BACK BEFORE DAWN

It's a struggle to find a soulmate.

Every day I paste a smile on my face, get my kids out the door to school, take care of my clients eight hours a day, and pray that my commissions cover the bills. During the last thirteen years, I married and divorced two disappointing men. The divorces were terrible. I'm partly to blame for the failed marriages, but the bulk of it was their fault. I promise.

I'm still in touch with my first husband out of necessity since he's the father of my kids, but it's a train wreck since we can't stand each other.

I love my kids with all my heart, but I'm tired of raising them alone.

Late at night, after they are asleep, I log onto my three favorite dating apps and dream that the next swipe could change my life. The attention I receive online makes me forget that I'm a frantic single mom with the weight of the world on my shoulders. Most nights, I run out to meet a match if they sound promising, but many of these guys are tragically dysfunctional in person, and one of them even started stalking me. I had to file a protective order. My friends tell me that my life is spinning out of control, but I know my soulmate is out there.

I just have to find him.

Don't judge me.

I'm always back before dawn.

. . .

“Back Before Dawn is a fabulous read with relatable, fascinating characters and a plot that zigzags between the struggles of a single mother with an online dating addiction and a diabolical murder that lands on her doorstep. This book will have you turning pages until its very satisfying conclusion! PERESTA’S BEST BOOK YET!” 

~ Susan Crawford, NYT best-selling author, The Pocket Wife

and The Other Widow

“Back Before Dawn is a rollercoaster of a read that will have you holding your breath until the surprising end. A taut, propulsive thriller, Kerry Peresta’s newest novel features a single mom still reeling from her second divorce and struggling to make a new life for herself and her children. The local newspaper she works for isn’t doing well, her ex-husband is chronically late with child support, and her new boss has it in for her. Who can blame Izzy for diving into online dating for some relief? But this hard-working woman can’t pull herself away from the dating obsession that takes her out of the house almost every night, even as it threatens to bring her world crashing around her and makes her the primary suspect in a too-close-to-home murder.” 

~ Mally Becker, author of The Turncoat’s Widow

and The Counterfeit Wife

“Fast-paced, precisely plotted, and with an engaging cast of characters, Back Before Dawn taps into very real nightmares about the promise and peril of online dating. With a sure hand, author Kerry Peresta sends her heroine, single mom Isabelle (Izzy) Lewis, into battle against interconnected personal and professional demons that threaten her life, her livelihood, and those she loves. Izzy is an appealingly flawed character, whose addiction to online dating renders her vulnerable to a predatory boss, an abusive ex-husband, and a rejected suitor-turned-stalker. Izzy is not without resources. Her friends, her coworkers, even the barista at Starbucks are all determined to help her, but when she becomes the prime suspect in a murder investigation, she must rely on her own intelligence, grit, and courage. Back Before Dawn is a multilayered mystery with plenty of satisfying twists and turns.” 

~ Lori Robbins, Silver Falchion and Indie Award-winner and author

of On Pointe Mystery Series

“Having been happily married for just short of fifty years, I can honestly say I have never had any experience whatsoever with online dating. However, Isabelle Lewis, the recently single, first-person narrator of Kerry Peresta’s new novel, Back Before Dawn, has had plenty, so much so that her online dating activities have developed into a full-blown addiction with nightmarish consequences. Isabelle (“Izzy”) is an attractive advertising sales rep for a medium-market newspaper. She has three kids, a vindictive ex-husband, and a new boss determined to get her fired. Pages and chapters fly by as the novel unfolds, ultimately resulting in murder, Izzy’s arrest, and a resolution that I guarantee not even the most seasoned reader will see coming. I loved this book, and only my wish to savor it kept me from finishing it in one sitting. Back Before Dawn is a winner, and unlike anything else you are likely to read this year. I cannot recommend highly enough.” 

~ Gregory Stout, author of Lost Little Girl and The Gone Man

“Meet Izzy, a single mom of three with a serious addiction…an addiction to online dating that introduces her to a stalker and threatens her job and her children. Can she pull herself out before it's too late? A tension-filled page-turner right to the end.” 

~ Judy L Murray, Silver Falchion and IPPY Award-winning author

and Agatha Nominee for The Chesapeake Bay Mystery Series