The Life I Left Behind    by Colette McBeth Order:  USA  Can Minotaur, 2016 (2015) Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book      Reviewed by Hilary Williamson Melody Pieterson's life was irrevocably altered six years before this story opens when she was brutally attacked and left for dead. She has no memories of the night it happened but the conviction of a close friend (David) for the attack has left her devastated and doubting her every decision. Once the life and soul of the party, Melody no longer works and stays mostly inside the remote, upscale home of her controlling fiance, Sam, a doctor. She has lost touch with her best friend since childhood, Honor, who was also once engaged to Sam. But she still sees another close friend, Patrick, who is also a physician and has always been there for her. Then, another body is found outside Richmond Park, where Melody was discovered near death. And she learns that this new victim, reporter Eve, had been investigating her own case and believed that David was falsely convicted of it. Of course, the police zero in on David, recently released after serving his prison sentence. Fortunately for David, Detective Inspector Victoria Rutter, who has caught the case, is a more diligent investigator than the predecessor (her mentor) who looked no further than he had to for a speedy conviction. And, after Eve's friend Nat shares with her the evidence that Eve had collected, Mel pulls herself out of the passive rut she fell into after the attack and starts trying to find out what really happened. In addition to all these points of view, the author also shares that of dead Eve, who has unfinished business with the living before she can move on. Eve gradually reveals what happened to her. Soon, it becomes a race against time to find the guilty before another tragedy occurs. The Life I Left Behind is an unusual and gripping psychological mystery. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews