May 2019

THE NIGHT BEFORE by Wendy Walker has a striking cover, a tension-filled plot and some great twists. Two sisters, Rosie and Laura, live very different lives. Rosie is settled, whereas Laura lives life more on the edge, running from some things in her past. Laura recently has moved back in with Rosie after going through a relationship breakup. One night, she goes on a blind date with someone she met on a dating website and does not come home. What happened the night before? While Laura is fearful, she also is reckless and is nothing like her suburbanite sister, Rosie, who knows just how much trouble Laura can get into.

There are three timelines --- the night before, the present day and therapy sessions from the recent past. And it’s told from three different viewpoints --- Rosie’s, Laura’s and the therapist’s notes. While this may sound like it’s confusing, it’s not. The switches in point of view and timing are carefully written so the reader does not get lost. We peel away Laura’s past and fear for her, knowing what she has been through. Her high school boyfriend was murdered, and for a long time fingers pointed to her as the suspect. While she was cleared, there are scars from this that keep her looking over her shoulder.

Wendy writes a brisk thriller --- the kind you can read in a day, as you say to yourself Just one more chapter. If you start reading too late in the day, you may read way into the morning, which will make THE NIGHT BEFORE a title that also could sum up your experience reading the book!