The Night Before: A Novel

By Wendy Walker

A Today Show and New York Post Summer Reads Selection!

First dates can be murder.

"Ferociously smart." —AJ Finn
"Riveting." —Riley Sager
"Addictive." —Liv Constantine
"Wonderfully tense." —Aimee Molloy
"Irresistible." —Mary Kubica
"Impossible to put down." —Megan Miranda

Riveting and compulsive, national bestselling author Wendy Walker’s The Night Before “takes you to deep, dark places few thrillers dare to go” as two sisters uncover long-buried secrets when an internet date spirals out of control.

Laura Lochner has never been lucky in love. She falls too hard and too fast, always choosing the wrong men. Devastated by the end of her last relationship, she fled her Wall Street job and New York City apartment for her sister’s home in the Connecticut suburb where they both grew up. Though still haunted by the tragedy that’s defined her entire life, Laura is determined to take one more chance on love with a man she’s met on an Internet dating site.

Rosie Ferro has spent most of her life worrying about her troubled sister. Fearless but fragile, Laura has always walked an emotional tightrope, and Rosie has always been there to catch her. Laura’s return, under mysterious circumstances, has cast a shadow over Rosie’s peaceful life with her husband and young son – a shadow that grows darker as Laura leaves the house for her blind date.

When Laura does not return home the following morning, Rosie fears the worst. She’s not responding to calls or texts, and she’s left no information about the man she planned to meet. As Rosie begins a desperate search to find her sister, she is not just worried about what this man might have done to Laura. She’s worried about what Laura may have done to him…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Publishers
• Release date: May 14, 2019
• ISBN: 9781250198693

Wendy Walker

Wendy Walker is the author of the psychological suspense novels All Is Not Forgotten, Emma in the Night, The Night Before, Don’t Look for Me, American Girl, and What Remains. Her novels have been translated into twenty-three foreign languages, topped bestseller lists both nationally and abroad, and have been optioned for television and film. Wendy holds degrees from Brown University and Georgetown Law School. She has worked as a family law attorney, investment banker, and spent several years training for competitive figure skating.

Book preview

ONE

Laura Lochner. Session Number One. Four Months Ago. New York City.

Laura: I don’t know if this is a good idea.

Dr. Brody: It’s up to you, Laura.

Laura: What if you try to fix me and I end up more broken?

Dr. Brody: What if you don’t?

Laura: I’m scared to go back there. To the past. To that night in the woods. A piece is still missing.

Dr. Brody: It’s up to you. Only you can decide.

Laura: It was in my hand. The weapon that killed him. But that night didn’t change me. That night made me see what I’ve always been.

Dr. Brody: Then let’s start there. Tell me about the girl you’ve always been.

TWO

Laura. Present Day. Thursday, 7 P.M. Branston, CT.

Lipstick, cherry red.

I choose the color because it’s bright and cheerful. It’s optimism in a tube. And that’s exactly what I need tonight.

The guest bathroom at my sister’s house is impossibly small, with slanted ceilings and a tiny oval mirror. The lipstick hovers on the edge of a pedestal sink.

I put it on first so I won’t change my mind, rolling that optimism right across my lips. Next comes the concealer. Two stripes under my brown eyes, and the dark circles from weeks of insomnia disappear. Rose blush colors cheeks that have not seen the sun for far too long.

Insomniacs sleep during the day.

My sister, Rosie, gave me a pretty dress to wear. Black with tiny flowers.

Wear a dress for a change. It will make you feel pretty.

Rosie just turned thirty. She has a husband and a toddler—Joe and Mason. They have a house in the hills of Branston, six miles from downtown. And one mile from the place where all of this started. The street where we grew up. Deer Hill Lane.

Rosie says she doesn’t have any occasion to wear the dress. The skirt gets in her way when she’s chasing after Mason and she’s too tired to do much of anything at night except grab a beer in the strip mall at the edge of town. She says this like she misses having nothing better to do than put on makeup and dresses. But really, she doesn’t need the dress or the occasions to wear it, because her days are filled with bear hugs and belly laughs and sticky kisses on her face.

Her husband, Joe, doesn’t care. He adores her. Even now, after thirteen years together. After growing up together on the same street. Even with Mason sleeping in their bed, and an old house in need of constant repair, and Rosie never wearing a dress.

He adores her because when they were young, she wore lots of pretty dresses for him and that’s the person he still sees.

That’s the kind of person I need to be tonight.

I search for my phone in a pile of towels and clothing that lie on the bathroom floor. When I do, I pull up the profile and unchain the hope. Jonathan Fields. His name sounds like a song.

Jonathan Fields. I found him on a dating website called findlove.com—an actual website. The name says everything about it. Jonathan Fields is forty. His wife left him a year ago because she couldn’t get pregnant. She kept their house. He drives a black BMW.

That’s what he told me.

Jonathan Fields spoke to me on the phone. He said he didn’t like emails or texting because it was too impersonal. He said he hated online dating but that his friend met his fiancé on findlove.com. It was not one of those hookup apps. No swiping allowed. The profile takes an hour to build. They have to approve your photos. Jonathan Fields said it was like having your grandmother fix you up on a blind date, and this made me laugh.

Jonathan Fields said he liked the sound of it.

I liked the sound of his voice, and remembering it now actually sends a surge of warmth through my body. I feel my mouth turn up at the corners. A smile.

A fucking smile.

I told him a lot about my job, and this made it easier to tell him very little about me.

