The Life She Had

By: K.L. Armstrong

Narrated by: Gail Shalan

Length: 9 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

Instant National Bestseller

A pulse-pounding new thriller from the bestselling author of Wherever She Goes and Every Step She Takes.

If someone were threatening your home, how far would you go to protect it?

A stranger is trespassing in Celeste Turner's backyard, moving through the shadows around her shed. It could be a harmless backpacker seeking temporary refuge, but experience has taught Celeste to be extra wary. Not wishing to draw unwanted attention, she cannot turn to the police. Celeste is an outsider to this region of rural Florida, and all the locals see is a "city girl" who swooped in to secure her inheritance. But Celeste needs her new life to work, so she must confront her intruder.

To her surprise, she finds out that her unwanted guest is a young backpacker named Daisy. She is polite and friendly, just taking advantage of some shelter as she makes her way through the area. Swiftly, they begin an unlikely and beneficial friendship—Celeste can't help herself, and besides, Daisy will be moving on soon. Why not take advantage of the extra help?

Both women have secrets they want to keep buried, and when a body is discovered near Celeste's house, they must move quickly to prove their innocence and protect the lives they've built for themselves.

©2022 K.L. Armstrong (P)2022 Penguin Random House Canada

Critic reviews

"When two women who are pretending to be someone they’re not, and packing more than secrets and questionable intentions, are set on a twisted collision course in rural Florida, you know it’s going to be one hell of a ride. Not only does K. L. Armstrong immediately hook you with complex, multi-layered characters, snappy dialogue and a seriously creepy setting, but she deftly makes you switch your allegiances multiple times over before finally revealing the truth. A fast-paced, intriguing thriller, which I devoured in a matter of days, this suspenseful and atmospheric novel is an absolute must-read." - Hannah Mary McKinnon, internationally bestselling author of You Will Remember Me

"Two women with dark secrets, a steamy setting and an abundance of jaw-dropping twists make The Life She Had an absolute page-turner." - Robyn Harding, bestselling author of The Perfect Family

"Within those first few lines, the tension clamped down and did not let go. Propulsive and sinister, with twists that knocked me sideways. Meet your next binge read. Prepare for sweaty palms." –Nicole Lundrigan, author of An Unthinkable Thing

Not normally my type of book! But worth it!

This book is written in a way different style than what I normally read. If you are really into mysteries, do not read this book as background noise. The first 15 or so chapters are really confusing, but stick with it! Because the plot thickens and gets so good!
I felt the characters were really well rounded. Some of them are yelled at! Others I cheered when they died! This is the first book I have read by this author and I plan to check out other books!

Difficult

It was difficult to tell which female character was talking. More readers may have helped. Thanks.

Slow to start

Nothing happens in the first 6 hours of the book. The last 4 hours are good but not sure it’s worth the credit.

I love everything thing Kelly Armstrong but this was this was not up to her standards