NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • In the tradition of The Girl on the Train, The Woman in Cabin 10, and Gone Girl comes an enthralling psychological thriller that spins one woman’s seemingly good fortune, and another woman’s mysterious fate, through a kaleidoscope of duplicity, death, and deception.
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD
Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life.
The request seems odd, even intrusive—and for the two women who answer, the consequences are devastating.
EMMA
Reeling from a traumatic break-in, Emma wants a new place to live. But none of the apartments she sees are affordable or feel safe. Until One Folgate Street. The house is an architectural masterpiece: a minimalist design of pale stone, plate glass, and soaring ceilings. But there are rules. The enigmatic architect who designed the house retains full control: no books, no throw pillows, no photos or clutter or personal effects of any kind. The space is intended to transform its occupant—and it does.
JANE
After a personal tragedy, Jane needs a fresh start. When she finds One Folgate Street she is instantly drawn to the space—and to its aloof but seductive creator. Moving in, Jane soon learns about the untimely death of the home’s previous tenant, a woman similar to Jane in age and appearance. As Jane tries to untangle truth from lies, she unwittingly follows the same patterns, makes the same choices, crosses paths with the same people, and experiences the same terror, as the girl before.
Praise for The Girl Before
“Dazzling, startling, and above all cunning—a pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense.”—Lee Child
“The Girl Before generates a fast pace. . . . [J. P.] Delaney intersperses ethics questions on stand-alone pages throughout the book. . . . The single most ingenious touch is that we’re not provided either woman’s answers.”—The New York Times
“J. P. Delaney builds the suspense.”—Vanity Fair
“Immediate guarantee: You will not be able to put this book down. . . . Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will realize that there’s not only more where that came from, but it’s also more thrilling.”—American Booksellers Association
Download and start listening now!
"This book was amazing! The storyline was so unique with twists throughout! I literally could NOT put this book down. Every chapter left me wanting more. Kudos to this new author in creating such a great thriller. "
— Melissa Allen (5 out of 5 stars)
Dazzling, startling, and above all cunning—a pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense.
— Lee ChildThe Girl Before generates a fast pace. . . . [J. P.] Delaney intersperses ethics questions on stand-alone pages throughout the book. . . . The single most ingenious touch is that we’re not provided either woman’s answers.
— The New York TimesJ. P. Delaney builds the suspense.
— Vanity FairImmediate guarantee: You will not be able to put this book down. . . . Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will realize that there’s not only more where that came from, but it’s also more thrilling.
— American Booksellers AssociationThis is going to be the buzziest book of 2017. We may only be a few weeks into 2017, but we’re calling it early: This year, The Girl Before will be that book. The upcoming novel by author J. P. Delaney has all of the makings of a sexy murder mystery that is sure to hit the bestseller chart, and it already has the movie deal to prove it.
— InStyleDelaney has created a genuinely eerie, fascinating setting in One Folgate Street. . . . The novel’s structure, volleying back and forth as first Emma and then Jane begin to question their improbable luck, is beautifully handled. The pages fly.
— USA TodayThe house has a dark past and a landlord that’s anything but welcoming.
— New York Post, one of the must-read books of the weekThe Girl Before is deservedly anointed the ‘top girl’ of this season’s suspense novels.
— The Washington PostThe Girl Before is a cat-and-mouse game that toys with our expectations and twists our sympathies. At times almost unbearably suspenseful, it keeps us guessing from the first page to the very last. Don’t miss it.
— Joseph FinderGet hooked on this hair-raiser about a woman who scores what seems like her dream home . . . until she finds out the mysterious fate of the previous tenant.
— CosmopolitanOne of the best thrillers you’ll read in 2017. . . . The Girl Before will appeal greatly to fans of psychological suspense.
— New York Journal of BooksRiveting! One of the most compelling page-turners I’ve read in years. Twisty, turny, and with an ending not to be missed!
— Lisa GardnerRiveting . . . Writing with precision and grace, Delaney strips away the characters’ secrets until the raw truth of each is revealed.
— Publishers WeeklySuperior psychological suspense . . . a cleverly constructed thriller.
— The BooksellerA masterfully crafted spellbinder . . . guaranteed to astonish.
— Booklist (starred review)“Dazzling, startling, and above all cunning—a pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense.”
— Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author“Riveting! One of the most compelling page-turners I’ve read in years. Twisty, turny, and with an ending not to be missed!”
— Lisa Gardner, #1 New York Times bestselling author“This creepy, clever novel…unfolds at a deliberate pace, and there are many unexpected twists that will keep the reader guessing as to the identity of the villain, or if one even exists at all. Delaney’s book is fast-paced with a compelling, unique plot.”
— RT Book Reviews (4 stars)JP Delaney is a pseudonym for a writer who has previously written best-selling fiction under other names. Delaney is the author of the New York Times bestseller The Girl Before.
Emilia Fox has won three AudioFile Earphones Awards for her narrations. She is an acclaimed and award-winning actress, most notably played the title role in the play Katherine Howard at the Chichester Festival Theatre, and Clara Copperfield in a television movie production of David Copperfield. In 2004 she began playing pathologist Nikki Alexander on the television series Silent Witness. In 2006 she garnered much praise for her role in the independent comedy-drama Cashback.
Finty Williams has worked extensively in theater, television, film, and audio. As a narrator, she has received multiple Earphones Awards and twice won the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. Her stage credits include The Secret Life of Charlie Chaplin, Northanger Abbey, and The Misanthrope, while on television she has been seen in Born and Bred, Tales from the Crypt, and The Torch. Her films include Gosford Park, The Importance of Being Earnest, and Mrs. Brown.