Well this book kept me guessing pretty much up to the end and then left me thinking long and hard about how I felt about it. Not a book hangover as such just how comfortable I felt with how things ended up.
Maggie runs a successful private detective agency, specialising in catching relationship cheaters. One day she is visited by Helene who suspects that her one time perfect husband, Gabe, is cheating on her as she saw him being a bit intimate with someone at a function. Gabe has a daughter Alice, her mother, Gabe's first wife having died in a car crash many years previously. Alice is just starting working with Gabe as an intern at his very successful property development company and, as the story opens, she has a good relationship with both parents and, although a bit sheltered, seems to be a happy child. That is until she finds a handwritten note in her father's papers which appears to be some kind of a threat.
Maggie takes on the case but initial investigations don't really yield much information so she is forced to up her game and actually breaks some of her own rules about getting involved with suspects. Meanwhile, Alice is starting to behave outside her normal boundaries and gets involved with a man linked to one of her father's builds who is subsequently found dead. Things soon start to go a bit south for all concerned until there's another death and then all hell really lets loose and the story takes a much darker turn.
Most of the story surrounding our characters stems from things in their own pasts. Obviously I'm not going to go into any detail here for fear of spoilers but, suffice to say, most of the cast have their deep dark secrets that together shape the things to come. There's a lot of secrets, lies, duplicitous behaviour to be found in this book, along with more than its fair share of red herrings and misdirection. Not quite too much though, it skims the line a bit at times with all the shenanigans but never quite gets into the realm of addition for duping the reader's sake. It was also very intriguing and, due to some of the shocks that were eventually revealed, it kept my attention nicely along the way, so much so that I really had to keep reading to find out the truth once and for all.
Characterisation was on the whole good although I didn't really like any of the main characters so I wasn't rooting for any of them through the book, which in hindsight helped me accept what happened at the end. Pacing was also good with the right amount of information and backstories drip-fed throughout the narrative which kept me intrigued enough to keep reading but didn't make me overly frustrated. And the story itself, well, put two dysfunctional people together, add a third as an investigator is really a bit like lighting the blue touch paper and falling back to watch the fireworks! Poor Alice getting all caught up in the maelstrom!
All in all, a satisfying read that kept me engaged throughout and left me satisfied, albeit also a bit uncomfortable, at the end. My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Maggie is a private detective who specialises in catching cheating spouses. When a well dressed lady walks in after seeing her husband with another woman, Maggie takes on the case but things aren’t as clear cut as they seem.
This thriller has plenty of twists and turns and the ending is sure to shock!

I really enjoyed the beginning of the story but soon lost interest and it was hard work to keep on reading. The story became every bland and it seemed to be nearly at an standstill with pages filled with no progress in the story or with anything important regarding the story. It seemed like endless babbling. The characters seemed a bit flat and not very memorable. Unfortunately I didn't enjoy the book at all.

I'm struggling to pinpoint a genre for this book. There are some elements of a mystery/thriller but then also psychologically disturbing factors relating to family relationships and individual characters. I was intrigued by the blurb and have to be honest in saying I expected a little more from the story.

Maggie works as a Private Investigator, usually catching out cheats and breaking apart marriages. When Helene visits the office suspecting her husband Gabe of having an affair, Maggie assumes it is just another typical case of cheating and begins tailing Gabe looking for the tell-tale signs of a cheat. But what she finds is not what she expects. Gabe is a family man, a doting father to his daughter Alice and a hard worker to build his property empire. Maggie can't figure out what he is hiding but is sure there is more to the story than what meets the eye. And she certainly isn't wrong.

The chapters of this book are broken up into the individual viewpoints of Maggie, Helene and Alice. Most are headed '__ weeks before' and the countdown begins to an event we are instantly anticipating. I was a little confused by the time frames and constant switching of characters, often forgetting who was talking in first person. Saying that, it was a good way to get insight into each characters thoughts and feelings.

I would say that Alice's chapters were written quite immaturely for an 18 year old. Lots of exclamation marks and over the top statements. I would have assumed she was around 14 based on the dialogue and thought processes and this is something I would possibly look at editing to better reflect her age. Though she appears to be a naive, immature 18 year old, there are better ways to express this I think.

I wasn't a huge fan of the plot for this one, especially the final few twists which I thought were disturbing and a little far-fetched in places. That said, the storyline was quite original but perhaps that is why I found it far-fetched sometimes. There was tension and suspense but it just didn't move fast enough to keep my attention fully engaged. There was a bit too much going on to try which confused me rather than excited me.

