‘An incredible debut’ MEL SHERRATT She is wanted by the FBI.She is a stone-cold killer.She remembers nothing. She is told her name is Reeta Doe, and that she’s been in an accident. That she’s in Florida. That the FBI have been following her since Mississippi. That she has brutally murdered two women. College girls, who look just like her. Two more are missing, and one survived. Reeta recalls nothing. She cannot answer their questions; all the things they want her to explain are no more familiar to her than the prison she is taken to. Her only hope is a journalist named Carol, who can follow the trail of devastation Reeta left in her wake. All the way back to Pine Ranch, and the only family she ever knew. An astonishing debut crime novel, exploring identity and nature versus nurture, with an unforgettable character at its heart. Perfect for fans of Girl A and The Girls. Praise for After Everything You Did ‘What an incredible debut. A story with characters that really got under my skin, told with compassion and intrigue. I was outraged, fascinated and heartbroken at the same time.’ Mel Sherratt, author of The Life She Wants ‘Richly detailed and atmospheric, the carefully woven strands quickly pulled me into Reeta’s story, towards an ending that was both chilling and heart-breaking. An exciting debut, I can’t wait to read what Stephanie Sowden does next.’ Louisa Scarr, author of Last Place You Look ‘Absorbing and horrifying – I was gripped from the first page’ Marion Todd, author of Next in Line ‘A powerful psychological thriller debut... Sowden pulls off a great twist towards the end of the book to tie all the diverse strands together, which does come as a major but welcome surprise. A most assured debut that grips like a vice and bodes well for Sowden’s future.’ Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time ‘This savage, harrowing read will keep you on the edge of your seat.’ Woman’s Own ‘The perfect thriller. This book has an incredible story and the perfectly drawn main character makes it even better. I would highly recommend it, I really enjoyed the pacing and the ending.’ NetGalley Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A wonderful suspense debut novel! ... I couldn’t put it down ... Hugely gripping, shocking and incredibly tense! This book made me feel real chills! The twists are incredible, and it’s quite scary how realistic the book feels, how it could happen.’ NetGalley Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘This was such a good read, it had me gripped right from the beginning and kept me compelled to read it the whole way through, I read it in one sitting. It was tense, fast and suspenseful and full of unpredictability and twists. I loved it.’ NetGalley Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘After Everything You Did is a gripping, emotional, powerful thriller. It is a book that I will continue to think about long after having finished it.’ NetGalley Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘Stephanie has done an incredible job in delivering not only a complex plot and well-rounded characters but presenting such an unexpected ending that it will be a strong after-effect that lingers long after you have finished the book. A 5 star read! I cannot wait to read more from this author.’ NetGalley Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘After Everything You Did had me hooked on the very first page. I loved the premise and thought that the characters were well written... I am excited to see what she does next.’ NetGalley Review ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Reviews with the most likes.
I received a free digital ARC from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
TW: cults, descriptions of abuse, allusions to rape, suicide
As an avid reader of mystery/thrillers it's hard to find a book with a plot twist that I can't predict, but ‘After Everything You Did' had a true surprise ending.
The story begins with Reeta Doe, a young woman who has just woken up in a hospital, handcuffed to her bed. She's told that she's committed a horrible crime, but she genuinely has no memory of anything at all - for all intents and purposes she's simply dropped onto the face of the earth at that moment. And so the story continues, with frustrated attempts at piecing together the puzzle of Reeta's identity, interspersed with snippets of the past.
While the twist was enjoyable, I did find my attention wavering more than once. In my opinion, there were too many mini plot twists, too many time jumps, and too much focus on building up the backstory of side characters.
However, my main criticism of this novel is that aside from the chapter subtitles sharing the date (1966), there is really no other sense of place in the narrative. In fact, the story could just as easily have taken place in modern-day America, as there were no chronological signifiers until well into the middle of the first half.
Additionally, I felt that the dialogue took some time to warm up and feel natural. At times it felt as though the characters were being given dialogue straight from a detective TV show rather than reality.
That being said, this is still a solid mystery/thriller novel with a twist I genuinely did not see coming. The closest comparison would be Abigail Dean's “Girl A”, though “After Everything You Did” definitely has a unique plot.