The Girls Before - the dark and chilling search for a town's missing young women.

In the Pacific Northwest town of Franklin, Audrey Dixon volunteers for the local Search and Rescue department and serves as a high school advisor. She is haunted by the disappearance of her former best friend Janie, who vanished years ago without a trace. Her current focus is on locating the latest missing young woman, Meghan Vale. Relying on her excellent skills and instincts, Audrey believes that the Hill family property might contain critical clues to both Janie's and Meghan's disappearances. With multiple perspectives and timelines, it becomes evident that while Audrey investigates "Above," there is someone "Under" who is being held captive, struggling to survive in a dark place surrounded by inscriptions left by previous victims.

The Girls Before, a gripping and often claustrophobic story by Kate Alice Marshall, kept me fully engaged. The tension remained high throughout as Audrey repeatedly put herself in danger while time was running out for the unnamed young woman being held captive. To lighten things a bit, Marshall included a bit of romance for Audrey. The book takes some surprising turns which happily caught me off guard. Switching between reading and listening to the audio version heightened the drama and the pervasive feeling of unease.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars.

Mystery Thriller.

Publication Date: February 24, 2026.

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