The Night Olivia Fell

by Christina McDonald Narrated by Kelly Burke, Laurel Lefkow

Overview

USA TODAY BESTSELLER

In the vein of Big Little Lies and Reconstructing Amelia comes an “atmospheric, absorbing page-turner” (Heather Gudenkauf, New York Times bestselling author) about a mother unraveling the truth behind how her daughter became brain dead. And pregnant.

A search for the truth. A lifetime of lies.

In the small hours of the morning, Abi Knight is startled awake by the phone call no mother ever wants to get: her teenage daughter Olivia has fallen off a bridge. Not only is Olivia brain dead, she's pregnant and must remain on life support to keep her baby alive. And then Abi sees the angry bruises circling Olivia's wrists.

When the police unexpectedly rule Olivia's fall an accident, Abi decides to find out what really happened that night. Heartbroken and grieving, she unravels the threads of her daughter's life. Was Olivia's fall an accident? Or something far more sinister?

In this “complex, emotionally intense first novel” (Publishers Weekly), USA TODAY bestselling author Christina McDonald weaves a suspenseful and heartwrenching tale of hidden relationships, devastating lies, and the power of a mother's love. With flashbacks of Olivia's own resolve to uncover family secrets, this taut and poignant novel asks: how well do you know your children? And how well do they know you?

Editorial Reviews

PopSugar

A thrilling page-turner you have to read.

Library Journal

"This book is a tearjerker, so have tissues at hand. A well-structured story of how lying corrupts from the start that will keep pages turning.

Jenny Blackhurst

"I was absolutely hooked, it was such an emotional read that I was broken by the end. Heartbreaking and thrilling at the same time."

Mary Kubica

"Christina McDonald has crafted an emotionally-charged mystery that will leave readers equally gut-wrenched and gripped. The Night Olivia Fell welcomes a talented new addition to the world of domestic suspense."

Kimberly Belle

"In Christina McDonald’s The Night Olivia Fell, Abi gets the call every mother fears: her daughter has fallen from a bridge and is brain dead...but was it an accident or a crime? McDonald reveals the answer in steady, page-turning increments, a gradual unfolding of truths and long-held secrets that culminates in a heart-wrenching resolution. A suspenseful debut that packs an emotional punch."

Publishers Weekly

[A] complex, emotionally intense first novel...Fans of twisty domestic suspense novels will be rewarded.

BuzzFeed

A devastating fall that might not have been an accident, two separate paternity mysteries, an affluent West Coast seaside town—no, this isn’t Big Little Lies. But if you’re disappointed that there won’t be season three, pick up The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald... You’ll want to read The Night Olivia Fell slowly as it’s equally a story about mothers, daughters, and the secrets they keep to protect each other.

Heather Gudenkauf

"The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald is a stunning thriller that instantly grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go until the final, poignant sentence. McDonald artfully brings to the page the emotionally fraught, complex relationship between mother and daughter in this atmospheric, absorbing page-turner. The Night Olivia Fell cracked my heart into a million pieces and then slowly pieced it back together again."

Booklist (Starred Review)

"McDonald ratchets up the suspense with every chapter, including plenty of gasp-worthy twists and turns as Abi and Olivia’s story pushes towards its devastating conclusion. The suspense is supplemented by relationships of surprising depth and tenderness, providing balance and nuance to the story. A worthy debut from an up-and-coming domestic-suspense author; readers who enjoy mother-daughter stories in the genre should line up for this one.

David Bell

"Christina McDonald's The Night Olivia Fell takes a mother's worst nightmare to a whole new level. This is an intense, twisting, heartbreaking thriller that explores in painful detail the consequences of family secrets. The reader will be riveted until the final page...and may even feel a bit of hope when all is said and done. Don't miss this one!"

Claire Douglas

"Beautifully written and moving with characters I felt I knew, The Night Olivia Fell is a stunning debut that kept me guessing right until the final, heartbreaking twist."

Booklist (starred review)

McDonald ratchets up the suspense with every chapter, including plenty of gasp-worthy twists and turns as Abi and Olivia’s story pushes towards its devastating conclusion. The suspense is supplemented by relationships of surprising depth and tenderness, providing balance and nuance to the story.”

New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf

A stunning thriller that instantly grabbed me by the throat and wouldn’t let go until the final, poignant sentence.”

Booklist

"McDonald ratchets up the suspense with every chapter, including plenty of gasp-worthy twists and turns as Abi and Olivia’s story pushes towards its devastating conclusion. The suspense is supplemented by relationships of surprising depth and tenderness, providing balance and nuance to the story. A worthy debut from an up-and-coming domestic-suspense author; readers who enjoy mother-daughter stories in the genre should line up for this one.

Booklist

"McDonald ratchets up the suspense with every chapter, including plenty of gasp-worthy twists and turns as Abi and Olivia’s story pushes towards its devastating conclusion. The suspense is supplemented by relationships of surprising depth and tenderness, providing balance and nuance to the story. A worthy debut from an up-and-coming domestic-suspense author; readers who enjoy mother-daughter stories in the genre should line up for this one.

Kimberly Bell

"In Christina McDonald’s The Night Olivia Fell, Abi gets the call every mother fears: her daughter has fallen from a bridge and is brain dead...but was it an accident or a crime? McDonald reveals the answer in steady, page-turning increments, a gradual unfolding of truths and long-held secrets that culminates in a heart-wrenching resolution. A suspenseful debut that packs an emotional punch."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940170457496
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	02/05/2019
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

The Night Olivia Fell

“You want the truth? I’m—” My admission was cut off by a streak of blazing hot pain as something exploded against the side of my head. My brain barely registered the blow, my vision a dusky blur of red, pain searing into my skull and down my jaw. I felt my body spin with the force of it.

I reeled backward until my legs whacked against the low cement wall and I tumbled over, my body hurtling sideways across the ledge. A dark fog pressed against my outer vision, and before I knew it I was falling, plunging into empty space.

I hit the river on my back, my eyes fastened on the bridge’s soaring spires illuminated by a flickering streetlamp.

Then the shadowy water tipped me under.

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