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 that 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. . .

predictable

I don't want to give any spoilers but the narration was really good, however the story was predictable and ended exactly like I expected it to.

Must Buy!!! So good

Everything was fantastic. The narration, storyline. It was exciting, suspense, mystery. The best book I've heard on audible. Just really good. He is great author. Great narration. Love, Love, Love.

Story was great, delivery was...meh

While the narrator's voice was easy to listen to, her voice distracted from those parts of the story that could have used a little more dramatic delivery. Also, the male narrator's two interjected chapters were weird to me. Listening to books, for me, is all about the narrator. They make it or break it, and unfortunately I feel like the narrator broke this one.

That said, I loved the story and it definitely turned out way differently than I anticipated.

So-so story with a so-so narrator

The story is fine... predictable and a little dull for a “thriller.” The narrator is one I will avoid in future (Sophie Amoss, the main narrator — I have no idea why one section is narrated by a man, as it is quite unnecessary.) Her voices were fine but her pronunciation was extremely grating. Every word that should end in “D” is pronounced with a “T” at the end. “A hundret...” “He wantet to...” Etc. It sounds just awful.

wow a twist!

Real life mental health issues in a great thriller, will read more by this author