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I Know You Know
From author Gilly Macmillan comes this original, chilling and twisty mystery about two shocking murder cases twenty years apart, and the threads that bind them.
Twenty years ago, eleven-year-olds Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby were murdered in the city of Bristol, their bodies dumped near a dog racing track. A man was convicted of the brutal crime, but decades later, questions still linger.
For his whole life, filmmaker Cody Swift has been haunted by the deaths of his childhood best friends. The loose ends of the police investigation consume him so much that he decides to return to Bristol in search of answers. Hoping to uncover new evidence, and to encourage those who may be keeping long-buried secrets to speak up, Cody starts a podcast to record his findings. But there are many people who don’t want the case—along with old wounds—reopened so many years after the tragedy, especially Charlie’s mother, Jess, who decides to take matters into her own hands.
When a long-dead body is found in the same location the boys were left decades before, the disturbing discovery launches another murder investigation. Now Detective John Fletcher, the investigator on the original case, must reopen his dusty files and decide if the two murders are linked. With his career at risk, the clock is ticking and lives are in jeopardy…
Twenty years ago, eleven-year-olds Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby were murdered in the city of Bristol, their bodies dumped near a dog racing track. A man was convicted of the brutal crime, but decades later, questions still linger.
For his whole life, filmmaker Cody Swift has been haunted by the deaths of his childhood best friends. The loose ends of the police investigation consume him so much that he decides to return to Bristol in search of answers. Hoping to uncover new evidence, and to encourage those who may be keeping long-buried secrets to speak up, Cody starts a podcast to record his findings. But there are many people who don’t want the case—along with old wounds—reopened so many years after the tragedy, especially Charlie’s mother, Jess, who decides to take matters into her own hands.
When a long-dead body is found in the same location the boys were left decades before, the disturbing discovery launches another murder investigation. Now Detective John Fletcher, the investigator on the original case, must reopen his dusty files and decide if the two murders are linked. With his career at risk, the clock is ticking and lives are in jeopardy…
384 pages, ebook
First published September 18, 2018
About the author
Gilly Macmillan
10 books4,904 followersGilly Macmillan is the New York Times & Sunday Times bestselling author of TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, THE NANNY, WHAT SHE KNEW (previously published as BURNT PAPER SKY in some territories), THE PERFECT GIRL, ODD CHILD OUT & I KNOW YOU KNOW.
Gilly is Edgar Award nominated and an ITW award finalist. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages.
She grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and also lived in Northern California. She studied History of Art at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
Gilly lives in Bristol, UK with her family and writes full time. She’s currently working on her seventh novel.
Gilly is Edgar Award nominated and an ITW award finalist. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages.
She grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and also lived in Northern California. She studied History of Art at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.
Gilly lives in Bristol, UK with her family and writes full time. She’s currently working on her seventh novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,374 reviews
October 16, 2018
Okay, why. This book had a lot of potential. It was well written and the podcast transcripts were on point. I could really imagine them being voiced in the style of something like Serial. But again, I felt like the book was relying too heavily on the gimmick of being about a podcast instead of focusing on having an actually good story.
This book's biggest problem is the all-over-the-place plot that leads nowhere, the ending that is super unsatisfying and the absolute lack of suspense throughout the entire novel.
In spoilery terms that means:
This book did a terrible job of characterizing the main cast. The writing was good but the thriller part was done so clumsily, I really don't think you should waste your time on this. Skip it, find something better to read.
This book's biggest problem is the all-over-the-place plot that leads nowhere, the ending that is super unsatisfying and the absolute lack of suspense throughout the entire novel.
In spoilery terms that means:
This book did a terrible job of characterizing the main cast. The writing was good but the thriller part was done so clumsily, I really don't think you should waste your time on this. Skip it, find something better to read.
March 19, 2019
Gilly Macmillan's standalone thriller is smart, beautifully written and so very well constructed with a narrative that revolves around a true crime podcast that goes back and forth in time. In 1996, two friends, 11 year old Scott Ashby and 10 year old Charlie Paige were brutally murdered in Bristol. Charlie died in the arms of police officer John Fletcher. The gentle giant, Sidney Noyce, a 24 year old learning disabled man, with a mental age of a 10 year old, is arrested, convicted and imprisoned for their murder. Sidney has always claimed his innocence throughout the years, and goes on to commit suicide in prison, and a newspaper article questions his guilty conviction for the heinous crimes. Close friend of Scott and Charlie, Cody Swift, was traumatised by the tragedy and haunted by it ever since, never able to forget it. He is now a film maker, and having doubts as to the Noyce's guilt, he and his girlfriend, Maya, begin a podcast to find out what really happened twenty years ago in the search for justice.
In the present, at a construction site near the site of where the boys were found all those years ago, human remains are found, is there any connection with what happened to the boys? DI John Fletcher now finds himself with a new case that has him opening the can of worms that was the original police inquiry. The dead man turns out to be Pete Dale, a local con man who disappeared around the same time as the killing of the boys. With a story relayed through multiple perspectives, the podcast revisits the major players from the past, documenting what is uncovered. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is happy to have the past reopened with its festering emotional wounds. One of these is Jess Paige, Charlie's mother, who has moved on into a new life, and she wants to keep buried her disastrous earlier life and her negligent parenting style. Will Cody's podcast reawaken the dangers of the past for him and others?
