Whisper Falls is a fresh start for Madison and her fiancé Cooper. The safe, quiet town on the shores of a beautiful lake is the perfect place to spend the rest of their lives.

But then Madison learns that Cooper’s high-school girlfriend Celia disappeared after a party. Three days later, her body was found in the lake.

And the town thinks it wasn’t an accident.

Madison loves Cooper, but she can’t help wondering. She has to know the truth.

But if she starts asking questions, what other secrets will be revealed? Will she meet the same fate as the woman who came before her?

A dark, gripping psychological thriller with a brilliant twist, The One Before is perfect for fans of Karin Slaughter, Gillian Flynn, and Rachel Caine.

My Rating:

Favorite Quotes:

I feel slighted by her unnecessary comment, but I don’t think she can help herself. In the half-hour I’ve known her, I’ve picked up on her innate ability to aggravate people.

“That’s what we do in Whisper. We choose our side and defend it to the death.” I roll my eyes again. Regina will take some getting used to, but there’s truth in what she says… This town certainly takes sides.

Mistakes cast ripples; they penetrate your surface, the life you thought you had, and expand onward from there.

Sympathy is granted sparingly; it’s typically reserved for forms of tragedy. An unpreventable illness. An unprovoked crime. We forget most people are the source of their own unhappiness. When you’re the cause of your hardships, people are less willing to forgive.

My Review:

This was a clever and twisted tale of intrigue, family entanglements, small-town complications, and secrets.   The characters were oddly enticing and magnetic, they plucked at my curiosity to know more about them as they inhabited well-crafted storylines that curved, bent, and folded over like a beautiful origami swan. The pacing was shrewd and expertly honed to keep me enslaved to my Kindle and hissing at any and all distractions that dared interfere with my perusal. This was my first exposure to Miranda Smith’s treachery and I am already craving more.