The Girl I Used to Be

February 5, 2018
In the prologue to this engrossing psychological thriller from British author Torjussen (Gone Without a Trace), optimistic, confident 18-year-old Gemma attends an end-of-school bash that starts with drinking and laughter but ends with Gemma being raped in the bedroom of a boy who has just been accepted at Oxford. Flash forward 15 years to the present day. Gemma is now married to stay-at-home-dad Joe Brogan and owns her own real estate business in Chester, England. Gemma is overworked and acutely aware of the quality time she’s missing with her young son as a result of her long hours. When she becomes the target of an online stalker, the police, while sympathetic, offer no real assurance, since much of the threatening behavior is carried out via email and on social media. Unable to confide in Joe given their shaky marriage, Gemma must face the escalating harassment on her own. How she tracks down her tormentor, who has a link to that long-ago party, and confronts him as well as her own fears will keep readers turning the pages. Paula Hawkins fans will find a lot to like. Agent: Kate Burke, Diane Banks Associates (U.K.).

April 15, 2018

Real estate agent Gemma Brogan is pretty happy with her life as the breadwinner, while her husband is the stay-at-home caregiver. She can't help but resent not being able to be there for her son during the day, and she also wonders if her husband has any ambition left at all. Yet after an impromptu dinner with a client in another city and a lot of wine, Gemma wakes to a reality that could be far worse than her current cozy life. When she gets the first reminder of that fateful evening, an incriminating photograph of an intimate kiss, she realizes she will have to pay one way or another. The past is much closer than anyone could have guessed. VERDICT The author of Gone Without a Trace has penned a second psychological thriller that will appeal to fans of her first novel and new readers as well. Although a bit formulaic and predictable, this is still a fun read.--Cynthia Price, Francis Marion Univ. Lib., Florence, SCBackman returns to Beartown, raw emotion unfolds on every page; for lovers of twisty legal thrillers

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