Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson | Expected publication: March 5th 2019 by William Morrow |  320 Pages | Goodreads

✅ PUBLISHER’S DESCRIPTION

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. . .

✅ REVIEW

This is a great psychological thriller from one of my favorite authors, Peter Swanson. I have read and loved three of his previous books, THE KIND WORTH KILLING, HER EVERY FEAR, and ALL THE BEAUTIFUL LIES.

In this novel we meet Hen, which is short for Henrietta. Their new neighbors, Matthew and Mira have invited them for dinner, After the four of them finished eating, Hen and her husband are given a tour of their neighbors’ house. On the study, Hen sees a fencing trophy that appears to have belonged to a man that was murdered.

Hen is sure this trophy is connected to that unresolved murder and that Matthew might have even be the murderer.

That’s all you need to know, any more details and we might get into spoiler territory. I enjoyed reading this novel, it was darkly entertaining, suspenseful and engaging.

I highly recommend this book to readers of thrillers, mysteries and contemporary fiction.

Received ARC from the publisher via Edelweiss

✅ BOOK SOURCE AND FORMAT

ARC, ebook