A very interesting novel. The audiobook was AMAZING! Very intriguing premise and storyline. I loved the character delopment and the overall arc of the story, and it was well-written.

Susan Grey celebrates her fiftieth birthday with an extravagant party at her Georgian home. But the party does not go according to plan and in the end Susan even falls down the staircase. But was Susan’s fall an accident or something much more sinister?
DI Grace Roth is happy to investigate given that at the moment she is on desk duties! However, this case is far from straightforward as Grace quickly discovers.
The narration by Danielle Cohen perfectly rounds up this story!
Thank you #NetGalley #Dreamscape Media for this audiobook

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

This book was full of twists and turns and unlikeable characters. I thought the entire cast of characters had the motive to push Susan down the stairs. This was a very interesting thriller and I kept on guessing throughout.

This was not the audiobook for me. I did like the story itself, but the performance did take quite a bit from that.

A mystery where it seems like everyone has something to hide, as well as being a group of fairly shady people. A case that's not really a case, with very little evidence.

Susan's accident was deemed just that - an accident. An unfortunate fall at her birthday party that's left her in a coma. Until an anonymous caller states that Susan didn't fall - she was pushed. Now Grace, a detective with a tarnished reputation, must not only find the would-be-killer, but prove that there's a case here with very little to go on.

I liked how the police work was portrayed and felt that the different POVs were insightful and able to keep the pace moving well. The glimpses from Susan in the weeks, then days, before she fell gave us a look at her relationships and her personality, to make us root for her as a person, though did little in the way of adding clues or showing forethought to the incident.

The audio performance - this was really a downer for me. I did not like it at all and came close to not finishing. The plot of the book, and the fact that it was a copy from the publisher gave me the motivation to finish. The dialogue was fine, the fault for me came in the narration. There were so many times when the reader would lower her voice and speak slower, I imagine to draw in her audience? It happened way too often to be successful, and often resulted in making me cringe. Was it supposed to be intriguing? Seductive?

A very interesting book - I like that the chapters are from different view points and there are flash backs which make you reevaluate your opinion on what really happened.

Well narrated - good once and clear to follow.

This mystery was woven with intrigue, drama, and secrets. DI Grace Roth's redemption arc was compelling and the victim, Susan Grey, was surrounded by a cast of characters dripping malice and misunderstanding. The pacing and reveals kept me reading and the ending wrapped everything up nicely. Would recommend.

Thanks to Dreamscape & NetGalley for providing an audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this one just wasn't for me. I didn't love the narrator, I was not invested in the characters, and the police trying to solve the mystery were not compelling.

Susan Grey throws herself a lavish 50th birthday party, but doesn't tell her husband until almost right before. He hasn't worked in years and she is the breadwinner, and their marriage is on the rocks. Everything at the party goes well enough until Susan's ne'er-do-well son has a disagreement with Susan's husband. Later, Susan is inside the house (the party is a garden party and guests are discouraged from going inside, which seems very weird to me), about to go down the stairs, when she falls/is pushed down them and sustains a serious injury. WHO DUNNIT?!

Sammons treads the same ground over and over, practically throwing red herrings in the form of unpleasant characters who might be guilty all over the plot. By the time it wrapped up, I no longer cared, and I gave zero effs about DI Grace Roth's backstory or why she needs to "prove herself" this time around (TL:DR: she doesn't; she didn't mess up a case, it was someone else. Fake news. But it takes about a million chapters to get there).

First I would like to thank Dreamscape Media for providing me a copy of the audiobook in exchange for my honest opinion.

Susan Grey’s fiftieth birthday party promised to be a talked-about event—an over-the-top extravagant gathering of a hundred guests at her sprawling Georgian home. But it would be talked about for all the wrong reasons. From an escalated argument to the disappearance of an expensive piece of jewelry, the party was quickly spiraling out of control. But the worst was yet to come—Susan suffered a horrific fall down the grand staircase. Was it an accident, or was she pushed? For DI Grace Roth, relegated to desk duty due to an internal investigation, this could be a high-profile case and a chance to redeem herself. But every lead seems to send her in circles. As the badly injured Susan lies in her hospital bed, DI Roth must try to gather the scattered pieces of the puzzle and make them fit—before anyone else gets hurt.

