Freefall by Jessica Berry

Heart-stopping and addictive, FREEFALL is a stunning thriller that explores the deep and complex bond between mothers and daughters.

Book blurb

Surviving the plane crash is only the beginning for Allison.

The life that she’s built for herself – her perfect fiancé, their world of luxury – has disappeared in the blink of an eye. Now she must run, not only to escape the dark secrets in her past, but to outwit the man who is stalking her every move.

On the other side of the country, Allison’s mother is desperate for news of her daughter, who is missing, presumed dead. Maggie refuses to accept that she could have lost her only child and sets out to discover the truth.

Mother and daughter must fight – for survival and to find their way through a dark web of lies and back to one another, before it’s too late…

My thoughts

An enjoyable read which brings two threads to the reader that of the thriller – Allison is running from someone and that of her mother, Maggie, who cannot accept that her daughter, who has been estranged from her for some time, has died. She wants to find out what happened.

It opens well and you have a good sense of tension building as Allison, badly injured, makes her escape from the air crash and away from whoever she believes is after her. As she does this we begin to get some of the back story in regard to what happened to Allison to put her into this position.

We then have her mother, understandably grieving and yet not accepting of what has happened, she wants answers and goes on a mission to find out what has been happening to Allison. Who is this man to whom she was engaged and who has crashed and died in the accident? She has a bad feeling about him. What she finds out will not only lead her to the truth but into danger.

Maggies is frustrated with the crash investigation and those close to her the police chief and his wife are trying to get her to accept that Allison has died but she can’t. She has to have proof.

We also learn about why the mother and daughter became estranged and this shows us how not trusting and communicating with those who we love can lead to loosing them.

Will Allison survive? What will happen to Maggie? Everything builds to a final, twisted and devastating conclusion.

Whilst delivering an ultimately good read, for me, it had moments that rather than turn up the tension slightly grated – during Allisons escape. Other readers may not notice or, indeed, may feel it enhances their experience.

There are some good characterisations Maggie in particular is believably and well portrayed. It is a book that addresses a number of issues – assisted death, family dynamics, grieving and loss – which adds layers and depth to the story.

An enjoyable read which gives a somewhat different slant, to me at least, on the thriller/mystery genre.

With thanks to Vantage via NetGalley for an eCopy of Freefall by Jessica Barry. All thoughts are my own, I have not received any payment for the review of this book.

Information

Publisher:               Vintage Digital  (28 Feb. 2019)

Buy:                          Amazon           Waterstones

Author:                 Jessica Barry is a pseudonym for an American author who has lived and worked in London with her husband and two cats, Roger and BoJack, for the past fifteen years. She spends much of her time reading, writing, running along the Thames and trying unsuccessfully to remove cat hair from the furniture.

Freefall, her debut thriller, has sold in more than seventeen territories around the world and has also secured a major Hollywood film deal.