'Beautiful, brilliant and strangely joyous ... will have you in its thrall from its powerful first page to its superb conclusion.' Rose Carlyle, author of Girl in the Mirror
'Addictive and utterly captivating. I couldn't put it down.' Sarah Bailey, author of Where the Dead Go
'This astonishing debut turns the traditional crime story on its head ... Darkly funny, deeply insightful and completely heartbreaking.' Petronella McGovern, author of Six Minutes
'The most wonderful book. Unusual, beautiful, feminist, gripping, deserves to win prizes. I loved it so much'. Marian Keyes, author of Grown Ups
This is not just another novel about a dead girl.
When she arrived in New York on her 18th birthday carrying nothing but $600 cash and a stolen camera, Alice Lee was looking for a fresh start. Now, just one month later, she is the city's latest Jane Doe, an unidentified murder victim.
Ruby Jones is also trying to start over; she travelled halfway around the world only to find herself lonelier than ever. Until she finds Alice's body by the Hudson River.
From this first, devastating encounter, the two women form an unbreakable bond. Alice is sure that Ruby is the key to solving the mystery of her life - and death. And Ruby - struggling to forget what she saw that morning - finds herself unable to let Alice go. Not until she is given the ending she deserves.
Before You Knew My Name doesn't ask whodunnit. Instead, this powerful, hopeful novel asks: Who was she? And what did she leave behind? The answers might surprise you.
'A wake-up call, beautifully written and unique feminist exploration of the crime fiction genre.' R.W.R. McDonald, author of The Nancys
'Unpredictable, devastating and original ... marks the arrival of a compelling new voice ... Thought-provoking and challenging.' Karen Viggers, author of The Lightkeeper's Wife
'Beguiling, heartbreaking and tender. Jacqueline Bublitz is a beautiful writer and in Alice Lee, she has created a vivid and sparkling narrator who mesmerised me from the very first page and still won't let me go.' Suzanne Leal, author of The Teacher's Secret
'An unputdownable debut - striking, moving, gripping throughout and so sharp on the things that unite us' Elizabeth Kay, author of Seven Lies
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An outstanding debut by New Zealand author Jacqueline Bublitz. Before you knew my name is a beautifully constructed story centred around two women. Tragically their fates cross paths and an engrossing and intriguing story ensues. This cleverly written crime thriller ultimately asks 'Who was she?' rather than 'Whodunnit'. A powerful and thought provoking Book of the Year. - Janelle (QBD)
Guest, 08/12/2021
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Bublitz's insightful thriller portrays Ruby, a loner, who finds the first victim of a serial killer and is determined to solve the Jane Doe's case. An everlasting bond between two women as their pasts reveal the damage of toxic relationships. This gripping novel captivates its reader with its enthrling plot and excellent conclusion designed to bring to light real tragedies currently occuring. - Zoe (QBD)
Guest, 08/12/2021
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Before you knew my name is a deeply moving book about two women whose lives have intersected. One Alive. One Dead.
One woman moving to NY in the hopes of being famous. One running away from her life in Australia.
The media wants to know who killed Jane Doe. You will want to know who was Jane Doe? - Jessica (QBD)
Guest, 08/12/2021
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A whirlwind of emotions and a beautifully haunting story of a young womans hidden past. Ruby is an investigator tied to the case, a spiral of secrets unlocked and the mystery of the Jane Doe unravels through Ruby's eyes. This is THE crime novel of the year and you will not be able to put this down! 5 stars all the way! - Jacqueline (QBD)
Guest, 07/12/2021
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Following two women as they start afresh in New York, Alice the Dead Girl and Ruby the women who finds her body. Unlike other crime novels that focus on the killer, this is about the victim and what they lost.About the ones left behind and the whole left behind by loss. Beautiful, heartbreaking and unusual , an insight in to whats its like be a women alone in the world. - Vanessa (QBD)
Guest, 07/12/2021
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"There is a girl who died today and Ruby doesn't even know her name"
An emotionally gripping and raw debut novel that takes the crime genre and flips it on its head.
Right from the very first page I was so emotionally invested in finding out, not what happened to her, but who was Jane Doe really?
