The Night Before
Fiction
St. Martin's Griffin
April 28, 2020
Paperback
320
Free from publisher
First dates can be murder.
Laura Lochner has never been lucky in love. She falls too hard and too fast, always choosing the wrong men. Devastated by the end of her last relationship, she fled her Wall Street job and New York City apartment for her sister's home in the Connecticut suburb where they both grew up. Though still haunted by the tragedy that's defined her entire life, Laura is determined to take one more chance on love with a man she's met on an Internet dating site.
Rosie Ferro has spent most of her life worrying about her troubled sister. Fearless but fragile, Laura has always walked an emotional tightrope, and Rosie has always been there to catch her. Laura's return, under mysterious circumstances, has cast a shadow over Rosie's peaceful life with her husband and young son - a shadow that grows darker as Laura leaves the house for her blind date.
When Laura does not return home the following morning, Rosie fears the worst. She's not responding to calls or texts, and she's left no information about the man she planned to meet. As Rosie begins a desperate search to find her sister, she is not just worried about what this man might have done to Laura. She's worried about what Laura may have done to him.
My review:
This one was a good thriller, although I'm still partial to one of the author's previous books All Is Not Forgotten. I loved the way this was told. The two sisters have alternating chapters, one told from Rosie's perspective the morning after Laura goes missing, and the other from Laura the night before. Eventually the two timelines converge and you are given the answers to what really happened to Laura. The chapters were short and concise, with great flow despite the disparate timelines. I flew through this one just wanting to find out what was going on. I will say that while I didn't know the how or why, I guessed the who very early on, which is unusual for me. There were also excerpts from Laura's therapy appointments thrown in between chapters. I know why they were there, but they took me out of the here and now story a bit, and were kind of distracting.
Overall a fast paced read. You'll have fun trying to figure out who is telling the truth and who is lying. You'll also probably want to stay away from dating site profiles for awhile 🙂 Not my favorite from this author, but worth the read.
The alternating perspectives told from opposite times is a pretty neat way to build to the final reveal. This one sounds like a real winner!
I really enjoy when there is a bit of a different telling of the story, although sometimes it can be a distraction if not done well. In this case, I think it really worked.