If You Don't Go

Silver Medal Winner, Global Book Awards

A vanished Chinese CEO. A lost Bitcoin fortune. A past that refuses to be buried.

Alice Zhu hasn't set foot in China since 1989 due to trauma-induced aerophobia. But when her childhood friend Deckard Shen, who is the CEO of her top client, suddenly ghosts her, leaving behind a hefty unpaid legal bill that threatens her career and her family's financial security, she is left with no choice but to return to China to confront him.

In Shanghai, Alice finds that Deckard has vanished and his company is in turmoil. Rumors of government investigations and corporate and personal secrets suggest Alice may not truly know her lifelong friend. Desperate for answers, Alice teams up with Duan Lili, a sharp young woman who knows more than she lets on. Together, they embark on a cross-country hunt for a man who does not wish to be found, and soon realize the search is far more dangerous than they ever imagined.

Interwoven with Alice's journey are Deckard's fractured recollections of their shared youth from 1980s China--political upheaval, teenage misadventure, and a past that still holds them captive. To break free, they have to do more than uncover the truth. They must change how they see themselves.

Join Alice, Deckard, and Lili's adventure by getting your copy today. Because If You Don't Go, you'll never know how the story ends.

What you'll love:

•a multi-faceted female lead
•vivid, atmospheric settings
•a complex, ambitious plot with heart

Great vacation read:

•propulsive, smart, packed with surprising twists
•escapist vibe

Book-club friendly:

•timely questions about truth, censorship, and technology
•book club guide included

Structure & voice:

•dual POVs and dual timelines
•literary, intelligent yet immensely readable

Content:

•gentle thriller with no graphic violence, explicit sex, or strong language
•Bitcoin/ cryptocurrency subplot; a light, witty tone

Themes:

•how experiences change minds; confronting long-buried truths; censorship and its cost; China--past and present; the value of money

Perfect for fans of Qiu Xiaolong, Lisa See, Laura Dave, Liane Moriarty, and Lisa Brackmann, this novel blends:

•the emotional resonance of personal secrets
•the pulse of a missing-person search
•the suspense of twisting plots with richly drawn characters, the vivid immediacy of life in modern China.