Watch Me Disappear

Almost a year after failing to return from a solo hiking trip, Billie Flanagan has been presumed dead. However, her teenage daughter Olive refuses to believe it. As the anniversary of her mother’s disappearance approaches, Olive begins having visions that lead her to believe Billie is still alive and trying to communicate with her telepathically. Olive’s father, Jonathan, who has let go of any hope for Billie’s return and is writing a memoir about their lives together, believes Olive is having seizures and should be medicated. After Jonathan quits his job to work on the book, intense concentration on his and Billie’s life leading up to the hiking trip uncovers clues that their marriage wasn’t all he thought it was. If he chooses to accept his daughter’s idea that his wife may still be alive, he risks shattering every happy memory he has of their past. But living a painful lie might be a worse outcome for everyone. Brown’s (All We Ever Wanted Was Everything) novel is more than just a page-turning suspense story. It’s a gripping family drama that focuses on the choices we make and the ties that bind us to the ones we love. Agent: Susan Golomb, Writers House. (July)