"What Comes Before Dawn" by Addison Michael is a gripping thriller that takes readers on an intense journey of suspense, secrets, and self-discovery. Paige Deffer's life is shattered with a single phone call revealing her mother's murder, thrusting her into a world of deception and danger that she never could have anticipated.

The strength of Michael's narrative lies in the skillful weaving of a complex web of secrets, lies, and unexpected twists. From the very beginning, the reader is drawn into Paige's world, where the unsettling revelation about her mother's true identity sets the stage for a thrilling exploration of hidden truths. The author adeptly creates a sense of urgency that propels the story forward, making it difficult for readers to put the book down.

Paige's character is well-crafted, and her journey of self-discovery adds depth to the narrative. As she peels back the layers of deception surrounding her mother's past, she is forced to confront not only external threats but also the shadows within herself. The emotional turmoil and psychological tension that Paige experiences contribute to the overall intensity of the story.

The unraveling of multiple secrets and the introduction of suspicious characters keep the plot engaging. Michael succeeds in creating an atmosphere of suspense, prompting readers to question the motives and true identities of the characters. The incorporation of unexpected twists adds an extra layer of intrigue, keeping the reader guessing until the final pages.

While "What Comes Before Dawn" is a thrilling read with a well-executed plot, some readers may find certain elements of the storyline somewhat predictable. The theme of hidden identities and dark pasts has been explored in the thriller genre before, and Michael follows a familiar pattern. However, the author's execution and the incorporation of unique twists make the novel stand out.

In conclusion, "What Comes Before Dawn" is a solid four-star thriller that delivers on its promise of suspense and mystery. Addison Michael's ability to craft a compelling narrative, combined with well-developed characters and unexpected twists, makes this a worthwhile read for fans of the genre. If you enjoy thrillers that explore the complexities of identity and unravel dark secrets, "What Comes Before Dawn" is a compelling addition to your reading list.

This book was pretty good. Kind of a generic story line in my opinion, but I still enjoyed it. It felt more like a mystery than a psychological thriller

I received an advanced copy of this ebook from the publisher for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. I liked Paige's character in this book. This book is very twisted and has great turns. I absolutely enjoyed this authors writing style. I would recommend reading this book to anyone and everyone. This book is a 5 star read 🌟. This ebook is in stores for $2.99 (USD).

I have a conflicting relationship with thrillers of this ilk. I once gorged on them and slowly tapered off them. I keep trying some, once in a while, to check if I found the one that breaks my streak.
I preface my review with that short point because this is a highly rated book on Goodreads and has its merits that even I can appreciate, but I am just not the right audience.
The story has a lot of moving parts. We have our leading lady Paige, a newly (almost) engaged woman basking in her life when her mother is found dead. We already know a little of her mother's past, but Paige is unaware of it and the depth of her mother's undiagnosed and rare illness. This latter factor actually had a very reasonable explanation within all the actions taking place on the page.
We have past secrets and money, and in the current day - the secrets are both the cause and the investigation of Paige's mother's death. The blurb actually gives just the right amount of information to reel a person in (something I very rarely see done well nowadays). The atmosphere is pretty dark and threatening for most of the book.
Finally, although I did not enjoy the book, I think readers of this genre will have a good time with it - especially since it is the start of a series!

I received an ARC thanks to NetGalley and the publishers, but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.

If you enjoy reading psychological thrillers, then What Comes Before Dawn is the book you need to read!!

There is suspense, twists and turns, and well-crafted characters that make this a great read.

Excellent book with lots of twist and turns! Kept me guessing as not everything is what it seems. I really connected with Paige. Loved this and want it read more from this author

Poor Paige has a lot to come to terms with in this thriller which tests her understanding of the most important relationships in her life. Uncovering the history to her life is fascinating and the author does a great slow reveal. I’m not sure the paranormal element added much but it was certainly something a bit different.

First in a series of books. Paige’s mother is not who she appears to be. This was a good mystery/ crime book with lots of plot twists

This is the first book that the author Addison Michael has read, and it is also a good book. I've read murder thrillers before, but this one was really good.
From start to finish this story was well put together, through the suspense and danger, secrets even murders much more, but also the many twists and turns in it and nothing was what it seemed, you were surprised from start to finish. Paige has to endure a lot in her search for her mother's murder because it is not what it seems and everything she thought is no longer true, so she sets out to find out the truth about everything and who she is now considered to be. there were many secrets. This book is definitely recommended!

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley to leave my own honest voluntary review.

