4.5 stars for this powerful psychological thriller. This novel grabbed me from the first page, kept me hooked to the end, and evoked surprising emotion throughout. It is still resonating with me now that I have finished. Lines such as: "A responsibility to life, to complete whatever journey this is with more joy and less resignation. To be better today than what I was yesterday, and better still tomorrow." It is a quite rare treat to take away such life lessons from a fictional crime story. This book is about Jake and Clara who meet on a plane, apparently by accident, and are struck by an undeniable familiarity and connection. It is about what happens to them both after they get off that plane, and are confronted by the manipulative figure who has orchestrated their meeting and so much more. It is twisty, lively and worth a read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a complimentary copy of this book.
I have never read anything by Carter Wilson, but rest assured this will be the first of many.
I really loved this book. It kept me on the edge of my seat. Don't miss it!

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for a review copy of this book. I found the title really intriguing and the description just as, if not more intriguing.

The concept of this book is truly unique, imaginative and interesting. A lot of thought and creativity has clearly been put into it.

I loved the aspects of repressed memories, trauma, family and manipulation that is explored within the novel.

As a psychological thriller it definitely ticks my boxes. It wasn’t too predictable and it wasn’t too outlandish that it became fantasy.

The only down point is that there are some areas of the book that I would have liked to have been explored a little bit more.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC!
I loved this story. I loved that the plot summary didn’t give too much away. Oftentimes I get impatient when books just spit out the summary for the first 50 pages, but Dead Girl offered new information right away. When it’s revealed that Jake and Clara somehow know each other, I kept trying to come up with different theories - and I was wrong every time! The story alternates perspectives and we hear from Jake (both past and present) and from Clara via her memoir. I thought the memoir idea was unique and it added an interesting voice to the book. I also liked how there weren’t too many red herrings with the author trying to throw off the reader but he also didn’t give too much away. The plot was thoughtful and well-structured. I was literally biting my nails the whole time! If you like psychological thrillers, you need to add this to your list!

“Stop messin’ with my head” could be the theme of this psychological thriller for the reader as well as the characters. The author does an excellent job of keeping the readers guessing and the characters distraught, depressed, generally confused. Flashbacks, blackouts, real and imagined memories are all used to keep everyone guessing.

Really enjoyed this book. Well written & refreshingly different would recommend this book to anyone really enjoyed it.

Just. Wowi! If you've read any of Carter Wilson's books (of course, I've read them all) you know that you're in for a dark and twisty ride! So when I saw this title pop up on NetGalley, I started hyperventilating and (silently) screaming, "Pick me, pick me!" So I had incredibly high expectations going in and I was not disappointed.
Jake is estranged from his wife and feels guilt for a car accident that injured his young daughter, Emma. When a mysterious man hires him to ghostwrite his memoir, Jake gets on a plane and immediately feels some unspoken connection with his seat-mate, Clara in 2A. Clara is also suffering from incredible depression and is headed on this trip committed to the idea that she "needs" to commit suicide. What binds these two strangers together is an incredibly hypnotic tale of childhood, repressed memories, and manipulation by unlikely sources. In true Wilson style, the book is a crazy thrill ride of gasping and goosebumps with an ending that's oh so satisfying! Simply put, I loved every minute of it! Run, don't walk to get your hands on this when it comes out in July!

This is probably a terribly sexist way to start a review, but it’s been so long since I’ve read a thriller by a male author. Or maybe it just seems that way because the genre is currently so overpopulated by female authors. Which is good and occasionally great, but as with so many things the popularity doesn’t necessarily bode well for quality control. But this guy…I like this guy. I’ve read most of his books, almost all of them, probably. So when his latest showed up on Netgalley, I requested it without even reading a description and read it almost immediately upon getting approved by the publisher. And sure enough, Wilson’s done it again. His other books have always been good, his latest preceding this one was awesome and this one is somewhere in between, but closer to awesome. This opinion is certainly helped by the fact that he used one of my favorite themes…psychological experimentation, think secret government research of 60s and 70s. Creepy, trippy, all that. Now imagine if some of those scientists continued the work in secrecy on their own after CIA has ended the program. I really should say more, the book’s description is sparse, probably strategically so as to not give too much away. Just as it should be, because the plot is a doozy. At least until you figure out what’s going on which’ll take place around 50% in. From there on it’s revelation upon revelation, but until then it’s just this great WTF*ckery wherein you’re completely unsure what’s going on, what’s the connection between the characters, is it supernatural or otherwise, what are these strange books, what are these strange thoughts and what have they forgotten. And it’s just so freaking fresh to have a genuinely mysterious mystery that doesn’t stick to any formulas (outside of the split narrative thing) and kinda boggles the mind. I’ve been reading entirely too many mysteries, suspense thrillers, etc. and correspondingly I’ve been figuring them out easier, which isn’t optimal, because one of the greatest things the genre offers is surprises and twists. So I was so glad, delighted, thrilled even, appropriately enough, to read a mystery that’s actually unpredictable and tough to figure out. (And if you like this sort of theme, check out Josh Malerman’s Inspection). Many thanks to the author for making the genre shine as bright as it ought to with this terrific, wildly original tale of dark psychological suspense. I liked it so much, just about loved it, thought the denouement dragged out ever so slightly for longer than expected and maybe the ending was slightly too cheery, but otherwise it was great. It read quickly, it puzzled, it entertained. It did all the things it was supposed to. I’m so pleased to be the first person reviewing this book or more like singing its praises, but seriously, this was so much fun. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.