Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf 
Published by Park Row on April 16, 2019
A gripping thriller about three young girlfriends, a dark obsession and a chilling crime that shakes up a quiet Iowa town
For twelve-year-old Cora Landry and her friends Violet and Jordyn, it was supposed to be an ordinary sleepover—movies 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 Cora—and why? In an investigation that leaves no stone unturned, everyone is a suspect and no one can be trusted—not 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 safe—even if that means burying the truth, no matter the cost.
It took me a minute to write this review because I wasn’t sure if my choice of words would do this book justice. I also knew it wouldn’t be professional to write – BUY THE BOOK!! – a hundred times in my review.
The book starts with a seemingly innocent sleepover with three 12-year-old girls, which ends with one girl clinging to her life, another girl in shock, and the third girl nowhere to be found. What happened on the railroad tracks that fateful night? What prompted the girls to leave the house so late at night?
The events revealed in this book had my nerves in overdrive. The scariest thing about it all is these events are happening in real life. I felt my body tensing up a few times because as a parent, I could feel what these parents were going through. It’s a hard concept to grasp of not being able to protect our children from painful experiences.
The story alternates from past and present events, that allows the reader to fully understand what led up to the tragic events of that night. Sometimes when authors alternate from past and present, it can cause readers to get frustrated and confused. But Author Heather Gudenkauf showcased her ability to weave her words seamlessly to create this excellent read.
Author Heather Gudenkauf has worked her literary magic once again, causing my mind to endure some extreme twists and turns before she pulled the rug from under my feet with the book’s explosive ending.
This book is full of suspense, so I didn’t want my review to be a summary of the book. I want the reader to read this book without any warnings of what’s to come. Trust me! You are not ready!
Reviewed by: Orsayor
About Heather Gudenkauf
Heather Gudenkauf is the Edgar Award nominated, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Weight of Silence, These Things Hidden and Not A Sound.
Heather was born in Wagner, South Dakota, the youngest of six children. At one month of age, her family returned to the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota where her father was employed as a guidance counselor and her mother as a school nurse. At the age of three, her family moved to Iowa, where she grew up. Having been born with a profound unilateral hearing loss (there were many evenings when Heather and her father made a trip to the bus barn to look around the school bus for her hearing aids that she often conveniently would forget on the seat beside her), Heather tended to use books as a retreat, would climb into the toy box that her father’s students from Rosebud made for the family with a pillow, blanket, and flashlight, close the lid, and escape the world around her. Heather became a voracious reader and the seed of becoming a writer was planted.
Heather Gudenkauf graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages and continues to work in education as a Title I Reading Coordinator.
Heather lives in Iowa with her family and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading and hiking. She is currently working on her next novel.