What I Liked:
- DI Grace Roth, she was given a pile of crap of a case as it was considered an accident when it happened but she relied on her instinct and ended up solving the case
- Twist, the person who ended up being responsible for Susan's fall was not what I expected at all and the reason why that person did it was also a shock and kind of a disappointment
- Characters, there were a lot of players in Susan's life and the author did a great job with making it pretty clear who is who and they are all equally as terrible
- Timeline, I liked how the book went back and forth between before and after the fall giving some context which helped or sometime confused the story
- Audiobook, I listen to the audiobook and the narrator did a great job with the large number of characters and the quality of this audiobook was amazing

If you are looking for a quick read with a good mystery and a twist I did not see coming then I would absolutely recommend picking up this book.

This was a smidge boring. The plot was there but the characters were so bland! It was so hard to care about any of these people. They all made me a little angry and they all got what was coming to them.

Its a real shame because it was well paced and entertaining but the characters ruined it for me. Uninspiringly boring characters. The cop, DI Roth was the only interesting character to be honest but it does keep you guessing.

3.5 stars

Susan is celebrating her birthday, not expecting it could be her last. When a woman is found at death's door at her own party, DI Roth must figure out the events that happened before the fall.

Susan is an astute businesswoman whose life on the outside doesn't reveal the turmoil on the inside. While having a celebration, someone becomes angry enough to try to hurt her, but who?

I found the narration to be top notch. As with a lot of the audiobooks, the narrator does an excellent job at intonation and providing a visual of what is going on.

There are plenty of "red herrings" that leave you wondering exactly how many people were capable of hurting Susan. The husband, the son, the sister, or someone else who she has upset? Roth is anxious to prove that she is up to the task despite a number of set backs.

Ultimately she is able to find a means, motive and perpertrator, exposing many secrets along the way.

I would love to visit with DI Roth and her crew on another case as she finds her feet.

Thank you to Net Galley and publisher for providing me the audiobook in exchange for my thoughts.

"Before She Fell" by Natalie Sammons is a gripping and suspenseful thriller that keeps readers on the edge of their seats from start to finish. The novel centers around Susan Grey’s opulent fiftieth birthday party, which quickly descends into chaos and culminates in a shocking fall down the grand staircase. What initially appears to be a tragic accident soon raises questions of foul play.
DI Grace Roth, a disgraced cop relegated to desk duty, sees this high-profile case as her chance for redemption. Sammons skillfully portrays Roth's determination and resilience as she navigates a maze of deceptive leads and hidden motives. Each clue unravels more of the mystery, and readers will find themselves engrossed in the twists and turns that make this story so compelling.
The characters are well-developed, and the dynamics at the party are vividly depicted, adding layers of intrigue and tension to the plot. Susan's fall and the ensuing investigation are masterfully handled, keeping the suspense high as DI Roth races against time to solve the case.

"Before She Fell" by Natalie Sammons is a mystery and domestic drama. If this is your genre, this is a good solid option.

It starts with the fall and then alternates between the detective's work after the fall and then back in time before the fall. The past chapters are from different POVs. The fall refers to that of Susan, down a long steep staircase. But was it an accident??

I figured this out very early as well as the twist. I usually don't. Still thought it was pretty good.

Characters - 4/5
Writing - 4/5
Plot - 3/5
Pacing - 4/5
Unputdownability - 4/5
Enjoyment - 3/5
Narration - 4/5 by Danielle Cohen
Cover - 5/5
Overall - 31/8 = 3 7/8 rounded to 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Dreamscape Media, and Natalie Sammons for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

This is a who done it mystery about a woman, Susan Grey, that falls done a staircase at a grand party that she is hosting. DI Grace Loft gets handed this case as an opportunity to redeem her standing in the force when a tip comes in that the fall might have not been an accident. Because the incident was initially handled as such, Grace has little to nothing to go off. We follow Grace in her quest to uncover the truth and even get some insights with shifting POVs of those that are closest to Susan. The story is quite simple, and the pacing was a little slow at times, but that might be the beauty of the story – it is very realistic and there are no unfathomable twists. This is a slow burn drama in which we get to know the different actors and their motives page by page – the trouble is that the more we know, the less we seem to know, because each of the suspects has motive and opportunity. This means that the case is relatable and realistic, but as it could be anyone, the story does not get boring. Concerning the ending, I had feared that with little evidence to go on the culprit might not be identified, or the ending might be kept ambiguous, which is something that does not work for me in mystery books. But we do get a definite culprit that makes sense, which made the ending satisfying to me.

