Bell - Layover

Layover

David Bell takes what could have been a fleeting moment between strangers to tell a whirlwind story about secrets, regrets, and sacrifice. Layover is a deliciously infectious thriller.

Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife

I flew through this twisty, riveting psychological thriller at breakneck speed, hooked from the first page right up through the books breathless conclusion.

Cristina Alger, national bestselling author of The Bankers Wife

In the hands of a master of suspense like Bell, a chance flirtation at an airport leads to a fast-paced novel filled with turbulence. Make sure your seat belt is fastened and enjoy! Bell is at his best.

Kaira Rouda, USA Today bestselling author of Best Day Ever

David Bell once again plunges the Everyman (or -woman) into situations both ordinary and extraordinary. Subtle, insightful, and very human, Layover brings to mind the best of James M. Cain.

Christina Dalcher, national bestselling author of Vox

An ingenious setup.... Smart and highly addictive, this one should come with a warning: Dont start until youre prepared to read straight through.

Kimberly Belle, national bestselling author of The Marriage Lie

A killer premise kicks off David Bells twisty, breakneck thriller and has you tearing through the pages to a shattering finale.

Louise Candlish, international bestselling author of Our House

A terrifically tense thriller with a femme fatale who will keep you guessing until the very end. The perfect airplane read!

Riley Sager, New York Times bestselling author of The Last Time I Lied

Somebodys Daughter

A tautly told, heart-pounding read... a page-turning whodunit where every characters a suspect and no one can be trusted.

Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Every Last Lie

A compulsive, twisty, race-against-the-clock thriller... also a sensitive meditation on what connects us to each otherand what well do to hold on when life tears us apart. Dont miss this smart and unrelenting page-turner!

Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter

Bell escorts readers on a ride-along through twelve adrenaline-charged hours as his characters track multiple leads in the search for a missing child... [a] heart-poundingly addictive thriller until the final page.

Library Journal (starred review)

[A] riveting thriller.... Bell turns an ordinary life into a tense roller-coaster ride filled with unexpected twists and turns.

Publishers Weekly

Bell puts a new twist on the missing-child theme in this fast-paced narrative that spans just twelve hours.

Booklist

A stunner, full of twists and turns and duplicitous motivations. Bells solid storytelling is as sharp and scary as ever. Fans of Harlan Coben will love this one.

J.T. Ellison, New York Times bestselling author of Lie to Me

Hooks you from the start and draws you into a tale of secrets, lies, and lives haunted by the past. A suspensefuland poignantthriller.

Meg Gardiner, Edgar Awardwinning author of Into the Black Nowhere

Both plausible and pulsating, a psychological thriller that hits perilously close to home.

Craig Johnson, New York Times bestselling author of the Walt Longmire Mysteries

Razor-sharp prose and a satisfyingly twisty plot... an intense, emotional thrill ride readers wont want to miss!

Karen Dionne, international bestselling author of The Marsh Kings Daughter

Compulsively readable, with surprises that gripped me from start to finish. With nerve-shattering suspense, this well-crafted tale builds to an unexpected, chilling ending.

Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author of Not a Sound

Stunningly effective... a noirish tale culled from the suburban nightmare world of Lisa Gardner and Harlan Coben.

TheProvidence Journal

BERKLEY

An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019

Copyright 2019 by David J. Bell

Readers Guide copyright 2019 by Penguin Random House LLC

Penguin Random House supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity, encourages diverse voices, promotes free speech, and creates a vibrant culture. Thank you for buying an authorized edition of this book and for complying with copyright laws by not reproducing, scanning, or distributing any part of it in any form without permission. You are supporting writers and allowing Penguin Random House to continue to publish books for every reader.

BERKLEY and the BERKLEY & B colophon are registered trademarks of Penguin Random House LLC.

The Library of Congress has cataloged the hardcover edition as follows:

Names: Bell, David, 1969 November 17 author.

Title: Layover / David Bell.

Description: New York : Berkley, 2019.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018053560| ISBN 9780440000860 (hardback) | ISBN 9780440000884 (ebook)

Subjects: | BISAC: FICTION / Suspense. | FICTION / Contemporary Women. | GSAFD: Suspense fiction.

Classification: LCC PS3602.E64544 L39 2019 | DDC 813/.6--dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018053560

First Edition: July 2019

Cover art: woman by Raul Belinchon/Gallery Stock; airplane by Genja/Shutterstock Images; airway by Martin Hospach/Getty Images

Cover design by Emily Osborne

Title page art: woman leaving airport by Rob Wilson/Shutterstock Images

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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In memory of Mary Ellen Miller

Teacher, poet, friend