Description Do you love gripping mysteries? Then discover Ruby Baker, a young woman with a talent for uncovering the truth.
A child found alone on the beach.
A mother who served ten years for a crime she says she didn’t commit.
Ruby Baker is back with another seaside mystery. When she and her friends rescue a child from the beach in a storm, police are baffled. Nobody has reported a child missing, and the girl appears to be so traumatised that she is unable to speak.
In Johnny’s hairdressing salon, the notorious Beverly Collins makes an appointment with Ruby, but it soon becomes clear the woman wants more than a haircut.
Beverly has just been released from Holloway Prison after serving ten years for child cruelty. The body of her missing daughter was never found, but Beverly insists she is innocent, and she wants Ruby Baker’s Investigation Bureau to prove it.
This isn’t going to be an easy investigation. Opinion is divided on Beverly’s innocence. Reporters Kenny and James are keen to uncover a big story, while Ruby’s best friend, Mary, is distracted and struggling to deal with motherhood.
As Ruby tries to unravel the past, she discovers that Beverly Collins release seems to have triggered a bizarre chain of events.
Has she really been framed for her crime, and if so, where is her daughter Ella Collins now? And who is the mystery girl on the beach?
Discover a gripping new mystery writer today. Great for fans of Agatha Christie or LJ Ross.
This is the second book in a mystery series is set in 1960s Brighton, a tumultuous time of change and opportunity.
Daisy White/D.E White writes crime/thrillers and cosy crime. After numerous jobs, including being a flight attendant, a 999 call handler for the ambulance service, and a healthcare assistant in A&E, Daisy started writing full time in 2017. She lives on the Sussex coast, UK and has two children and a flock of rescued chickens.
A brand new crime thriller series, starting with GLASS DOLLS: Published by Joffe Books, the series follows former Elite Police Source Handler, Detective Dove Milson, in her first case for the Major Crimes Team. Book two, THE ICE DAUGHTERS is out now.
Daisy also writes cosy crime, including the Amazon bestselling RUBY BAKER SEASIDE MYSTERIES for Joffe Books. A brand new cosy crime series, THE CHLOE CANTON MYSTERIES, will be out in Feb 24th 2021, pub'd by Bloodhound Books and starting with MURDER ON THE ISLAND.
Standalones include psychological thriller REMEMBER ME and gangland thriller THE FORGOTTEN CHILD pub'd by HarperCollins.
Series in order: Crime Thrillers - Detective Dove Milson: 1/3 GLASS DOLLS 2/3 THE ICE DAUGHTERS *New Release* 3/3 PLAY TIME
Cosy Mysteries: The Ruby Baker Mysteries: 1/3 BEFORE I LEFT 2/3 BEFORE I FOUND YOU 3/3 BEFORE I TRUST YOU
The Chloe Canton Mysteries: 1/3 MURDER ON THE ISLAND *New Release* 2/3 MURDER ON THE BEACH 3/3 MURDER ON VALENTINE'S DAY
BEFORE I FOUND YOU is the followup to BEFORE I LEFT. While this does well as a stand-alone, I highly recommend reading them in order.
Beverly Collins has just been released after serving 10 years in prison for a crime she didn't commit. Her young daughter disappeared and was never found. She wants Ruby to help her find her daughter.
Ruby and her friends find a young girl alone on a beach ... yelling at someone to "come back". The girl doesn't speak another word. Unfortunately no one knows who this child is, but for sure, she is not Beverly's daughter.
Ruby is stepping into a beehive in order to help Beverly. Most people in the community are absolutely sure that she murdered her daughter and should have been hung. There are few and far between that are willing to believe that she was a loving mother and would never have done anything to harm her daughter.
But as Ruby and her friends start asking questions, someone out there is willing to do anything at all to keep the truth from seeing the light of day. And Ruby is in the cross-hairs with a target on her back.
This is a well-written mystery, although slower paced than the first book in this series. I really enjoy the characters of Ruby and her friends. They are solid personalities and come alive under this author's pen. The premise is a good one and the ending came as a surprise.
