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The Girl Before

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The Girl Before

By: JP Delaney
Narrated by: Emilia Fox, Finty Williams, Lise Aagaard Knudsen
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About this listen

What if something was too good to be true? In an eerie tale of chilling coincidences, two women who move into the same apartment discover their fates are inexplicably entwined.

The Sunday Times best-seller.

The New York Times best-seller.

The Radio 2 Book Club Choice - February 2017

Enter the world of One Folgate Street and discover perfection...but can you pay the price?

Jane stumbles on the rental opportunity of a lifetime: the chance to live in a beautiful ultra-minimalist house designed by an enigmatic architect, on condition she abides by a long list of exacting rules.

After moving in, she discovers that a previous tenant, Emma, met a mysterious death there - and starts to wonder if her own story will be a re-run of the girl before. As twist after twist catches the reader off guard, Emma's past and Jane's present become inexorably entwined in this tense, page-turning portrayal of psychological obsession.

Following in the footsteps of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train, The Girl Before is being brought to the big screen. The film is set to be directed by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard.

©2017 JP Delaney (P)2017 Random House Audio Amateur Sleuths Crime Thrillers Fiction Mystery Psychological Thriller Thriller & Suspense Women Sleuths Women's Fiction Detective Crime Exciting Scary Suspense Technology

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Critic reviews

"The tension is built up subtly, leading to a devastating climax. A really clever thriller... [the film] will no doubt become the third big 'Girl' film." ( Daily Mail)
"I was instantly gripped and held captivated by the pace and elegant writing. I devoured it in two straight sittings." ( Peter James)
"A deeply addictive literary thriller that deserves to be one of this year's biggest successes." ( Daily Express)
"Original and entertaining." ( The Times)
"A guaranteed best-seller." ( Red Magazine)
All stars
Most relevant
Imagine Hitchcock's Vertigo, sexed up and then described by some very unreliable narrators then you've got The Girl Before.
Not a bad book - in fact it's quite an an addictive page turner - I liked the (somewhat glamourised) architectural context and the deliberate repetitive scenarios, but all too 50 Shades in the sexy alpha male depiction (and husky female narrators).
Talking of which, I found the two female narrators almost impossible to distinguish between which did become confusing - the book is probably clearer.

50 Shades of Girl on a Train

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This book was so addictive I literally kept reading anywhere. I loved the comparisons of Emma's past and Jane's present. Good narrators that where familiar except the Norwegian one who also had a sweet voice and an almost British accent. Ps I'm Norwegian too so I was dreading something too Scandi. The book is a great mix between a thriller and a ghost story.

Gripping to the very end!

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It took me a while to get into this book, the story was pretty good but it missed the mark somehow. I struggled to find empathy with any of the characters and the last hour seemed to drag. not for me!

okay

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It's hard to put a finger on exactly what makes some psychological thrillers thrilling, and some fall flat. This is the best of the lot - and I work for Audible so I've listened to quite a few. It could be the opening scenario: the frustrating search for affordable accommodation in London that is familiar to so many, and the thrill of the beyond-wildest-dreams opportunity that presents itself in the form of an aesthetically perfect luxury flat, available for next to nothing.

It could be that the flat itself becomes a character to rival the two main protagonists and the alpha male architect they both covet. It could be dual voices of two different but equally troubled and unreliable narrators.

Whatever it is, this is a brilliant, gripping audiobook that will leave you unable to press the pause button. The tension is wound to breaking point, the atmosphere is claustrophobic and unsettling, the characters are vividly drawn and the twist is as devastating as it is unexpected.

Better that all the 'girl' novels that came before

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The narration was good. I liked the way it was written from different viewpoints. It was easy to follow. However it wasn't suspenseful. I didn't gasp in surprise when the ending was revealed. Not a book I will listen to again.

Disappointing ending.

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