Somebody I Used to Know by David Bell

I made the comment last year in reviewing The Forgotten Girl, that if there was a new David Bell release out it must be October. Bell threw me off this year, though, with a July release! That's ok, Bell can bring a bit of October chill to even the hottest day and he proves that with Somebody I Used to Know.

Twenty years ago, Nick Hansen's girlfriend died in a tragic house fire. Imagine his surprise then when he sees a girl who strongly resembles his long lost love. He approaches the girl just to ask if she might be related but the terrified teen runs away. The following morning, she's discovered dead in a hotel room and Nick is the prime suspect.

Poor Nick. From the start he seems to have been dealt a bad hand. Divorced and separated from his stepson as a result, he almost muddles through life. But when he sees the girl in the grocery store, things take a turn for the worse. Suddenly he's a suspect in a murder and he can't help but wonder if the dead girl is connected to his first - lost - love.

Every time you think you know where Somebody I Used to Know is going, Bell throws another wrinkle into the story. Honestly he kind of pushed the limit as far as coincidences and new plot twists, but it all worked out in the end. It's something of a signature for him, though, the crazy number of plot twists, that is. In rereading my notes on The Forgotten Girl, I realize I'd noted it about that one as well.

Happily, Somebody I Used to Know ends a bit more satisfactorily than Forgotten Girl. Nary a fizzle in sight!

Bell is a solid writer and a must for fans of Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, and other "domestic" thrillers. Check him out!

Rating: 3.5/4