Woman on the Edge

Written by Samantha M. Bailey

Narrated by Katherine Fenton

A moment on the subway platform changes two women’s lives forever—a debut thriller that will take your breath away.

A total stranger on the subway platform whispers, “Take my baby.”

She places her child in your arms. She says your name.

Then she jumps...

In a split second, Morgan Kincaid’s life changes forever. She’s on her way home from work when a mother begs her to take her baby, then places the infant in her arms. Before Morgan can stop her, the distraught mother jumps in front of an oncoming train.

Morgan has never seen this woman before, and she can’t understand what would cause a person to give away her child and take her own life. She also can’t understand how this woman knew her name.

The police take Morgan in for questioning. She soon learns that the woman who jumped was Nicole Markham, prominent CEO of the athletic brand Breathe. She also learns that no witness can corroborate her version of events, which means she’s just become a murder suspect.

To prove her innocence, Morgan frantically retraces the last days of Nicole’s life. Was Nicole a new mother struggling with paranoia or was she in danger? When strange things start happening to Morgan, she suddenly realizes she might be in danger, too.

Woman on the Edge is a pulse-pounding, propulsive thriller about the lengths to which a woman will go to protect her baby—even if that means sacrificing her own life.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Release date: Nov 26, 2019
• ISBN: 9781982138981

Samantha M. Bailey

Samantha M. Bailey is the author of Woman on the Edge, a USA TODAY and #1 national bestseller; her second novel, Watch Out for Her, was an instant #1 national bestseller. Her books have sold in eleven countries to date. Samantha is a journalist and freelance editor; her writing has appeared in NOW Magazine, The Village Post, The Thrill Begins, and The Crime Hub, among other publications. She lives in Toronto, where she can usually be found tapping away at her computer or curled up on her couch with a book. Connect with her on Twitter and Instagram @SBaileyBooks and on her website at SamanthaMBailey.com.

Reviews for Woman on the Edge

[Jennifer Oslowski · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A narrator can make or break an audible and in this case, the narrator broke it for me. Maybe that isn't fair. I am not sure whether it was the author's intention or just the narrator's choice but both of the main characters were made to be VERY whiny! So much so, that I couldn't take it anymore by the end. Please don't make characters that whiny, I don't think anyone likes a whiny character let alone 2. As for the book itself, I liked the premise, the pacing, etc. I will give this author another try but will do the ebook format next time.

[Myra Harper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

At times the sadness in her post partum depression could be overwhelming, I felt it was necessary to have a glimpse of the way Nicole was feeling and how the abuse of drugs had a change in her personality. I had a feeling of how this is going to end as the book went on. I love happy endings. I think this was a good book of awareness, mystery and love.

[Tracy Wisneski · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely loved this book! Fantastic character development, plot, pacing and tingling suspense. Will be looking for more from this author.

[Cheryl Morrell · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The two main characters are soooooo whiney.. it’s hard to like them. Buck up people ! I was glad it was over ….

[Krystal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Really good read! I enjoyed it. It’s a quick listen as well.

[Kathryn Hessler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story telling kept me wanting to figure it all out. Enjoyed ever minute.

[Janae Brookens · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it! The narration is very good and the story kept me on the edge of my seat from the beginning.

[Rlynoyb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story hooks you right away. I figured out pretty early in who I thought the "bad guy" was but it did not take away from the story. The two main characters Nicole and Morgan feel very real. I enjoyed this book and the narration was very well done.

[lisa Dorr · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Clicheed characters, predictable plot line. And several mistakes in the plot the editor should have caught.

[sherry newell · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

too msny unbelievable parts!

research should have been done before book was written

[brookiexlicious · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was hooked on this premise immediately and devoured this book within a day. The author writes honestly about the struggles of new motherhood, especially concerning postpartum depression. I strongly empathized with how alone Nicole felt and wished her fate could have turned out differently. Unlike other readers, I did not guess the identity of the villain right away, and was on the edge of my seat until the final reveal. And about that reveal: I have said previously that one of my biggest annoyances with thrillers/mysteries is when the hero & villain have their final confrontation, and the villain reveals their nefarious plan to them. I was really hoping this book wouldn’t succumb to this cliche, but alas it did. This is why it has received one less star rating than I would have originally given it. I just find it hard to believe that someone so cunning would do this. The villain had an accomplice, and while I was surprised at their partnering, their oh-so-convenient fate towards the end made me roll my eyes. But perhaps I was just eager for their comeuppance as well. The ending did teeter a bit on the Hollywood happy-ending side, as I never quite believed the romantic pairing of two characters and would have preferred someone on their own, raising Nicole’s daughter. Despite my misgivings with this book, Samantha Bailey presented a unique and gripping debut novel, and I look forward to her next work.

