by Aimee Molloy
First published 2020
Annie Potter and Sam Statler leave New York City behind for Sam's quiet upstate hometown after their wedding. Annie finds herself isolated while Sam works extensive hours as a therapist in his downstairs office, treating his largely female patients. Through a ceiling vent, Annie can hear every word spoken during Sam's sessions. She listens to a pharmacist's wife considering divorce and a painter discussing her unsatisfying relationship. The eavesdropping becomes Annie's secret entertainment until a French woman in a green Mini Cooper enters their lives. Sam leaves for work one day and never returns home. His disappearance shatters Annie's expectations about their marriage and forces her to confront what she thought she knew about her husband. The missing person case reveals hidden truths about Sam's practice and his relationships with his clients.
Genres: suspense, mystery, contemporary, psychological-thriller
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, unreliable-narrator
Setting: New York City, Upstate
1 pages · Audio CD · HarperCollins B and Blackstone Publishing
Content warnings: anxiety, depression, mental-illness