I have an impressive résumé after jumping through hoops all my life. Princeton … an MBA from Columbia … a job on Wall Street!

Wall Street is one of those terms that won’t leave this world no matter how antiquated it’s become. I work in Midtown, nowhere near Wall Street, which sits at the very bottom of Manhattan. And the firm I work at isn’t quite as sexy as Goldman Sachs. I sit at a desk and read stuff and write stuff and hope to God it’s not wrong, because other people at our firm will make trades and deals upon the advice I give. Me, a twenty-eight-year-old who needs a shrink to tell her how to behave.

Jonathan Fields works at a hedge fund downtown, so he understands about my work.

That’s what he told me.

I didn’t tell him about my childhood here, running wild in the woods behind our house with the neighborhood kids. Me and Rosie—and Joe, whose family lived up the street until he went to high school and they moved closer to town.

And I didn’t tell him why I’ve stayed gone all these years.

I don’t use social media, not ever, so it’s not like he can check. I didn’t tell him my father’s last name. Lochner. Google still finds Laura Lochner and the things she did, or didn’t do—they can never decide—years ago. I’ve used my middle name, my mother’s last name, since I left this place. Heart. Laura Heart. Isn’t that ironic? Named after the one thing inside me that feels broken.

Omissions are not lies.

Rosie took Joe’s last name, Ferro, so there are no Lochners from our clan left in all of Connecticut.

I did tell him that I drive my sister’s minivan. It’s blue. And humiliating. I’m shopping for a new car, but I’ve just been so busy.

There’s a knock at the door. I open it and find Joe looking at me sheepishly. He’s still in his suit from his law office, but he’s loosened his tie and undone the top button of his shirt. Joe stands six foot two and can barely see through the frame of the door without ducking. His stomach bulges at the waist of pants that have grown too small. But he still manages to be handsome.

I’m supposed to tell you to wear the dress, Joe says, as though talking about women’s clothing has just cut off his balls.

My sister’s voice echoes from downstairs. Wear the damn dress! The one I gave you!

Joe smiles and hands me the glass of bourbon he cradles in his hands. The mouth on her, I’m telling you. Our kid is gonna be so fucked up.

I feel the smile growing and I want to cry. Joe loves my sister. She loves him. They both love Mason. Love, love, love. It’s all around me, making me regret staying away so long. But then also reminding me why I have. The love is here, but it always feels just beyond my reach.

I take a sip of the bourbon.

Yeah, well, that was a given, right? You married a Lochner, I say.

Joe rolls his eyes. Shakes his head. I know. Is it too late to get out?

Kind of.

Joe sighs. He glances at the dress hanging on the shower rod. All right. Just wear the dress. And this guy—he’d better not be a douchebag or I will kick his ass so hard.…

I nod. Got it. Dress. Ass kicking.

Then he adds, and my smile fades, Are you sure you’re ready for this?

I’ve returned home because of a man, a breakup, and that’s all they know about it. I haven’t had the courage to tell them more. They’re happy to have me back. More than happy. And I don’t have the stomach to see that change by revealing another bad chapter in my life. The fact that they haven’t pressed me for answers tells me they’re expecting the worst—and that they don’t really want to know. Maybe they need to believe I’ve changed as much as I do. Maybe we will now be a normal family because I’ll stop being me.

Still, I know it must seem a bit extreme, taking a leave of absence from a competitive job, a grown woman moving in with her sister, just because of that. One breakup, and with a man they’d never met or even heard of. How serious could it have been? I feel this question seeping from Rosie’s skin every second of every day.

I consider Joe’s question. Am I ready for this? I look at him and shrug. Probably not, I say.

Joe replies with sarcasm. Awesome.

We had this same conversation before I came upstairs. Joe walked in circles, wiping counters, listening to the hum of the dishwasher, feeling satisfied that he’d put everything back in order after being at work all day. (He’s neat. Rosie is not.) He’s a happy hamster running on his wheel.

Just have fun. Don’t make too much of it. I would walk across glass to be free for a night!

Rosie punched the side of his arm, and he sighed dramatically like he was nostalgic for his single life. They both like to do this. Rosie in the kitchen making me coffee, complaining about the long day ahead. Joe in the kitchen at night, just the two of us, each having a bourbon, pulling back his floppy black hair so I can see the receding of his hairline. Look! he says. Can’t you see it! I’m balding from boredom!

But all I see is the truth. I see it when they fold Mason in their arms, or steal a kiss when they think they’re alone. It’s all just talk.

It’s the way happy people talk when they want to make the rest of us feel better.

Our friend Gabe was over as well, lending advice. Gabe was the fourth lifelong compatriot in our childhood band of thieves. He lived right next door with his parents and older brother, until the brother went to military school and then enlisted in the army. Now Gabe lives in that same house where he grew up. He bought it from his mother after his father died and she moved to Florida.

It’s odd how the three of them are all still here. Right where I left them a decade ago.

Gabe got married just last year to a woman he met through work. Melissa. She was a client of his, but he never talks about that because it’s awkward and unseemly—his words. Gabe does IT forensics, sometimes for suspicious spouses like Melissa had been when they first met. He found the evidence that led to her divorce and now she’s married to Gabe.

He’s happy, but not the kind of happy that makes you talk shit about it. I imagine it will take more than a baby to get him there. Melissa was broken, and Gabe likes to fix things—people, especially. But Melissa is an outsider to Rosie and Joe, and to me now that I’ve come home. She moved here from Vermont to be with her first husband and now she’s here for Gabe. It’s difficult to see her in three dimensions.

