Before She Was Found - by Heather Gudenkauf (Paperback)

About the Book

"For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover--movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences. Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora--and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted--not even those closest to Cora. Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe--even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost"--

Book Synopsis

A gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence.

For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover--movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.

Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora--and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted--not even those closest to Cora.

Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe--even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.

Review Quotes

"[A] scintillating psychological thriller.... The stunning plot builds to a chillingly realistic ending. Gudenkauf is at the top of her game." --Publishers Weekly, starred review

Eerily page-turning and wonderfully twisty, Before She Was Found is the riveting story of one troubled group of young girls struggling to belong, and the frighteningly blurred boundary between where urban legend ends and real danger begins. --Kimberly McCreight, New York Times bestselling author of Reconstructing Amelia and Where They Found Her

"Dark and stylish, Before She Was Found is an entertaining read that thrills to the last page." --Linda Castillo, New York Times bestselling author of A Gathering of Secrets

"Heather Gudenkauf has done it again. She manages to merge engaging characters and terrifying topics resulting in unputdownable suspense set in a small Iowa town. In Before She Was Found, Gudenkauf takes us into the lives of three young girlfriends as a sleepover turns into tragedy. Examining today's realities of social media and the added pressure our connected culture creates, Gudenkauf has crafted a gripping thriller." --Kaira Rouda, bestselling author of Best Day Ever

"Before She Was Found is a brutally honest and incredibly sensitive depiction of adolescence, loneliness and love in a small Midwestern town. The final twist is gut-wrenching." --Annie Ward, author of Beautiful Bad

"Creepy, claustrophobic and utterly surprising." --Hannah Mary McKinnon, author of The Neighbors

"An intense, twisty read filled with complex characters whose actions will have you constantly switching alliances, and an ending that I guarantee will catch you off guard." --Kimberly Belle, bestselling author of The Marriage Lie and Dear Wife