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Great storyline and idea...but the characters...ugh! I don’t think I really cared for any of them-except maybe Donna! By the end, I was ready for all of them to jump in front of a train.
Nicole-Strong CEO of company she founded. Didn’t plan to become pregnant and isn’t sure she wants kids.
Greg-Nicole’s ass of a husband. Doesn’t want kids. Apparently doesn’t want Nicole.
Morgan-Widow who REALLY wants a baby and blabs about it online. Feels guilty about everything.
Ryan-Morgan’s selfish husband who commits suicide before the book begins because he was caught scamming people with his hedge fund.
Although these characters have never met, their lives are about to become irrecoverably intertwined...
For better or worse-I’ll leave that up to you to decide.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book of a young mother frantic and desperate who shoved her baby into the arms of another woman and then falls into the path of a moving train. Nicole is the successful CEO of Breathe, a company she began. She is a new mother, her baby girl is named Quinn after Nicole’s mother. Morgan is a widow, her husband committed suicide after he was exposed for fraud. Morgan desperately wants a baby.This is the story of two women who are connected by their love of children. However, Morgan doesn’t understand why Nicole selected her. Nicole doesn’t trust those around her- her husband Greg, her brother Ben, or even her best friend Tessa. She is also terrified of Donna, the mother of the child Amanda who died years earlier while in Nicole’s care. This is also a story of greed, desperation, postpartum depression, and manipulation. You will be guessing and second guessing yourself throughout the book. The author plants several clues to make you suspect multiple people. There are a few times when I thought I knew, but then something would lead me in a different direction. I was correct, but I doubted myself on many occasions. I look forward to reading more from this author. Great debut!#WonanOnTheEdge #SamanthaMBailey

[ozzer_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Samantha Bailey manages the complex plot of this psychological thriller to steadily increase tension and slowly converge multiple threads to a satisfying conclusion. She deftly drops clues along the way while never revealing all of her cards. The principal event is suicide by subway where an infant is transferred from a mother to an unsuspecting recipient on a Chicago platform just prior to leaping in front of an oncoming train. Why would this woman carry out such a desperate act? What is the connection between the two women? Did the recipient actually push the victim? Clearly, Bailey leaves us with a lot to mull over in the first few pages of her novel.The novel has two protagonists who share first person narrations in alternating chapters. Nicole is the mother. She is the successful CEO of a clothing/fitness company who is on maternity leave following the birth of her daughter. Her chapters represent flashbacks and focus on explaining her bizarre decline. Morgan, the recipient, does not know Nicole and is confused by Nicole knowing her name and by what motivated her to hand over her child. Also, Morgan is recovering from her husband’s recent suicide following an embezzlement scandal. Since she is a person of interest in Nicole’s death, Morgan is motivated to clear her name.Unfortunately, Bailey faces some significant challenges regarding the motivations of her characters and her attempts at resolutions seem either contrived or clichéd and thus only partially succeed. Why would a high-powered female executive have a total breakdown and then decide to give up the newborn she clearly loves? Why would she choose a total stranger as the guardian when she has a husband and a devoted friend? Why would a total stranger fall in love with a child and risk her own safety to protect her despite never actually developing any rapport with her? Why would a father just walk away from his wife and child immediately following the birth? Why would a grieving mother carry a grudge against a babysitter for decades when the cause of death was ruled to have been SIDS? These questions and others that cannot be revealed because they would spoil the story mar the overall reading experience.

[kmjessica · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a fast paced read. I really enjoyed this story. It was thrilling all the way to the end.
This is the kind of book that will pull you in and keep you turning pages until you've finished.
Can you imagine if a woman you don't know came up to you and told you to take her baby and keep her safe?
And you need to figure out what the heck is going on. 5 Stars!

