Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf
Before She Was Found by Heather Gudenkauf
Five Stars
Sept. 2024
I’m on a Gudenkauf kick, this is my third read in a row by this author. This story is set in a small Iowa town, where most of Gudenkauf’s settings are. Iowa has been her home for many years and she finds inspiration from her Midwestern roots. She mentions a quote by her favorite author Willa Cather “Let your fiction grow out of the land beneath your feet.” The inspiration for this story came from the real life story of two young girls who were obsessed with a character called Slender Man and lured a classmate into the forest to attack her. Also by the ripple effect of misused social media through catfishing and bullying.
Sept. 2024
I’m on a Gudenkauf kick, this is my third read in a row by this author. This story is set in a small Iowa town, where most of Gudenkauf’s settings are. Iowa has been her home for many years and she finds inspiration from her Midwestern roots. She mentions a quote by her favorite author Willa Cather “Let your fiction grow out of the land beneath your feet.” The inspiration for this story came from the real life story of two young girls who were obsessed with a character called Slender Man and lured a classmate into the forest to attack her. Also by the ripple effect of misused social media through catfishing and bullying.
There isn’t much to do in the small railroad town of Pitch, Iowa. Cora is a perfect target, vulnerable and insecure. Three friends plan to visit the old railroad yard where a legend about a man named Joseph Withers might appear. In 1940 the Pitch resident disappeared after a home fire that took the lives of his family. Since then the murders of two young girls, and the disappearance of other local girls is attributed to him even though he would be 90 +years old in present day. Kids talk about how he is real, spreading the urban legend. A school project brings the subject of Joseph Withers to the forefront and fantasy and facts become intertwined.
The plans go awry when the midnight railroad yard leaves Cora near death, Violet in shock and Jordyn missing. Each chapter is told from a characters point of view, but not rehashing the same. Each chapter plays the drama out chronologically, making it seamless and entertaining. With all of Gudenkauf’s books she builds a hearty plot structure and satisfying conclusion. ~Kim Luke
Book Blurb
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.
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.
