For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover—movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.

Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe—even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.

I loved this book!! Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf is one of the best books I've ever read. It was an exciting, excellent ride that I couldn't put down.

Thank you #Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC of #BeforeSheWasFound
Pub Date: 16 Apr 2019

Oh wow. Put some time away for this book. It has all the ingredients for a terrific psychological thriller.

No spoilers from me. Book is great with lots of lies, deception, tragedy, and twists. Also, loved the unpredictable ending. Can't say enough great about this. Read it today!!

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read this fabulous book.

Kept me hooked over a day two period but I feel like the ending was a little disappointing and anticlimactic. I guess I was just hoping for something a little more exciting.

I have read and really liked Heather Gudenkauf’s novels so it’s with great anticipation and excitement that I am about to begin her newest Before She Was Found. I remember reading Heather’s novel, Without a Sound and was completely hooked to the point where I finished the book late at night/early morning.

This new book promises to keep me up late too! Honestly, those are the best kinds of books.

Here’s the premise:

For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover—movies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.

Later than night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Cora—and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted—not even those closest to Cora.

Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safe—even if that means burying the truth, no matter what the cost.



I am looking forward to reading this book which I know is going to be fantastic. I may clear my calendar just so I can read this book today!

Okay, I must say I am a huge Heather Gudenkauf fan. I have all her books in hardcover and then rebought them when I got a kindle. So when I was blessed enough to get a copy of her new book from netgalley I was literally over the moon. Let me tell you this book did not disappoint, it was fantastic. The story of a three young girls who are supposed to be having a sleepover and one ends up the victim of a brutal attack. Deals with bullying, the dangers of the internet for teenagers, and urban legend. Twisted, dark mystery that will have you second guessing who attacked this young girl until the very end. Read this book in less than 24 hours, it is truly that good. Make sure to clear your schedule before you start reading this.

Gudenkauf’s intricately plotted Before She Was Found packs a lot of unpleasant happenings into a few unhappy winter days in a small rural town in Iowa. Twelve-year-old Cora Landry is found bloody, viciously beaten on the train tracks near the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town. Her two friends who were supposed to be with her at Landry house for a sleepover are nowhere to be seen. Who could hate a little girl so much that she is almost near dead? Whereas the town residents presume Cora’s attacker to be a stranger, the police have their own idea. Soon two of Cora’s classmates are arrested for attempted murder, and the investigation becomes a big mess where everyone is a suspect. Gudenkauf expertly explores the friendship and the betrayal and the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is also about the great lengths a parent can go to protect their child and keep them safe—even if that means burying the truth at others’ cost. Gudenkauf is immensely gifted when it comes to moving the story forward at a fast pace. The story is narrated by different characters, but their voices fall short of being...full review at The Prairies Book Review

I've been a fan of Heather Gudenkauf since about 2016 or so. She's written seven novels and as far as I'm concerned, this one is her best yet.

Cora is an outcast. Jordyn is the popular "mean girl." Violet is the string that holds them together. Then one day they have a sleepover. They sneak out of the house at midnight to go chasing down an urban legend. But things go horribly wrong - one girl is gone, one girl is hiding, and one girl has been stabbed and left for dead.

This book was a perfect mystery, a perfect ending. I knew it was something crazy, but that? THAT was genius. Very happy with everything about this book. Five well deserved, totally unexpected stars.

I’ve been a huge fan of Heather Gudenkauf, but she has completely outdone herself with Before She Was Found! As a mother, I found the subject matter jarring and riveting all at the same time. The storyline is brilliantly written to create many possible conspiracy theories with a side order of lots of shock! I love authors that take me out of comfort zone and Heather Gudenkauf has definitely achieved that with gem! I finished reading this 5 star read a day ago and it’s still front and center in my mind—for me, not being able to stop thinking about a particular book is always a sign of a fantastic novel! If your looking for a thriller that is unputdownable this is the book for you!

I have read all of Heather Gudenkauf’s book and Before They Found Her did not disappoint!! Her characters are so richly developed and you either love them or love to dislike them. The first page had me hooked. Such beautiful writing. I would say Gudenkauf is one of my top psychological thriller writers. Warning! Do not start this if you expect to do anything else for the day and night! That good!!

Before She Was Found by author Heather Gudenkauf is a riveting thriller about dark obsessions between female friends. The twist and turns are throughout making it a gripping story.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of Before She Was Found in exchange for an honest review.

Three twelve-year-old frenemies.
Two bloody girls.
One urban legend.

Violet, bloodied and traumatized emerges from the darkness into her mothers arms. Cora lies nearby near death, Jordyn nowhere to be found. The sixth-graders snuck out after midnight to find Joseph Wither. Legend says as a teen he burnt down his house, killing his family over a lost love. According to town folklore, he kidnapped and murdered other young women over the years. For a class project, the three girls research Joseph, convincing Cora he’s still alive.

I make no secret that I’ve been a Heather Gudenkauf fan since the Weight of Silence. I’m also a true crime buff, especially psychological crime involving children. I followed the Slenderman attacks and subsequent documentaries. At first glance, BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND might seem ripped from the headlines, but Gudenkauf created such an intricate, tight plot you won’t know how alike or similar the stories are until the very last page.

If I had asked Gudenkauf to write a book for me, she would have penned BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND. I’ve read good books and bad books, books that stayed with me forever, books that blew my mind and books I’ve re-read more than ten times. Never before have I read one that hit all my interests nearly perfectly. Gudenkauf’s writing gets crisper and cleaner every time, her characters more layered and nuanced. BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND utilizes text messages, journal entries, Violet’s mother’s first person point of view, Jordyn’s grandfather’s limited third person POV and personal notes from psychiatrist Dr Madeline Gideon’s to show (not tell) the story.

The plot had me guessing until the very last page with a number of viable suspects from the girls to a teacher to Violet’s brother’s friend to Joseph Wither himself and of course, others I placed lower on the list of possibilities. The last quarter of BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND was not stop action, twists and turns that felt organic to the story. Avoid reviews with spoilers, each revelation is a gift.

BEFORE SHE WAS FOUND appeals to readers who enjoy fiction, mysteries, suspense, women’s fiction, true crime as well as young adults.

Heather Gudenkauf is one of my favorite author’s for good reason and Before She Was Found definitely added to my love of her.

Three girls in rural Iowa have a sleepover one night and sneak off to the abandoned railway to try to find the elusive Joseph Wither, a product of local urban legend. When one of the girls ends up in the hospital badly beaten and stabbed, the police search to discover what really happened that night.

This had excellent character development and lots of twists and turns, with a completely unexpected ending. The only negative I have is that the transitions between alternating narrators and the back and forth between time periods was a little clunky at times. Otherwise, this was a flawlessly executed psychological thriller that I highly recommend to all.

Many thanks to Netgalley, Park Row and Heather Gudenkauf for my complimentary e-copy ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

A pre-teen sleepover turns tragic when one girl is found bruised and bloody on the tracks of an abandoned rail line while the other girls have vanished. Who could hate a twelve year old girl so much that she’s now all but dead? Most assume that a drifter, someone from away attacked Cora. No one from their town would ever hurt a child….would they? This book is not for those with a weak heart (or a pre-teen daughter). Gudenkauf demonstrates just how far people will go to protect their children, even at the cost of another child’s life