Ask for Andrea

Ask for Andrea is a thriller written by American novelist Noelle W. Ihli and published in 2022. The novel is a fusion of the thriller, horror, and crime fiction genres. The plot follows three murdered women as they, in the form of ghosts, try to bring their murderer to justice. This story allows Ihli to explore themes such as Agency and Victims of Violence, The Ability to Hide One’s True Nature, and The Power of Community Among Women.

This guide refers to the Dynamite Books edition.

Content Warning: The novel and this guide discuss murder, violence against women, sexual assault, and child abuse.

Plot Summary

The novel is narrated in alternating chapters from the perspectives of three women, all of whom have been murdered by the same man. Brecia lives in Denver, Colorado, where she uses a dating app called MatchStrike and meets a man who goes by the name “Jamie Carver.” Brecia and Jamie briefly date, but he is clingy and erratic, so she ends the relationship. A year later, Jamie abruptly appears outside of Brecia’s home and murders her. After she is dead, Brecia becomes a ghost; she is invisible and inaudible, but she can move around and observe people and events. Determined to find some form of justice, Brecia follows “Jamie” back to his home in Boulder, where she is surprised to learn that he lives with his wife, April, and their two young daughters. It also turns out that his real name is James Carson.

Brecia, as a ghost, lives with James and his family; she is horrified to observe that he is living a double life, secretly chatting with many women through the app and sometimes meeting them for dates. Shortly after her murder, James and his family move to Utah, and Brecia goes with him, her case remaining unsolved. In Utah, about one year after Brecia’s murder, James meets a woman named Meghan on the dating app; Brecia follows along on the date. On the date, James drugs Meghan, and afterward, he lures her into his car and drives her to a remote area; James murders Meghan and leaves her body in the woods. Brecia watches helplessly; after the murder, Meghan also becomes a ghost but runs in the opposite direction, and the two deceased women do not interact. A few months after Meghan’s murder, James moves the family to Idaho, and Brecia goes along with them.

After Meghan dies, she remains in the woods with her body for months, desperately hoping that someone will find it. During this time of isolation, Meghan realizes that she can watch memories from her former life like films; unexpectedly, while remembering her grandmother (who is also dead), Meghan finds that she is able to communicate with her. Meghan’s grandmother explains that when individuals die, they can pass into a world of memories along with all the ancestors that have predeceased them. Nonetheless, Meghan decides to stay in the world of the living for some time. Eventually, the police find her body and begin investigating the murder. Meghan begins following the lead officer, a woman named Officer Domanska, everywhere.

While Meghan is waiting for her body to be found, James kills a third woman in Idaho. Skye is about to begin her freshman year of college and is working at a coffee shop that James frequents; she finds him attractive, so when he offers her a ride home after one of her shifts, she doesn’t hesitate to get in the car with him. However, James drives Skye to a remote area and kills her. When she fails to come home, Skye’s parents frantically search for her and pressure the police to investigate; as a result, her body is quickly found.

In Utah, Domanska has asked for tips after releasing a photo of the man Meghan met on the dating site. One tip leads her to James. Meanwhile, after reviewing video footage in which his car appears, Idaho police get a warrant to search James’s car. When the police go to James’s home, Skye and Brecia meet for the first time and realize that they can see and hear one another. The search of the car does not connect James to Skye’s murder, but it does uncover a fingerprint that connects him to Meghan. The police in Utah and Idaho begin to collaborate on their investigations. Meghan goes with Domanska to Idaho, where she meets Brecia and Skye. All three women are eager to see James brought to justice; although his arrest is imminent, they realize that he is planning to flee, and they follow James and his family when they go to hide in a remote cabin.

The three women realize that James is planning to kill his wife and daughters lest they lead to him being discovered. They frantically try to warn James’s wife, April, who eventually senses the danger to herself and her children. April and the two young girls flee from the cabin on foot, with Brecia, Skye, and Meghan watching over them. April and her daughters make it to a roadside restaurant but realize that James is also there, waiting for them. Before he can see them, April and the girls hide in a bathroom. They catch sight of a sign advising women who are on a date and feeling unsafe to use a code to signal that they need help: ask the bartender for Andrea. Using the code, April signals for a staff member to call the police, and James is quickly arrested.

Although he is initially arrested for Meghan’s murder, further evidence during the search also connects him to Brecia’s and Skye’s murders. In jail, the three women torment James with nightmares, which lead to him being brutally beaten by a cellmate. It is left ambiguous whether James survives the attack. With their cases solved, all three women pass over to the realm of memories to spend eternity surrounded by their loved ones.