It doesn’t help that she is tolerated here rather than welcome, though we all try to hide it. She’s tall and stick thin and that makes Rosie feel short and fat, even at five four and 130 pounds. Melissa doesn’t like how much Joe swears, her back arching every time he drops the f-bomb. Which, of course, makes Joe say it more. He managed to use it four times in one sentence last week at a barbecue. And me—well, I’m a single woman with a lifetime of stories lived with her husband. She’s too simpleminded to understand our friendship.

So, as Joe says every time she leaves and wants Gabe to follow, Fuck her. The band of thieves from Deer Hill Lane is a tough crowd.

Gabe stayed today, after Melissa left. He gave me a cheese-ball wink and said something encouraging like, Laura will eat this guy for lunch. She’s always been fierce and fearless.

I tried to smile. But the truth is, I left a great job because a man broke my heart. Not so fierce and fearless after all, am I? Not exactly Lara Croft or Jessica Jones, kicking ass and taking names. Men falling at my feet—but I have no time for them because I have to save the world.

This talk, like the ones before it, stopped before we got to the good part. To the bad things this fierce and fearless girl has done. Right here, in this town.

Mason calls out for Joe. His voice melts my heart. Rosie probably put him up to it. I can hear her—Mason—go call for Daddy! She’s enjoying a glass of wine.

Joe rolls his eyes.

Want me to leave the bourbon? Joe asks.

Which one of us needs it more? I reply.

Good point.

Joe takes the bourbon and leaves me with the dress and the makeup.

And the mirror.

I did not find Jonathan Fields right away. I was a novice on findlove.com and did everything wrong. The first mistake was being honest in describing myself. I said I was independent but compromising. I preferred tequila to chardonnay, scuba diving to sunbathing, sneakers to high heels. I said I didn’t know if I wanted children. Cringe.

And the worst, most colossal mistake—the pictures. They were current and unfiltered. Me on a hike with an old friend. Me playing with Mason on the front lawn. Me standing in the kitchen in a T-shirt, my mousy brown hair in a ponytail. No boobs showing, not even my poor excuse for them.

I thought they were attractive—the pictures, that is (I’m not a good judge of boobs). All of it, the entire profile, was me. The old me.

When we were just kids who ran through the woods like hooligans, thoughts of romantic love a million years away, our mother used to hold court in our kitchen. One day Rosie and I came inside undetected. I can’t recall what we needed from the house, but we stopped at the foot of the kitchen door when we overheard her say my name to Gabe’s mother, Mrs. Wallace. I was six, Rosie eight. They were drinking coffee.

I don’t know.… She was just born that way. Born with fists for hands. It’s hard to love a girl like that.

I’ve never forgotten it, that expression. Fists for hands. Or the conclusion she’d come to about my fate. Rosie pulled me away, back outside, where we were free and easy. She made a joke about it, about how our mother was always wrong about everything, anyway. Rosie was trying to protect me from words that should have been hurtful, but all I remember feeling was a sense of pride that our mother had bothered to see me at all. I had always felt invisible to her.

We never spoke of it again—about how hard it was to love me. Rosie got her hands on Joe and held on to him like the golden ring at the carousel. And I rejected everything remotely feminine, beating it all away with my fists for hands. The color pink. Smiles. Dresses.

In the race for love, she learned to walk and I’m still crawling. Though she’s never stopped trying to teach me.

I find my reflection in the tiny oval mirror and give it a look of admonishment. My brown eyes and mousy hair.

No, no, no.

Nope. No looking back. Lipstick, cherry red …

Old Laura woke up every morning to an empty mailbox on findlove.com. Not a wink or like or message. So, in spite of the worry Rosie hides behind smiles, she helped me change my profile and the new me got a date with Jonathan Fields.

I put on the dress, wrapping it around my body and tying it at the waist. We’ve always been the same size, though Rosie has boobs and curves and high cheekbones and gold highlights that light up her face. Sometime I think I willed those things away too, when I was a little girl. Still, I let myself look in the mirror and see what I knew I would see. It is pretty. I am pretty.

I put on the one pair of high heels that’s not in a box in the basement. Black pumps. I can’t stop now.

Dark circles erased. Lips bright red. Rosy cheeks. Pretty dress. I’m feminine and fun-loving. Smart but obedient. Ready to move into some man’s life like a new piece of furniture. I look just as good in jeans as I do in a black cocktail dress. That’s what men say they want. That’s what women say they are.

It feels dishonest, but what I feel doesn’t matter. Not tonight.

Rosie has been teaching me—how to be sexy but not sleazy. How to be smart but not intimidating.

It’s a game, Laura. Do what you have to do to get the first date. Then you can be yourself. People don’t know what they want until it’s right in front of them.

Yes. That’s true.

Joe was more pragmatic.

Men don’t read the profiles. They look at the pictures and measure their hard-ons.

Sometimes I think I will lose my mind trying to understand. The shrink told me that I would find it here, at home. The answer to this question about me and men. Me and love. Why I lack the skills to find it, and why I beat it away when it finds me. Me with my fists for hands. The girl no one can love. So here I am.

Our mother was beautiful and she did everything that was asked of her. She would have killed it on findlove.com. Even so, our father left her when I was twelve. He left her, left us, for a woman who was older than our mother. A woman who didn’t wear dresses. He left us and moved to Boston with her. Now our mother lives alone in California, still trying to get past that first date.

Our father’s name was Richard. He hated when people called him Dick, for the obvious reason.

I haven’t seen Dick in sixteen years.

