuss  |  Reviews  |  Beyond the book  |  Read-Alikes  |  Genres & Themes  |  Author Bio

The Last Flight

by Julie Clark

Critics' Opinion:

Readers' Opinion:

• Contemporary
• Strong Women

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About this Book

• Reading Guide
• Media Reviews
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A fast-paced psychological thriller for the #MeToo era.

Julie Clark's second novel, The Last Flight , is the tale of two women, each desperate to escape an untenable situation. Claire seems to have an ideal life, married to a wealthy and charismatic politician widely known and admired for his philanthropy; behind the scenes, though, the man is controlling, manipulative and violent, and may very well have murdered his last paramour. Eva has made a career out of cooking drugs for a powerful dealer. She wants to change her life but knows her employer will literally have her killed if there's any hint she wishes to leave. An encounter at an airport leads the two women to swap identities, but neither truly understands that she's stepping into a situation at least as dangerous as the one she's fleeing. The plot is further complicated by the crash of the airplane Eva is to have boarded (and that Claire was originally meant to have taken). The narrative alternates between the two women. While Claire's chapters are set in the present, Eva's are limited to the past. This makes sense and works very well; throughout the novel the author casts plenty of uncertainty about whether Eva actually got on the doomed flight, and keeping her in the past maintains the mystery of her fate up to the very end of the book. Eva's story line charts her descent from naïve college student to professional narcotics manufacturer, exploring how her experiences influenced the person she became, as well as her disappointment in herself for the damage she knowingly inflicts on others. This is a compelling approach that asks readers to ponder questions such as how much responsibility we bear for our poor decisions in life, and whether or not change is possible in some circumstances. Claire's chapters, on the other hand, focus on how she adapts to suddenly having a new life while constantly worried that her past will catch up with her. Throughout her story, readers will undoubtedly ask themselves how they would respond in similar circumstances and whether Claire makes the right choices to best protect herself. The novel is mostly character-driven, but it does have scenes of heart-stopping suspense that keep the pages flying late into the night. I can think of several instances where I literally gasped out loud at a particularly high-stress plot twist (and it was fun watching my spouse hit those same passages and have an identical reaction). The story isn't completely airtight — there are minor cases where an action or plot point doesn't seem entirely probable — but overall I found the novel highly entertaining and it was easy to overlook the negligible flaws. The only real shortcoming of the book is that while Claire's and Eva's characters are fully developed, the rest of the cast isn't as finely drawn; Claire's husband in particular is a cardboard villain, completely one-dimensional. A federal DEA officer closing in on the drug operation isn't much better defined, nor is Eva's next-door neighbor Liz. The author exhibits such remarkable skill in bringing her main characters to life that it's somewhat disappointing that she doesn't extend her craft to the rest of the crew. The Last Flight is the perfect antidote for summer malaise and makes a terrific "beach read." Its fast pace and relatable main characters will undoubtedly provide a much-needed distraction for readers looking for sheer escapism. It also raises enough interesting questions to make a very good book group selection.

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Review: The Last Flight by Julie Clark

The Last Flight by Julie Clark is an engaging thriller/mystery combination that lives up to the hype and more. 

I kept seeing so much praise for The Last Flight that I downloaded it to my Kindle on a Tuesday night. Thrillers are very popular but so many are a let down. I can’t tell you how many I’ve read that follow the same formula: unreliable alcoholic women narrator. At this point, it’s almost a joke if you open up the book and that’s where the story goes. I’m so over those stories. And I know many of you are as well. 

But I will say, a good thriller/mystery deserves to receive all the praise! So I’m happy to report that The Last Flight is well worth your time! It’s such an interesting and unique story that will keep you guessing until the end. An ideal summer read . 

The synopsis 

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.

A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets—Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away.

But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.

For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women—both alone, both scared—and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.

The characters 

How crazy is that synopsis, right?? Both women trying to get away from their current situation. I’ll tell you as soon as Claire gets to the airport and encounters Eva, this story really takes off. Claire and Eva are written very well and seem like real people— they’re flawed and make plenty of mistakes. They’re both in impossible situations and are desperate to escape. They’re quite different but feel a bit of a kinship with wanting freedom. I will say at first I was a bit unsure of where the author was going with the Eva character but I do really like the story choices that were made. 

It would have been easy to make these characters stereotypical, which is one of my biggest criticisms of thrillers lately. But they’re not. Yes, Claire is privileged but her life is hell and Eva is full of secrets but there’s more going on there. Both hope to change their scenarios and get away from the people taking advantage of them. 

A little women’s fiction

This isn’t your typical cat-and-mouse thriller and at times, it felt like reading a women’s fiction story. Especially when it comes to Claire and Eva’s backstories and how they came to this critical decision to change places. The supporting cast is pretty solid as well. 

This one shows that thrillers don’t have to fall in the same categories each time and it’s okay to allow for a bit more character development as opposed to trying to convey a lightening fast plot. I tend to fly through thrillers in one sitting but I actually spaced this one out and really spent time with this story. 

