Before She Knew Him - Hardcover

"This acutely perceptive writer has become a master of psychological chills and thrills, transforming what appears to be 'cosy domestic' into something infinitely more dangerous and deadly... A sizzling slice of his unique brand of domestic noir... Tingling with tension [and] brimming with menace."--The Guardian (UK)

"What would you do if you began to suspect your next door neighbor was a serial killer? That is the dilemma faced by artist Hen - and the jumping off point for this very contemporary thriller that will keep you gripped through every elegant twist and turn."--Sunday Mirror (UK)

"A wicked thriller that does not disappoint... Another gem that pulls the reader in and never lets go, even as the story comes to a close. This is a book that will keep you up at night and haunt your thoughts. A fun, chilling read."--Manhattan Book Review

"Woven into this twisty-turny murder thriller is mental illness and the instability it causes. Maybe worse than not being able to rely on yourself is that other people might not believe you. How can they be sure you're not being paranoid, or manic, or obsessive?"--The Big Thrill

"In Peter Swanson's expert hands, one woman's discerning observation at a quiet suburban dinner party unfolds into a gripping, twisty, psychologically complex thriller. I could not put it down."--Alafair Burke, New York Times bestselling author of The Wife

"A twisty, fast-paced tale that depicts picket-fence suburbia's seamy, murderous underside... Swanson is at his best in exploring the kinship--or what some see as the kinship--between artist and killer, one of the themes of Swanson's great model and forebear, Patricia Highsmith... A dark, quick-moving, suspenseful story."--Kirkus Reviews

"What would happen if a serial killer met the perfect confidant, someone who would never be believed if they revealed his secrets? Nothing good... Swanson has crafted another bar-raising psychological thriller with this tense, unexpected spin on serial killers and those obsessed with them."--Booklist

Praise for All the Beautiful Lies
"Suspense lovers will devour this deliciously duplicitous read, which is chock-full of twists, turns, lust, greed, and dishonesty."--Library Journal on All the Beautiful Lies

"Swanson's fourth psychological thriller is a gripping exploration of delusion and deceit; sure to please readers of Laura Lippman's stand-alones."--Booklist on All the Beautiful Lies

"Complex [and] intriguing... [Swanson] makes sure to place those twists and turns perfectly... And when someone else turns up dead, the story goes from 0-to-60 in a split-second. Peter Swanson has done a fantastic job."--Suspense Magazine on All the Beautiful Lies

From the hugely talented author of The Kind Worth Killing comes an exquisitely chilling tale of a young suburban wife with a history of psychological instability whose fears about her new neighbor could lead them both to murder. . . .

Hen and her husband, Lloyd, have settled into a quiet life in a suburban house outside of Boston. Hen (short for Henrietta) is an illustrator and has set up shop in a nearby studio, where she can forget the world and focus on her craft. After a few exhausting years of trial and error she has found the right meds to control her bipolar disorder. Finally, she's found some stability and peace to do what she loves--create.

But when they meet the couple next door, that calm begins to erode when she spots a familiar object in the husband's office. It looks exactly like something connected to a killing that happened years ago--one of very few pieces of evidence in a disturbing and baffling case. Hen recognizes it instantly because she's long had a fascination with this unsolved murder--an obsession she doesn't talk about anymore, but can't fully shake either.

Could her neighbor Matthew be a killer? Or is this the beginning of another psychotic episode like the one she suffered in college, when she became so consumed with a friend's guilt that she ended up hurting someone? The more Hen observes Matthew, the more she suspects he's planning something truly terrifying. Yet no one will believe her. Then one night, when she comes face-to-face with Matthew in the dark, she realizes that he knows she's been watching him, that she really is on to him. And that this is the start of a horrifying nightmare she may not live to escape. . . .

With the highly seductive suspense and shocking twists that are his trademark, Peter Swanson once again delivers a tantalizing story of obsession and manipulation, sure to please fans of the modern classics by Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Gillian Flynn.