Two Girls Down

The addictive, cinematic and binge-worthy thriller of the summer.


Jamie Brandt was not a bad mother. Later she would tell that to anyone who would listen: police, reporters, lawyers, her parents, her boyfriend, her dealer, the new bartender with the knuckle tattoos at Schultz’s, the investigator from California and her partner, and her own reflection in the bathroom mirror, right before cracking her forehead on the sink’s edge and passing out from the cocktail of pain, grief, and fear.


When two sisters disappear from a parking lot while their mother is in Kmart, the devastated family hires bounty hunter Alice Vega to help find the girls. Immediately shut out by a local police department already stretched too thin by budget cuts and the growing meth epidemic, Vega enlists the help of a disgraced former cop, Max Caplan. Cap is a man trying to put the scandal of his past behind him and move on, but Vega needs his help, and she will not be denied.


With little to go on, Vega and Cap will go to extraordinary lengths to untangle a dangerous web of lies, false leads, and complex relationships to find the girls before time runs out, and they are gone forever.



Louisa Luna is the author of the novels Brave New Girl, Crooked, and Serious As A Heart Attack. She was born and raised in the city of San Francisco and lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughter.


‘Opening this book is like arming a bomb—the suspense is relentless and the payoff is spectacular. Lead character Alice Vega is sensational—I want to see lots more of her.’ Lee Child, #1 Bestselling author of The Midnight Line


‘Not only suspenseful but with some real embedded truths about how hard it is to be a mother.’ Anna Quindlen, author of One True Thing


‘Sensational…One of the book’s great pleasures is seeing Caplan and Vega’s initially testy entanglement develop into a true partnership. But there are many other aspects in Ms. Luna’s story to savour as well...quick psychological revelations that pierce the heart.’ Wall Street Journal


'This is such a terrific read. High stakes, relationship-driven, perfectly paced [and] three-dimensional female characters. Alice Vega could give Jack Reacher a run for his money. Maybe Louisa Luna should write all the thrillers.' Chelsea Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Heartsick


‘Vega springs to life in the hands of this immensely talented writer…This is a must-read for fans of strong female protagonists.’ Booklist (starred review)