Detective Grace as our main character was likable, and I enjoyed following her thought processes. I think she could be a good character to base a series on.
I think the cover is stunning, but there was an abstract in the book that spent a significant amount of time describing Susan getting her hair done up with a hair comb. This stood out to me because it a) was not relevant to the story and b) is inconsistent with this cover.
I listened to the audiobook and can recommend the production and the narrator. I think the production could have profited from a wider cast though, especially since there were no POVs of unknown characters, as is sometimes the case for mystery novels.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for gifting me this ALC of the audiobook to review. All opinions are my own. I was not paid to leave this review.

"Before She Fell" by Natalie Sammons captivated me with its intricate mystery surrounding Susan's fall at her birthday party. The dual timelines and multiple viewpoints kept me engaged, even if the pacing felt a bit slow at times. Danielle Cohen's narration was a standout, bringing the characters to life. While I anticipated some plot twists, the character development and unexpected ending made the journey worthwhile. As a fan of domestic thrillers, I found it a satisfying and well-crafted read.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for the gifted audio ARC.

The mystery elements of this were decent. However, the characterisation in this was just so flat that it was hard to get invested in the story.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

3.4 stars, rounded down to 3.*

I saw this as an option as a audiobook on NetGalley and absolutely chose it by its cover.

From the start, I liked the premise of this story: It is Susan's 50th birthday and she is sitting inside looking out at the the lavish party she is throwing herself. There has been an incident and she is wiping her tears and straightening her proverbial crown before she heads back outside to continue her celebration. As she descends the grand staircase, she falls....or was she pushed?

There is a female detective investigating, her sister, her best friend, her ex-husband and her current husband, and her wayward adult son. The full cast of characters lend curiousity if not great intrigue.

Not a big twist in this one but an enjoyable read nontheless.

*with thanks to NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for this honest review.

Thank you Netgalley, Natalie Sammons and Dreamscape Media for the audio Arc of Before She Fell.
Narrated by Danielle Cohen

Before She Fell is an intriguing domestic thriller and starts with Susan falling down the stairs at her lavish birthday party where she had a special announcement. Susan left in hospital in a comatose state and the DI Grace Roth is convinced that Susan was pushed.

I found the premise of this book really interesting and told on 2 timelines, Several months before Susan fell working up to the present and the weeks after it happened. Both timelines come together really well and gives some clever foreshadowing. Both timelines give change for some great character building, not just from Susans POV but the surrounding friends and family who were involved in her life. This makes them well fleshed out. There are multiple POVs told in 3rd person which makes it easier to keep a track of who is who.

The pacing of the book is slow in the first 100 pages but quickly picks up into medium paced which keeps you engaged and interested. This book was narrated by Danielle Cohen and her voice perfectly suited the pace and cadence of the book. I'll be looking out for more of Natalies books in the future.

4 stars

I enjoyed this thriller and was a good beach read. Characters were engaging and the story flowed well.

Susan falls down her stairs during her lavish party to celebrate her birthday and a special announcement that she has been keeping from everyone. DI Grace Roth isn’t so quick to mark this as an accident and Susan is thankfully not dead but is in a coma so she isn’t talking. Now they have to go through all the main characters in Susan’s life to find out if this was an accident or not.

I really enjoyed getting to read the before and get a better idea of what is going on before everything else happened. I also love when we have a mystery and you are given just enough clues to think it’s all of the suspects. It makes the ending so much better than it being some random.

This domestic thriller was full of interesting and perplexing characters all part of the unfolding mystery of what happened to Susan...who fell at her decadent 50th birthday party. I found the multiple points of view (from the detective to the suspects) to be a clever way to tell the story before, after and during the fall. The narrator was adept at capturing the characters, but it likely would have even been better with multiple readers.
The pace was steady throughout and just as I was wondering where it was all leading, a surprise twist ending!
This is my first Sammons book, but I'll be watching out for more.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bloodhound Books for this ARC. All opinions are mine.