Many thanks to the author / Joffe Books / Netgalley for the advance digital copy. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The book had a good plot. Started off so well and had me hooked from early on. It did have a lull half way through where I felt it dragged on a bit rather than get on. The story went round in circles i felt just to fill pages. But towards the end the writer caught on and picked up again. It was a good exciting storyline. Nice mix of characters thrown in there.
This is book 2 in the Ruby Baker series and is set in Brighton in the 1960's. They do work well as stand alone but you learn about Ruby and Mary's background in book 1.
Ruby is on the beach when she sees and hears a young girl screaming. The girl is traumatised and wont speak. Shortly afterwards a woman who was sent to prison for murdering her young daughter is released, still pleading her innocence, and asks Ruby to help find her daughter. There are other strange happenings too. Is it coincidence or is something else going on?
This is a very intriguing read. As a mother I was gripped from the start. It is every mother's nightmare to lose a daughter but to be accused of murdering your own child is horrific. Ruby is up against a lot of people who are convinced Beverley is guilty. All the evidence pointed to her. Will Ruby and her friends be able to unravel the clues to uncover the truth? I just kept turning page after page late into the night.
The characters develop well and there are personal issues interwoven into the story to give it a realistic human element. I love the dark Will I am sure there is more to learn about this strange man who has Ruby's back.
Brilliant read and I am looking forward to more in this series.
A very enjoyable storyline with strong characters, liked the fact we are slowly learning more about the main characters and definitely want to read more about ruby and her friends!!!
This is a story about a child found alone on the beach in a storm, a mother who served ten years in prison for a crime she didn't commit and of course Ruby Baker our heroine. Beverly Collins has been released from prison, she wants Ruby to prove that she didn't hurt her little girl. There was no body found and for all they know she could be out there somewhere. This is a very good mystery with some surprises I did not see coming at all. I received a copy of this book from Joffe Books. I have voluntarily reviewed it.
Some friends returning home after a night out find a young girl on the beach shouting at at the waves “Come back” but there is no-one that they can see. They rescue her as she is in danger of being swept away however she won’t say another word. Ruby works in a hairdressers with her best friend Mary whom she also shares a bedsit with along with Mary’s baby. A woman comes in who has been in prison for 10 years. Her daughter disappeared and although a body was never found, bloodstained clothing was and she was charged accordingly. Now she wants Ruby to try and find her daughter and who set her up. Set in the 1960’s this brings a refreshing change to the world of mobiles and internet access. When phone boxes were used and if you wanted to know anything then it was either a friend of a friend or the library. A network of friends and acquaintances prove invaluable to Ruby’s investigation bureau. A well written book to take you back if you are a certain age- or to maybe enlighten you if you are not! We did manage without today’s technology and maybe even communicated on a more personal level. A different time. A very enjoyable read.
This is the second Ruby Baker novel I have read and , this time, I would recommend reading the first one before reading Before I Found You. Ruby, Mary and baby Summer are still living in the flat above Johnnie's hair salon and working as trainees for him. Ruby is asked by Beverley to find her daughter who disappeared years before. Beverley has served 10 years for her murder but is insistent that she was innocent. The tale unfolds to show the horrendous things that were happening in Brighton at that time. For those of us old enough to remember the sixties it is a wonderful stroll down Nostalgia Lane. For those of us who weren't born then, it is an eye-opening look at the time, showing that it wasn't all 'free love' and 'flower power' but still caught up in many of the prejudices and violent behaviour of the Victorian age. Be prepared for a dramatic ending after the full horror of Man's inhumanity and the problems of public figures with twisted private lives are revealed. I would thoroughly recommend reading this novel although I wouldn't recommend starting it if you have a timetable to adhere to - you will miss appointments and meals until you've finished it!
