In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Silent Wife, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception.

SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD

Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.

The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.

EMMA
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.

JANE
After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.

Book Type:

Psychological Thriller

Review: The Girl Before

Thriller lovers rejoice—The Girl Before by JP Delaney is whip-smart and riveting the whole way through. It’s a story that perfectly unravels, taking you on a journey rife with secrets, lies and manipulation. It’s a story shaped by perfection and technology, a story come alive by its complex characters and the treachery they hide.

The story unwinds from the perspectives of two women—Emma and Jane—each of whom lived at One Folgate Street. The home was designed by a famous architect obsessed with perfection. For a life unencumbered by things, beautiful through its essentialism and enhanced by a technology that makes one’s life better. Not everyone is right for the extraordinary One Folgate Street, with its long list of rules and its equally enigmatic but demanding landlord.

Emma and Jane each had reasons for seeking the comfort the home provided. Emma was victim to a brutal break-in, while Jane suffered a life-changing loss.

“Perhaps the house will turn me into a better person. Perhaps it will bring order and discipline to the random chaos of my life.”

But then Jane—the latest tenant—discovers that Emma was tragically killed while living there. And as she digs into the circumstances of her death, she unearths troubling secrets and lies. What’s worse is that it becomes clear that Jane is making all the same choices Emma made… choices that could have led to her death.

Delaney masterfully juxtaposes the sterile, uncluttered environment of One Folgate Street with the messy, uncontrollable chaos that is human nature. The cast of characters is fascinating, each with secrets they’ve buried deep. Suspicion thrums throughout the entire constantly shifting, multilayered narrative, right up to its shocking and fully satisfying ending.

The Girl Before delivers superior psychological suspense—perfectly paced and cleverly crafted. Everyone should read this book.