Before He Finds Her by Michael Kardos

Published by Mysterious Press on February 3, 2015

An elderly reporter, nearing death, blogs about the unsolved murder that has obsessed him -- unsolved in the sense that Ramsey Miller, who killed his wife and fled with his daughter, has never been apprehended. Of Ramsey's guilt and the daughter's death, the reporter is certain.

Melanie hates the isolation that defines her life, but living in witness protection means no internet, no travel, and no real friends. Melanie lives with her aunt and uncle and is, of course, hiding from Ramsey.

Early chapters of Before He Finds Her alternate between the past and present. The chapters in the past follow Ramsey, who believes he is just awakening to the beauty of life but is actually awakening to madness, embodied in his belief in an impending apocalypse he attributes to the "orbital axis." Ramsey's childhood is depicted more realistically and sympathetically than most thrillers manage.

As the novel moves forward, Melanie, being young and foolish, decides she needs to find Ramsey before he finds her. Michael Kardos never quite sold me on that motivation. In any event, to further her quest, Melanie meets with the blogger. Her investigation proceeds in an unexpected direction. More than that I will not say.

Most of the first half of Before He Finds Her reads more like a human interest story than a suspense novel. I would not say that the second half is more suspenseful but it reads more like a thriller. None of the surprising revelations are particularly surprising, which is the novel's greatest weakness.

While I was reading the first half, I found it difficult to suspend disbelief in certain aspects of the story that just didn't seem plausible. To my relief, Kardos deals with those in the second half. That cemented my interest. The story is plausible (a plus in the modern era of implausible thrillers). Even if the ending is telegraphed at an early point, eroding the excitement and shock value that thriller fans crave, I enjoyed the characters and the storytelling.

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