BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM by Peter Swanson

Rating: 4 / 5

I loved Peter Swanson’s THE KIND WORTH KILLING and I’ve been eager to pick up more of his books. I’ve had BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM on my shelf for a while, so when I saw it on a list of suggested reads for my prompt about an artist due to the main characters’ illustrator career, I immediately added it to my TBR.

BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM by follows Henrietta (Hen). Hen is settling into a new home with her husband Lloyd. Hen works as an illustrator and she’s finally feeling like she’s got a handle on her bipolar disorder. They join their neighbors for a dinner which proves to be not entirely what Hen expects and things quickly escalate. Hen spots a trophy on display, one that looks exactly like the trophy that went missing after a young man was killed two years prior. This has her spiraling, settling back into an obsession that she thought she had left behind.

This book was exactly the fun, page turning psychological thriller I wanted when I picked it up. Hen is convinced that her neighbor is a serial killer, but she doesn’t know what to do with that information. No one believes her, least of all her husband who has already gone through so much with her illness. The lack of belief someone gets when labeled with a mental illness did ring true. Even Hen develops some doubts of her own along the way.

This is one I went into pretty blind and I think that was for the best. It was a fun ride and I needed to see what Hen would do next and what would happen. This is one I’d recommend for those looking for a quick and fun psychological thriller.

Reading Challenges:

#PopsugarReadingChallenge – a book about art or an artist