This was a great sequel to the first novel Before I Left. There is a completely different mystery to be solved, so you can read this book without reading book one. That said, the author doesn't take a lot of time reintroducing the characters or the awesome 1960s Brighton Beach setting, so it's beneficial to read them in order. Ruby has gotten a reputation for being an amateur sleuth and is sought out by a woman newly released from prison to help her find her daughter who has been missing for ten years. A very tangled plot follows, as Ruby tries to sort out all the clues she discovers. I missed the dark overtone and imminent danger for Ruby herself that was in the first book, but this story is takes a very edgy turn about half way through and becomes nearly impossible to put down. The ending is exciting and the story closes right as the action comes to a halt. I know there is a third book coming out soon, and I look forward to it. The characters in this book are 19 and older, so this is not intended for young readers.
There is something charming and old fashioned about the mystery surrounding Ruby Baker in Before I Found You. The writing made me feel like I had picked up an old Nancy Drew, which is wonderfullly nostalgic. I received the book as an advance copy in exchange for an honest review, and was unaware that this is the second book in a trilogy. As the story began, I felt like I was missing something-and I was! The heroine/amateur detective, Ruby Baker, alludes to a mysterious and dangerous (and murderous?) past...but being unaware that I was reading a sequel it left me confused and wondering when that aspect of the backstory was going to be explained. Ruby is a solid character, if somewhat two-dimentional. It might be just the "modern sixties girl" thing but it left me wanting to feel the scandal implied in what was happening to the characters. All of the elements of a fabulous mystery are here: 10-year old mystery of a missing girl-the mother has been (wrongly???) imprisoned for her murder and is about to be relased. A young girl mysteriously appears on the beach in the middle of a storm but refuses to speak. Some kind of non-specific nefarious underground seems to be possibly in charge of the police and may have set up the mother. What I couldn't ever understand was why Ruby, new to town, becomes the amateur detective. I couldn't understand why her fellow beauticians trust her to solve the mystery, and why the police would worry about her at all. It's never entirely clear what brought her to Brighton. I plan to read the first of the series and come back with an updated review. As this book stands there were simply too many details that didn't make sense without the context of what brought Ruby to Brighton, and what she was running from. Her roommate, Mary, and her baby Summer seem like important characters but then they simply aren't and I was left wondering so many things!
Before I found you by daisy white. A child found alone on the beach. A mother who served ten years for a crime she says she didn’t commit. Ruby Baker is back with another seaside mystery. When she and her friends rescue a child from the beach in a storm, police are baffled. Nobody has reported a child missing, and the girl appears to be so traumatised that she is unable to speak. Wow a fantastic read. Couldn't put it down. Wanted to know who it was. Recommended. 5*.
Another gritty, gripping read which was even better than the first. Set in a different time and one I know well, I really enjoyed being taken back to that era. Looking forward to book three.
This is the second book that I have read by this author and the second that I have really enjoyed! This one works well as a stand alone but if you want to follow the series you are best to start with the first book as you learn more about the background of the main characters and this runs through in the background of both books.
This has a really good plot with some twists and surprises that I didn't see coming - I really enjoyed going back in time to read the story and catching up with the characters. Five stars from me for this one, the series is getting better for me! I am looking forward to more from this author!!
A well written, well paced book which is even better than the first one. I was a child in the 60s, but this runs close to how I remember teens behaving. Looking forward to reading more about the characters
I read a lot if books, especially murder mysteries. I found this book to be enjoyable, exciting and intriguing. Its been a while since I've enjoyed reading a book so much. I literally didn't want to put it down, I loved it. My only criticism would be that the end was so sudden. Otherwise it was brilliant. Well done Daisy.
