The Girl Before

It's a rainy Sunday.  Your partner is out. Whether that is a good thing generally speaking or not, you are looking forward to a relaxing day to do whatever you'd like.  If on this rainy day you were to decide to pick up The Girl Before, a new novel by JP Delaney, and start to read, you may be able to complete it before you end your day.  And you will be glad you spent the day between those covers. The Girl Before is a page turner whodunnit, very cleverly written with a number of potential suspects.  It will keep you guessing until the perpetrator is revealed.  

I understand that Ron Howard, well known as Opie to we senior citizens, will be making a movie out of this novel.  I will look forward to it.  It will be a challenge. The novel is written from the perspective of two characters, Emma and Jane. Each chapter is entitled either "Then: Emma" or "Now: Jane." In a nutshell: Emma and Jane, at one point or another, rent the same home in London-a home designed by an eccentric architect.  There are some deaths. To relay much more is to give away too much and even if you do not intend to read the book, you might down the road want to see Opie's movie without any hints regarding the identity of the doer.

I got the tip about the book at, of all places, a liquor store.  There's one I frequent nearby that employs a part time clerk who is a full time librarian.  Once I walked in there and she must have had a book near the cash register. We got to talking about books and I asked for recommendations. This was several years ago. At the time she gave me a recommendation for The Help, which I very much enjoyed.  So, when I saw her there last week I asked what she recommended. She said, The Girl Before.  Good tip. And I am passing it along.