The Dead Girl in 2A

On a flight to Denver, Boston freelance writer Jake Buchannan recognizes his seatmate, Clara Stowe, but he can’t remember from where, in this gripping standalone from Wilson (Mister Tender’s Girl). As Jake tries to figure out the connection, he bonds with Clara over the fact that the two otherwise healthy 30-something-year-olds are suffering from memory loss. Then Clara confides that she plans to head up to the Aspen area and kill herself. Jake is unable to persuade her to change her mind, and she disappears after landing. It later becomes clear that their reunion was no coincidence. Alternating between Jake’s viewpoint and Clara’s diary, the multifaceted plot reveals that a year earlier, in Boston, both of them began participating in a memory research clinical trial led by a seedy man named Landis. Jake resolves to learn the truth about Landis’s scheme and save Clara from her fate. Wilson provides plenty of creepy and downright disturbing moments on the way to the unexpectedly heartfelt conclusion. Psychological thriller fans will be well satisfied. Agent: Pamela Ahearn, Ahearn Agency. (July)