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"The Business Trip" | Reviewed by Chris Stuckenschneider

Writer's picture: cstucky2cstucky2

Readers will be in for a wild, unpredictable ride with “The Business Trip,” a mystery/thriller by Jessie Garcia who states in her afterword she had a “blast” writing her debut. That’s obvious in this fast-paced story that never takes itself too seriously, the tale of two women, one in an abusive relationship, the other a television producer, who meet on a plane.

The action begins in Madison, WI, where low-life Jasmine Littleton plans her escape from boyfriend Glen, a possessive hulk with a trigger temper who orchestrates her every move. Jasmine works in a bar and Glenn constantly accuses her of flirting with the customers. To escape her servitude, Jasmine’s been hiding her meager earnings and steals off in the night, knowing if Glen finds her, she’s dead in the water. The feeling of freedom Jasmine experiences when she’s out of Glen’s clutches is powerful, fear giving way to possibilities she’s only dreamed about as she boards a flight to Denver and meets her seatmate Stephanie Monroe, who’s headed to San Diego for a business conference.

The two women are about the same age, and resemble one another physically, barring their outside trappings like clothes, shoes and purses. Stephanie gives off an air of sophistication, of success, a persona that Jasmine hungers for, and will go to any means to get.

While Stephanie has been successful in her career she’s struggled through a divorce, and is now a single mom raising a son. The two strike up a conversation that doesn’t really go anywhere, the silence offering Jasmine the opportunity to formulate a plan to steal Stephanie’s identification—which is exactly what she does when Stephanie goes to the bathroom, leaving her designer purse on her seat.

Suddenly, Jasmine has the keys to the kingdom, a passage to the monied life she’s always imagined, and an opportunity to fulfill her dream of owning a little cottage on the beach in Mexico. But Jasmine has to jump through complicated hoops to achieve her dream, sticky wickets that take bravado, smarts, creativity, muscle, timing, and quick thinking, tools that conniving Jasmine miraculously pulls out of her bag in a book that’s pure entertainment.

In chapters narrated by Jasmine, Stephanie, and their friends and associates, readers accompany Jasmine on her journey of deceit, wondering when Glen will catch up with her, or her ingenious plan will fold in her face. “The Business Trip,” is rife with jaw-dropping twists we don’t see coming.


 

 

 

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