Before You Knew My Name

Alice Lee arrived in NYC with $600.00 in her pocket on her 18th birthday. She had a stolen camera, a few articles of clothing and a whole lot of hope for a fresh start. Big dreams in a big city which were unfortunately dashed when she became an unidentified murder victim.

Ruby Jones is also looking for a fresh start. She has been in a relationship with a man who is engaged to another. She has come to NYC from Australia hoping get perspective but finds she is so very lonely. She unfortunately finds Alice’s dead body while out for a run.

Now Alice and Ruby are connected. Alice wants the truth of her life told and Ruby finds she can’t let Alice go. Imagine finding a dead body, especially the body of someone who has been murdered. How does that affect you? Everyone is different, some may be able to shake it off, while others may find discovering a dead body to be very traumatic. Plus, poor Alice, all she wanted was to begin again, to have a fresh start, so young and full of promise.

This was a well written book about two women and their connection. This book evokes emotion while exploring Alice and Ruby’s thoughts. While all you want to do is move on, yet there is something holding you in place.

Both Alice and Ruby are likeable characters. I felt for both before and after the murder. I appreciated how the focus was on them and not so much on the killer. So often, we hear a lot about murderers but not their victims. I applaud the author for showing us Alice, and for showing how Ruby was affected by finding Alice’s body.

Well written, evoking emotion and gripping.

Thank you to Allen & Unwin, NetGalley and Edelweiss who provided me with a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.