The Dead Girl in 2A: A Novel

From USA Today bestselling author Carter Wilson comes a psychological thriller about forgotten strangers, dark pasts, and a secret so big it just might destroy everything.

They meet on a plane, but nothing about this situation is coincidental... This flight will take them somewhere they never expected to go

Jack Buchannan knows the woman sitting next to him on his business flight to Denver--he just can't figure out how he knows her. Clara Stowe isn't in Jake's line of work and didn't go to college with him. They have nearly nothing in common apart from a deep and shared certainty that they've met before. As their airplane conversation deepens, both struggle to figure out what circumstances could have possibly brought them together. Then, in a revelation that sends Jake reeling, Clara admits she's traveling to the Colorado mountains to kill herself, and she disappears into the crowded airport immediately after landing. Though Clara is gone, Jake is determined to track the girl in the city and figure out their connection.

The Dead Girl in 2A is the story of what happens to Jake and Clara after they get off that plane, and the manipulative figure, a two-dimensional man who has brought them together decades after they first met. Intensely creepy, beautifully written, and full of Carter Wilson's signature whom-can-you-trust paranoia, this is a psychological thriller unlike any you've read before.

When two strangers discover they're connected in ways they could never have imagined, what ensues is a mind-bending race to the truth. This taut, riveting psychological thriller from the award-winning and bestselling author Carter Wilson will leave you reeling.

Named one of the best mysteries and thrillers of 2018, The Dead Girl in 2A is:

  • Perfect for fans of Ruth Ware and AJ Finn
  • For readers who enjoy who-can-you-trust mysteries and psychological thrillers

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Published Jul 2, 2019

416 pages

Average rating: 6.67

3 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

ValerieRuiz
Apr 06, 2026
3/10 stars
Jake, a struggling writer battling depression, boards a flight to Denver and finds himself seated next to Clara, a mysterious woman who claims she’s going to Colorado to kill herself. Jake becomes obsessed with uncovering the truth about her cryptic life and death wish. His search takes him deep into her troubled past, revealing secrets and unexpected connections that tie them together. Jake is forced to confront his own demons while unraveling a mystery that might cost him everything. Uhmmmmm I'm trying to think how to put this. This book was interesting. It was definitely strange and at times, confusing. I went into this book thinking it was going to be a story about someone who goes missing mid flight (which is a trope I looooove) and it ended up being something so freaking out there, that even for a fiction thriller, it felt really unrealistic. I didn't hate it, I didn't love it. I just below liked it. There are so many found out connections between the characters in this book I really struggled to keep track and follow the story. I did finish it but I was left very unsatisfied with the story. I really loved Carter Wilson's book Tell Me What You Did, so I reallllllllly wanted to love this one too. It just didn't end up that way 🥲 While this book was a miss for me, it doesn't sway me away from reading his other books that are on my TBR.
Zach23Weiss
Jun 24, 2025
10/10 stars
Plot twist!

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