This is a great distraction reading during this crazy era! Although, between reading The Last Flight and Dear Edward , I might be good for a while regarding reading books about plane crashes. I’m not flying anywhere anytime soon but plane crash stories always freak me out a bit.

Check out my book club questions here . 

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The Last Flight

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The instant New York Times and USA Today bestseller!

“ The Last Flight is thoroughly absorbing—not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin.”— The New York Times Book Review

Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire Cook has a perfect life. Married to the scion of a political dynasty, with a Manhattan townhouse and a staff of ten, her surroundings are elegant, her days flawlessly choreographed, and her future auspicious. But behind closed doors, nothing is quite as it seems. That perfect husband has a temper that burns as bright as his promising political career, and he’s not above using his staff to track Claire’s every move, making sure she’s living up to his impossible standards. But what he doesn’t know is that Claire has worked for months on a plan to vanish.    A chance meeting in an airport bar brings her together with a woman whose circumstances seem equally dire. Together they make a last-minute decision to switch tickets—Claire taking Eva’s flight to Oakland, and Eva traveling to Puerto Rico as Claire. They believe the swap will give each of them the head start they need to begin again somewhere far away. But when the flight to Puerto Rico goes down, Claire realizes it’s no longer a head start but a new life. Cut off, out of options, with the news of her death about to explode in the media, Claire will assume Eva’s identity, and along with it, the secrets Eva fought so hard to keep hidden.   For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women—both alone, both scared—and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.

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• Case Count: Hardcover: 32, Paperback: 36

"A tense and engaging womancentric thriller." — Kirkus Reviews , STARRED review

"The moral dilemmas that the multifaceted, realistic characters face in their quest for survival lend weight to this pulse-pounding tale of suspense. Clark is definitely a writer to watch." — Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

"Clark is an exceptional writer...Highly recommended for fans of thriller, mysteries, and crime fiction." — Library Journal, STARRED review

"A delicious thrill ride...a suspenseful, timely tale about smart, strong women who support one another in their determination to not just survive, but also thrive, uncertainty and risk be damned." — BookPage , Starred Review

"An exciting thriller that examines what happens if you try to leave your past behind... and asks if anyone, in today's world of constant surveillance, can truly disappear." — Caitriona Balfe, the star of Outlander , for Book of the Month

"A premise that sounds highly thrilling takes its share of poignant turns, too." — Entertainment Weekly

"There are lots of twists and turns. It will keep you guessing. You won't be able to put it down." — People

"Thoroughly absorbing—not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin." — The New York Times Book Review

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ISBN: 1728215722

ISBN13: 9781728215723

The Last Flight

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Format: Hardcover

Condition: Very Good

Book Overview

THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES, USA TODAY BESTSELLER, & INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

"The Last Flight is thoroughly absorbing--not only because of its tantalizing plot and deft pacing, but also because of its unexpected poignancy and its satisfying, if bittersweet, resolution. The characters get under your skin."--The New York Times Book Review

Two women. Two flights. One last chance to disappear.

Claire... Read Full Overview

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I stayed up very late reading the last flight and finished it the next day., could not put down, best book i’ve read in a long time, popular categories.

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One Man’s Quest for ‘Photographic Justice’

A new book from the legendary lensman Corky Lee captures both struggle and celebration across several decades of Asian American life.

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Rallies in opposition to the Vietnam War. Protests demanding justice for Vincent Chin , a Chinese American man who was beaten to death by two white autoworkers in 1982. Demonstrations against anti-Asian hate crimes early in the pandemic. No history book about Asian American activism over the last five decades is complete without the mention of the storied photographer Corky Lee, whose images of these displays of resistance are collected in CORKY LEE’S ASIAN AMERICA: Fifty Years of Photographic Justice (Clarkson Potter, $50).

Even toward the end of his life, Lee, who died of Covid-19 in 2021 , was a tireless chronicler of the Asian American community, a category as vibrant and diverse and complicated as his oeuvre. But beyond capturing public acts of defiance, he was also a man with an intimate understanding of the invisible, turning his lens on behind-the-scenes fragments and people that the annals of history have largely ignored. “Every time I take my camera out of my bag,” he once said, “it is like drawing a sword to combat indifference, injustice and discrimination and trying to get rid of stereotypes.”

His ostensibly mundane portraits — a Chinese American mother hunching over a sewing machine as her child stands among mountains and valleys of clothes; a Korean American store owner, head-to-toe in ’90s prep wear, casually leaning against shelves of pantry staples; a lanky butcher fastidiously breaking down a pork carcass — are beautiful. They are also testimonies to the work of those who provided the clothes and comfort that helped make Asian American disobedience possible. And it is in these moments that we can glean perhaps the most generous act of care that Lee has left us with: to look dutifully and relentlessly at the people we love, as they view themselves.

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