Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Review - The Business Trip

 
Title:  The Business Trip
Author Jessie Garcia
Publisher:  St. Martim’s Press; 
  Macmillan Audio
Genre:   Mystery & Thrillers
Format:  Audio and Kindle ARCs
Narrators:  Andrew Eiden; Dylan Fitzpatrick; Fred Berman; Gail Shalan; Hillary Huber; Jennifer Pickens; John Pirhalla; Kimberly M. Wetherell; Kirby Heyborne; Tim Campbell
Length:   9 hrs 7 mins
No. of Pages:   352
Date of Publication:   January 14, 2025
My Rating:   5 Stars
DESCRIPTION:

"A stunning and accomplished debut, with hugely relatable characters and an addictive storyline that kept me turning the pages well into the night. Bravo!" --BA Paris, New York Times bestselling author

"Wow, The Business Trip was nonstop twists and turns. I loved the unusual way that the story was told, and I kept reading all day long because I couldn't wait to see how it ended!" -- Freida McFadden, New York Times bestselling author

THE BUSINESS TRIP is the gripping, page-turning debut from author Jessie Garcia. 

Stephanie and Jasmine have nothing and everything in common. The two women don’t know each other but are on the same plane. Stephanie is on a business trip and Jasmine is fleeing an abusive relationship. After a few days, they text their friends the same exact messages about the same man—the messages becoming stranger and more erratic.

And then the two women vanish. The texts go silent, the red flags go up, and the panic sets in. When Stephanie and Jasmine are each declared missing and in danger, it begs the questions: Who is Trent McCarthy? What did he do to these women— or what did they do to him?

Twist upon twist, layer upon layer, where nothing is as it seems, The Business Trip takes you on a descent into the depths of a mastermind manipulator. But who is playing who?


MY THOUGHTS:

Jasmine, fed up with her abusive and controlling boyfriend, has been siphoning off money for quite some time. She manages to escape before he can stop her, but she knows that once he catches on, he’ll be furious. And she was right. However, she’s too far away for him to do anything about it.

Our other primary protagonist is Stephanie, a news director from a modest news outlet. Divorced with a son in college, she’s always the one scheduled for business trips. She’s over it and not dispensable. Now, if she could just convince her bosses of that. Well, worrying about that will be the least of her concerns, as she’s soon to find out.

Stephanie misses companionship in life but has a dependable friend in her neighbor, Robert. Robert is just one of the various minor protagonists who’ll appear in this thrilling story.

Sitting side-by-side on the same flight as Stephanie, Jasmine wishes they could be friends. More than that,  wants to be her. So, she quickly forms a plan and begins a series of events that will certainly cost at least one of them their lives.

A strange text thread soon begins. Jasmine is sending texts. Stephanie is sending texts. For everyone on the other side of those numerous texts, everything seems to be fine, if not a little bit odd for each of them. Meanwhile, Jasmine appears to be handling her plan expertly.

There’s a buried introduction to multiple protagonists in this thrilling story. Their roles might be small, but their relevance becomes clearer and clearer. It takes a lot of back-and-forth, but one thing is for sure: something is off. Way off. However, putting a finger on it proves to be an elusive task. 

This remarkable debut novel reminds me of a jigsaw puzzle. At first, the pieces may seem disjointed and the design difficult to comprehend, but they all come together marvelously. The Business Trip is a brilliant story that captivated me from the very beginning, even if I had to suspend my disbelief occasionally. Listening to the audiobook made the compelling read even more enjoyable. The ensemble of narrators is sure to delight any fan of psychological thrillers.

Many thanks to St Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Jessie Garcia knew she wanted to be a writer or a reporter from about the age of 8. After growing up in Madison, WI she attended college at Boston University, gravitating to television journalism.

Jessie spent over 25 years on the air as a sportscaster and became the sideline reporter for the Green Bay Packers as well as a host of NFL coach's shows. She then got into TV management and now oversees a newsroom of journalists.

Jessie also taught journalism at four universities and produced a documentary on a little-known piece of track and field history. 

She has several award-winning non-fiction books out but recently turned to fiction. She has always been drawn to mysteries and thrillers and is excited to be bringing you THE BUSINESS TRIP. 

Jessie has two adult sons and lives in Wisconsin with her husband. Their two animals truly rule the house: a savvy cat who simply appeared in the front bushes one day, and a dog who won their hearts at the Humane Society.




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