I’ve been on another psych/suspense thriller kick lately. Fortunately, most of them have been pretty good, and each one has had something unique that makes them stand out.
For The One Before, I’d have to say that the author pulls a switch that I absolutely did not see coming, and it changed my perspective on the story completely.
Well done for that.
I did feel like the story started slowly. I’ll admit that I wasn’t entirely sure that I was going to like the book. It felt very methodical and almost formulaic. Outsider engaged to rich golden boy; they move to boy’s hometown where his family rules the roost; town members are divided about past events.
Only once you reach a particular point in the book (you’ll know it when you read it), you realize that everything was put in place exactly this way to lull the reader into a sense of familiarity and maybe even complacency.
And the purpose all along is to be able to slap the reader in the face with a twist. Or four.
Truly, this book totally picked up in the second half. Once I got to the turning point, I couldn’t put it down.
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To me, Cooper was the most complex character. In some ways, he was an enigma as he had escaped Whisper – only to return and become more like his family. It was an interesting switch for him.
I didn’t care for Madison that much at first. I thought the author maybe injected Madison with some of her personal perspectives on feminism. There were also a couple of relatively throwaway political comments that served no purpose to the plot and only seemed to be inserted for “points.” That annoyed me, and me unsympathetic towards Madison.
However, I think that Madison realized the error of her past choices and was on a path to redemption. Her journey was tough, but she did better herself – at least a little bit.
I will admit that I did guess one of the more major twists – but that was only because I play a game with myself that I try to think of the most “out there” twist and then see if I’m right. This time I was – but not about all of them.
I would definitely recommend picking up and sticking with this one. You’ll be glad you did. And while you’re at it, check out this author’s other books Some Days are Dark and What I Know.
Author Bio:
Miranda Smith writes psychological and domestic suspense. She is drawn to stories about ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Before completing her first novel, she worked as a newspaper staff writer and a secondary English teacher. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and three young children.
Website: https://mirandasmithwriter.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MirandaSmithAuthor/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/msmithbooks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mirandasmithwriter/
