The Life I Left Behind

Starred review from December 15, 2014
Trust, obsession, and survival provide the foundation for British author McBeth’s outstanding second novel, a standalone like her 2014 debut, Precious Thing. Melody Pieterson nearly dies during an attack by a London neighbor and friend, David Alden, who was convicted of the crime and sent to prison. Six years later, Melody’s physical pain has abated, but she still feels the emotional pain of being betrayed by David. She lives with her fiancé, but seldom leaves their secluded house a few miles from London. Melody is forced to relive the violence when another woman, Eve Elliot, is murdered shortly after David is paroled. McBeth smoothly alternates points of view among Melody, who struggles to rejoin humanity; Eve, who speaks from the grave; and Det. Insp. Victoria Rutter, who investigated both cases and begins to question David’s guilt. The author avoids gimmicks as the action realistically builds to a surprise finale.

December 15, 2014
From beyond the grave, a brutally murdered woman watches as her killer's accidental survivor begins to piece together disturbing clues. McBeth (Precious Thing, 2014) returns with a taut, mesmerizing thriller. Six years ago, Melody Pieterson's nearly dead body was found in the park, clutching a bird on a gold chain, but she retains no memory of the attack. After having served time for attempted murder, David Alden is finally free-free to begin clearing his name. Eve Elliott, a senior producer at the recently canceled investigative news program APPEAL, meets David at a party. Although she's skeptical at first-after all, the evidence in Melody's attack pointed his way-Eve quickly finds herself seeing that evidence through David's eyes. Maybe there wasn't enough time for him to commit the crime. Maybe he wasn't just Melody's next-door-neighbor-with-a-jealous-streak but truly her friend. Maybe someone else had a better motive. Before Eve can help David, she's murdered, and the crime scene looks familiar. Meanwhile, Melody strives to keep the pieces of her life from shattering. She lives on the edge of town with her attentive fiance, Sam, in a light-filled, thoughtfully reconstructed farmhouse that she rarely leaves, vigilantly fabricating the illusion of a normal life. Even her best friend from college, Patrick, hasn't realized the extent of Melody's trauma. News of Eve's murder hits too close to home, however, and Melody can no longer maintain her fragile facade. McBeth ratchets up the tension, notch by exquisite notch, with chapters told from Melody's perspective alternating with chapters narrated by Eve's ghost. Melody must question whether David was truly her attacker, whether those closest to her may have misled the investigation, whether she can trust anyone. Spellbinding and surprising.

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December 15, 2014
Melody Pieterson, who was attacked by her neighbor six years ago, has struggled to reclaim her former life, and now she rarely leaves the home she shares with her fianc' outside of London. Then Melody's attacker, David Alden, is released from prison, and investigative journalist Eve Elliot's body is found in a local park, left in exactly the same way Melody was. Melody should be reassured that this attack will certainly send Alden away again, but when she learns that Eve was investigating the possibility of Alden's innocence in the first attack, Melody's curiosity is awakened. Why would Alden murder the woman trying to clear his name? McBeth's debut novel, Precious Thing (2014), took readers on a fantastic trip into a twisted female friendship, and she again explores the dark area beyond love in this multifaceted portrayal of obsession, loyalty, and control. Melody's reawakening and Eve's regrets and triumphs will hook readers quickly, especially fans of female-centered psychological suspense novels like those by S. J. Watson, Lisa Unger, and Samantha Hayes.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2014, American Library Association.)