The Life I Left Behind

By: Colette McBeth

Narrated by: Imogen Church

Everyone tells her she's a survivor. No one knows she's dead inside.

Six years ago Melody Pieterson was attacked and left for dead. She coped by locking away her memories, burying herself. The man responsible was caught and convicted. Even his release from jail won't derail her new life. She's a survivor after all.

Then the body of another woman is discovered in identical circumstances. Like Melody, she has blond hair and green eyes. Like Melody she is found holding a gold bird cage chain. Her name is Eve Elliot.

The women were strangers, so Melody thinks. But Eve knew all about Melody's life. She'd been talking to her friends, she knew their secrets. She knew the man who attacked them had never been caught. Eve has left behind her story, the clues that will force Melody to confront her own lies and the lies she's been told. The clues that will put her life in danger all over again.

©2015 Colette McBeth (P)2015 Headline Digital

Who Did It

I thought I would like this book but there were too many characters and too much moving around from scene to scene. Nothing flowed. Sorry. It had a good premise.

Great story

Really good story- but you have to keep up with the story for the first half or you will be lost! Loved the narrator! Wish the ending told us a bit more-

keeps you listening

I have to say I really enjoyed this book. it kept me guessing who the "villain" was. have never heard of the author but will look out for other of her books

Thrilling and Engrossing

I was swept up in the story almost immediately. I had never heard or read a book by Colette McBeth before so I was worried that I might not like it. But it was excellent. Imogen Church has never disappointed me with her performance of any book she reads. So this was no surprise, she was again superb. Go ahead and give it a try if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers. It's well worth a credit.

Not sure I was going to like it....

When I started this one, I was getting a bit confused with the back and forth, but after the first hour or so, it was coming together. So glad I kept with it, cause it's a great story that keeps u thinking all the way thru. Performance is excellent.

Very Enjoyable

AUDIO VERSION: Narrated by Imogen Church

I listened to five hours of this book yesterday and the final four hours today. Imogen Church has the most amazing ability to pull you into a book you might find boring if you were reading it yourself. Only once has she not been able to do it, but that was Ruth Ware's fault. Death of Mrs. Westaway was so boring and bloody awful that even poor Imogen couldn't make it work. In fact, Ware only has one excellent book, which led to the discovery of Imogen, called In a Dark Dark Wood. I recommend only the audio; I made three failed attempts to read it on my own.

This book has a steady but gentle pace. It doesn't have you hurtling towards the end because you can't wait to know. Instead, it glides, giving you time to mull over the information and letting you absorb all the very tiny bits of detail. If you were rushing through you'd likely miss them and you'd have no chance of solving the puzzle. Like a jigsaw it's the tiny bits of the whole picture that tell you where it fits.

For about 80% of this book I thought I knew where it was going but I was never ready to lock it in as my final answer. The minute pieces kept niggling at me. I had noticed them but my brain was still processing. There was a second solution that I toyed with while listening. I could see it and yet I couldn't make the pieces fit but after I got a few more it all snapped into place.

I feel as though I solved this one right along with the characters. The reveal wasn't shocking because I was the DI who completed the picture and sent coppers to arrest the guilty. I felt pride. LOL

I love a good pulse racing thriller but there is an undeniable fun that comes with a slowly paced mystery in which you can play the role of detective and work it out yourself. I definitely recommend to anyone with a knack for sleuthing.

Excellent narration, character voices, plot

I love Immogen Church, she is a masterful narrator. I thoroughly enjoyed this story, excellent writing characterization, plot, twists and double twists.

Book review

I do not like this book. Very confusing and not making much sense I would like to return it

I am not ready to give up on the author.

I am not a fan of books that jump back and forth between characters' points of view, or between time periods. This style of narrating is a true art form. It has its own set of meticulous rules, and if you don't follow them precisely, you may easily end up confusing or simply losing the reader. Very few authors whose books I've read have pulled it of beautifully. We must bear in mind that going back and forth between characters in first person account is not the same than doing it in third person. The previous is much, much harder if you do not want to lose the reader. I think this book could have been a great one if the author had done a little better in this respect. I, personally, lost track of the storyline in the process of understanding all of the characters. I don't think, however, that I'm ready to give up on the author.

Terrible!!!!!

The most long-winded let down. I spent half the time fast forwarding and didn't miss a thing. Don't buy! I felt annoyed the entire time. I should have just returned it.