Somebody I Used to Know
Suspense/Thriller
Setting – Ohio
New American Library (July 7, 2015)
Published by The Penguin Group
Paperback: 432 pages
ISBN-13: 978-0451474209
E-Book ASIN: B00OQS4CBU
When Nick Hansen sees the young woman at the grocery store, his heart stops. She is the spitting image of his college girlfriend, Marissa Minor, who died in a campus house fire twenty years earlier. But when Nick tries to speak to her, she acts skittish and rushes off.
The next morning the police arrive at Nick’s house and show him a photo of the woman from the store. She’s been found dead, murdered in a local motel, with Nick’s name and address on a piece of paper in her pocket.
Convinced there’s a connection between the two women, Nick enlists the help of his college friend Laurel Davidson to investigate the events leading up to the night of Marissa’s death. But the young woman’s murder is only the beginning…and the truths Nick uncovers may make him wish he never doubted the lies.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
I will not lie, David Bell has become one of my favorite suspense authors, right up there with Harlan Coben. When I see he has a new book coming out I have to have it and read it right away.
In Somebody I Used To Know Bell introduces us to Nick Hansen, a man trying to move forward while a big part of him is stuck in the past. Twenty years ago his college girlfriend, Marissa, died in a fire just 2 days after breaking up with him. His failure to put this behind him ruined his marriage and has him in a constant holding pattern. One day he sees someone that looks just like the girl that died. She even uses the same mannerisms. He realizes it can’t be her but she has to be related to Marissa. He tries to find out but the girl runs away. The next day the police come to his door and tell him the girl has been murdered and that she had his address in her pocket. He is their main suspect. Those days from all those years ago come flooding back, there has to be a connection to Marissa and he is going to find it and prove he did not kill the girl too!
I started reading and could not put this book down. I immediately became invested in Nick and his journey to find the truth. I thought I knew how this story was going to play out and I was partially right, a very small part. Bell threw in there quite a few unexpected twists which keep giving me more and more clues to decipher as I was led through a very riveting read. Like every other book Bell has written the story has many layers and an intoxicating pace. You think just one more chapter and before you know it you have reached the end of the book.
I lost a distant relative to a campus fire several years ago that was wrapped up very quickly even though many questions were left unanswered so I found the story to be believable. Bell has grown so much as a writer from his start with Cemetery Girl. He continues to just keep getting better and better.
My only complaint – I can’t get this song out of my head. 🙂
Find out more about David Bell and his books on his webpage here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Just put this one on my library list.