Publisher: NAL
Release Date: July 7, 2015
Source: Review copy from publisher
Rating: ★★★★½

The breakout author of The Forgotten Girl and Cemetery Girl, “one of the brightest and best crime fiction writers of our time” (Suspense Magazine) delivers a new novel about a man who is haunted by a face from his past….

When Nick Hansen sees the young woman at the grocery store, his heart stops. She is the spitting image of his college girlfriend, Marissa Minor, who died in a campus house fire twenty years earlier. But when Nick tries to speak to her, she acts skittish and rushes off.

The next morning the police arrive at Nick’s house and show him a photo of the woman from the store. She’s been found dead, murdered in a local motel, with Nick’s name and address on a piece of paper in her pocket.

Convinced there’s a connection between the two women, Nick enlists the help of his college friend Laurel Davidson to investigate the events leading up to the night of Marissa’s death. But the young woman’s murder is only the beginning…and the truths Nick uncovers may make him wish he never doubted the lies.

David Bell has a knack for writing suspenseful crime fiction with a strong emotional, human element, and his latest, SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW, is no exception. This is his third novel that I’ve read, and once I get started, I just can’t put them down.

The book’s opening is fantastic. The main character Nick sees a young woman who reminds him of somebody he used to know – his college girlfriend who died twenty years earlier. From that moment he is caught up in a web of lies, mystery, and murder. Nick is a very real, relatable character, determined to solve a complex puzzle to clear his name and uncover what really happened all those years ago when he lost his true love.

This was a fast-paced, suspenseful novel with several surprise twists along the way. It’s a perfect read for fans of dark mysteries and crime thrillers mixed with a poignant family drama. Loved it!

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.