She’s struggled her whole life with mental health issues, and in her past, during a manic episode, she has falsely accused someone of murder,” he says.

“I wanted to write a story in which the protagonist, Hen Mazur, could be considered an unreliable witness. Swanson shares why his heroine suffers from bipolar disorder. How can they be sure you’re not being paranoid, or manic, or obsessive? The mere presence of mental illness makes you lose your credibility, even when you’re sure your meds are working. Maybe worse than not being able to rely on yourself is that other people might not believe you. Woven into this twisty-turny murder thriller is mental illness and the instability it causes. “What really interested me was the idea that the witness might form a relationship of sorts with the killer. “The movie, although forgettable, did get me wondering about a similar tale, but one in which the witness to a crime does have an actual history of mental instability and false accusations,” Swanson says. The spark that inspired BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM was the 1954 film Witness to Murder, in which Barbara Stanwyck looked out her window to see a man strangling a woman in the building next door. How ironic that the only one who believes Hen’s accusations about Matthew being a killer is Matthew. Is he a vigilante protecting women from abuse, or a psychotic killer? To get the proof she needs, she must get to know him better. Spying on Matthew is the only way she can prove he’s a murderer, and what she discovers terrifies her. But if Hen goes to the police, will anyone take her seriously? Is it a coincidence that Dustin graduated from Sussex Hall where Matthew is a teacher? No way. It looks just like the trophy stolen from Dustin Miller, a young guy murdered in his apartment. Until Hen notices a Junior Olympics fencing trophy on Matthew’s office mantel. The neighbors are pleasant enough, Matthew even charming. Hen hasn’t had an “episode” for two years, since she started the medication cocktail that mended her broken brain, stabilized her moods, and tempered her paranoia and crippling depression.Īt a neighborhood barbeque, Hen and Lloyd meet their next-door neighbors, Mira and Matthew Dolamore-another couple who doesn’t have kids and weren’t planning on any. This new house and neighborhood will give her a fresh start.

Hen will use the converted warehouse down the street as her art studio-she’s a printmaker and illustrates children’s books. In Peter Swanson’s new psychological thriller, BEFORE SHE KNEW HIM, Hen Mazur and Lloyd Harding have just moved to their new house in West Dartford, 45 minutes from Boston. And especially when you suspect you’re living next to a murderer. One problem with having bipolar disorder is that sometimes people think you’re crazy.

Before she knew him peter swanson