Few things can fill a parent with a greater sense of dread than the disappearance of their child. But when you then find yourself blamed, framed and shamed for the crime, the pain intensifies to unbearable levels. This is the situation Beverley Collins finds herself in at the start of Before I Found You as she returns to Brighton at the end of a long stretch in jail. With the body of her daughter never found, Beverley maintains her innocence, a claim given credence when one of the witnesses responsible for sending her to jail finally comes clean and admits to the police that she had lied. Despite this, Beverley remains a pariah in her home town, her alleged crime a seemingly indelible stain on her character. In a bid to clear her name and find her long-lost daughter, Beverley enlists the help of Ruby Baker, a trainee hairdresser who has acquired a reputation as a budding amateur detective. The book begins with Ruby's late-night discovery of a lost teenage girl on Brighton beach. She saves the girl from being swept out to sea as the haunted, tragic figure screams "Come back, please come back" into the dark, choppy waters. Despite the best efforts of Ruby and the local police, the girl refuses to break her silence and reveal her identity. Could she be Beverley's long-lost daughter? Despite the 10-year gap, Beverley is forced to admit the girl can't be her daughter as she bears no real physical resemblance. But as the author Daisy White expertly unravels the mystery, we discover that the girl and Beverley's daughter share a dark past. Revealing any more would spoil the pleasure of this excellent read as this is the kind of book that keeps you gripped throughout. At the end of each chapter, you're desperate to find out what happens next and I raced through the book in just a few days. This book is the second in a series involving Ruby Baker and there are references to the first instalment littered throughout the novel. It probably helps if you've already read the first book, unlike me, as it will give you a better understanding of the characters. Ruby has a dark past of her own and boasts rather glibly of having killed two men at one point in Before I Found You. This jarred a little, especially as she seems completely at ease with such haunting incidents, so it would have helped if I'd read the first instalment before tackling this one. But it didn't spoil the enjoyment of a book that easily stands alone as an intriguing mystery. Before I Found You is set in the 1960s and this makes the story far more believable in a time where corruption and sexism were far more prevalent, especially in the police force. Daisy White does a great job of taking us back in time and has clearly done a lot of research on 1960s Brighton. The stresses and strains of parenting, particularly the daunting task of raising a child by yourself, are the driving force of the book. While Beverley bids to find the child snatched away from her, Daisy's best friend Mary is struggling to deal with her newborn daughter. A series of sleepless nights have taken a heavy toll and Mary begins to doubt her suitability as a mum. This subplot adds greater depth to the main storyline and you really feel for the characters. Before I Found you would be an excellent holiday read, especially if you are heading for the south coast of England. Just make sure you keep an eye on the kids while you're reading because this book can take a full grip of your attention.
This is the sequel to Before I Left, set in Brighton in 1963, and picks up a few months later, with Ruby and Mary still living in the flat above Johnnie’s salon with baby Summer, and working there during the day. At night, Ruby parties with her friends, while Mary is struggling with postnatal depression. Walking home past the beach on a stormy night, Ruby finds a teenage girl screaming into the waves, rescues her and takes her to the police. Traumatised, the girl refuses to speak, and no one knows who she is. Soon after, Ruby is approached by Beverly, a young woman recently released from prison after serving ten years for the presumed murder of her young daughter, although no body was ever found. Beverly insists she is innocent and, having read about Ruby’s investigative exploits, asks her to find her missing daughter, Ella. Despite the disapproval of many people, who believe her to be guilty, Ruby agrees to help, and ropes in her friends from the salon and local paper to try and solve the mystery.
I did like this better than the first book, and it could easily be read as a stand-alone, as there is plenty of backstory, which also would be useful if you had read the first one a while ago. I found the mystery more interesting and the characters more appealing than first time round. Again, I liked the sixties setting, and the plot development. There’s a contrast between the innocent life in a sixties seaside town, and the darkness revealed beneath the surface.
On the negative side, the writing is simplistic and there are too many tedious details about making cups of tea and sweeping floors that we really don’t need to read about. I personally don’t like the first person present style of writing that is so popular these days, especially in young adult fiction. The ending was very abrupt, leaving things open to continue the series. 3.5 rounded down, because overall I liked rather than really enjoyed it.
Thanks to Hachette Australia via NetGalley for the ARC, which I received for free in exchange for an honest review.
