“In this wonderfully sophisticated and beautifully conceived novel, the exceptionally talented Gosling does what many new authors can’t: she skillfully navigates several interconnecting timelines in an already multifaceted and complex story. This can be problematic for even the most successful and seasoned novelists, but Gosling handles this obstacle with a unique and clever touch that is quite refreshing.”

New York Journal of Books

“Whip-smart.”

Shelf Awareness

“Gosling uses her richly ruinous setting as a jumping-off point to examine class, innocence, morality, and loss.”

Lit Hub

“Richly atmospheric and exquisitely written, Before the Ruins is wistful and haunting, hopeful and beautiful. Confidently contributing to the tradition of British mysteries, Gosling has delivered a tale that will satisfy fans of Tana French and Paula Hawkins.”

BookPage

“The moody, gothic atmosphere enhances this very English [story].… Gosling not only excels in writing a mystery steeped in British history, but a mystery of this woman—how did she overcome what happened to her as a child, how did she become this person she is now?”

—Newcity Lit

“Gosling’s atmospheric debut takes a familiar theme—the way the things we do as teenagers reverberate in later life—but treats it with care and empathy.… It’s the finely drawn characters, especially the spiky narrator, Andrea, that linger in the memory.”

—Daily Mail (UK)

“[A] stellar debut.… The gorgeous, poetic prose perfectly complements the suspenseful plot. Gosling is off to a terrific start.”

—Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The elements of mystery serve to provide narrative tension, but the real point here is Gosling’s examination of the disappointment of modern living, the emptiness of adulthood, and the notion of the fake diamond necklace so many of us spend our lives searching for.… Come for the missing person mystery, stay for the existential ennui.”

—Kirkus Reviews

“Engrossing, beguiling, and with an undertow of menace, Before the Ruins is a masterly debut from a richly talented author.”

—Sarah Waters, author of The Paying Guests

“Lush and razor-sharp, Before the Ruins is both deliciously gothic and completely contemporary. Every single page is absorbing and surprising.”

—Flynn Berry, author of Under the Harrow

“I don’t know the last time I enjoyed a book this much. Unbelievably tense and incredibly smart, Victoria Gosling’s story about four friends playing a truly terrifying game of cat and mouse in a deserted manor house is the perfect ménage à trois of superb plotting, haunting characters, and gorgeous, atmospheric prose. Tana French fans will devour this.”

—Aimee Molloy, author of The Perfect Mother

“Four disaffected teenagers, a deserted manor, an unlimited supply of drugs, and a cache of potentially explosive secrets. What could go right? Before the Ruins, Victoria Gosling’s stunner of a debut novel, is rich with mystery and moral disorder. It put me in mind of Edward St. Aubyn and Donna Tartt; dark, fierce, and totally addictive.”

—Valerie Martin, author of Property and Trespass

ABOUT THE AUTHOR