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey is a suspenseful mystery novel. Morgan Kincaid is surprised when a woman comes up to her on the subway platform and gives her the baby she is carrying. She says that she has been watching Morgan. She asks her to love the baby and not let anyone hurt her. The woman then jumps in front of the incoming train. Unfortunately, no one can verify Morgan’s account of the events. Detective Martinez focuses on Morgan as the prime suspect. She wonders if Morgan pushed Nicole for her baby. Morgan and Detective Martinez have history. Morgan soon notices that someone has been in her apartment and they have only stolen one item. She then notices someone following her. Morgan wonders if she is being paranoid or if someone is trying to kill her? Morgan wants answers and is not willing to wait for them. If you regularly read mystery novels, you will have no problem solving the whodunit. I kept hoping that the author would surprise me at the end. The point-of-view switches from Morgan in the present to Nicole in the past to tell the story. I found Woman on the Edge a hard book to get into (it took me a little while). I felt like I had been dumped into the middle of a story in the beginning plus it was confusing with the back and forth. Once I understood what was happening and got into the story, the book moved along steadily. I could feel Nicole ’s agitation and panic as well as Morgan’s fear. I found the second half of the book more gripping than the first. You do need to suspend your disbelief over the events that happen to the characters (some are hard to believe). Woman on the Edge is a dark and intense story that deals with suicide, postpartum depression and a deadly psychopath. There is foul language in Woman on the Edge. This is a good debut novel from Samantha M. Bailey. Be prepared to stay late so you can learn how the book turns out.

[linyarai · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I got this book from my Secret Santa this year, never heard of the title before, and it was Amazing. From the cover I wasn't sure if it would be hokey or fantastic, and it was fantastic. It was so fast paced and sucked me in so fast that I finished it in less than a day. It took a chapter or two to figure out who the characters were, but it was a crazy ride right until the end.

[alekee_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Warning you will be quickly be holding your breath with this one! It became a page-turner for me, I had to have answers.When the facts finally unfolded, I was surprised I hadn’t seen it coming!Two hurting women, and how their paths crossed amazed me, I was really surprised, and never would have guessed.The author has us walking in both these woman’s shoes, and we travel back and forth in their lives. Most I never saw happening, even with knowing almost from the beginning, what occurs, and hoping it isn’t true!In the end, I became so involved in these characters lives that I wanted to have more!I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Simon and Schuster, and was not required to give a positive review.

[jnmegan · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Firstly, I have to say that I have a deep respect for anyone who puts pen to paper, embarking on the thankless task of writing a novel. I admire those who have the stamina and bravery to put something original out there - exposed and vulnerable to critics who cannot possibly understand how difficult it is to be truly original and expressive when so many wonderful things have already been written. I love reading, and appreciate that my own passion could not be fulfilled if others did not take this leap of faith to produce works for my consumption. Unfortunately, occasionally there are times however when I wish a writer had been told by a professional or friend that their output is a mess before releasing it out into the world. Woman on the Edge by Samantha M. Bailey is a debut novel that badly needed such a voice of reason. Although the premise is captivating and the novel starts out on a promising note, it quickly devolves into a tangle of unsympathetic characters engaged in improbable scenarios in which they make stupendously imbecilic decisions. Morgan Kincaid, a social worker on her way to work one day encounters a desperate woman with a baby in her arms. This stranger somehow knows her name and tosses the baby in her arms to her right before falling backwards onto the train tracks. It turns out that the mother is Nicole Markham, founder and CEO of a famous athleisure company who has been brought to this insane state due to a combination of past trauma, paranoia due to PPD and an insidious plot against her. Despite being in a crowded place, no one witnesses to the event can corroborate Morgan’s version of the tragedy. Morgan has her own storied past which involves a husband who committed suicide after being investigated for embezzlement. For some reason, the same irrationally vindictive detective that believed that Morgan was involved in those financial crimes also is on this case as well, and now suspects her of pushing Nicole to her death. The novel consists of alternating chapters describing Nicole’s unnecessary dissolution and Morgan’s harebrained attempts to clear her name by playing amateur detective while ignoring her lawyer’s advice. These are both women apparently bereft of friends, intuition, social skills-or even a shred of common sense. Any potential empathy or credibility is lost as the reader becomes increasing confused by how the plot unfolds; frustrated by the implausibility of the motives of the ancillary characters; and infuriated by the way Morgan and Nicole are repeated victims of their own bad choices. It is difficult to see all the women portrayed in the novel possessed with so few redeeming qualities, and the baby is the only female character left worth rooting for. What is truly unfortunate is that Woman on the Edge, with a bit more care and editing, might have been an interesting look into the insecurity of motherhood and the devastating effects of postpartum psychosis. Then, it might have had the potential to be mystery worth sinking into instead of one that must simply be endured.Thanks to the author, Simon and Schuster and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