I think the substance was there but there needed to be a bit more tweaking of the plot and characters to fully invest me in the novel.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Before I Find You, successful psychological thriller writer Ali Knight's sixth novel to date, is an impeccably paced and exciting affair and was certainly worth waiting for. The story unfurls slowly, pulling the reader this way and then the other with shocking revelations and long-hidden secrets. Knight manages to conjure up a tense and suspenseful atmosphere that had me turning those pages until I had finished it all in one sitting! It crackles with intensity for the duration and is taut and tightly-plotted. Compelling, pacey and with a few heart-in-your-mouth moments, I thoroughly enjoyed the journey. I have read each of her books and I would say that this is one of her best works to date.

As with all of her other thrillers, Knight's characters are sufficiently developed and memorable. Each is Likeable, believable, but troubled in one way or another. At its core, this novel explores the often life-changing and irreversible consequences of telling lies and that no good will ever come of resorting to avoiding the truth. Told from the perspectives of the three main protagonists - Maggie, Helene and Alice. I tend to read a lot from the crime genre, therefore, it's rare if I am truly shocked by some of the twists, but the ending came from nowhere and completely blindsided me. Bravo, Ms Knight, I appreciated that but did not expect it. If you enjoy your thrillers with lots of red herrings/misdirection, unpredictability and writing that engages you from the first few pages and holds you captive until the last page has been turned, then this is a great option. Recommended.

Many thanks to Hodder Paperbacks for an ARC. I was not required to post a review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

Maggie runs her own private detective agency specialising in finding those who cheat on their partners. Helene is a husband catcher. She has caught herself one of the most eligible bachelors, Gabe Moreau, a handsome property developer. He has a teenage daughter, Alice.

Maggie Malone is head of the Blue and White detective agency. Helene Moreau suspects her husband of cheating and does not want heis teenage daughter,Alice, finding out. As the story unfolds, dark and disturbing secrets unravel. The atmosphere is tense and the narrative is told by three different voices. The characters, though likeable and believable, also come across as a little bit troubled. There are lots of twists but nothing and nobody seems to rind true. The book does have a more than satisfactory ending. The moral to the story is - Don't Ever Tell Lies!

I would like to thank NetGalley, Hodder & Stoughton and the author Ali Knight for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Story following 3 perspectives, Maggie, Helene and Alice. Maggie is female detective agency owner taken on by Helene who suspects her husband of having an affair. The work this involves must be kept away from step-daughter Alice. Maggie and her 2 employees then track Gabe (husband/father).

Is Gabe having an affair? Who is the mysterious woman he meets and pays?

Love the way is written from the 3 perspectives but also the countdown to an event.

Please excuse my lateness of this review as when I was first approved for this book it had a publication date of March 2019.
This book is so full of suspense and tension. It takes you in so many different directions. A real page turner. I had to get up in the middle of the night just to finish this book. This is an intense read and dark in places and the ending OMG it was a shock and definitely not what I was expecting. This is everything I want in a book. This book had me thoroughly engrossed and entertained, almost 5 stars. I highly recommend this book.
I would like to thank the author Ali Knight, Hodder and Stoughton and Net.galley for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for giving an honest review.

When Iwas first approved for this book it had. Publication date of March 2019 so I apologise for my review being late.

I enjoyed this book to begin with but I started to lose interest around half way in. The story was good but just didn't grab me like I had hoped.

I really liked the character of Maggie, the tough PI with her own business that specialises in catching our cheats. Helene comes to her agency for help when she suspects her husband Gabe of cheating on her. Helene stepdaughter Alice also suspects her dad of lying. Nobody is nought it would end in murder.

Thanks to Hodder and Stoughton and NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. All opinions are my own and are in no way biased

Enjoyed this book, which isa tale told from the POV of 3 different women. I thought I guessed the ending but was totally blindsided, a great twist I thought. Would recommend!

This is the first book by Ali Knight that I have read and I found it was full of suspense and the characters of the main three women were skilfully depicted. The three women who were always central to the story were magnificent creatures in their plotting and scheming.
It was a truly enjoyable read. I will be reading more books by Ali Knight in the future.
With thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the book in exchange for an honest review.
Highly recommended.

