Before You Were Anne
By Emiko Jean
Before You Were Anne by Emiko Jean was fast-paced, suspenseful, and mysterious with some of the best character development I have read in recent thrillers. The second book to feature detective Chelsey Calhoun begins with the search for a murdered woman and her daughter Naomi, who has gone missing. Chelsey is pregnant with a baby girl and hasn’t told her detective partner yet, and every step of the case, including finding the missing girl, feels extra close to her heart.
As Chelsey and her partner search for the murderer of Anne Walker, they learn about her past life in Japan as Rika, and how she came to live in America. Rika had to escape an abusive husband and remote, isolated life with her daughter and she ended up in the Pacific Northwest, with a new identity as Anne. She worked hard and raised her daughter Naomi quietly, and Naomi, a gifted artist, could never quite figure out why her mom was so sad or their lives were so small. But when Naomi goes in search of her father, she finds an even more dangerous man—her stepfather. And she also contacts her real father, who used to be part of underground crime in Japan. Once Naomi delved into her past, this sets into motion the events that would lead to the death of her mother and finding out the truth about her past.
Anyone who read and enjoyed The Return of Ellie Black, about Chelsey’s family, will enjoy reading Before You Were Anne. I think it helps if you read Ellie Black first.
The novel followed more than one timeline, with flashbacks to Rika’s life in Japan, some of Naomi’s perspective, and mostly follows Chelsey’s present day investigation. Chelsey grapples with her adoption and the secrets her mother has held back; these feelings were coming to the surface with her baby and the search for Naomi.
The novel has some dark parts, so check the trigger warnings. If you want psychological thriller with strong character development and a hint of a police procedural, you will enjoy this novel.
Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
