JANUARY 2017 - AudioFile
JP Delaney’s intricate psychological thriller immediately entangles us, and the gifted narrators keep us spellbound. One Folgate Street, a minimalist architectural wonder, is available to the tenant who willingly goes through a rigorous application process and agrees to live by a demanding set of rules. Edward Monkford, the inscrutable world- famous designer, has created a technologically advanced “smart” house that monitors everything via sensors and cameras. Beginning each chapter, a male voice delivers Monkford’s outrageous application questions, while in alternating chapters we hear the stories of two damaged women who fall for Monkford’s mystique. Finty Williams is vital and convincing delineating Emma’s unreliable persona, and Emilia Fox offers a sympathetic, intelligent Jane as she uncovers what really happened to THE GIRL BEFORE. Absolutely riveting. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Publishers Weekly
10/24/2016
In the pseudonymous Delaney’s riveting psychological thriller, first Emma Matthews and then Jane Cavendish take up residence at One Folgate Street in London. The house, a masterpiece of minimalist architecture designed by the enigmatic Edward Monkford, is let only to tenants willing to abide by his stringent rules, which reduce life to its basics. This setup appeals to people looking for order, like Emma, who’s trying to recover from a brutal attack that’s hastening the end of her relationship with a man who adores her. Later, it is Jane, grief-stricken by the stillbirth of her daughter, who seeks asylum within One Folgate’s walls. Both find themselves drawn to the house’s creator and its tragic history. Were the deaths of Edward’s family members accidental? Or were they murdered for not conforming to Edward’s obsessive need for order? Writing with precision and grace, Delaney strips away the characters’ secrets until the raw truth of each is revealed. That Emma and Jane act in often foolhardy ways hasn’t prevented rights sales in more than 30 markets and movie rights to Universal with Ron Howard directing. Agent: Caradoc King, United Artists (U.K.). (Jan.)
From the Publisher
Dazzling, startling, and above all cunning—a pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense.”—Lee Child
“The Girl Before generates a fast pace. . . . [J. P.] Delaney intersperses ethics questions on stand-alone pages throughout the book. . . . The single most ingenious touch is that we’re not provided either woman’s answers.”—The New York Times
“J. P. Delaney builds the suspense.”—Vanity Fair
“Immediate guarantee: You will not be able to put this book down. . . . Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will realize that there’s not only more where that came from, but it’s also more thrilling.”—American Booksellers Association
“This is going to be the buzziest book of 2017. We may only be a few weeks into 2017, but we’re calling it early: This year, The Girl Before will be that book. The upcoming novel by author J. P. Delaney has all of the makings of a sexy murder mystery that is sure to hit the bestseller chart, and it already has the movie deal to prove it.”—InStyle
“Delaney has created a genuinely eerie, fascinating setting in One Folgate Street. . . . The novel’s structure, volleying back and forth as first Emma and then Jane begin to question their improbable luck, is beautifully handled. The pages fly.”—USA Today
“The house has a dark past and a landlord that’s anything but welcoming.”—New York Post, one of the must-read books of the week
“The Girl Before is deservedly anointed the ‘top girl’ of this season’s suspense novels.”—The Washington Post
“The Girl Before is a cat-and-mouse game that toys with our expectations and twists our sympathies. At times almost unbearably suspenseful, it keeps us guessing from the first page to the very last. Don’t miss it.”—Joseph Finder
“Get hooked on this hair-raiser about a woman who scores what seems like her dream home . . . until she finds out the mysterious fate of the previous tenant.”—Cosmopolitan
“One of the best thrillers you’ll read in 2017. . . . The Girl Before will appeal greatly to fans of psychological suspense.”—New York Journal of Books
“Riveting! One of the most compelling page-turners I’ve read in years. Twisty, turny, and with an ending not to be missed!”—Lisa Gardner
“Riveting . . . Writing with precision and grace, Delaney strips away the characters’ secrets until the raw truth of each is revealed.”—Publishers Weekly
“Superior psychological suspense . . . a cleverly constructed thriller.”—The Bookseller
“A masterfully crafted spellbinder . . . guaranteed to astonish.”—Booklist (starred review)
Library Journal
08/01/2016
A big hit at the 2015 Frankfurt Book Fair, where Ballantine preempted world rights, this new work by a pseudonymous author of best-selling fiction features a fragile young woman who falls for the charismatic architect of her new home. But what happened to the previous tenant? Rights sold to over 30 countries; Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard will adapt for the big screen.
JANUARY 2017 - AudioFile
JP Delaney’s intricate psychological thriller immediately entangles us, and the gifted narrators keep us spellbound. One Folgate Street, a minimalist architectural wonder, is available to the tenant who willingly goes through a rigorous application process and agrees to live by a demanding set of rules. Edward Monkford, the inscrutable world- famous designer, has created a technologically advanced “smart” house that monitors everything via sensors and cameras. Beginning each chapter, a male voice delivers Monkford’s outrageous application questions, while in alternating chapters we hear the stories of two damaged women who fall for Monkford’s mystique. Finty Williams is vital and convincing delineating Emma’s unreliable persona, and Emilia Fox offers a sympathetic, intelligent Jane as she uncovers what really happened to THE GIRL BEFORE. Absolutely riveting. S.J.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-10-19
A high-tech town house is leased by its control-freak architect to a series of women who look just like his dead wife."Please make a list of every possession you consider essential to your life." "A person close to you confesses in confidence that they ran someone over while drunk. As a result they have given up drinking for good. Would you feel obliged to report it to the police?" Agree or disagree: "I try to do things well even when others are not around to notice." These questions are part of the rental application for the house at 1 Folgate St., an ultramodern property that comes with "about two hundred stipulations": no books or magazines, no pets, no rugs, no cushions, no children, nothing on the floor at any time, and so on. Compliance is monitored by sensors and cameras, by a cleaning service, and by regular inspections. The entire environment is automated, with an application called "Housekeeper" controlling everything from shower pressure to internet access. Who in their right mind would want to live here? Emma and Jane, that's who. And if they were ever in their right minds, they certainly aren't after Edward Monkford, the architect and owner, gets hold of them. The two report their experiences in alternating chapters. Emma is "the girl before" of the title: she's moving in with a boyfriend named Simon after a burglary at their old apartment. Jane is solo, attempting to rebuild her life after a stillbirth. Little more can be said without destroying what little suspense Delaney has managed. About a third of the way in, it all seems so obvious. But wait—there's a twist! With hopelessly fake characters and far too many red herrings and reversals, 1 Folgate St. is a house with no load-bearing walls, collapsing under the weight of its own materials. Prediction: the Ron Howard movie, already in the works, will be much better than the book.
