Before We Were Innocent
An electrifying coming-of-age novel now a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick '23!
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4.0 • 42 Ratings
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- $1.99
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- $1.99
Publisher Description
'This compulsive thriller reads like true crime and had me guessing until the very end.' Reese Witherspoon
Three friends went on holiday.
Only two came back.
Ten years ago, after a sun-soaked summer in Greece, best friends Bess and Joni were cleared of any involvement in their friend Evangeline's death. Although they were found innocent, the case made them infamous and they've not seen each other since.
Except now Joni wants a favour, and when she turns up at her old friend's doorstep in need of an alibi, Bess has no choice but to say yes. After all, she still owes her.
But can you ever leave the past behind, when the whole world believes you're guilty?
'Beautifully written, suspenseful coming-of-age story... I loved it.' The Daily Mail
'Two BFFs are accused of murder in this novel that feels like true crime.' - Cosmopolitan
'A haunting and dazzling page-turner.' – Laura Hankin
'It's a compulsive thriller, and you won't want to put down Berman's second book.'- Shondaland
'Slices to the core of a fraught friendship on the brink of disaster.' - PopSugar
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In the summer of 2008, friends Evangeline, Bess, and Joni from upscale Calabasas, Calif., go to Greece as a high school graduation present, in this twisty psychological thriller from Berman (The Comeback). At a party on Mykonos, Evangeline has a heated argument with Bess; after walking away, Evangeline takes a fatal fall off a cliff while trying to reach the beach. Bess, who was nearby, becomes a murder suspect, and Joni makes up a story for the police, she says, to protect Bess. The two surviving girls wind up spending six months in a Greek prison before being released. Back in California, Joni turns her tragic experience into a multimillion-dollar self-growth business, while Bess, who believes she was responsible for Evangeline's death, becomes a recluse. In 2018, Joni suddenly shows up at Bess's door. Joni may be implicated in a crime, and she needs Bess to lie and provide an alibi for her. The suspense rises as Berman skillfully doles out long-held secrets that lead to the truth behind what happened 10 years earlier on Mykonos. This tale of how the emotional bonds forged in youth can define people's lives long afterward will resonate with many.
Customer Reviews
Struggled
Decent story line but I struggled to get through this one