In this the second book featuring Ruby Baker and her friends, the story of their lives in 60`s Brighton continues. Mary and her baby Summer are still sharing the flat above Johnny`s hair salon with Ruby. Although life isn`t easy caring for Mary`s baby with the sleepless nights and busy days in the salon Ruby still finds time for an occassional night out. Returning home after an evening out they discover a young girl alone at the edge of the waves crying out for someone to "Come back" They rescue her from the beach but after the authorities take over she is placed in the local childrens home as no one comes forward to claim her and the child refuses to speak. Shortly after this a woman, Beverly, who served 10 years in prison following the disappearance of her daughter Ella is released. The courts and the community were and still are convinced she killed the child. Ellas body was never found and Beverly has always claimed she was innocent of any crime. Beverly asks Ruby to investigate and try to find Ella, and so another case begins for Rubys Investigation Bureau. With the help of her friends Ruby sets to work to discover what really happened to Ella, is she alive, was Beverley framed, who is the child found on the beach? This is a really enjoyable read with likeable characters and a well thought out storyline. The atmosphere of 60`s Brighton is captured so well. I`m looking forward to the next outing of the Ruby Baker Investigation Bureau. Thank you to Joffe books for the opportunity to read this as an ARC.
As soon as I started this book, it looked so familiar, all the characters and then I realised I’d read the previous one last year.
How I love these characters and the storylines, who would not just adore flamboyant Johnnie and lovely Ruby, throw together the odd dubious characters and you’ve got a 60’s Miss Marple. Life was so much easier in those days. I’d almost forgotten what it was like to have to use a public phone box, and wait for people to come and see you, no instant communication in those days, but there was a very good camaraderie with friends and neighbours.
Although the storyline is not a pleasant tale, it is done with real compassion and a lot of light heartedness. I also love the hairdressing side of the story, as I too did hairdressing when I left school in the late 60’s, and you forget what you had to do, and the way you did the treatments!
You can see also how, although everyone thought the 60’s were the new revolution, there was an awful lot of corruption in the powers that be.
All in all I thoroughly enjoyed this story and I do hope Daisy writes some more tales of Ruby and her pals.
I was a little disappointed in the end, I thought it finished rather abruptly but other than that it was excellent.
My thanks to Joffe Publishers for sending me an advance copy.
Thank you Netgalley and Joffe Books for the eARC. What a great read this book is! It can be read as a stand alone, but I highly recommend reading the previous book first, it's well worth it. Ruby and Mary (and baby Summer) are back. Set in Brighton in the 1960's, they're still working at Johnny's salon and living in the bedsit above the store. Ruby rescues a girl from a certain drowning and is asked to help search for a missing girl by the mother (Beverly) who has just been released from a 10 year prison stay. She was accused of killing her 4-year old daughter, despite the fact no body was ever found. The body of a drowned woman, the attempted kidnapping of another young girl and other mysterious happenings, all right after Beverly's release, are in Ruby's opinion highly suspicious and definitely linked. She suspects it all started with a powerful businessman. Is she right and if so, is it safe for her to continue her investigation? Ruby, Mary, Johnny and the rest of the gang are such likeable characters and the setting of Brighton in the 60's is wonderful; I can't say enough about this book, read it, you'll love it!
Thank you to the author/publisher and netgalley for a free copy of BEFORE I FOUND YOU in exchange for an honest review.
This book was the second book following Ruby Baker, an amateur sleuth, who got her beginning in the first book when she puts together her own team of detectives in an effort to find her missing best friend. I did not read the first book, so I went into this one blindly. I think it would be quite beneficial to read the first one, not only because there were many references to her previous case, but also because I think it would help build a stronger connection with the Ruby, understanding where she began.
I enjoyed the premise of the story. The mystery itself was well written and enjoyable. There were many twists and turns and while I had a pretty good idea what was happening, I never felt confident enough to lay a bet on it. Overall it was an entertaining read and I thought Ruby was a likable main character. A good weekend read for someone looking for a not so cozy mystery.