I’m tired of not knowing the answer about me and love.

But tonight I will not ask questions. I will not wonder why Jonathan Fields clicked on my profile—if it was because my new pictures gave him a hard-on or because he read my fake profile and it made him feel good about himself. I’m so tired of all of this. I just want to be done. I want it to be over. I want to stop fighting. I want to be happy like Rosie and Joe. So happy, I talk shit about it.

I take a deep breath and gather the cherry-red lipstick from the counter. I turn off the light. Walk out the door and down the stairs. I find Joe and Rosie in the kitchen, cooking something with too much garlic. Gabe has gone home to his wife, reluctantly no doubt. Still, I envy that he has someone waiting for him. He’s torn, but he’s also happy. Nothing is perfect. I would settle for that.

Oh! Rosie gasps. You wore the dress! She stops cooking and presses her right hand over her heart like she’s about to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. She’s not sure if she’s happy that I’m going on a date. We’ve been walking this thin line of hope and worry since the day she came to fetch me in New York. But the fact that I’ve worn her dress somehow makes her feel better. Maybe it will just be a normal first date if I look this pretty.

You look very nice. Joe nods with the approval of a teacher handing back a test. A teacher who’s not a pervert. A test with a good grade.

Thanks, I say with the smile that got lost upstairs.

I feel naked arms around my naked legs and look down to see a little creature looking up. Lala, Mason says. He closes his eyes like he’s savoring his knowledge of me, my smell, and my name (sort of) and how I will now bend down and pick him up and give him a giant kiss. He tires of it quickly and squirms away, bare down to a diaper, and filled with joy that is unstoppable.

I wonder if I ever felt that way. I can’t imagine it.

Rosie gives me her car keys. You’ll be back, right? Otherwise I can call you an Uber.…

I take the keys. I will not stay out long with this man. Just enough to entice him. Rosie has told me how this works, and I am finally going to get it right.

I take the keys to make sure of it. Driving your sister’s minivan is better than not shaving your legs to ensure abstinence. I’ll be home tonight.

Don’t forget the purse! Rosie says. She points to a black purse that goes with the dress and that sits on the counter. I emptied it for you.

I take the purse. I put the lipstick inside.

I walk to the side door that leads to the driveway.

You’ll be home? Rosie asks again.

Don’t worry, I say.

I give them one last smile. They look at me across a room that has grown silent. I see a flash of hope wash over Rosie and it kills the hope inside me. Because right on its heels is the bone-deep fear that never leaves her when she looks at me.

I say nothing, swallowing the words.

You don’t need to worry, because I’m not going to be me tonight.

I have not convinced her with the lipstick and the dress. But she’ll see. I’ve left old me upstairs in the attic. I’ve done everything right this time. And I’ve chosen Jonathan Fields. A man with a proven track record in the sport of love and commitment.

Don’t worry, Rosie. You’ll see in the morning.

I am going to get it right tonight.

Even if it kills me.

THREE

Rosie Ferro. Present Day. Friday, 5 a.m. Branston, CT.

Something is wrong.

Rosie felt it the moment her eyes opened to the dimly lit room. The body of a two-year-old was curled up beside her. Mason was a heat-seeking missile when he found his way into their bed. Joe was gone, his covers pulled down, likely in a fit of frustration as he made a hasty exit to the couch in the family room downstairs. Their bed wasn’t big enough for the three of them anymore, and neither of them had the energy to break Mason of the habit.

A night-light lit up the room enough to see his sweet, innocent face. White as snow with a mop of dark hair, like his father. A little man-child.

She pressed her cheek against his soft skin.

Okay, she said to herself in a whisper. Everything’s okay.

But she didn’t believe it.

She reached for her phone on the nightstand. It was five a.m, which explained the throbbing in her head. They’d gone to bed later than usual. Mason had been restless and hard to put down. When it was done, after five stories and sitting by his bed while he dozed off, Rosie had washed down two Benadryl with a glass of wine. She knew her mind wouldn’t rest unless she hit it

Reviews for The Night Before

[Rose Lang · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Eh…. the story, twists and literally everything would have been better if the writing was good, characters had almost no depth and the pacing was very slow

[ashlyn ossi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a really great book! My only issue is that there wasnt a single likable character. Good guys...bad guys...they were all terrible. Other than that, I would highly recommend!

[janjanfreeman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Laura Lockner is misunderstood and difficult. She has been hard to love since being a little girl with "fists for hands". Her sister Rosie's sweet nature has been the perfect force to balance out Laura's harsh personality. The two sisters along with their childhood friends Joe and Gabe have seen each other through horrific events in their childhood which built their friendship. Adulthood took Laura out from their hometown but now that she is back, can they remain a solid team as the past re-emerges?I had read Emma in the Night in the past, also by Wendy Walker.  I had high expectations for this book and it was nothing short of marvelous.  Everyone knows that there are lots of great books. But only rarely does a reader come across a brilliant masterpiece like Wendy Walker's The Night Before that simply takes your breath away. There were multiple points where I had to pause, put the book down for a second, and take a moment to process the latest revealing truth. It is an intricate and delicate puzzle. Mind-blowing, fun, and a must-read for all fans of psychological thrillers.For those who may be triggered or offended, there was violence, murder, adultery, divorce, foul language, and kidnapping.Please note: an electronic ARC was generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review (thank you!).

[ml923 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A well-written, enjoyable thriller.

