Before They Find Us by Michelle A. Hansen
Publication date: November 2013
Genres: Romantic Thriller, Young Adult
Publication date: November 2013
Genres: Romantic Thriller, Young Adult
Synopsis:
I’m going to make you wish you were dead.
Just a text. Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Hales tries not to worry. Probably a wrong number. Not really meant for her, and definitely not related to the crime she witnessed six years ago. Right?
Then two states away, a bomb goes off in her best friend’s locker. Soon Ryan is labeled a terrorist and runs to the safest place he knows—Rebecca’s house in small-town Wyoming. It doesn’t take long for the FBI to show up asking questions. Rebecca lies, of course, and says she hasn’t seen him.
Now she’s neck-deep in it with him, whatever “it” is. The only way out is to return to Vegas, where Ryan is a wanted man. The city of lies and illusion tests Rebecca’s wits as she struggles to find the person who framed Ryan and why.
Is Rebecca’s text linked to the bombing? And what does it have to do with a six year old murder? Rebecca needs to find out before she loses Ryan—and her own life.
Just a text. Seventeen-year-old Rebecca Hales tries not to worry. Probably a wrong number. Not really meant for her, and definitely not related to the crime she witnessed six years ago. Right?
Then two states away, a bomb goes off in her best friend’s locker. Soon Ryan is labeled a terrorist and runs to the safest place he knows—Rebecca’s house in small-town Wyoming. It doesn’t take long for the FBI to show up asking questions. Rebecca lies, of course, and says she hasn’t seen him.
Now she’s neck-deep in it with him, whatever “it” is. The only way out is to return to Vegas, where Ryan is a wanted man. The city of lies and illusion tests Rebecca’s wits as she struggles to find the person who framed Ryan and why.
Is Rebecca’s text linked to the bombing? And what does it have to do with a six year old murder? Rebecca needs to find out before she loses Ryan—and her own life.
Purchase:
Get the prologue!
On the author's website, she is giving away copies of the unpublished Epilogue to BTFU to anyone who subscribes to her newsletter (via sidebar). The epilogue was cut when the book went to print, but it is a nice year-later wrap up for the story.
Guest Post!
Top 10: Most Influential Books
I’m a
firm believer that there are books for every personality and no one should have
to apologize for the kinds of books they like. Personally, I’ve read classics
to romance to thrillers, and it all influences my writing in some way, shape,
or form. The real goal of all books is entertainment. This is a list of books I
read and loved and remember, sometimes even years afterward. They are a good
sampling of the books that have influenced me as a reader and a writer.
1. I
Know What You Did Last Summer, by Lois Duncan
I was not a kid who read. I was a reluctant
reader—said I hated reading—until the seventh grade, when Mrs. Cole took me
down to the library and put a Lois Duncan novel in my hand. I was hooked. I
read every Lois Duncan novel in our school library. One author and one great
teacher made me into a reader.
The Great Gatsby
by F. Scott Fitzgerald
These were the first two classics that I
remember reading and loving. It was like a little light bulb went on in my
head, “Oh, these are classics for a reason!” That is how a reluctant reader
ended up an English major in college.
4. Pride
& Prejudice by Jane Austin
The first book I stayed up all night to
finish.
5. Dreamland
by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen’s novels have become YA
classics. While Dreamland wasn’t her
first novel, it was the first one I read. I consider Dessen a ground-breaker in
the genre, one of the authors who broke the old YA lit model (90 pages and
mostly plot driven) and made YA into what it is today.
6. Tell No One by Harlan Coben.
This was the book that got me hooked on contemporary
thrillers. Of all the Harlan Coben novels I’ve read, it’s still my favorite.
7. The
Ugly Duckling by Iris Johansen
Iris Johansen was a romance writer who
crossed over into the romantic-suspense genre. I read more than a dozen Iris
Johansen novels one winter. I love the romantic element in a thriller, and I
think it was those books that solidified that for me. I pretty much always have
a romantic element in my stories. The romance shapes in my head right along
with the plot—often before the plot.
8. The
Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer
The first book I read that was written by
someone I knew in real life, proving that yes, authors are real people and real
people can write books. I think we grow up thinking authors are this mysterious
“other” like movie stars or rock stars, but authors are mostly ordinary people
with overactive imaginations.
9. Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
Hamlet is my favorite tragic hero, and it
was my favorite work to teach in the classroom. I think everyone should read Hamlet and see it performed. I was so
happy when Kenneth Brannagh made his film version of the complete text.
10. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
I know, I know. There are people who hate Twilight, and I’m definitely not a
Twi-hard. I read Twilight the month
it debuted, and I passed my copy around to all my friends. I had no idea what
it would later become, but I loved it because it had been years since a book
really hooked me and pulled me in. While I read the whole series, I still like
the first book best.
When people point to YA exploding, they
often point to Harry Potter, but you
have to remember that Harry Potter
was published as a middle grade novel. Twilight
made YA a huge, very profitable market. Love it or hate it, we all owe a great
deal to Stephenie Meyer.
So, there you have it, a sampling of the
most influential books I’ve read. Picking 10 books is like asking a mother to
pick a favorite child. (I love them all!) I try to come away from every book I
read with a new insight about life, characterization or craft. I think there is
something to be learned from every book,
even one you hate.
Thank you for having me on Book Lover’s
Life today and for participating in the
Before They Find Us blog tour!
** Great choices. I cant believe I've never read some of these. I need to read Last Summer cause I enjoyed the movie. Thanks for taking the time to do the guest post!
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AUTHOR BIO
Michelle A. Hansen was raised in southeastern Washington. She earned her bachelor of arts degree in English teaching from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and taught high school English for six years.
Michelle loves Pepsi and Doritos more than chocolate. She loves summertime and hates to be cold. She has had three near-death experiences. She’s addicted to office supplies and has an irrationally large stash of pens and notebooks.
Michelle loves Pepsi and Doritos more than chocolate. She loves summertime and hates to be cold. She has had three near-death experiences. She’s addicted to office supplies and has an irrationally large stash of pens and notebooks.
Author links:
Giveaway:
Tour wide giveaway
Open INTL:
-- $25 Amazon gift card
-- Signed paperback copy of Before They Find Us
-- Before They Find Us charm necklace, bookmarks and signed postcard
-- Ebook copies of Before They Find Us & Painted Blind
-- Signed paperback copy of Before They Find Us
-- Before They Find Us charm necklace, bookmarks and signed postcard
-- Ebook copies of Before They Find Us & Painted Blind
Great list! Dreamland has been on my TBR for really long I should really get to that soon I only read 1 other book by her but I really liked it!
ReplyDeleteI havent read any by her yet so definitely must remedy it :)
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