Title: ASK FOR ANDREA
Author: NOELLE W IHLI
ISBN: 9781035079971
Publisher: Pan McMillan
Pages: 295
Source: Private Copy
Meghan, Brecia, and Skye have just one thing in common.
They were all murdered by the same man.
He hunted them online, masquerading as an eligible bachelor. Then he played the perfect gentleman, a thick layer of charm and a thousand-watt smile hiding the fact that his first dates end in shallow graves.
He’s gotten away with murder three times now.
The only thing that might keep him from killing again? The women he murdered.
Meghan, Brecia, and Skye might be dead, but they’re not gone. They’ve found each other. And they won’t rest until they find a way to stop him.
The haunt is on.
Official Summary
09 June 2026
This is yet another “new-to-me” author. This book proved to be an unusual story, which at first glance I thought I might hate—but the more I read, the more I found myself enjoying it.
There is an underlying theme throughout the story that focuses on how difficult it can be to help a friend who is clearly involved with someone dangerous. It also explores how, when meeting someone new, you can be blinded to their flaws and instead see only what you hope to find.
The story follows three protagonists—Meghan, Brecia, and Skye—and all three are dead.
Switching between a two-year timeline, each character tells the story of how they met James (also known as Jamie), how he murdered them, and what they experience after death.
Brecia stays with James, Meghan remains with her body, and Skye returns home to her mother.
Each woman feels trapped and lost, while also frustrated with herself for not recognising who James truly was sooner. I especially admired Brecia’s determination to try and protect other women from becoming his next victims. It was heartbreaking to see how powerless she was, no matter how hard she tried. Meghan, meanwhile, just wants her body to be found, and I enjoyed her interactions with the coyotes, which added a lighter touch to an otherwise dark story.
Skye’s journey home to help her mother find answers was also deeply emotional.
When the three women join forces to try to save April and her two little girls (James’s wife and children), the pacing picks up dramatically. These sections were intense, emotional, and completely gripping—I could not look away. Even together, they have very little power to change what is happening, and April will never know that these women were there with her during such a horrific time.
Despite a slower, uncertain start, I became increasingly invested with every page and eventually could not put it down. It was fascinating to experience a serial killer through the eyes of his victims, which made this a refreshing and unsettling thriller.
I am looking forward to reading more from this author.
Also By NOELLE W IHLI
THE RIVER
A haunting post-script to the bestseller Ask for Andrea .
The story didn’t end at the final page. In The River, Noelle W. Ihli returns to the chilling world of her breakout thriller to answer the question lingering in every reader’s mind: What truly happened to April?
This brief but powerful epilogue provides the closure fans have been searching for, drifting back to the waters where secrets are kept and fates are decided.
About the Author
Author bio from the author’s site
Noelle’s two great passions are murder and horses (separately, never together).
She lives in Idaho with her husband, two sons, and two cats. When she’s not plotting her next thriller, she’s scaring herself with true-crime documentaries or going for a trail ride in the foothills (with her trusty pepper spray).
This one was a book club pick. It has been on my TBR ever since I saw it on social media and I am glad I finally got round to reading it. I am new to this author, which of her books would you recommend I add to my TBR? Please leave a comment below. Until next time…. Happy Reading!