[jenn88-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Laura Heart is back in her home town, staying with her sister and her family while she gets back on her feet. When she disappears after going on a date with a man she met online, her sister Rosie is desperate to find her. But Rosie starts to wonder if Laura is more of a danger than the stranger she went out with.Ooh, this was good! I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. I wanted the book to just end already because I couldn't stand not knowing what happened to Laura. This is told from Laura's point of view and also from Rosie's point of view while she's worrying and looking for her sister. Both sisters' stories are weaved together so well that you don't miss a beat. This book is full of suspense and twists and ugh, did I mention how good it was?! I was pleasantly surprised at a few things.. I thought I had it all figured out but I was wrong. Loved the characters and the depth of this whole book.Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for an ARC.

[jenniferlynn-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I didn't love or hate the book. I really looked forward to reading it because I LOVED Emma in the Night. I enjoyed the story and twists and turns. I didn't guess many of the things that happened, so the book definitely kept me in suspense. I never really loved the characters. Rosie and Joe were fine, my problem was more with Laura. The book alternates between the characters, which I didn't mind. Throughout the book I had doubts in my head about what was really going on and who was involved with everything. I didn't know if I could believe Jonathan. Plus Laura wasn't that reliable of a person and didn't make good decisions. Actually, Laura made AWFUL decisions. Ones that could lead to being kidnapped, locked in basements or being murdered. Doesn't she watch the ID Channel, Dateline or even the news? I kept shouting in my head-- Just go home! Don't take drinks from him! He's probably drugging you! (Yes, I read too many creepy books and watch too many shows on the ID Channel) Then I changed my mind and thought maybe Jonathan should be scared of Laura. She definitely seems crazy.Laura goes out on a date with a man she met online and doesn't come home the next day. Her sister, Rosie, is immediately worried that something went horribly wrong. Laura doesn't have the best track record with men or make great decisions. She recently moved into Rosie's house after a breakup with a boyfriend. That's not the worst part. When Laura was in high school she suffered a traumatic event involving a boyfriend, bat and a ton of blood. Not everyone thought she was innocent. I enjoyed the story and the writing style. I just didn't love any of the characters. I would probably give the book 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the twists and the secrets that were revealed. Was I surprised by the ending? No, not really. I had a suspicion that there had to be more to the event in high school. I was more surprised about what Joe revealed. Definitely recommend the book. It's a good mystery/ suspense. I look forward to reading more from the author. Thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press and the author, Wendy Walker, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.

[over.the.edge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Night Before By Wendy Walker due May 2019 MacMillan Doubt. Apprehension. The gnawing in the pit of your stomach. Your nerves in a knot. Your sweating. Certain details are not adding up. All the red flags. She only just met him on a dating site.....here she goes again.....jumping to conclusions....Laura passes it all off as self-doubt. This is why she is staying with her sister, Rosie Ferro. To get over a bad breakup. To move on, and the first step is to stop doubting herself. Stop being so suspicious and blowing things out of perportion.Online dating is safer now, isn't it? Times have changed, and so has dating, right? Of course, there will be minor details that don't fit. There is a logical explanation, she doesn't really know him yet. No one is completely candid online. So stop doubting yourself. Laura.Laura never returns from her online date. Rosie is beside herself with worry and guilt. Rosie begins to question and doubt. She wants answers. Where is her sister? Who is this man, Jonathan Fields, her sister has just met? Is he who he says he is and what he says he is? Is Laura? Is anyone?A psychological thriller, told from dual view points and time lines: the hours leading up to Laura's disappearance, and her date with Jonathan Fields; interspersed with excerpts from sessions Laura had with her therapist. This really adds to the suspense and mystique, makes the story even more haunting. This is great and will leave you guessing. Due in May 2019, a must read!Thank you for sending this ARC for review. #TheNightBefore #NetGalley

[kathl33n-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wow, this was really a page turner! Everyone seems to be telling the truth, then everyone seems to lying. Just what was going on??? So much fun to have my predictions proved false over and over again. Seriously - very, very enjoyable! Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced copy to read in exchange for an honest opinion.

[teachlz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Wendy Walker, Author of “The Night Before” has written an intense, edgy, captivating, suspenseful, and action-packed novel. The Genres for this Novel are Thriller, Suspense, Mystery, and Fiction. This story is written in the present and goes to the past when it pertains to the characters in the events in the story. The author describes her dramatic characters as quirky, dysfunctional, suspicious, complex and complicated.Laura Lochner feels she has never been lucky when it comes to men. After her last failed relationship, she is back home with her sister licking her wounds. Laura remembers a tragedy from years ago that haunts her. Can she move on? Rosie Ferro, Laura’s sister has reason to worry about her sister. There is anxiety and tension in the air while Laura is living in her home.Laura decides to try her luck on an Internet Dating site. She mostly speaks to the man she will be going out with. Little does she or the man realize the danger that is present. But, who is in danger, and from whom? Laura doesn’t come home the next day and her sister and husband are troubled. What is going on?This is a chilling and scary thriller, and everyone seems to be suspect. I would highly recommend this amazing and compelling novel for those readers that enjoy thought-provoking thrillers.

