Before You Knew My Name
On sale
13th May 2021
Price: £7.99
CWA Gold Dagger, 2022
Genre
A GOOD HOUSEKEEPING BOOK OF THE YEAR
‘Spellbinding’ Elly Griffiths
‘The most wonderful book. Unusual, beautiful, feminist, gripping, deserves to win prizes. I loved it so much.’ Marian Keyes
‘A brave and timely novel which will fuel the debate on women’s rights to walk safely through our streets. I raced through the pages, anxious for resolution, yet at the same time not wanting this beautiful writing to finish.’ Clare Mackintosh
This is not just another novel about a dead girl.
When she arrived in New York on her 18th birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city’s latest Jane Doe, an unidentified murder victim.
Ruby Jones is also trying to start over; she travelled halfway around the world only to find herself lonelier than ever. Until she finds Alice Lee’s body by the Hudson River.
From this first, devastating encounter, the two women form an unbreakable bond. Alice is sure that Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her life – and death. And Ruby – struggling to forget what she saw that morning – finds herself unable to let Alice go. Not until she is given the ending she deserves.
Before You Knew My Name doesn’t ask whodunnit. Instead, this powerful, hopeful novel asks: Who was she? And what did she leave behind? The answers might surprise you.
‘An exquisitely written, absolutely devastating novel, which gives a voice to all the women who never made it home.’ Red
‘I fell head over heels in love with this heartbreaking, beautiful and hugely important novel. Jacqueline Bublitz’s prose is luminous and the up-all-night, just-one-more-page plot is brilliantly clever and original. Everyone should read this book.’ Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn’t Call
‘A really remarkable book – so fresh and original. I’ve never read anything quite like this.’ Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
‘I was mesmerised by this exquisitely written, heartbreaking, lyrical story of friendship from beyond the grave.’ Jane Corry, author of My Husband’s Wife
‘Spellbinding’ Elly Griffiths
‘The most wonderful book. Unusual, beautiful, feminist, gripping, deserves to win prizes. I loved it so much.’ Marian Keyes
‘A brave and timely novel which will fuel the debate on women’s rights to walk safely through our streets. I raced through the pages, anxious for resolution, yet at the same time not wanting this beautiful writing to finish.’ Clare Mackintosh
This is not just another novel about a dead girl.
When she arrived in New York on her 18th birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city’s latest Jane Doe, an unidentified murder victim.
Ruby Jones is also trying to start over; she travelled halfway around the world only to find herself lonelier than ever. Until she finds Alice Lee’s body by the Hudson River.
From this first, devastating encounter, the two women form an unbreakable bond. Alice is sure that Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her life – and death. And Ruby – struggling to forget what she saw that morning – finds herself unable to let Alice go. Not until she is given the ending she deserves.
Before You Knew My Name doesn’t ask whodunnit. Instead, this powerful, hopeful novel asks: Who was she? And what did she leave behind? The answers might surprise you.
‘An exquisitely written, absolutely devastating novel, which gives a voice to all the women who never made it home.’ Red
‘I fell head over heels in love with this heartbreaking, beautiful and hugely important novel. Jacqueline Bublitz’s prose is luminous and the up-all-night, just-one-more-page plot is brilliantly clever and original. Everyone should read this book.’ Rosie Walsh, author of The Man Who Didn’t Call
‘A really remarkable book – so fresh and original. I’ve never read anything quite like this.’ Laura Barnett, author of The Versions of Us
‘I was mesmerised by this exquisitely written, heartbreaking, lyrical story of friendship from beyond the grave.’ Jane Corry, author of My Husband’s Wife
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
All the suspense and tension we expect from crime fiction - but with complex characters and themes that linger for longer.
Jacqueline Bublitz snatches back the power, giving voice to those whose stories deserve to be told. It is powerful, beautiful. I loved it.
An extraordinary and hypnotic read that has stayed with me months after reading.
A brave and timely novel which will fuel the debate on women's rights to walk safely through our streets. I raced through the pages, anxious for resolution, yet at the same time not wanting this beautiful writing to finish.
An unputdownable debut - striking, moving, gripping throughout and so sharp on the things that unite us.
The most wonderful book. Unusual, beautiful, feminist, gripping, deserves to win prizes. I loved it so much.
I absolutely relished this clever, original and moving novel. Jacqueline Bublitz is a fantastically adept writer, creating a wonderful cast of characters and a hugely engaging portrait of city life.
Exquisitely composed, with a muscular feminist sensibility, Before You Knew My Name is both elegiac and rhapsodic in its examination of the deaths - and lives - of women.
Fiercely topical and full of compassion, Before You Knew My Name starts where many thrillers and news stories do: the murder of a young woman. But instead of a hunt for the killer, this novel explores the personhood of the victim-who she was, what she loved, all the years that were stolen from her. It's a story about female agency and value in the face of male violence, and also about resilience, about memory, about how love adapts and survives.
An astounding debut novel that every woman will feel in their bones. At last, a whodunnit, where the victim is the front and centre of the story. Beautifully written, real, feminist and properly haunting, it deserves all the awards.
A really remarkable book - so fresh and original. I've never read anything quite like this.
Full of raw poignancy, explored through the author's expressive mastery of language.
I was mesmerised by this exquisitely written, heartbreaking, lyrical story of friendship from beyond the grave.
Stood out among the many thrillers because it focuses on the victim and her life rather than her killer, with echoes of The Lovely Bones
Feminist, fierce, beautiful and urgent with a story that NEEDS to be told. I read parts with my heart breaking and parts that could have been ripped from my own soul. It made me feel seen.
Heart-breaking yet rewarding . . . fans of The Lovely Bones will enjoy this story.
I fell head over heels in love with this heartbreaking, beautiful and hugely important novel. Jacqueline Bublitz's prose is luminous and the up-all-night, just-one-more-page plot is brilliantly clever and original. Everyone should read this book.
A brilliantly powerful read, Before You Knew My Name is an astonishing debut.
Devastating but beautiful... gives a voice to all the women who never made it home. The writing is exquisite and rarely has a story seemed so prescient of the here and now.
An exquisitely written, absolutely devastating novel, which gives a voice to all the women who never made it home.