The Girl She Used to Be

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 happily. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and ultimately her family. Now, twenty years later and still on the run, she's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others. But the one person she longs to be is Melody Grace McCartney.

So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in yet another new town, she's stunned when a man accosts 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 thrill Melody can't resist. Feeling safer in the hands of the mob than the Justice Department, Melody knows 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?

“"I absolutely fell in love with David Cristofano's writing, and couldn't wait to see Melody's mystery unfold. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is that rare novel...it's the one you've been looking for when you wander the bookstore aisles, hoping to find something that will grab hold of you and not let go. Eloquent, haunting, and totally enthralling--I was swept in from page one." --Johanna Edwards, nationally bestselling author of HOW TO BE COOL”

"There's no hiding the fact that THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is a brilliant debut by a magnificent new novelist." --Will Clarke, LORD VISHNU'S LOVE HANDLES and THE WORTHY "David Cristofano's debut novel captures the essence of the human spirit, and delivers a story that is simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking." --Brad Listi, author of ATTENTION. DEFICIT. DISORDER "I absolutely fell in love with David Cristofano's writing, and couldn't wait to see Melody's mystery unfold. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is that rare novel...it's the one you've been looking for when you wander the bookstore aisles, hoping to find something that will grab hold of you and not let go. Eloquent, haunting, and totally enthralling--I was swept in from page one." --Johanna Edwards, nationally bestselling author of HOW TO BE COOL "THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is everything I want a book to be. A humorous, poignant, and compelling page-turner that kept me guessing all the way to the end. I marveled at how utterly I was drawn into Melody's world and what a vivid picture David Cristofano created." --Patricia Wood, New York Times bestselling author of LOTTERY "Intense, romantic debut...Cristofano's mad love scenario sizzles like garlic in hot olive oil." --Publishers Weekly (starred review) "David Cristofano's debut novel is alternately thought-provoking, poignant, and darkly funny. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE hooked me from the very first page." --Lesley Kagen, New York Times bestselling author of WHISTLING IN THE DARK and LAND OF A HUNDRED WONDERS ..".something special..." --New York Times Book Review "Intense...the emotions of a woman caught in Melody's unlikely scenario ring deliciously, scarily true." --People "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 "David Cristofano artfully explores the meaning of identity and home, heroes and villains, in this story of a woman who loses herself, then finds herself again in the most unlikely place. THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE is a roller-coaster ride, both thriller and riveting psychological drama, and Cristofano is definitely a writer to watch for." --Elizabeth Arnold, bestselling author of PROMISE THE MOON "This is a compulsively readable, skillfully constructed first novel with well-drawn characters and a plot that twists and turns to what seems the best possible conclusion, marking Cristofano as a writer to watch!" --Booklist ..".something special..." --New York Times Book Review "Intense...the emotions of a woman caught in Melody's unlikely scenario ring deliciously, scarily true." --People ."..something special..." --New York Times Book Review

"Intense...the emotions of a woman caught in Melody's unlikely scenario ring deliciously, scarily true." --People

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.

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 happily. But the program took Melody's name, her home, her innocence, and ultimately her family. Now, twenty years later and still on the run, she's been May Adams, Karen Smith, Anne Johnson, and countless others. But the one person she longs to be is Melody Grace McCartney.So when the feds spirit her off to begin yet another new life in yet another new town, she's stunned when a man accosts 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 thrill Melody can't resist. Feeling safer in the hands of the mob than the Justice Department, Melody knows 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?

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