[beamis12 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

First I'd like to say how much I appreciate the blurb on this book, not much given way, just a short, effective teaser. So rare lately. Also enjoyed the format of this story, two narrators, sisters Rose and Laura, interspersed with sessions between Laura and a psychiatrist. It does go back and forth in time, but the chapters are clearly marked as to date. Easy to keep track of snd follow.Laura, meets a man on the internet, after he last relationship left her devastated, this is the first time she has ventured out to attempts another. She is excited, nervous, but hopeful. She never returns. Four friends all through childhood, Rose and Joe now married, they all gather together to try to track down her last movements. But, someone knows more, someone has a secret. A murder long ago, how does that connect to this? Who is not who they appear to be, has changed the story. But who? I loved getting lost in the questions, there are tidbits of enlightment here and there, appearing just when the author wants to reveal them. The pace is brisk, the story fluid, the characters only developed as much as the reader needs to know to keep them guessing and immersed in the story. For me, it worked.ARC from Netgalley.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The story was interesting enough that it kept me reading and guessing the outcome. The characters were not the most likable people and they really weren't the brightest bulbs in the chandelier. I didn't really understand Laura at all. Overall...it was good for the suspense that it managed to keep going to the last page.

[muddyboy · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A really interesting novel about a woman (Laura) comes back after a long absence to live with her sister (Rosie). Laura has a past in which a couple men in her life have been murdered. Though she was never accused this always haunts her. She decides to make a new start meeting a man on a dating site. She goes on a date and doesn't come back . At this point her sister and her husband think the worst and go out searching for her. There are lots of twists and turns before it ends with several surprises. This novel would make a great movie.

[susan.macura · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Laura, who has a history of violence, disappears after a date with a man she met online. Her sister Rosie with Rosie's husband Joe and childhood friend Gabe desperately try to find her. As they search, all of their secrets come out into the open. There are lots of twists and psychological games that kept me intrigued. I read this book in one day because it is a fast moving and entertaining book.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Night BeforeByWendy WalkerWhat it's all about...So...we have two sisters...Rosie and Laura...Rosie seems to be relatively normal while Laura seems to be just a bit unhinged. Laura seems to be affected by a traumatic event from her YA years. It’s always alluded to in this book’s early chapters. To me this just makes Laura’s life time decision making kind of abnormal and unbalanced. She seems to always need protection....of a sort...from her sister Rosie. So...when Laura takes Rosie’s minivan to meet a date she met on line and then does not return...Rosie starts a desperate search for her sister.My thoughts after reading this book...This book was confusing in its beginning. The event in the forest, the men she dated, the way she kept to herself...these all made Laura an unlikeable character to me. What I loved best...This isn’t a book with a loved best part. This book has secrets and lies and unexplainable events. Laura at best is a quiet reserved person...at her worst? Maybe a full fledged liar and psychopath. What potential readers might want to know...This may be a book that you don’t fully love but that you can’t stop reading. I received this book from the publisher through NetGalley. It was my choice to read and review it.

[seasonsoflove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I received ARCs of these books from the publishers in exchange for honest reviews. This did not affect my opinions of the books or the reviews themselves.When I started this book, I was immediately hooked. The story is centered around two sisters, one of whom has deep secrets in her past that may have come back into play, as she doesn't return home after a first date. Her sister is determined to find her, and through flashbacks and two POVs, the readers are there along with the characters, learning just enough information to keep the suspense high.This book was so suspenseful. Walkers is an expert at dropping little hints as to what is going on. The reveals were all completely shocking and I didn't see a single one coming. I highly recommend this book.

[silversreviews · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A murder that followed Laura from her youth, a breakup via a text message, and a blind date.All of these things and more had Laura having a difficult time coping and made her decide to move home to live with her sister and her brother-in-law.After a few months, Laura decided it was time to date again so she joined a dating site, went on a date, and never returned home.THE NIGHT BEFORE is told in alternating chapters of before and after in Laura's life. The before tells of the horrible incident that happened in her youth. The present tells of her blind date and things that happened before the date that Laura never told her sister.We also meet Rosie, Laura's sister, as Rosie relives the incident from Laura's youth and still wonders what really happened back then. And we follow Rosie as she tries to figure out where Laura could be and hoping for the best.THE NIGHT BEFORE pulls you along and into the story line because of all of the what if's and the question of who is really the one orchestrating all this drama.THE NIGHT BEFORE was a difficult-to-put down, well-carried out psychological suspense that will have you guessing but not guessing correctly.If you enjoy characters that you won't be able to figure out, secrets kept, and a shocking ending, THE NIGHT BEFORE needs to be in your to-be-read stack. 4/5This book was given to me as an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[thegenreminx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This tale is one that is a slow unfurling of events with plenty of suspense as to what took place with Laura the night she didn’t come home. I liked that this story was a dual timeline with points of view from Laura, Rosie, and also includes sessions between Laura and a psychologist which were from months before the night in question. There were also other characters in this story that were childhood friends of both Laura and Rosie. I really liked the feeling of family that I felt between them. Everyone had a stake in the situation.What was cool about The Night Before was that after Laura disappeared, Rosie started to unpack why she was extremely concerned about what could have happened with her sister and her worry wasn’t just about her sister’s safety. Slowly Laura’s past and present histories are brought out and explained as her sister and childhood friends discuss their anxieties as to the possibilities of what could have transpired that night and why. Then the narrative switches to Laura where she is telling her story but it is from the start of the night and while she is on her date. Never a dull moment in this story!There were many interesting reveals and several shocking moments that took place in The Night Before. I liked that Rosie’s character was uncertain about her sister and it had her on a pendulum between concern and dread. She had truly no idea which way to lean and kept oscillating between feelings which kept me uncertain as to how I felt about the situation as well. That coupled with the insights from Laura’s perspective gave this story a complex feel with plenty threads to follow to the ultimate reveal.The pacing was steady and although I didn’t feel that it was slow per se, it did not give me the heart in my throat feeling that I look for in thrillers. It did however have the dark secret/open secret tropes that kept my interest glued to the pages as pieces started aligning and the bigger picture came into view. Depending on what you are looking for in a thriller The Night Before could be a yay or a nay but for me it was an enjoyable read that had my interest piqued from start to finish.This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.

