Stephanie appears to lead a charmed life as a network director for a local news organization in Madison, Wisconsin while Jasmine is trying to escape an abusive relationship, poverty and a waitressing job where she feels like a nobody. When they both end up on the same plane seated in the same row, Jasmine to Denver and Stephanie to San Diego the wheels begin to turn and the story begins.

From the onset of the book the reader is introduced to a lot of characters and this was both a positive and a negative. While it helped with the shifting focus, especially as points of views changed throughout the first half of the book, by the end there were stories that felt unfinished. Jasmine's friend Ana played a large role, but what happened when she found out the truth? Jasmine's abusive boyfriend was given some street level justice, but then what happened to him? And what of Stephanie's family, particularly her son Evan, because Stephanie referenced a strain in their relationship following her divorce from Evan's dad?

The pacing of the story felt right and it was very easy to become invested in the story and the characters of Jasmine and Stephanie. Jasmine frustrated me though as I felt she became too calculating too quickly. This was later explained with another twist, but the that personality shift didn't really fit with her as a battered woman. A lot of the twists, while surprising, were very convenient and you did have to suspend some level of belief to move with the flow.

There was one glaring plot hole though, and the set it hit, I struggled to come back into the story with the same level of investment. This is a massive spoiler so stop reading if you haven't read the book yet. We know Stephanie checked into her hotel in San Diego, because that is where the conference was and where she met Daisy. We also know Jasmine stole Stephanie's license when they were on the plane and she began plotting to take over Stephanie's life. When Jasmine arrived at the hotel, she used that ID to get new room keys made to Stephanie's room. How did Stephanie check into the hotel without knowing her license was missing? That smacked me in the middle of listening, and it was hard to shake. That is also around the time when the pieces just started to feel convenient and a little too easy.

My thoughts on The Business Trip are a little all over the place, because I liked it but it had flaws. I think fans of thrillers, especially psychological thrillers will enjoy this one and I look forward to see what Jessie Garcia has in store for her sophomore release.

Narrated by a cast of characters I felt this elevated the audiobook because there are so many characters to keep track of which can often be difficult when it's only a person or two. The decision for each character to sound so different was a smart one and I would definitely recommend the audiobook for this reason.

Thank you Macmillan Audio for the gifted ALC.