This is the kind of book that will stay with you long after you've read the last page. 5 stars! - Tayla (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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A moving and timely book that explores female agency and the devasting effects of male violence. Confronting and heartbreaking, but also a beautiful testament to friendship. - Jessalyn (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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A young girl runs away to New York, where she is raped and murdered by a face-less man. the police must find who did the crime and why. But what seperates this book from the rest is that it is told from the dead girl. But what seperates this book from the rest is that it is told from the dead girl. instead of asking yourself "who did it?" you know start to ask yourslef "Who was she?". - Holly (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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It's true: This is not just another book about a dead girl. Bublitz has crafted an unputdownable debut, with vivid and relatable characters and a narrative that gripped me from page one and refused to let go. Unpredictable, original and devastating, this is a story that lingers with you long after it ends. You think you know crime fiction? You've never read anything like this before. - Natalie (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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Alice Lee and Ruby Jones arrive in New York City on the same day. Four weeks later Ruby will find Alice's body and nothing will be the Told with poetic clarity, Alice tells both girls stories in the lead up to her death and beyond.
Captivating and original, Before you Knew My Name is not the book you'll expect it to be, but far better. - Vanessa (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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A heartwrenching, deeply affecting story that'll resonate most strongly with women - a story of gender violence so well worn but never any less impacting, Before You Knew My Name is a hard-hitting crime drama exploring the dehumanisation of the life ended prematurely by violence that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished. - Marc (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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A crime novel unlike any other, the focus not on the motivation for murder but instead on the victim, and her story. Told by both the deceased, and the woman who found her who is desparately trying to come to terms with the aftermath of finding a dead body, the heartbreak and emotion evoked will stay with you long after they know her name. An amazing debut and a refreshing take on this genre. - Megan (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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This is not your regular murder novel - Before You Knew My Name doesn't focus on the why, or the who or even on the how but it focuses on the Jane Doe victim and the bits and bobs she left behind and how they make other people see her, and who she might be. Before You Knew My Name takes the reader through not only the victim's feelings about what happens after she dies, but also through the lives of those affected by her passing from when she's discovered as a Jane Doe until after she has been identified – when you know her name. - Rebecca (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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When her body is found in the Hudson river Alice is at risk of becoming just another Jane Doe.
Before You Knew My Name, is the harrowing recount of Alice's life before her body was found.
In her debut novel Jacqueline Bublitz focuses less on the crime and instead on the victim, leaving you with the question, who could Alice have been if she was given the chance to live a life that was her own. - Emily (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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"You will already have an idea of me. Thre are enough of us dead girls out there"
Before you knew my name is a profoundly heartwrenching story of two women.One who died, and the jogger who found her body. This novel is is told in a truly unique way, and really makes you think about the truths women face when confronted with their safety. This is a story that will stick with me for a long time. - Jessica (QBD)
Guest, 05/12/2021
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Not many have hooked me from the very first page, but this one definitely did! It follows 18-year-old Alice Lee and 36-year-old Ruby Jones as they both individually restart their lives in New York City before their paths cross - when Ruby finds Alice's body. This book is brilliant, unexpected and hard to put down. - Lana (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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Reminds me of Alice Sebold's 2002 classic, The Lovely Bones.
If you enjoyed that one, give this 2021 take a try! - Susan (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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A stunning novel about two women - one murdered and the other who discovered the body. Combining feminism, mystery, betrayal and love, the author has seamlessly crafted a masterpeice. I adored every part of this novel. - Tricia (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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Before You Knew My Name puts a spin on the classic 'Whodunnit?' to instead ask: who was Alice Lee? And why is she dead? People are found dead all the time, but this novel makes us wonder about all of the possibilities in a person's life before that life is gone. What could have been in a better world. Bublitz makes a stunning feminist statement by challenging the old-fashioned beliefs about women as victims. Before You Knew My Name also makes us consider how damaging and devastating it is to be the one who discovers a stranger's body, and how it changes one's life forever. - Jaidyn (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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If you loved The Lovely Bones and you are a fan of crime fiction, then this book is for you. Alice and Ruby are two lost souls searching for answers in New York. Unfortunately life does not always go to plan and these two characters become entwined with each other under the mosthorrible circumstances. With a beautiful cover, readers will find this book hard to put down. - Julie (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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The story is significant as it's told in part from the perspective of a deceased person.Two woman one Alice, the other Ruby arrive in New York City on the same day. Each is attempting to escape something. What I loved about this story was the insistence on not giving the perpetrator of the crime unnecessary glory & concentrating instead on finding out who the dead girl is. - Louise (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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This is a story that will drag you in and it won't tug, it will yank on your heartstrings. There is the mystery of who committed the murder and why, however this novel also focusses on the woman whose life has ended, and the woman who found her body. This is Jacqueline Bublitz's debut novel and it is amazing. A must read. - Tracey (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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Eighteen year old Alice arrives in New York seeking a new start. With her she has a bit of cash and an old camera. But a month later she is killed. She becomes known as Jane Doe, Riverside Park murder victim, but to Ruby, the Australian jogger who finds her body, she becomes so much more.