[nicx27 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What an intriguing tagline this book has. What would possess a woman to give a baby to a stranger on a train platform and then jump in front of a train. That's what Morgan Kincaid finds herself wondering after Nicole Markham does that exact thing.Morgan is a woman who is recovering after a traumatic time. She's lost her husband but more than that, she's dealing with the mess he left behind. When she's given the baby she is taken aback but she's also always wanted a child of her own and so for a split second she revels in the possibilities.There's more to all this than meets the eye. What is the link between Morgan and Nicole? Morgan can't think of any link at all. She sets to trying to find out more, especially when she finds herself suspected of pushing Nicole in front of the train. This is a relatively short book at 288 pages but it's got a lot packed into it. We see Nicole before the incident and Morgan afterwards in alternating chapters which really help to bring the threads together. I really liked how Morgan's findings tied in with the lead up to Nicole's death.Woman on the Edge is a story that is fast-paced and full of tension. I did see the outcome from a mile off but I still enjoyed getting there and seeing if I was correct. Thinking back, I'm not sure the reason for what happened was quite as fully explained as I would have expected though. I did enjoy this book a lot. I found it quite gripping and sad really, about two women dealing with serious issues not exactly of their making.

[bonnie.franks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book had spectacular tension from the opening page to the closing sentence.The mere thought of someone handing their tiny baby to someone on a train platform is enough to draw you in...not because you're curious, but because you are shocked and dismayed. And that is the beginning.These characters are real as real can be, good, bad, or otherwise. They make you feel good, bad, or otherwise. You are there with them for the entire book. You dwell in their world and couldn't imagine leaving if you tried.I was impressed with the writing, the story itself, and the impact. You will be also.

[susan.h.schofield · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a very enjoyable debut thriller. Although highly unbelievable, it was fast paced and entertaining. While I had my suspicions about who was really who was tormenting Nicole early, there were still a few unexpected twists. Thanks to NetGalley for the digital ARC.

[girlwellread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A special thank you to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.On a subway platform in Chicago, Morgan Kincaid’s life is changed forever when a stranger hands her a baby, then jumps in front of an oncoming train. Morgan can't understand why someone would give their child to a complete stranger and take their own life.Unfortunately, Morgan's involvement runs deeper when she's considered a suspect in the death of the woman. But Morgan has never seen her before that day. With no witnesses to corroborate her version of events, things are not looking good. To clear her name, Morgan tries to piece together Nicole Markham's final days. Nicole believed that she, and her new baby, were in danger. Or was she a new mother struggling with postpartum depression and paranoia? And what is Morgan's connection to all of this? As she gets closer to the truth, one thing become apparent, her life is also in danger.I was hooked right from the start!In this explosive novel, Bailey deftly alternates between Morgan's and Nicole's stories, past and present. One of the women is struggling with her grief and the desire to become a mother, the other is struggling with becoming a mother and the overwhelming desire to protect her child.Nicole's anxiety is compounded by the guilt of a traumatic event in her past. Her angst is palpable, as are her fears of motherhood, and she becomes a shell of her former self—a far cry from the successful CEO of her own company. Morgan's life fell apart when her husband committed suicide as a result of being found guilty of embezzlement. She was left with the repercussions, including the police thinking that she was his accomplice. The two women are forever joined by tragedy, but what is their connection?The character descension and strong pacing ratchet up the tension. Cleverly delivered in short, suspenseful chapters, readers will grapple with not only who to believe, but with also not being able to put the book down.With the speed of a train, this incredible debut comes careening down the tracks. It is exhilarating, tense, and consuming.