A gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence.
For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepovermovies and Ouija and talking about boys. But when they decide to sneak out to go to the abandoned rail yard on the outskirts of town, little do they know that their innocent games will have dangerous consequences.
Later that night, Cora Landry is discovered on the tracks, bloody and clinging to life, her friends nowhere to be found. Soon their small rural town is thrust into a maelstrom. Who would want to hurt a young girl like Coraand why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trustednot even those closest to Cora.
Before She Was Found is a timely and gripping thriller about friendship and betrayal, about the power of social pressure and the price of needing to fit in. It is about the great lengths a parent will go to protect their child and keep them safeeven if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.
HEATHER GUDENKAUF is the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden, One Breath Away, Little Mercies and Not a Sound. Her debut novel, The Weight of Silence was picked for The TV Bookclub. She lives in Iowa with her family.
Read more about Heather and her novels at www.HeatherGudenkauf.com
Before She Was Found
Heather Gudenkauf
Copyright
An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
1 London Bridge Street
London SE1 9GF
First published in Great Britain by HQ in 2019
Copyright © Heather Gudenkauf 2019
Heather Gudenkauf asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
This novel is entirely a work of fiction. The names, characters and incidents portrayed in it are the work of the authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or localities is entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Ebook Edition © April 2019 ISBN: 9781474083133
Praise for Heather Gudenkauf
This gripping tale will keep you up all night
Heat
Fans of Jodi Picoult will devour this great thriller
Red
Tension builds as family secrets tumble from the closet
Woman & Home
Totally gripping
Marie Claire
An action-packed thriller
Mary Kubica
Keeps you hooked right up to the last page
My Weekly
A great thriller
Radio Times
A real page-turner
Womans Own
A gripping thriller
Inside Soap
Deeply moving and lyrical
Company
A powerhouse of a debut novel
Tess Gerritsen
Heart-pounding and compelling
Diane Chamberlain
If you havent read Heather Gudenkauf yet, nows the time.
Lisa Unger
For my parents, Milton and Patricia Schmida
thank you for teaching me the meaning of home.
Contents
Cover
Back Cover Text
About the Author
Title Page
Copyright
Praise
Dedication
Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow
Monday, April 16, 2018
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018
Thomas Petit Monday, April 16, 2018
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Thomas Petit Monday, April 16, 2018
Case #92-10945
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Interview of Jordyn Petit, Pitch Police Department Officer Bree Wilson, Thomas PetitGrandfather of Jordyn Petit
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Monday, April 16, 2018
Case #92-10945
Text Message Exchange Between Clint Phelps, Abby Ridgewood and Ryan Maren
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Interview of John Dover, Pitch Police Department Officer Bree Wilson
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Case #92-10945
Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow
Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow
Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Thomas Petit Tuesday, April 17, 2018
Case #92-10945
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Thomas Petit Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Gabe Shannon
Case #92-10945
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Case #92-10945
Text Message Exchange Between Jordyn Petit and Violet Crow
Interview of Jordyn Petit, Pitch Police Department Officer Bree Wilson, Robert PealeAttorney for Jordyn Petit
Beth Crow Wednesday, April 18, 2018
Case #92-10945
Interview of John Dover, Pitch Police Department Officer Keith Grady
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Thomas Petit Thursday, April 19, 2018
Case #92-10945
Beth Crow Thursday, April 19, 2018
Text Message Exchange Between Nikki Dobric, Max Crow, Clint Phelps and Ryan Moren
Case #92-10945
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Five months later
Thomas Petit September 14, 2018
Beth Crow September 14, 2018
Dr. Madeline Gideon September 14, 2018
Sept 14, 2018
Acknowledgments
Before She Was Found Readers Guide
Questions for Discussion