The Girl She Used To Be by David Cristofano

When Melody Grace McCartney was a child, her family witnessed an act of unspeakable horror involving the NYC Italian Mafia. In exchange for their testimony, her family enters into a life-long relationship with the Witness Protection Program. But when her parents are found and killed, she is far from safety. Coupled with her inability to create bonds with those around her, Melody uses the Witness Protection Program to relocate and re-invent herself every few years.

Until now. During her most recent move, she meets Jonathan Bovaro, son of the mafioso murderer she met when she was young. He knows Melody better than anyone, and the allure is too much for her to stay away.

It is intriguing to learn about the not-often-spoken-about government program. Cristofano tells a gripping story about a poor girl lost in the system and trying to get out. Once I started this book, I could not put it down and stayed up late watching the back and forth between good guys and bad guys unfold.

David Cristofano is a name I will be putting on my future reading list!