Audiobook, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller

Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Jonetta | Blue Mood Café

Before She Knew Him

Henrietta (Hen) Mazur and her husband Lloyd Harding are new residents of West Dartford, Massachusetts, a commuter suburb of Boston. When they attend a block party, they meet the only other childless couple, Matthew and Mira Dolamore, striking up a conversation and later meeting them at their home for dinner. During a tour of the home, Hen notices a distinctive but familiar sports trophy in Matthew’s office that sends chills through her. She believes it belongs to a murder victim whose case remains unsolved.

I went into the story blind as I’ve read enough books by this author to know that I’ll read any new ones regardless of the premise. It’s really fun to just follow a story without preconceived notions of where it might go. Good thing because there are just as many unpredictable paths here as the tried and true. Hen is an intriguing character who has so many layers I wasn’t always certain I knew her, which is part of the mystery. Hers is the main narrative along with Matthew, who is equally fascinating, and his brother, Richard. The transitions between the three voices were perfectly choreographed in such a way that I rarely found good pause points. So, I just kept going!

I loved the two narrators, though Hen’s voice carried the heft of the story. Their storytelling skills were so good, using inflections in all the right places and infusing the appropriate emotions, or lack thereof, at critical junctures. They made me so happy with my decision to wait for the audio version.

I was completely enthralled by this story. You know there’s going to be a twisty move down the road because that’s typical of a Swanson tale and it’s just a matter of how big. It crept up on me gradually so I saw a bit of it coming but was unprepared for the last irony. There’s a point where I had no clue as to where the story would lead and just loved riding through the waves. This was a wonderful listening experience.

Book Info

  • Release Date: March 5, 2019
  • Narrators: Sophie Amoss & Graham Halstead
  • Audio Length: 10 hours, 15 minutes
  • Publisher: HarperAudio

 

 

 

 

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(Thanks to HarperAudio for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)

Published by Jonetta | Blue Mood Café

35 thoughts on “Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson”

  13. Wonderful review! I have this one on audio just waiting for me, I should bump it up! I just have so many books and not enough time! Not complaining though!

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