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Fiction. Mystery. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: EDGAR AWARD NOMINEE FOR BEST NOVEL "As Before She Was Helen opens, readers are drawn into what appears to be a light, retirement-community caper. But author Caroline B. Cooney quickly flips expectations upside-down in this deceptively dark mystery. Between old crimes and fresh murders, septuagenarian protagonist Clemmie faces an unspeakable fear that will keep readers hooked in this twisty whodunit."â??Julie Hyzy, New York Times bestselling author From the critically acclaimed, international bestselling author Caroline B. Cooney comes a domestic thriller perfect for fans of mystery books by Laura Lippman and Alice Feeney. Her life didn't turn out the way she expectedâ??so she made herself a new one When Clemmie goes next door to check on her difficult and unlikeable neighbor Dom, he isn't there. But something else is. Something stunning, beautiful and inexplicable. Clemmie photographs the wondrous object on her cell phone and makes the irrevocable error of forwarding it. As the picture swirls over the internet, Clemmie tries desperately to keep a grip on her own personal network of secrets. Can fifty years of careful hiding under names not her own be ruined by one careless picture? And although what Clemmie finds is a work of art, what the police find is a body. . . and she was the last person at the crime scene, where she left her fingerprints. Suddenly thrown into the heart of a twisted investigation, Clemmie finds herself the uncomfortable subject of intense scrutiny. And the bland, quiet life Clemmie has built for herself in her sleepy South Carolina retirement community comes crashing down as her dark past surges into the present. From international bestselling author of The Face on the Milk Carton Caroline B. Cooney comes Before She Was Helen, an absorbing mystery that brings decades-old secrets to life and explores what happens when the lie you've been living falls apart and you're forced to confront the truth.… (more)
User reviews
Oh boy…did I love Clemmie or rather Helen…her alias. Yep…you heard right. She has a secret life and you just have to hear her story as to why and how she ended up as Helen. She is a great person and she has been through so much. And now it is all threatened. And then the story twists again. How much more can the reader take! I was stressed to the max reading this tale!
This story just reels you in. And honestly, I kept guessing and just plain guessing wrong! I love that! I love an author which keeps me on my toes and this one surely did!
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Helen didn't hear from her neighbor Dom which was unusual since he texted her every morning to let her know he was ok.
Today when
Finding that door was a big mistake...it led to finding something she didn't want to be involved in and something she never knew was going on in her quiet retirement community.
She also should have never mentioned what she found to her nephew who actually got her in a predicament that “blew up” because he posted it on social media.
If that wasn’t enough trouble for her....her neighbor’s nephew was murdered.
BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN pulled me in because of Helen.
I really liked Helen and felt sorry for her especially since her secrets might get out after all of these years and because she had a terrible childhood filled with guilt and bad memories.
That's why she created another persona in the first place....she used to be Clemmie. She had to hide her secrets and her past.
The story line flowed beautifully, and this book is filled with regrets, lovable, quirky retired characters, fun, and a murder to solve. It is difficult to figure out who the murderer is because it could be any number of people.
If you need something different as well as enjoyable, BEFORE SHE WAS HELEN should be your next read because you never know what goes on in a retirement community. 5/5
This book was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Something traumatic happened to
Publication date was May 4, 2021 by Random House - Ballentine. Genre: General Fiction, Mystery, Thrillers.
Thank you to Netgalley for the advanced reader's copy of this book. I was not compensated for the review, all opinions are mine.
As a kid and
One day, she checks on her neighbor, and discovers a piece of art. She texts it to her nephew, and he shares it on social media,
I enjoyed this tale of an elderly woman being put into a situation, and her thoughts on what to do. Her back story of why she was so private made sense, and the commentary on life in the 50s and 60s and the comparison to now was interesting.