"The Girl Before"

"The Girl Before"
Written by J.P. Delaney
Reviewed by Diana Iozzia

"The Girl Before" was a tense and brilliant psychological thriller, about two women who have moved into the same house created by the same bizarre architect. We learn quickly about Emma, the woman who lived in first, who moves in with her pesty and jealous boyfriend. Jane is the second character, who has moved into the home, possibly a few months or a few years after Emma's. We quickly realize that Emma is in danger, and we can assume that Jane is in peril as well.

One of the most interesting aspects of this unique thriller is the location. The high-tech and severely acute landlord, Edward Monkford, designed and built an odd and deeply intrusive house, with over two hundred stipulations that the tenants must abide by. I thoroughly enjoyed reading all of the strange rules and contractual obligations that tenants agree to in the contract. Some include: no rugs or carpets, no items left on floor, no pictures to be hung up, no books, no ornaments, no clothes lines, and flat packed furniture. Tenants must abide by all rules or risk contract breach.

Allowing Edward to be so manipulative instantly creatives paranoia, that he might be the true evil mastermind. The reader also suspects many other characters but all for good reason. Power balances usually add an interesting element to the plot, but Edward's power over Emma and Jane is unparalleled.

To begin, J.P. Delaney's ability to create interesting characters, dialogue, plot points, and a great writing style becomes apparent within the first chapter. Delaney creates fantastic suspects and red herrings, that throw the reader into the story. There are incredible moments of suspense that tease certain characters' movements, reliability, locations, and even small details that make us think we've arrived at a crucial scene.

The baiting that Delaney creates causes the reader to become constantly on edge, suspicious of any movement, piece of dialogue, and thought. The tornado effect leaves us paranoid, as much as the characters are. One of the best actions to take when reading this novel is to be aware of everything and leave no stone unturned. Every detail is vitally important, and Delaney truly uses each to add incredible detail.

The amount of detail taken into consideration for this novel is truly astounding. The entire novel's payoff astounded me. I felt that this was truly an all-encompassing novel, without any major flaws that lessened my experience. Every aspect was unbelievably well-rounded.

When the plot develops to include more about Jane and Emma, we recognize a mirrored effect. In one chapter, Emma is wearing a pearl necklace, gifted to them by Edward. Next, Jane is wearing the same necklace. Seeing the odd links between the two creates an extraordinary element of anxiety. The reader feels intensely immersed in the novel.

There are a few small aspects that I felt superfluous to the plot, but reflecting upon them leads to the realization how some minor and less exciting parts do add to the whole picture.

The final climax truly proves how well this author created her characters. Also, the final jaw-dropping scene was awesome! I love a great author who knows when they can craft wonderful cliffhangers.

In all, this was one of my favorite thrillers that I have read in 2019. I highly enjoy the work of this author and plan to continue to read his others works as soon as I have the time. I recommend this thriller to those who enjoy the film and television works of Jordan Peele and Mike Flanagan, and the unique thrillers of Liv Constantine, Tana French, B.A. Paris, and the books written by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen. I truly enjoyed this. I rated this story at five stars out of five stars. This will be a new favorite.