Before Us
The house was meant to be a fresh start.
But from the moment we arrived at 13 Rutland Terrace, something felt wrong.
My daughter refuses to go near the cellar. The dog won't stop barking. And then I found the photo — a family just like ours. Only the woman in it looks terrified.
They lived here before us.
Now I can’t stop thinking about her.
Because this house is keeping secrets.
And my husband . . . isn’t who he used to be.
- Rachel - Adie’s wife
- Adie - Rachel's husband
- Beatrice and Archie - Rachel and Adie’s children
- Jonty - Adie’s mother
- Sasha - Adie’s accuser
- Fiona - Beatrice and Archie’s nanny
- Tony - Rachel’s affair partner
- Caitlin - Adie’s first wife
- Lucy - Matt’s wife
- Matt - Lucy’s husband
- Sophie and Jack - Matt and Lucy’s children
- This story is told from two perspectives with Rachel’s 'then' (T) and Lucy's 'now' (N).
- T: Rachel starts documenting things in a journal.
- The journal describes Adie’s infidelity, his controlling behavior, and Rachel’s growing fear that he plans to kill her for the inheritance left by her recently deceased parents.
- N: Matt had an affair with someone a few years ago.
- T: Adie is telling everyone Rachel is mentally unstable but she insists that she is fine.
- N: Lucy finds Rachel's journal in the new house, reads it and feels connected to Rachel because both their husbands had affairs.
- Lucy is curious to find out more about Rachel.
- T: Rachel goes to question Sasha, a woman at Adie’s work who made allegations of sexual assault against him.
- N: A neighbor tells Lucy where Rachel and Adie moved after leaving the house. She goes there hoping to find Rachel but finds Adie instead.
- Lucy lies to Adie about her name and why she ended up at his house.
- They hit it off and continue seeing each other.
- T: Rachel meets a man while on the train and they have an instant connection.
- N: Adie tells Lucy his wife, Rachel, is dead - she died in Lucy and Matt’s new house. Lucy purposely does not tell Adie that she now lives in his old one.
- T: Fiona shows up to be interviewed by Rachel for a nanny position even though Rachel insists she does not want a nanny.
- Rachel is convinced that this woman is Adie’s mistress and he’s going to be replacing Rachel with her.
- Rachel sees on the news that Sasha is dead and she believes Adie killed her.
- Rachel tries to convince Tony to kill Adie for her so she can be free of him and have custody of her children.
- N: Lucy continues seeing Adie and they end up sleeping together.
- T: Adie had a wife before Rachel. Her name was Caitlin and she died from a fall off of a popular suicide bridge.
- T: Tony is becoming clingy and starts stalking Rachel.
- Tony shows up at the house and tells Adie about the affair.
- Adie and Rachel fight and Adie ends up leaving with the children.
- Rachel begs Adie to leave the children with her and he claims they are not her children, they are Caitlin’s children.
- Rachel starts to question what is and isn’t real and she remembers that she is the one who killed Sasha.
- N: Matt admits to Lucy that he was there when Rachel died and that he had been having an affair with her under a fake name - Tony.
- Lucy tells Matt that Rachel’s diary revealed she was pregnant with his baby before he killed her.
- Lucy and Matt tussle and Matt falls down the stairs and dies.
- T: Matt goes back to the house to see Rachel after Adie leaves.
- Rachel tells Matt she only planned to stay with him until he killed Adie for her - she was just using him.
- Matt pushed Rachel down the stairs and as she’s falling she remembers how she pushed Caitlin off the bridge because Caitlin had what she wanted - Adie and the children.
- Six months later: Lucy confesses everything to Adie. He forgives her, and they begin a relationship.
- Adie and Jonty quickly become controlling of Lucy.
- Lucy hears Adie on the phone professing his love to someone she believes is Fiona.
- When Adie tries to take out a £1 million life-insurance policy on Lucy, she realizes Rachel had been right all along; Adie kills for money - and now Lucy knows she’s in danger.
This book was a compelling mystery that keeps you guessing, unfolding at a steady, medium pace.
I was captivated by the two narrators, Rachel and Lucy. The story does a great job of highlighting the unsettling similarities in their circumstances, which immediately pulled me in.
What really kept me hooked were the smaller, secondary twists I didn't see coming. The author plants several surprising reveals along the way that genuinely caught me off guard and added new layers to the story.
I have enjoyed several other books from this author and 'Before Us' is no exception.
- Lucy - Alive - Afraid her life is in danger now that she is with Adie
- Adie - Alive - Manipulating and controlling Lucy like he did to Rachel
- Jonty - Alive - Helping Adie control Lucy
- Fiona - Alive - Still in a relationship with Adie
- Rachel - Dead - Fell down the stone steps
- Sasha - Dead - Strangled by Rachel with a piece of clothing
- Caitlin - Dead -Pushed off the Stamford Bridge by Rachel
- Matt - Dead - Pushed down the stairs by Lucy
- Domestic violence
- Alcoholism
- Murder
- Mental illness
- Infidelity
- Suicide
Publisher: Joffe Books
ISBN: 9781805733133
Publication Date: November 6, 2025
Note: Details are for the original edition. Other formats, editions, and audiobook versions may be available.
