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The Girl Before by J. P. Delaney
Jan. 11th, 2017 11:49 pmThe Blurb On The Back:
Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there – and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
J. P. Delaney (a pseudonym for Tony Strong) has written a twisting psychological thriller and although Monkford has FIFTY SHADES OF GREY vibes and the reveal is signalled too early, the combination of unreliable narrators, good red herrings and a denouement that (for the most part) pays off made this a gripping read. The best thing about the book is the dual narrative between Jane and Emma as they slowly reveal their experience in the house and with the enigmatic Monkford. Each has a believable voice (Jane’s sections are particularly strong where she experiences and considers her miscarriage) and I really enjoyed the slow reveal of their respective lies as it adds depth to the storyline and kept me gripped. Monkford is an underdrawn character with a creepy Christian Grey vibe and I questioned what Emma and Jane saw in him beyond his physical attractiveness because his behaviour is so unpleasant at times but I did like the repetition in his behaviour and Delaney is clever in the way he draws this out. Also good is the way that the house develops as a character in its own right (scenes where it turns on the narrators are genuinely creepy) and although I figured out the main twist early on in the story, the writing is such that it held my attention to the end and I would definitely read Strong’s other books.
THE GIRL BEFORE will be released in the United Kingdom on 26th January 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules. After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there – and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before …
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
J. P. Delaney (a pseudonym for Tony Strong) has written a twisting psychological thriller and although Monkford has FIFTY SHADES OF GREY vibes and the reveal is signalled too early, the combination of unreliable narrators, good red herrings and a denouement that (for the most part) pays off made this a gripping read. The best thing about the book is the dual narrative between Jane and Emma as they slowly reveal their experience in the house and with the enigmatic Monkford. Each has a believable voice (Jane’s sections are particularly strong where she experiences and considers her miscarriage) and I really enjoyed the slow reveal of their respective lies as it adds depth to the storyline and kept me gripped. Monkford is an underdrawn character with a creepy Christian Grey vibe and I questioned what Emma and Jane saw in him beyond his physical attractiveness because his behaviour is so unpleasant at times but I did like the repetition in his behaviour and Delaney is clever in the way he draws this out. Also good is the way that the house develops as a character in its own right (scenes where it turns on the narrators are genuinely creepy) and although I figured out the main twist early on in the story, the writing is such that it held my attention to the end and I would definitely read Strong’s other books.
THE GIRL BEFORE will be released in the United Kingdom on 26th January 2017. Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the ARC of this book.