[bettytaylor56 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Walker’s newest book will keep you guessing until the end. Like her previous books (EMMA IN THE NIGHT and ALL IS NOT FORGOTTEN) Walker takes us into the dark side of human nature.This psychological suspense novel is told in dual timelines – the night before and the day after. There are also some flashbacks to four months earlier. You quickly grasp that something here is just not right, but what is it? And who is it? You will be racing through the pages to find out what happens next. Who is the killer? It will keep you guessing as Walker masterfully leads us along, sometimes deliberately misdirecting us.Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[amysan_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I love psychological thrillers and was really looking forward to reading this book, having heard a lot of good things about her previous book, Emma in the Night. The Night Before definitely kept me turning the pages, but ultimately had me rolling my eyes. I didn't end up caring about any of the characters and the writing was disappointing. Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for allowing me to read this book early in exchange for an honest review.

[simplykelina · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I was sent this book from the publisher. My ratings and reviews will be my own personal opinions and are in no way influenced by publishers or authors who may have sent me books to review. I went into this not really knowing much, but I think that is the best way to read this story. This is following the story of two sisters and a group of lifelong friends. I picked this up one night before bed and expected to read only one or two chapters. Next thing I knew I was over 100 pages in and needed to know how everything was going to unfold.It also deals with online dating as Laura goes on an online date, but does not show up at home later that night. This story is told in three different views. You see the story from Laura during and leading up to her date. You also get the story from her sister, Rosie, who is searching for Laura after the date. You also get a glimpse into the past when Laura was in therapy. I think this really worked. Sometimes when this happens it will take away from the thrilling moments, but this all worked well together for me. This also has a mystery within a mystery within a mystery which I also really liked. It really kept my attention, as it was always focused on one of the three. You are not only reading and wondering what happened to Laura the night of her date, but also what happened to her while she was living in the city and as a teenager. I was actually more interested in what happened in the city and high school than I was the current mystery. Overall, this was pretty good.

[lauranthalas-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Let me just say that this book is banana pants! I thought the formatting was great, it was well written, and the author kept me guessing till the end. Overall a great psychological thriller.Laura falls in love easily with bad men and tends to be a hot mess. After a break up, Laura goes to her hometown to stay with her sister’s family. Rosie has always been the good sister, worrying about troubled Laura. When Laura comes to stay with Rosie’s family, things are a little stressful. But when Laura goes on a date with a guy she met on the internet and doesn’t come home the next day, Rosie starts to worry. The strange thing is, Rosie is worried about what Laura might have done to the guy…Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. The Night Before will be released on 5/14/2019.

[susan0316 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fast paced, edge of your seat novel. There are so many red herrings that I kept changing my mind about who was responsible for what had happened in the main characters life - was she crazy? was it her brother in law? Sister? someone unknown? When it was finally revealed, I was very surprised until I went back and re-read parts of it and found that the clues were there all along but well hidden!Laura was so emotionally devastated from her last break up that she quit her high level job and moved back to her home town with her sister and brother in law. Moving back brought lots of memories to her - many of them very bad memories. The novel is told from several points of view - Laura present day and Laura talking to her psychiatrist in the past, Rosie (her sister) in the present day and past. This was an interesting way of making sure that we had all the information we needed about both characters but their memories of the same event were often very different and you never know whose memory is correct.We know right from the beginning that when Laurie was younger, a tragic event occurred when she was a teenager that causes her to have problems being around men and falling in love. Her sister convinces her to go on a blind date and she goes reluctantly but then she never comes back. As her sister frantically looks for her, the question becomes - Did he harm her or did she harm him?Wendy Walker has brought us another book full of dark secrets that and a plot that will keep the reader's tension high as they race through the pages.

[cwhisenant11 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning to finish--it was that good! Wendy Walker has a gift for writing psychological thrillers. I remember how completely unpredictable Emma in the Night was and this book was equally unpredictable. The story opens with a conversation between Laura (the main character) and her psychiatrist. I was immediately intrigued with this format and couldn't stop reading. The story alternates between Laura's POV, her sister Rosie's POV, and the snippets of conversation between Laura and her therapist. It was very interesting to see the same events through different perspectives. It's hard to talk about this book without giving something away so I will just say that if you like psychological thrillers, this one is not to be missed!!!Thank you to netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

[castlelass · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Contemporary fiction psychological thriller about a woman that disappears after an online date. Her sister, brother-in-law, and childhood friend attempt to uncover clues as to what happened. The protagonist has a troubled past and is seeing a therapist. She has recently experienced a break-up and is trying to recover. She is the prototypical unreliable narrator, and we are privy to her inner thoughts.

I thought the plot was cleverly constructed, alternating a first-person account from the missing woman with her sister’s account of the search for her. It was filled with twists and turns, keeping the reader guessing. It reminded me a bit of Gone Girl, though I enjoyed this book a bit more. I found it a compelling page-turner with a satisfying resolution. Recommended to fans of psychological thrillers or mysteries with a suspense component.

I received an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, via NetGalley in return for a candid review. This book is scheduled to be released on May 14, 2019.

