Before She Was Found
A Novel
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4.5 • 22 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
A gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence.
For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover—movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.
Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora—and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted—not even those closest to Cora.
Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe—even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.
Don’t miss Heather’s upcoming twisty locked-room thriller, EVERYONE IS WATCHING!
Check out these other riveting novels of suspense by bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf:
The Weight of Silence
These Things Hidden
One Breath Away
Little Mercies
Missing Pieces
Not a Sound
This is How I Lied
The Overnight Guest
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This scintillating psychological thriller from bestseller Gudenkauf (Not a Sound) examines the cruelty of children, judgmental adults, and the consequences of pranks. Newcomer Violet Crow and class bully Jordyn Petit are having a sleepover at meek Cora Landry's house. The three 12-year-olds are obsessed with their subject for a class project on urban legends Joseph Wither, a killer who lived in their town of Pitch, Iowa, decades before. At midnight, they sneak out of Cora's house to meet someone claiming to be Wither in an abandoned rail yard. Cora is later found beaten and barely alive, Violet is in shock and covered in blood, and Jordyn has run back to the house she shares with her grandparents. Each girl's personality, shaped by her home life and the events that led to this violent episode, skillfully unfolds through text messages, journal entries, therapist's notes, and police interrogations. The stunning plot builds to a chillingly realistic ending. Only one girl may be harmed physically, but each is forever scarred. Gudenkauf is at the top of her game.