Told from Alice's perspective about her life leading up to her death and then Ruby's it's an amazing read - Steven (QBD)
Guest, 04/12/2021
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Before You Knew My Name is a brilliant debut by Jacqueline Bublitz following the story of Ruby Jones after she discovers the body of Alice Lee. Unlike othere novels this is also told in the perspective of Alice, the murdered woman, who believes her and Ruby were meant to find each other. This fresh spin on the classic tale will leave you thinking long past you are finished. - Sarah (QBD)
Guest, 03/12/2021
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Two women leave behind troubled pasts to move to the Big Apple where they eventually meet. Only problem, one of them was murdered.
The story, although tragic in its entirety, focuses strongly on the impacts of the lives both lost and impacted through the journey of this book, and the strong connections between the women that have never met. - Ella (QBD)
Guest, 03/12/2021
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A moving novel about two women unknown to each other, Alice and Ruby. Jacqueline does a fantastic job using using Alice as a narrator after she has been brutally murdered and found dead by Ruby to push characters along to find out what happened and gives us insight into what impacts this can have on someone finding a dead body. A must read of 2021 that's powerful and not your normal murder mystery - Paul (QBD)
Guest, 03/12/2021
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Alice Lee has crafted an original, unpredictable and breathtaking take on the crime genre with 'Before You Knew My Name'. An unputdownable debut with a vivid and relatable narrator, this book grabbed me from the very first page and refused to let go. You think you've read it all in the crime genre? Well you've never read anything like this before. There's a reason this book won Book of the Year! - Natalie (QBD)
Guest, 02/12/2021
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This book is absolutely incredible. It is a unique story that is incredibly written and moving. I found the book to be full of hope, love and friendship.
I could not reccommend this book enough. - Anthi (QBD)
Guest, 02/12/2021
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An incredible story of two young women living similar lives in New York. When one of them is murdered and the other finds her body, she seeks to learn all she can about her life & death. A gripping novel that seeks an answer as to why humans are obsessed with stories of murder & murderers, recentring the victim in her own story. - Kiani (QBD)
Guest, 02/12/2021
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Jacqueline Bublitz's debut novel Before You Knew My Name is akin to The Lovely Bones. Ruby has recently arrived in New York when she stumbles across the body of another new arrival, Alice. The gripping story that follows is told by the recently deceased Alice, who is desperate to make sure she is remembered as more than just the body of an unidentified jogger. - Darren (QBD)
Guest, 02/12/2021
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There is a reason this is BOTY. Before you knew my name follows Alice and Ruby who move to NY City to make a fresh start.
A month after the move, Alice is brutally murdered and Ruby is the one that discovers her body.
Sounds likes a usual crime novel but it's not. This is told by the dead girl and the jogger that found her. Instead of asking "who did it?"
Ask "who was she?". - Vanessa (QBD)
Guest, 02/12/2021
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You won't be able to put this book down. Intense, intriguing, Before You New My Name will leave you on the edge of your seat. - Angelique (QBD)
Guest, 01/12/2021
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Jacqueline Bublitz's novel, Before You Knew My Name, is the kind of book that stays with you long after you finish it. After finding Alice Lee's body, Ruby Jones' life will never be the same. The nove isl a thrilling mystery, a clever investigation into feminist issues, and an insightful exploration into what it means for a life to be taken. - Melanie (QBD)
Guest, 01/12/2021
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An incredibly poignant and compelling novel, Before You Knew My Name is not just another book about a dead girl.
Fans of Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones are sure to be moved by this powerful novel as it weaves a story focusing not on what she was doing, or wearing, but who she was. But how can one do that when she came to the city under false name?
This debut novel packs an emotional punch. - Erin (QBD)
Guest, 30/11/2021
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In the vein of a classic whodunnit and for fans of THE LOVELY BONES, Jacqueline Bublitz's stunning debut novel BEFORE YOU KNEW MY NAME is an unususal, startling, and powerful story about a dead girl desperate for answers, the woman who finds her body, and the relationship that forms between them. A gripping feminist tale with an important message, this one is not to be missed. - Joshua (QBD)
Guest, 29/11/2021
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Before you Knew my Name is a powerful, moving story that is narrated from a very unique perspective.
A murder mystery that focus more on the person who died than who killed them.
An engaging read recommended for crime and thriller readers. - Kylie (QBD)
Guest, 29/11/2021