[purple_pisces22 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Thank you to Goodreads. I won this in a giveaway. It was actually a while ago, but during a move the book was misplaced. I know this goes against a lot of the reviews that I’m reading lately, but I actually really enjoyed this book.
This was my second book by Wendy Walker, the first being “Emma in the Night”, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I was awed as the ending drew close and all the crazy pieces fell into place ... a place I wasn’t expecting.
The book keeps you guessing as to exactly what is wrong with Laura. Or maybe sister Rosie is just too overprotective? I found it quick paced and it kept me guessing.

[c.archer · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What a great thriller! There were lots of twists in the plot that pulled me through and kept me guessing. Highly recommended for fans of thrilling reads.

[kbranfield-837433 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

4.5 stars.

The Night Before by Wendy Walker is a tension-filled, suspenseful mystery.

Following a crushing break-up, twenty-eight year old Laura Lochner moves in with her sister  Rosie Ferro, brother-in-law Joe and nephew Mason.  Returning to her small hometown is not easy, but Laura is trying to make the best of things under difficult circumstances.  Against Rosie's advice, Laura signs up for an online dating service and she is going on her first date with Jonathan Fields. When Laura fails to return home, Rosie enlists Joe and their close Gabe Wallace to try to locate her sister.  What, if anything, has happened to Laura? And more importantly, where is she?

Laura has never recovered from the emotional pain of her parent's divorce. Her history of choosing the wrong man dates back to her first boyfriend in high school.  That relationship ended under a cloud of suspicion which is why she rarely returns to her hometown to visit. Following her devastating break-up, Laura's makes a fateful decision to move in with Rosie while she tries to figure out what comes next.  She is enjoying reconnecting with Rosie, Joe and Gabe and she is thrilled to have unlimited access to her nephew.   Laura's heart is broken but she is determined to find a man to share her life with. But will she be able to break her habit for choosing men who are emotionally unavailable? Can Laura trust that Jonathan is telling her the truth about himself?

Due to what happened with Laura's first boyfriend, Rosie is extremely reluctant to involve the police when her sister fails to return after her date. Luckily, Gabe has the expertise and connections that help them search for Laura. However,  after their efforts fail to locate her, Rosie has no choice but to contact the police. To her dismay, they do not take her disappearance too seriously. Rosie then becomes frantic about Laura's safety but is she prepared for the information she is about to unearth?

Written in first person, Laura's chapters are quite compelling as she tries to figure out if she can trust her intuition about Jonathan. Interspersed with both her and Rosie's chapters are intriguing snippets of her interactions with therapist Dr. Brody. These short chapters provide a heartrending portrait of  Laura's attempts to understand why she inevitably selects the wrong man. Armed with a better understanding of herself and her motives, Laura attempts to apply this insight to her observations, feelings and gut instincts about Jonathan.

The Night Before is an absolutely riveting psychological mystery that is fast-paced and quite fascinating. Laura's self-doubt during her date is absolutely heartbreaking since she is unable to completely trust her own judgment. Rosie's frenzied search for Laura takes a twist-filled turn that makes her wonder if she knows her loved ones as well as she believes.  Wendy Walker skillfully keeps readers guessing what happened to Laura as she brings this mesmerizing novel to a jaw-dropping conclusion. I highly recommend this  clever mystery to fans of the genre.

[sboren-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I won this book in a Giveaway on Goodreads. All opinions are my own. ????? The Night Before by Wendy Walker. This book will keep you guessing from page 1. The I have to know what happens next came on strong with this one. I read the book in less than one day and if I could have gotten away with not sleeping I would have stayed up last night to finish it. Hahaha. Walker has a way of keeping you on your toes until the reveal and when it came I actually was like whoa wait I didn't see that coming. Laura has issues with dating the wrong men, Rosie, Laura's sister spends her time caring for her family and worrying about her sister's choices. Until one day what Rosie and Laura know isn't what they should have known their whole lives. Review posted on Instagram @borenbooks, Library Thing, Go Read, Goodreads/StacieBoren, Twitter @jason_stacie and my blog at readsbystacie.com

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Thanks to Goodreads for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was very excited to read this book as it had been on several lists recommending it. I thought the book was intentionally confusing, and that bothered me a bit. There were quite a few surprises and twists in the novel, but I suspected someone quite early in the book, and I was correct. I didn't know the full extent of it, but it was clear to me that I was being given a lot of red herrings to lead me down a path that was meant to mislead me. Overall, it was an interesting psychological study, but it wasn't the thriller that I was expecting. Laura Heart Lochner has always felt unloved. She had a bad breakup and retreated into herself. She moved in with her sister, Rosie, and Rosie's husband, Joe. Laura, Rosie, Joe, and Gabe grew up together and have been friends forever. Now, Laura has met someone online and has a date with him. However, things about her date don't add up. When she doesn't come home, Rosie calls Gabe, an IT expert, to help find Laura. The book alternates between Laura's sessions with her therapist, Laura and her date - Jonathan Fields, and Rosie, Joe, and Gabe's attempt to find Laura. When they finally involve the police, both Laura and Rosie come to terms with various things that don't add up - both in their past and in their current lives, as the story comes to its conclusion. #TheNightBefore #WendyWalker #Goodreads

[kmjessica · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I give this book 3 1/2 stars. I liked it. I would recommend it even. This book kept you wanting to find out more and more. This was a very fast read. And of course I never got close to guessing the end. That being said, It did seem to be written by someone new to writing. Not quite the brilliant story teller as some other authors I've read but I believe Wendy Walker will defiantly get better as time goes by.