Dear Vienna,

This story is my last gift to you, but it’s not wrapped in a pretty bow. I’m telling you upfront, so you won’t be surprised: There won’t be a happily ever after. At the end of the novel, you can choose what to do. This manuscript is the best chance I have to share what happened leading up to May 23. I’m sorry to leave you with mere words on paper. It feels intimate―I’ve chosen each phrase with care―yet impersonal. I wish I could be by your side as you read. But I’m afraid, Vienna, this was the only way.

Because if you’re reading this, I’m gone.

When Stevie vanishes on a random Thursday, she leaves behind a fiction manuscript that eerily mirrors the author’s own life: a former young adult novelist grieving her husband’s sudden death, her daughter’s faltering marriage, and an anonymous stalker who threatens her sense of safety.

Determined to discover what happened to Stevie, her daughter delves into the unpublished novel and Stevie’s private life. But reality and fiction collide when the manuscript exposes suspicious circumstances, and every page brings her closer to the most dangerous secret of all.

PUBLISHER AND ACCOLADES

Sourcebooks, May 2027

• People Magazine Exclusive Cover Reveal and Excerpt
• Publishers Weekly feature: YA Thriller Authors Court Older Readers

“A twisty and delicious joyride cutting its own path through the world of domestic suspense.”
-Reed Farrel Coleman, New York Times bestselling author of All Buried Things

“A clever metafictional device coupled with a masterful double twist make If I’m Gone a fresh and bingeable thriller. Yvonne Ventresca’s adult debut is perfect for fans of cat and mouse plots and propulsive domestic suspense. At once self-assured and accessible, this is the new crime fiction voice that readers are looking for.”
-Tessa Wegert, award-winning author of Death in the Family 

“A book within a book, If I’m Gone cleverly unfolds each diabolical layer where the truth really is stranger than fiction. How far would you go to seek revenge if your own motive was in doubt? This unputdownable read solidifies a well deserved spot for Ventresca’s transition into the adult thriller market.”
-Jaime Lynn Hendricks, bestselling author of Their Double Lives

“Yvonne Ventresca gives the classic missing persons, secrets, and paranoia destroying a family a refreshing twist in her latest. It’s a combination of the best of Harlan Coben and Hank Phillippi Ryan. Everyone should read this!”
-Jeff Ayers, co-author of the National Park Thriller series and reviewer for Library Journal, Criminal Element, and firstCLUE 

If I’m Gone has a tightly plotted, gripping storyline with suspense and urgency that grows when you least expect it. Viv is both flawed and believable, while her mother’s revelations grow increasingly troubling. The second person POV works brilliantly so we read two narratives which are intrinsically woven together. This story flies. I can see it as a movie or two part limited series on a network. With just four protagonists it reminded me of Gone Girl, because of similar heart-stopping switch and switchback shockers. At the heart is the question: how much might a person tolerate before bending or even breaking the law? This is a tale of betrayal on multiple levels and the fury it generates that can lead to a quiet and final revenge.
-Nev March, author of award winning Murder in Old Bombay historical mystery series

“Ventresca delivers a compelling mystery that puts family bonds to the ultimate test. When someone goes missing, secrets start to surface and suspicions threaten to tear everything apart. How far would you go to uncover the truth when your own family’s motives are in question? This immersive page turner will keep you hooked from start to finish.”
-Elise Hart Kipness, USA Today bestselling author of the Kate Green and Sydney Price series

SUBSIDIARY RIGHTS

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• Sourcebooks