Before She Knew Him: A Novel Hardcover – March 5, 2019

Without spoiling anything, I have to say I tell myself I hate these kind of plot lines but always devour them. This one was done well. I didn’t catch on until about the 60% mark, and even then it still held my interest and was a gripping read. Well done.

So, Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson should have been a five star thriller, if not for one nagging little detail which I won't mention because it's a spoiler but for those who've read it, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about.Don't get me wrong. It's got great characterization, a slow burning pace that filled me with dread with every turn of the page, fingernail biting suspense, and a strong prose.The plot is something out of a Hitchcock film: Hen and Lloyd decide to meet their neighbors, Mira and Matthew. Hen discovers something in Matthew's study that reminds of her a murder she'd researched obsessively. Matthew realizes that Hen is beginning to realize that he is the murderer. And that's just the first couple of chapters. Swanson drives the plot with ease, giving the reader little bites of the main characters personalities. Some twists are easier to spot than others, but this isn't a whodunnit as much as it is awhydunnit. He has a way of giving his plots the Hitchcock feel, giving the lead heroine and her husband questionable moral without sounding contrived.Every plot point falls neatly in place; nothing feels out of the blue or written just for the sake of surprise. I felt like Swanson guided me into the action instead of dropping bombs like some thriller authors are fond of. Out of the four Swanson books I've read, this falls into third place, but not because it's terrible in any way. I found that even though I appreciated the suspense, I had been anticipating a few major twists, like in All the Beautiful Lies or The Kind Worth Killing. Despite this, the suspense alone and intriguing plot were enough to turn this thriller from a good read to a great one. Well worth it.

I liked the first three quarters of the book. It was intriguing. The last quarter seemed rushed and not as well thought out. The multiple personalities was interesting, but also the Dustin Miller was a lot at once.

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. . .My Thoughts: Before She Knew Him is a fascinating character study with alternating voices. We first meet Hen after she and her husband Lloyd have moved into their new neighborhood. After meeting next door neighbors Matthew and Mira, the two join them for dinner. Discovering the sports trophy in Matthew’s office sets Hen off on an obsessive journey, one that she has been on before.Her past, with some psychotic behavior, reminds her that her current behavior is like a red flag warning her not to follow this path. But she is unable to steer clear, even following and stalking Matthew.When we join Matthew’s perspective, we learn a lot about his own obsessions…and how he is also fascinated by Hen and her art. He senses that she is a kindred spirit, and draws her into his dark mind.What will happen to the two of them, and will their knowledge of each other take them on an even darker journey? How will the journey into Matthew’s past take Hen into the world of another character? Will that discovery reveal unexpected things? And how will the frightening path lead Hen into a time before she had met Matthew, showing a deeper connection? A gripping 5 star read.

I was about 65% through with the book when I figured it out…This was a fun book to read and definitely a page turner. For me personally, I wouldn’t say this book was filled with twists but it was very exciting. And even though I figured out the main “secret” I still wanted to keep reading to find out more detail. I definitely recommendSpoiler alert:As I mentioned about I was about 65% into the book when I realized we were reading about Split personalities. It was at that moment when I realized I don’t think I actually ever read of Richard and Mira together… Richard always says Mira hates him. Matthew only talks to him when Mira is not around… etc..However, as mentioned above I was still interested to keep reading to see how the story unfolded… Good book

I picked up a used copy of 8 Perfect Murders a few years ago and never read it. I picked it up this summer and read straight through it before I moved on to Nine Lives. Both of those two books impressed me as being in the style of Agatha Christie and I enjoyed them very much. When I moved onto this one, I was't sure what to expect. It doesn't not use the same device as the first two books, so I knew it would read differently. I was very pleasantly surprised. I read this book in about 3 days (when you're home with Covid, you've got the time). I just picked up The Kind Worth Killing.

"Before She Knew Him" is the second novel of Peter Swanson's that I have read; the other was "The Kind Worth Killing". This is much darker but equally suspenseful and well written.It centers around two couples, neighbours who meet at a neighbourhood party. Hen (short forHenrietta) and Lloyd, and Matthew and Mira. Although there isn't any chemistry between the couples, they have one thing in common- they are childless- and Mira extends an invitation for dinner at their house. There was no connection between any of them, and conversation awkward, however, just as Hen and Lloyd were at the door to leave, Mira offered to give them a tour of their house. Hen sees something in Matthew's study that sends a chill through her, and she begins to obsess about Matthew. Matthew begins to worry about Hen, when he sees her reaction to the object in his study. Hen and Matthew are the main characters, and their stories are told in third person. Hen has bipolar disorder, and, due to an incident in her college years, when she goes to the police with her concerns, she is not taken seriously. As Hen's obsession with Matthew increases, so does the suspense.I liked this novel, and the character development. I felt badly for Hen, because she was stigmatized for her mental illness, which I believe happens all too often. The ending is superb. 5 stars.

Matthew, professeur d’histoire dans un lycée privé d’une banlieue aisée, a tué un de ses anciens élèves parce qu’il avait violé une jeune femme. Sa nouvelle voisine Hen (pour Henrietta) comprend qu’il est coupable en visitant sa maison et en voyant une coupe d’escrime ayant appartenu à la victime. Mais comme elle est psychologiquement malade, elle risque de ne pas être crue. ● Je ne divulgâche rien de l’histoire en racontant ce qui précède car on apprend tout cela dès les premières pages. ● J’ai trouvé ce récit particulièrement lent. L’auteur ne nous épargne aucun détail, les plus insignifiants fussent-ils. Si le dernier rebondissement de l’histoire est effectivement plutôt inattendu, quelle patience a-t-il fallu pour y parvenir !... Et tout cela, comme souvent, n’est guère vraisemblable. ● Bref, je n’ai pas du tout « thrillé » à la lecture de ce mauvais thriller et je me demande bien pourquoi Gallmeister est sorti de sa ligne éditoriale habituelle pour publier un tel navet.

Peter Swanson is a genius when it comes to using a premise that’s been seen in so many thrillers before and turning it into a plot twist that you don’t see coming. I had to give it 4 stars instead of five because it wasn’t as engaging as his other books but I read the second half of the book in one sitting so it does get better. Do give it a read if you’re into thrillers. This isn’t a mystery in the sense that there’s no who done it component which I surprisingly really liked

Vielen dank, pünktlich angekommen. Ich mag die Titel von Swanson, aber diesen Buch habe ich nocht nicht gelesen.

I think it’s safe to say that I am definitely a Peter Swanson fan. I really enjoy his writing style and the books are always clever and twisty that tend to stay with me long after I’m finished.Soon after moving into their new house, Hen and Loyd are invited over for dinner by Matthew and Mira, their new neighbours. While on a tour through the house, Hen notices a trophy in Matthew’s office which she thinks might have belonged to a student found murdered some years previous. What is even more bizarre is that the next day the trophy is gone.While Hen is convinced that they are living beside a murderer, her husband and the police are not so sure. With previous mental instabilities, she is not the most reliable person.As her obsession spirals out of control, she begins to follow and spy on her neighbour, convinced he is planning something.The first part of the book was a bit slow and I wasn’t really sure where things were heading and I was a bit worried. Should have known better as parts two and three were fantastic! Will never doubt him again. 4.5 ⭐️