The Life I Left Behind - Colette McBeth

After being viciously attacked and left for dead, Melody Pieterson has no memory of her attack.  Her neighbor and friend, David, was arrested and convicted of her attempted murder.  Several years later, Melody has become a sliver of her former self.  Engaged to a man who enables her reclusion, Melody spends her time cooking and shopping online.  

Shortly after David is released from prison, Eve Elliot is murdered.  The circumstances of her death are strikingly similar to the details of Melody's attack, and as such, David is an immediate suspect.  However, it soon comes to light that Eve, an investigative journalist, believed that David was wrongfully convicted of Melody's attack.  She had been working to clear his name in the months prior to her own death.

When Melody comes across a copy of Eve's investigative file, she must face the fact that her attacker - and Eve's murdererer - is still out there.

This story is told by three women: Melody, who seeks to reclaim her former self; Eve, who lingers after death, silently urging Melody along; and Victoria Rutter, the detective charged with finding the killer and ultimately setting both women free.

McBeth skillfully weaves together the lives of these women with multi-layers and themes, including friendship, betrayal, loss, self-doubt, and perserverance.  And of course, there's the Bad Guy, who hides himself well amongst the pages.

I was particularly haunted by Eve, though she isn't your average ghost.  She's like your best girlfriend, the one who's braver and more fun than you.  She's the character who pulls the story together and leaves me wishing she could come back to tell another one.

I received an advanced reader's copy of this book from the publisher, St. Martin's Press.  The book will be released on February 24, 2015.