Before She Wakes by Ed James

Before She Wakes

by Ed James

She opens her eyes and focuses on the room around her. Everything is in place, yet something isn’t right. She walks towards her daughter’s room, calling her name, as she does every morning. But this morning is different. This morning there is no response, Marissa’s daughter has vanished.

Single mother Marissa Bukowski stands in her daughter’s untidy room. Olivia’s phone is still charging at the wall and her clothes are still hanging in her closet. The mirror above her daughter’s desk is cracked and a message written in red ink reads ‘Never Forget’.

As FBI special agent Max Carter is called in to investigate, he delves into the lives of Marissa and her quiet, studious teenage daughter, and soon discovers that Olivia has been lying to her mother. Not only did she have a secret boyfriend, but she had also been talking to her guidance counsellor in the weeks before she disappeared. What was so big that Olivia couldn’t tell?

When a blood test reveals that Marissa was drugged the night Olivia went missing, Carter turns his sights towards Marissa’s estranged husband, only to find that he too has vanished without trace. And when he uncovers a family secret that could put the teenager’s life in danger, it’s clear that time is running out for Marissa’s beloved daughter. Can he discover the truth about Olivia’s family and find her before it’s too late?

Fans of Melinda Leigh, Kendra Elliott and Lisa Regan will love this pulse-racing crime thriller from bestselling author Ed James. Before She Wakes will keep you up all night!

Reviewed by Emma (SCR) on

5 of 5 stars

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This review was originally posted on Star Crossed Reviews I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to Bookouture for letting me take part in this tour and for my copy of this book via netgalley. I loved the second book in this series so I was very excited to see what happened next to Max carter. Even though this is the third book in the series you can read it as a standalone.

This book had me on the edge of my seat. I'm not a parent but I can only imagine the fear and the pain of waking up to find out your child is missing. This book did an excellent job of portraying the fear and the need for immediate action. Max and his team are running around Seattle all day following leads and it felt like they barely took a second to breathe let alone anything else. When a child is missing it really is a high priority clock ticking case. This was excellently portrayed throughout the book.

As well as looking for Olivia we also had the background case of Max's Dad and what happened to Max as a child. I thought this was really interesting and was torn between the two stories. I wanted to read both of them at once!

The case had a lot of suspects but not a lot of evidence. I had no idea that it would all play out as it did. Ed was very clever in unravelling everything.

This book was an addictive crime thriller and I can't wait to see what Ed brings us next. (less)

 

 

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Reading updates

  • Started reading
  • 29 January, 2021: Finished reading
  • 31 January, 2021: Reviewed