What Comes Before Dawn, Book #1 in the Mynart Mystery Thriller has quite an interesting plotline. A mother who suffers from blackouts, having no memory of the time spent, but still remains functional and carries out daily activities has an alluring enigma to it. I sympathize with those suffering with it thou but like Amnesia, this is a plot device that can be twisted in any number of ways to create jaw-dropping thrillers and I did expect one going into Addison Michael’s What Comes Before Dawn. What came as an unexpected addition is the reveal of the whodunnit of the murder which had me gobsmacked, coming out of nowhere.

For readers who love a fast-paced mystery, What Comes Before Dawn would certainly be appealing. But for fans of mystery thrillers who read many novels in the genre, this story would be exciting to read but not gripping enough, and the reasons for this are several. For starters, the POV of the BAD GUY alternating with Paige’s had no element of thrill. I mean the reader is very much aware of who the BAD GUY is in the story and who is stalking Paige so, the psychological scare of being terrorized by someone is lost. Secondly, the twists in the story except for the final one never induce any surprise, coz most books in the genre have the same or similar surprises and then there is the logical implausibility of certain details in the story like the fact that Paige is able to more or less walk into a witness room inside a police station and then she is also able to walk inside a crime area and check things without being once questioned or stopped by anyone, well, I didn't feel it gelled all that smoothly.

What works exceedingly well, though in What Comes Before Dawn is the subtle dark plotline that runs in the story, and with a small paranormal element added in, it keeps the readers engaged from start to finish.

3.5 engaging stars.

Looking forward to knowing how Paige moves forward in her life and what new mystery is waiting for her.

Many thanks to NetGalley, BooksGoSocial, and the author for a chance to read and review this book. All opinions are expressed voluntarily.

This review is published on my blog https://rainnbooks.com/, Goodreads, Amazon India, Book Bub, Medium.com, Facebook, and Twitter.

This is a very well-paced thriller that draws the reader in right away and has some twists and turns until the end - can't tell more but would recommend it for a vacation or Sunday read! Entertaining and well written.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for providing a copy!!!

Excellent twist and turns in the mystery thriller. No one is exactly what Paige expected. As she discovers more about her mother and her life the more she learns she isn't who she thought she was. I liked the pace and how the discoveries kept changing where the story seemed to be heading. The book kept me interested and turning pages.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well writtDawn occurs just after the darkest part of night, that eerie time between midnight and morning when most are sleeping. What comes before dawn?

Paige Deffer’s mother has been murdered. Her boyfriend isn’t who she thought he was. The more secrets, lies, and murders that are revealed, the more Paige’s world unravels around her. Paige must delve into her hidden psyche to discover who she really is before she becomes the next target.

Paige begins to question everything she thought she knew about her life. When people from her mother’s past start showing up, Paige doesn’t know who she can trust. Is one of them her mother’s murderer? Paige must unveil the secrets of her mother’s past – and her own – before the truth of her death will dawn.

This is a brilliant read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.en plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

A complex and weird story. Thriller with many suspects but not quite doing it for me, didn't thrill me and seemed disconnected.

This book was great, the characters were well developed. The plot was interesting. Highly recommend it.

There were lots of twists and turns in this novel and I wasn’t really sure who to trust – everyone seemed to be keeping secrets and lying about what they were up to. There were several red herrings and some misdirection that had me suspecting all kinds of things! I was trying to guess what was happening and kept changing my mind. This was definitely an intriguing and absorbing read. I really enjoyed this book and it will appeal fans of thrillers.

Wow! Wow wow. I couldn’t put this book down. It was beyond captivating. So much happening but still it was easy to follow. Addison Michael may be my new favorite author. This book kept me guessing til the end. I had my suspicions but wasn’t 100% sure. At the end, everything comes full circle. I’m happy to know the story continues as there are more books after this one. Highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed this murder thriller. Twists and turns and an ending that totally surprised me. Highly recommend.

This is one of the best thrillers I've read this year.Lots of twists, character reveals that are of worthy of your gasp response. Don't miss this one. I'm on to the second of this series.

I think that the best word to describe this book with is: fine. 2.5 stars is not an option, but that is what I really wanted to give this book because it just falls flat in the middle.

The book was very predictable and leaned heavily on suspense fiction tropes. The author wanted us to be surprised, but I felt no surprise at all. I know that this book is fiction, but the storyline made no logical sense in any manner. Additionally, I hated the fact that one of the characters was just referred to as "Bad Guy" in his POV chapters. Once I read that, there was no way in which I could take any of this book seriously.