The Girls Before, by American author Kate Alice Marshall, is an intriguing psychological fiction thriller and crime mystery.
This dark story starts with some superb scene-setting as it weaves two storylines together, “Above” and “Below”, drawing the reader into a deep tale that, once it gets its claws into you, won’t let go.
A girl known as Stranger is trapped in a dark underground bunker, not knowing how long she has been there. She is surviving on hope and the carved messages of the girls who came before her. Their names, words, warnings, and instructions were passed down from one dead girl to another, hoping one of them might survive.
Audrey Dixon works as a high school counsellor and volunteers in search and rescue. She is haunted by the disappearance of her childhood best friend, Janie Martin, when they were teenagers, and she is driven, persistent, and a bit obsessive when it comes to finding missing girls.
When she discovers evidence in the forest that a teenage runaway might have been kidnapped from land belonging to the town’s most prominent family, the Hills, she pushes boundaries, ignores warning signs, and makes increasingly risky decisions in the search to find her.
The reader is carried into the woods, and it is worth the time spent taking the journey. The dual narrative works incredibly well, slowly revealing how these stories connect while building a constant sense of dread, as perspectives change. It is a well-written, well-thought-out plot full of suspense and twists and turns, as well as heartfelt emotions that will tug at your heartstrings.
Marshall captures perfectly the inner thoughts and feelings of the characters as she takes readers on a journey as they deal with terror and chaos. I liked Audrey along with her trusted dog companion, Barry. She feels things deeply, driven by her past guilt, trauma, and a need for control, which makes her feel real and layered. At times, her choices were questionable, but her tenacity for the truth was unwavering.
I admired Stranger. I feel her personality is deeply shaped by years of captivity and trauma, which has fractured her sense of identity. But with that, she is resilient and hypervigilant, mentally adapting to her environment to survive. Her ability to endure extreme psychological pressure is one of her defining traits.
The Girls Before is a gripping, eerie thriller with strong emotional undercurrents and plenty of twists. If you enjoy slow-burn mysteries, dual timelines, and stories about buried secrets in small towns, this is worth a read.
A selection of our Beauty and Lace Club members are reading The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall. You can read their comments below, or add your own review.
My love of books started at a very young age. My mum has always been a reader and encouraged me to read, buying me endless book from classic fairy tales advancing to the world of Enid Blyton, CS Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, Kathryn Kenny, Carolyn Keene, Francine Pascal. In my adult years the list of authors is endless and every room in my house is filled with books.
One of my favourite novels is Narnia which has always has a special place in my heart. I was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes in 1978 and when I was given this book to read it let me escape to another world where I felt like I was in the book with all the characters, it wasfun and exciting to escape from reality and eased the ups and downs of the disease at such a young age.
In books nothing is impossible and there is endless potential and hundreds of places to explore or being taken to places that are only made up from the authors’ great minds, the past and future to navigate, characters lives you step into taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride or being scared out of your wits. I can experience things that I can’t in real life because they’re not possible or real. It challenges my perspective and mindset expanding my worldview.
I find joy, comfort and peace with books, many people may not get it, but I know bookworms like me truly understand. Reading makes my heart happy.
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to read The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall.
I absolutely loved this turn paging thriller.
Going between past and present this book will have you gripping the edge of your seat.
Many girls have gone missing and Audrey can’t help herself but try to find them. But what danger lies ahead?
There are lots of twists and turns in this well written book.
A gripping tale that will keep you thinking way after you have finished it.
Highly recommended ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Girls Before by Kate Alice Marshall is told in multiple points of view and at different times, but is easy to follow. It is the story of Audrey who is a search and rescue volunteer who won’t give up, especially with her past friend Janie still missing. She has her dog Barry for comfort and support and he’s a great sidekick. I also like the hint of romance we got as it was written real and provided a breath of fresh air at places. There is also a girl in a bunker, a local legend in the woods and a prominent family who have things to hide but are in plain view. The bunker scenes are a bit darker especially considering the ghosts of the bunker. That’s when I really appreciated the chapters going back and forth. This was an interesting book of a difficult topic with so many different perspectives and very human sides throughout.