Nick Hansen is forty years old, a professional who works for the housing authority in Eastland, Ohio. He lives alone with his rescue dog Riley.

Back in college, Nick fell in love with the beautiful red-headed Marissa Minor.  Sadly, Marissa perished in a house fire along with three of her housemates.  Though Nick eventually married, then divorced, he never got over Marissa, the love of his life.

“Whoever said time heals was lying”

Until… while shopping he caught a glimpse of Marissa’s double. When he confronts her he realizes that because she is young, she couldn’t possibly be Marissa. The young girl runs from him.

The next day he is told that the girl has been found murdered in a hotel room – with Nick’s name and address in her pocket!

This sends his life on a whirling spiral that changes everything he has ever believed for the past twenty years.  Also, it puts Nick in the unenviable position of being a suspect in the girl’s murder…

“Chasing ghosts”

With the aid of some good friends, Nick does some investigating – to find that nothing that happened twenty years ago was as it first seemed…

Of course, being the avid thriller reader that I am, I had the whole thing figured out before I was half finished the book.  However, I WAS WRONG!  Gosh, how embarrassing.

The author leads the reader in the direction he wants to. I was gullible and went along. Upon reflection, the red herrings were too obvious – but I succumbed.

In summation, “Somebody I used to know” is a compelling page-turner that will be enjoyed by everyone who likes suspense fiction. With great characters and excellent narration, the book moves along smoothly – taking the reader along for the ride.

This is my first title by David Bell. Wow! I’ve really been missing out.  Thankfully he has several titles already written, the latest of which is “Bring her home“, which thankfully I have in my TBR queue already.

Thanks to Penguin/Berkley via NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of this novel for the purposes of this review.David Bell is the author of seven novels from Berkley/Penguin, including BRING HER HOME, SINCE SHE WENT AWAY, SOMEBODY I USED TO KNOW, THE FORGOTTEN GIRL, NEVER COME BACK, THE HIDING PLACE, and CEMETERY GIRL. His work has been translated into numerous foreign languages, and in 2013, he won the prestigious Prix Polar International de Cognac for best crime novel by an international author. He is an associate professor of English at Western Kentucky University where he directs the MFA program in creative writing. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, he spends his free time rooting for the Reds and Bengals, watching movies, and walking in the cemetery near his house. He lives in Bowling Green, Kentucky, with his wife, writer Molly McCaffrey.