The One I Left Behind: A Novel

Jennifer McMahon

Jan 2013 · Sold by Harper Collins

About this ebook

“One of the brightest new stars of literary suspense.”
—Los Angeles Times

New York Times bestselling author Jennifer McMahon is back with a gut-wrenching mystery about an architect whose troubled mother has been found 25 years after being kidnapped—by a killer who is still on the loose

The summer of 1985 changed Reggie’s life. Thirteen, awkward, and without a father, she finds herself mixed up with her school’s outcasts—Charlie, the local detective’s son, and Tara, a goth kid who has a mental hold over Reggie and harbors a dark secret. That same summer a serial killer called Neptune begins kidnapping women. He leaves their severed hands on the police department steps and, five days later, displays their bodies around town. Just when Reggie needs her mother Vera—an ex-model with many “boyfriends” and a thirst for gin—the most, Vera’s hand is found on the steps. But after five days, there’s no body and Neptune disappears.

Now a successful architect who left her hometown behind after that horrific summer, Reggie doesn’t trust anyone and lives with few attachments. But when she gets a call from a homeless shelter saying that her mother has been found alive, Reggie must confront the ghosts of her past and find Neptune before he kills again.

With her signature style, Jennifer McMahon portrays the dark side of adolescent friendship and introduces characters who haunt the imagination, along with a disturbing web of secrets, betrayals, and murder.

Ratings and reviews

At first, I was unsure of the heavy use of flashbacks in this story, afraid that it would become tedious; and then, suddenly I was half way through the book! It is so seamlessly rendered that even the unlovable characters are gripping and engaging. It is a total "must read"!

I saw this book in Barnes and Noble for a discounted price of 4.99 and had to get it. I absolutely loved this book. It is certainly something different from my previous readings. I could not put it down. I read it all that same week that I bought it because I just couldn't wait to finish it. I personally think it's amazing and different from other books

I love the writing style of this author....I have read several of her books and have enjoyed every one.

About the author

Jennifer McMahon is the author of Dismantled, the New York Times bestseller Island of Lost Girls, and the breakout debut novel Promise Not to Tell. She lives in Vermont with her partner, Drea, and their daughter, Zella.