Believe Me

1

My friend hasn t showed yet.

That s what you d think if you saw me here, perched at the bar of this corporate-­cool New York hotel, trying to make my Virgin Mary last all evening. Just another young professional waiting for her date. A little more dressy than some of the other women here, maybe. I don t look like I just came from an office.

At the other end of the bar a group of young men are drinking and joshing, punching one another on the shoulder to make their points. One ­good-­looking, smartly dressed, athletic ­catches my eye. He smiles. I look away.

Soon after, a table becomes free near the back, and I take my drink over and sit at it. Where, suddenly, this little scene unfolds:

INT. DELTON HOTEL BAR, W. 44TH ST., NEW YORK ­NIGHT

MAN

(belligerently)

Excuse me?

Someone s standing in front of me. A businessman, about forty-­five, wearing an expensive casual-­cut suit that suggests he s something more than the usual executive drone, the collar lapped by hair that s just a little too long for Wall Street.

He s angry. Very angry.

ME

Yes?

MAN

That s my table. I just went to the bathroom.

He gestures at the laptop, drink, and magazine I somehow managed to miss.

MAN

That s my drink. My stuff. It was pretty clear this table s occupied.

Around us, heads are turning in our direction. But there s going to be no confrontation, no eruption of New York stress. Already I m getting to my feet, pulling my bag onto my shoulder. Defusing the drama.

ME

Sorry ­I hadn t realized. I ll find somewhere else.

I take a step away and look around helplessly, but the place is busy and my previous seat has gone. There is nowhere else.

Out of the corner of my eye I can sense him taking me in, running his eyes over Jess s Donna Karan jacket, the expensive one she keeps for auditions, the soft dark cashmere that sets off my pale skin and dark hair. And realizing what a stupid mistake he s making.

MAN

Wait . . . I

The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before and Believe Me, JP Delaney has previously written fiction under other names.

A compelling read . . . redefines the concept of an unreliable narrator . . . [a] rich, nuanced, highly literary take on the Gone Girl theme. Booklist (starred review)

Fast-paced . . . A solid pick from bestselling author [JP] Delaney for readers who enjoyed the paranoia factor in A.J. Finn s The Woman in the Window or the unreliable narrator of Paula Hawkins s The Girl on the Train. The domestic thriller trend is showing no signs of slowing. Buy accordingly. Library Journal
 
An intense, stylish psychological thriller. Good Housekeeping

A dark and haunting thriller . . . A superb evocation of conflicted emotions, this never lets you guess what s coming next. Daily Mail

The author produces a bobsled run s worth of twists. Publishers Weekly
 
  I so enjoyed it what a twisty, exciting read. Sabine Durrant, author of Lie With Me

Praise for JP Delaney s The Girl Before
 
A pitch-perfect novel of psychological suspense. Lee Child
 
The pages fly. USA Today
 
The Girl Before generates a fast pace. The New York Times
 
Get hooked on this hair-raiser. Cosmopolitan
 
[A] must-read. New York Post
 
Almost unbearably suspenseful. Joseph Finder
 
A masterfully crafted spellbinder. Booklist (starred review)
 
Superior psychological suspense. The Bookseller
 
A sexy murder mystery. InStyle