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Although I do have books by Ali Knight on my kindle I haven’t managed to read them yet. So I was totally unprepared for how intense her writing was and how impossible it would be to put this book down.
You know from the prologue that there are injuries and death but it is only towards the end that it is revealed what happened. The rest of the book concerns events leading towards that day, all told by either Maggie’s, Helene’s or Alice’s point of view. I do read novels that are similar but this is different in a few ways. None of the three women are easy to understand, they all have secrets and all have something that made them easy to dislike.
It is a tense read, quite dark, with a venomous and spiteful thread. There are games being played. On reflection after finishing, it is a novel where you learn more from what remains unsaid. One where you feel that you are not seeing what really happened.
The storyline concerning social housing was original, it was quite refreshing to see wealthy characters considerate of others.
The last section of the novel, when you do become aware of what has occurred was bit of a shock. I had expected it to end when you realised what had happened in the prologue but there was more to come. And my feelings regarding each of the women changed. When I realised that I had misread most of what I had read.
A brilliant novel, one that made me change my thoughts constantly.

Wow. Brilliant novel that kept me captivated throughout. Really liked the multiple character viewpoints and would love to see more Maggie malone books.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. It wasn't what I was expecting and I really enjoyed all the twists and turns. And it didn't end how I expected it too. Wish that Maggie got her happy ever after with Dwight though

With thanks to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for this ARC in exchange for an open and honest review.

Private Investigator Maggie Malone ran the Blue and White Detective Agency which specialised in catching cheating spouses. One day she was instructed by Helene Moreau, who suspected her husband Gabe a wealthy property developer was having an affair.

Gabe was a widow after his first Clara died in a car accident. Gabe and Clara had a daughter together called Alice who was 18 years old. For weeks Maggie and her team followed Gabe and they only thing suspicious they discovered was he had a second mobile phone. Until one day Gabe drove to a flat in an upmarket part of London where he met a unidentified woman.

Meanwhile Alice started work as an intern at her father's company. One day she heard Gabe speaking to someone one the second mobile. After searching his office found out he was receiving threatening notes `not to tell Alice`.

The story was told from the POV of Maggie, Helene and Alice. I liked Maggie who had tough exterior but you understand why as the story developed. I also liked Gabe who was a philanthropist who adored his daughter Alice.

The story was fast paced and I found it hard to put down. Although I guessed part of the twist, I can promise you will not see the final conclusion coming.

Maggie is a private detective who specialised in marital investigations. Although I found this book gripping I found the characters lacked depth and struggled to engage.

This book was a slow burner to begin with. Written similarly to a detective story in that a private investigator is hired to conduct surveillance on a potentially cheating husband. Each chapter relates to the perspective of three characters at a specific time in unfolding events. Helene the wife, Alice the daughter and Maggie the private investigator. All have secrets from the past impacting on their actions and judgement. However the protagonists are now living in a world of big business, money and profit. Suddenly the story moves quickly into a fast paced mystery, involving dealing and double dealing, The conclusion moves into a cliffhanger scenario that resolves so many unsolved outstanding issues in a somewhat bloodthirsty manner. A good read that grew on me as I became immersed in the story.

Some interesting characters in the book and I think that there’s more mileage in Maggie Malone. The plot was engaging but a little too far-fetched in the end for me.

It's a clever premise; a woman P.I. called to investigate a potential adulterer and a family with a web of lies at its centre. Add in a bit of blackmail, a murder, mix it up, finish with a couple of shocking reveals towards the end of the novel and this is an enjoyable quick read.
The book does have a clever trick of creating a tense atmosphere in the use of the different narrative voices. A character will recount an event, then later someone else will do the same, and the slight differences in the re-telling is quite unsettling. This is what drew me in and kept me reading. However, the characters themselves were very difficult to engage with, and reading the book I always felt at a distance from them. The book itself isn't particularly memorable either, and this is why I have given an average 3 star rating.

My thanks go to the publishers and net galley for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Brilliantly plotted beyond belief story that could be factual

The characters are drawn together because of the timeless issue of unfaithfulness in marriage. Maggie is hired by the perfectly put together Helene to find out if her husband Gabe Moreau, a property developer, is cheating on her. Gabe was widowed and has a daughter, Alice, an attention-grabbing character who wants to do some investigation of her own. In the plot are dark secrets that appear desperate to be brought to light.

It is exciting to follow the absolutely brilliant process of unfolding each character. Each character has a depth of history and experiences that give a complexity of real life to the story. Maggie, Helene and Gabe have life experiences of their own that are packed with intrigue.

Tragedy strikes the Moreau family, and Maggie has to bite off almost more than she can chew. Then, the murder of Milo, a sideshow character, creates an intriguing aspect to the enticing story.

The conclusion is utterly astonishing and well worth the nail-biting exciting read. Definitely a 5 star highly recommended the read.

BonnieK

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.