“He was heartbroken, I say. Heartbroken, he repeats. Of course. That's the great myth Edward Monkford's spun around himself, isn't it? The tormented genius who lost the love of his life and became an arch-minimalist as a result. You don't think that's right? I know it isn't.” MythHeartbrokenCharacterizationFaking ItJ P DelaneyThe Girl BeforeEdward MonkfordAll An Act Book:The Girl Before Source: The Girl Before
“You say just, Ellis says flatly. There is no just with Edward Monkford. Nothing's more important to him than getting his own way.” SelfishRuthlessSociopathCharacterizationJ P DelaneyThe Girl BeforeEdward Monkford Book:The Girl Before Source: The Girl Before
“Saul is as different from Simon Wakefield as it's possible to get, I find myself thinking. And Edward Monkford is utterly different from both of them. It seems incredible that Emma could have had relationships with all three men. Where Simon's eager to please, but also touchy and insecure, and Edward's calm and super-confident, Saul is pushy and brash and loud. He also has a habit of saying 'Yeah?' aggressively at the end of his sentences, as if trying to force me to agree with him.” RelationshipsPersonalityComplexCharacterizationJ P DelaneyThe Girl BeforeEmma MatthewsEdward Monkford Book:The Girl Before Source: The Girl Before
“I'll tell you something that was unusual, though. When most people are caught lying to the police, they cave in pretty quickly. Emma's response was to tell another lie. It might have been planted in her head by her brief, but even so that's not a common reaction.” LyingPoliceSociopathCharacterizationPathological LiarEmma MatthewsPolice Investigation Book:The Girl Before Source: The Girl Before
“That was Emma—she'd have enjoyed knowing she had something like that, something that could blow her whole fucking life and mine apart if it came out. Her little bit of power.” PowerSociopathCharacterizationLeverageJ P DelaneyThe Girl BeforePower TripEmma Matthews Book:The Girl Before Source: The Girl Before