The Girl She Used to Be

By David Cristofano (Trade Paperback, 2010)
When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?
  • Grand Central Publishing
    • Format: Trade Paperback

    • Price: $13.99 US/$16.99 CAN

    • ISBN-13: 9780446582216

    • On Sale Date: 03/10/2010

    • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

    Formats Available: Trade Paperback, Electronic Book

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When Melody Grace McCartney was six years old, she and her parents witnessed an act of violence so brutal that it changed their lives forever. The federal government lured them into the Witness Protection Program with the promise of safety, and they went gratefully. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and, ultimately, her family. She's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others--everyone but the one person she longs to be: herself. So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in another town, she's stunned when a man confronts her and calls her by her real name. Jonathan Bovaro, the mafioso sent to hunt her down, knows her, the real her, and it's a dangerous thrill that Melody can't resist. He's insistent that she's just a pawn in the government's war against the Bovaro family. But can she trust her life and her identity to this vicious stranger whose acts of violence are legendary?

David Cristofano has earned degrees in Government & Politics and Computer Science from the University of Maryland at College Park and has worked for different branches of the Federal Government for over a decade. His short works have been published by Like Water Burning and McSweeneys. He currently works in the Washington, D.C. area where he lives with his wife, son and daughter. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is his first novel.
  • "What a riveting and remarkable first novel!  The story grabbed me on page one.  As the events spin forward, with crackling dialogue and earned surprises, you can't help but root for this most unusual, and lovable narrator--whatever her secret name or home may be at the moment.  I didn't want the book to end; I didn't want to leave the wild, wooly wonderfully frightening world that David Cristofano has created.  With a poignant and literary flair, this novel fixed my jones for "The Sopranos.""
    --Lolly Winston, New York Times bestselling author of GOOD GRIEF and HAPPINESS SOLD SEPARATELY

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Product Details

The Girl She Used to Be
  • Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
  • Price: $13.99 US/$16.99 CAN
  • Pages: 272
  • Physical Dimensions: 5-1/4" x 8"
  • Audio Run Time: 0
  • ISBN-13: 9780446582216
  • On Sale Date: 03/10/2010
The Girl She Used to Be

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Fiction

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Fiction / Suspense

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The Girl She Used to Be