Book Review - Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson

Title: Before She Knew Him
Series: -
Author: Peter Swanson
 
Description: Hen and her husband Lloyd have settled into a quiet life in a new house in Boston, Massachusetts. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and works out of a studio nearby, and has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she’s found some stability and peace.
 
But when they meet their next door neighbors, that calm begins to erode as she spots a familiar object displayed on the husband’s office shelf. The sports trophy looks exactly like one that went missing from the home of a young man who was killed two years ago. Hen knows because she’s long had a fascination with this unsolved murder. An obsession she doesn’t talk about anymore, but can’t fully shake either….
 
Review: After meeting their neighbors, Hen believes that Matthew, the husband of the two, has something to do with a murder that happened two years ago. A murder that Hen was obsessed with at the time. And the more Hen observes Matthew, the more she starts to suspects him of actually committing the crime. But nobody believes her and think it’s because of her bipolar disorder.
 
After this book I think I know that Peter Swanson is an author I want to read everything from. Swanson is a master in writing fascinating, scarred and twisty characters and always manages to add some unexpected twist in his stories. He did that here too. Hen is an unreliable narrator, because of her mental health issues and the fact that she is on medication. When I know a book features an unreliable narrator, I’m in. It’s one of my favorite thriller tropes. When Hen believes her neighbor Matthew is a murderer, people immediately start doubting her. It’s frustrating for her, but also for you as the reader. Because you’re seeing things through her eyes most of the time and you really want to believe her. But then again, what if she is imagining things? You’re constantly asking yourself that question.
 
“Before She Knew Him” has a great mystery and is fast paced. It has some great twist, but that final twist is one you either love or hate. I found it really satisfying and a lot of it made sense. The book had some moments where it lost its pace a little bit, but overall, I enjoyed this thriller a lot.  
 
Rating: 4/ 5