Before She Was Found

This is a chilling, atmospheric read about friendship, peer pressure and betrayal. The main premise focuses on a small town's urban legend giving it a creepy vibe, but the plot also centres on a trio of tween girls and a few relevant issues facing kids today - cyber bullying/stalking and the dangers of social media. 

Readers are given multiple red herrings to keep them intrigued as the police try to figure out who viciously attacked a 12-year-old girl. The story is told using multiple POVs as well as diary entries, text messages and police interviews which give readers various perspectives. These switches between characters and the general creepy vibe kept me on my toes and had me thinking of various theories of what happened in that abandoned train yard. But I must admit, I wasn't a fan of the ending. I had read a book earlier in 2020 (see that spoiler in my GoodReads review) with a similar denouement but found that while the resolution was believable, it was a bit underwhelming after such a sinister build-up. 

Overall, this was an enjoyable, creepy suspense read that has a slight Young Adult feel to it compared to Gudenkauf's other books because the story focuses on three tween girls, but it is a compelling read about toxic relationships that will keep readers quickly turning the pages and probably finishing in only a couple of sittings.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Heather Gudenkauf

Genre: Suspense

Type and Source: Hardcover (368 pages) from Public Library

Publisher: Park Row

First Published: April 16, 2019

Opening Lines: The air is cold, but she barely notices. It's the dark that 
fills her chest with terror, makes her limbs heavy with dread.

Book Description from GoodReads: A gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town

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.