~Before He Finds Her by Michael Kardos~ ARC Thriller Review

Title: Before He Finds Her

Author: Michael Kardos

Genre: Thriller

Publish Date: February 3rd 2015

Publisher: Mysterious Press

Blurb: 
Everyone in the quiet Jersey Shore town of Silver Bay knows the story: on a Sunday evening in September 1991, Ramsey Miller threw a blowout block party, then murdered his beautiful wife and three-year-old daughter.

But everyone is wrong. The daughter got away. Now she is nearly eighteen and tired of living in secrecy. Under the name Melanie Denison, she has spent the last fifteen years in small-town West Virginia as part of the Witness Protection Program. She has never been allowed to travel, go to a school dance, or even have internet at home. Precautions must be taken at every turn, because Ramsey Miller was never caught and might still be looking for his daughter. Yet despite strict house rules, Melanie has entered into a relationship with a young teacher at the local high school and is now ten weeks pregnant. She doesn’t want her child to live in hiding as she has had to. Defying her guardians and taking matters into her own hands, Melanie returns to Silver Bay in hopes of doing what the authorities have failed to do: find her father before he finds her. Weaving in Ramsey’s story in the three days leading up to the brutal crime, Before He Finds Her is a stirring novel about love and faith and fear—and how the most important things can become terribly distorted when we cling to them too fiercely.


My Review:
This book's blurb caught my attention the moment I read it. I thought it sounded like a unique take on the thriller genre, and I was correct. There are a couple of really neat twists, and turns.  I liked that Melanie was a smart girl, yet also made mistakes. Her character was someone that's in a very unique situation. She's in hiding from her father, who by all accounts murdered her mother many many years ago. She's been given a new identity and a new set of parents. She's grown up and is wanting to explore the world, but can't. Her Uncle and Aunt (her parents) are worried that the moment she leaves their safe zone, she'll attract her father, whom is apparently still looking for her.

Events happen, and Melanie finds herself wanting more information about her past. Her life is nice, but she can't shake the notion that there is something more out there she should know. So she goes on an journey to her childhood home to dig for clues. Clues that will help her figure out what actually happened, and why she's been hiding for her whole life.

The writing is nicely done. I did feel a few parts could have used a little trimming, but overall the plot flowed very swiftly. The plot itself was great! I wanted to know what happened, what caused everything to go wackadoodle in the Miller's life. I wanted Melanie to find out about her past. The twist was fun and I honestly didn't see it coming.

All in all, I enjoyed the book.

*I received this book for free in exchange for a review.*