Helen's Book Blog: TLC Book Tour: Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf

Title: Before She Was Found
Author: Heather Gudenkauf
Year Published: 2019

Genre: Adult fiction

Pages: 458

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Location (my 2019 Google Reading map): USA (IA)

FTC Disclosure: I was given a copy of this book for an impartial review

Summary (from the inside flap of the book): For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover—movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.

Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora—and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted—not even those closest to Cora.

Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe—even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.

Purchase Links: Amazon | Books-A-Million | Barnes & Noble

Connect with Heather: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Review: Such a good thriller with twists and turns that make sense, but that I did not see coming.

This novel is told from various perspectives: a psychiatrist; the grandfather of one of the girls; the victim's diary; another girl's mother, and the occasional text conversation between characters as well as a transcript from an online chat room. I liked the different and distinct voices as well as the variety of modes of telling the story. They all wove together to keep the tension high and the pages turning.

The author does characters well. She captured the tensions among pre-teen girls so well. They so badly want to be liked and accepted and will sometimes go to great lengths to fit in. And they can be so cruel as well. Sibling relationships are also important to the story and I felt Max and Kendall were very real in how they interacted with the young girls. I also felt like the adults were realistic, even in their mistakes and outlandish behavior.

If you're looking for a good thriller, I recommend this one.

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