BEFORE I LEFT (Ruby Baker #1)
Available from Amazon UK US AU CA
A LONG HOT SUMMER, A CITY BY THE SEA, AND A SERIAL KILLER ON THE LOOSE.
Nineteen-year-old runaway Ruby Baker and pregnant best friend Mary escape domestic violence in London to find a new home in Brighton. They join a glitzy set of party girls, who are hell-bent on enjoying themselves in the new freedom of the 1960s.
But their new life soon comes under threat. Someone is watching Ruby. A tall stranger who Ruby keeps spotting in the shadows. This man may have followed them from London. And Ruby fears her dark secret will be exposed.
Then a murder at a local beauty spot brings danger for the party-loving set, and the first murder is followed by a second. Rumours of occult sacrifices spread across town.
In a breathtaking conclusion, Ruby faces a race against time to save someone very close to her, and her new life may be destroyed and her secrets exposed.
My review
This book is very well written and descriptive which makes the reader envisage the scenery and surroundings very realistically. The book is very well written and has many characters which develop gradually over the course of the book.
It is the 1960s and Ruby and Mary are running away from a violent life in London. They travel to Brighton to stay with Pearl in the hope of a peaceful life. Things are starting to look up when a girl is murdered. When Ruby notices a stranger watching her she worries that maybe she hasn’t escaped the violence and secrets of her life in London.
The book progresses at a steady pace as we join the girls on their journey to rebuild their lives and watch them build new friendships and turn amateur detective to find the murderer. There are many twists and turns along the way with a little Black Magic thrown in which makes for an intriguing read towards a fast paced and gripping ending that comes as a real shock.
What the bloggers thought
Donna’s Book Blog
This is the first book that I have read by this author and I really enjoyed it, the plot was great and the descriptive nature used really helped you to envisage the scenes and the locations in the book, it really brought them to life.
Linda Strong Book Reviews
This was a fast, easy read filled with colorful characters. It started a little slow for me, but it didn’t take long before I was hooked into the story.
Joyce’s Reviews
This book takes some very interesting twist and turns. It is well written and plotted. The books starts out casual and with just a little tension, but as the story builds, so does the suspense.
