Before She Knew Him

A Novel

De: Peter Swanson

Narrado por: Sophie Amoss, Graham Halstead

Catching a killer is dangerous - especially if he lives next door.

From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead them both to murder....

Hen and her husband, Lloyd, have settled into a quiet life in a new house outside of Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.

But when they meet the neighbors next door, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder - an obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore but can’t fully shake, either.

Could her neighbor Matthew be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered back in college, when she became so consumed with proving a fellow student guilty that she ended up hurting a classmate?

The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he’s planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face-to-face with Matthew in a dark parking lot, she realizes he knows she’s been watching him, that she’s really on to him; and that this is the beginning of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape....

©2019 Peter Swanson (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Wow! Fantastic Book

FYI, this book is in the "dark, psychological thrillers" genre. I suggest if that is not what you are a fan of, to take a look elsewhere. This book was impossible to put down. What a fantastic twist of events. Highly recommend it!

Utterly gripping!

I stayed up all night just about listening. One of the best listens I have in a long time.

Pretty Good...But Could Have Been Great

This was a pretty good suspense story (thriller is too strong). There were a few good twists here that if you're not a regular reader of thrillers, you won't see coming. I was satisfied right up until the last few chapters, but then things ended abruptly. It felt like once the author hit us with the "big reveal" his job was done and the story was over. I'm not someone who needs everything wrapped up in a bow, but I don't like to be left hanging.

Mild spoilers below...

1. The inclusion of the male narrator...why? He was used for a chapter or two and then dropped. What was the purpose? I kept waiting for his return but...nothing.
2. Iggy the detective. We were given indications that maybe he was going to be a central character, but then not so much.
What did he think about Hen? Was he suspicious? Did he want to arrest her? Did he care for her? Was there a relationship in the making here? The author wrote him into situations that created these questions, but then...nothing.
3. Mira. What did she think of Richard? Had she "met" him other than that one brief time in bed with Matthew? She and Matthew had been married for several years, she had to have seen him several times. Also, I think she needed another scene, another conversation with Matthew or Hen at the end -- something.
4. Lloyd. Ummmm...what? His story feels like there are chunks missing towards the end. Very abrupt.
5. There was a coincidence that was eventually revealed between two characters that went nowhere. No reason at all to be included.

Overall, I would have given this book 4 stars, right up until the last 2 or 3 chapters. I still think it's a good book and worth a listen. The female narrator Sophia Amos was excellent, and I will look for more books narrated by her.

not the best but good

Last part of story was surprise for me. did feel like whole story was drawn out in places. Its hard to have an ending that I feel ended correctly but then i realize endings are tough to know when and how to end.

AOK

I saw some negative reviews, but I enjoyed this book. The time line was not as confusing as others I have listened to.

B-

After “the kind worth killing”, this was a disappointment. Still my genre though (hence the stars). It needed major editing.

Disappointing

I continued to listen hoping the story would turn and gain momentum. It did not
Disturbed adult affected by childhood abuse

So strange and twisted

This book was very well written. I found it so twisted and several times I wanted to stop listening ..but it was like a train wreck..pretty gruesome but you can’t look away!! I had to see how it ends!

Not great, but not bad...average on my scale.

Split personalities are not easy to understand and even harder to accept. But if you can find credulity, you will be intrigued by the story. Hen has a past that interferes with her believability, and thus, she has to work harder at gaining the trust of others who become aware of her history. But she has enough nerve and daring to push herself beyond her own fears to get to the answers needed to clear up some very sordid acts. Both the narration and the pace are good. Cheers, Ken

Very graphic and violent.

Well written, but the content was much more graphic than i was expecting. The characters are deep and well developed, and the story is compelling.