Hollow Bones

The protagonist and narrator is named Molly Fitzgerald. Her mother, Eloise Ambrose, died in the South Tower of the World Trade Center in New York City during the 9/11 attacks when Molly was an infant. Her father, Adam Ambrose, is a forensic engineer who has become obsessed with 9/11 conspiracy theories. Her stepmother, Evie Ambrose, was Eloise’s best friend and has raised Molly since she was a baby. Molly is married to Jesse Fitzgerald, a police detective and polygraph expert with a history of juvenile arson stemming from family trauma.

In September 2026, Molly, now the 25-year-old chief of the Center for Emergency Preparedness and Response for Rhode Island, oversees a large-scale simulated plane crash at T.F. Green International Airport. The drill tests first responders, and a late-stage complication arises when a “lap infant” is reported missing. After a search, the “infant” is found to be a doll planted in a cubby on the plane as part of the test, and the exercise concludes successfully.

Molly takes her annual trip to New York City for the ceremony for the 25th anniversary of 9/11, where she meets her friend Tabs Cubero, who lost her father in the attacks.