Read the first Ruby Baker book and really enjoyed it. I'm from Brighton originally and the descriptions of the sixties brought back my childhood! This book follows Ruby and Mary as they investigate a missing child. Beverly Collins has been wrongly accused of murder and after she gets out of prison, is determined to find out what happened to her missing daughter. There is a strong 'baby' theme to this book, and Mary's struggles as a young single mum are sensitively written, although not detracting from the main storyline. I feel the books need to be read in order, as the first book really introduced all the main characters, but this one gives more insight into their personalities. Once again this was a really enjoyable period mystery, and I didn't see that ending coming - great twist! Looking forward to book three, so I can immerse myself in sixties Brighton again. Thanks to the author and Joffe Books for an ARC. My opinions are entirely my own.
During a stormy night a young girl is discovered by Ruby Baker and her friends on the beach in Brighton - she’s standing screaming at the sea. Nobody knows who she is or where she came from and she’s not talking. A short time later a woman comes to see Ruby at the salon where she works . Her name is Beverly Collins and she’s just been released from prison. She ‘s completed a 10 year sentence for child cruelty after her daughter disappeared. Most people think she killed her daughter but Beverly claims to be innocent and wants Ruby to find her daughter. A really enjoyable read with lots of twists and turns. Works well as a standalone book even thought it’s the second in the series.
Thanks to Joffe Books and Daisy White for the eARC of this book in return for an honest review.
Fun read set in the sixties. Ruby and her friends at the beauty shop make an interesting group. Because it’s set in the sixties in Brighton beach, I had to look up a few things. Good description of party girls living it up while eating nothing but fish and chips. I liked Ruby a lot. Her tenacity, loyalty and innocence are real, and work with her darker past. I was cheering her on for her courage and loved her friends. This was a fun read, not too dark or gory. Liked the wrap up and was satisfied at the end. Both books in the series were good, and I would like to see more from Ruby and her gossip chain.
Before I Found You by Daisy White was a fun mystery from start to end. I really enjoyed the main protagonist, Ruby, as she works to solve a 10 year mystery involving a missing child and a wrongfully accused mother. I look forward to reading more booKS by White in the future.
Merged review:
Before I Found You by Daisy White was a fun mystery from start to end. I really enjoyed the main protagonist, Ruby, as she works to solve a 10 year mystery involving a missing child and a wrongfully accused mother. I look forward to reading more booKS by White in the future. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me early access.
I have mixed feelings about this book. It's not bad but it's not great either.
Set in the sixties, there's little atmospheric detail apart from the occasional reference to the Beatles, which is very jarring. It's very anti breastfeeding, unnecessarily so, which is also disappointing. Finally, the ending is rushed, and lacks the drama it should have inherently, given what happens.
Having said all that, it's a mildly interesting mystery and it engaged me enough to want to know what happened.
This follow up to last year's debut in this series (after Before I Left) finds Ruby and her best friend Mary distraught from coping with Mary's colicky newborn. But her nascent maternal feelings lead her to take up the case of a woman who pleaded for Ruby' s help locating her young daughter despite the fact that she's just completed a long prison term for murdering her' A lively, well-told story that's light on gore and grisly details but good on British eccentricities and female friendship.
This is the second book in the Ruby Baker mystery series, and I found it just as enthralling as the first. Daisy describes her characters and scenes very clearly, and the events had me baffled for a long time until the enlightenment at the end. There are plenty of twists to the tale, which made it exciting, and added to the darkness of the story. If you are looking for a story which keeps you guessing right up until the end, then I can thoroughly recommend this very well written tale.
Another great read by Daisy White. I enjoyed reading Before I Found You, it's a difficult book to put down. I love the characters and the way they work with the plot. A recommended read, looking forward to the next book in this series.
It was lovely to catch up on our friends from the first book Before I Left. Once again an enjoyable nostalgic read from the 60s in the company of Ruby and friends. I look forward to reading more in the future.