Macmillan writes a tense, multilayered and complex character driven story of corruption, ambition, betrayal, deceit, the nature of children and the world they inhabit, a troubling police investigation, blackmail, where everyone has secrets and where no-one can be taken at face value. The author particularly excels in the characters she creates, they have such depth and in how she develops them as the reader is hit by shock surprises and twists. This is an exciting and emotionally intense rollercoaster of a read which left me eagerly awaiting Macmillan's next novel. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
In the present, at a construction site near the site of where the boys were found all those years ago, human remains are found, is there any connection with what happened to the boys? DI John Fletcher now finds himself with a new case that has him opening the can of worms that was the original police inquiry. The dead man turns out to be Pete Dale, a local con man who disappeared around the same time as the killing of the boys. With a story relayed through multiple perspectives, the podcast revisits the major players from the past, documenting what is uncovered. Unsurprisingly, not everyone is happy to have the past reopened with its festering emotional wounds. One of these is Jess Paige, Charlie's mother, who has moved on into a new life, and she wants to keep buried her disastrous earlier life and her negligent parenting style. Will Cody's podcast reawaken the dangers of the past for him and others?
Macmillan writes a tense, multilayered and complex character driven story of corruption, ambition, betrayal, deceit, the nature of children and the world they inhabit, a troubling police investigation, blackmail, where everyone has secrets and where no-one can be taken at face value. The author particularly excels in the characters she creates, they have such depth and in how she develops them as the reader is hit by shock surprises and twists. This is an exciting and emotionally intense rollercoaster of a read which left me eagerly awaiting Macmillan's next novel. Many thanks to Little, Brown for an ARC.
October 20, 2018
Is this book some kind of prank?
Pranks cause humiliation, embarrassment, and anger. I feel I’ve been had. Sorry I wasted my time with this. Don’t let the blurb suck you in. Skip this one. One star because the writing is good and I did finish reading the book.
Addendum 1: Podcasts are an auditory experience. Reading them felt unnatural.
Addendum 2: This was not a police procedural, or a mystery, or a thriller, or a suspense.
Pranks cause humiliation, embarrassment, and anger. I feel I’ve been had. Sorry I wasted my time with this. Don’t let the blurb suck you in. Skip this one. One star because the writing is good and I did finish reading the book.
Addendum 1: Podcasts are an auditory experience. Reading them felt unnatural.
Addendum 2: This was not a police procedural, or a mystery, or a thriller, or a suspense.
September 23, 2018
The summary for this book describes it as an “original, chilling, twisty mystery,” which I definitely feel is fitting, however I would also add one more word to that description: clever! This is one of those books where it’s best to go in knowing as little as possible and let the flow of the story take you on a ride that is at once thrilling and completely unpredictable!
I’ve read my fair share of thrillers / psychological suspense novels the past few years, but none of them have been quite as unique as this one. At the heart of the story are two murder investigations that take place 20 years apart: human remains are found at a construction site where a new shopping center was to be installed and almost immediately, when it is discovered that the remains were excavated from the exact same spot where the bodies of Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby -- two 11-year-old boys from a nearby housing estate who had been brutally murdered -- were found 20 years ago, a long-closed murder investigation is brought back into the spotlight. At the same time, the boys’ childhood best friend Cody Swift, who narrowly escaped the same fate that Charlie and Scott endured, returns to Bristol – the town where he grew up and also where the murders took place – in a search for answers after being haunted by the deaths of his two friends for most of his life. He decides to use his experience as a filmmaker to produce a true crime podcast documenting his search in the hopes that people who might have been involved or knew anything about the case but were afraid to speak up previously would now come forth and set things straight. Presented as entire chapters interspersed throughout the story, each episode of the podcast was narrated by Cody and featured interviews with people who had been involved with the investigation several decades ago as well as residents of the housing estate that was forever changed after the murders. The rest of the chapters alternated between the perspectives of two other central characters in the story – Charlie’s mother Jessica Paige, who tries desperately to keep long-held secrets about the case buried, and also Detective John Fletcher, who had been the lead investigator on the original case and coincidentally was also the one who discovered the remains in the new case. In addition to these alternating perspectives, the narrative also features a dual timeline, with each chapter covering both the case in the present as well as the one that took place in the past.
Despite the many threads to the story, the author Gilly Macmillan was able to tie everything together brilliantly, creating a tautly-written page-turner that I honestly found very hard to put down. As with most books from this genre, I picked up the clues throughout the story and thought I had everything all figured out, but then I got to the end and, well, all I am going to say is that I was completely wrong. I don’t want to say too much about the ending of course, but I was definitely floored by the “surprise twist” (though admittedly there was also some “follow up” to the ending that I was expecting but never got so in that sense, it was a little less satisfying). The other unique aspect with this story was the way the characters were written – I’m not going to go into much detail on this for fear of spoiling the story, but I will say that this was not the typical “protagonist vs antagonist” setup that we are used to seeing with these stories…with this one, the roles were far from clearly defined, which, for me, added another layer of complexity to the story. A word of caution – don’t be surprised if, by the time you get to the ending, you end up disliking every single character in this story….
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this one, though I did have a slight problem with the way the transitions were done between the dual timelines, which confused me at first (and since I read an ARC version, it didn’t help that the formatting was already a bit off). I had to read the first two non-podcast chapters twice, but after I figured out the pattern, I was able to plow through the rest of the book without much issue. Needless to say, this one is highly recommended! I have not read Gilly Macmillan’s previous works but rest assured that I will be adding her other books to my TBR to read at a later date!
Received ARC from Harper Collins / William Morrow via Edelweiss.
I’ve read my fair share of thrillers / psychological suspense novels the past few years, but none of them have been quite as unique as this one. At the heart of the story are two murder investigations that take place 20 years apart: human remains are found at a construction site where a new shopping center was to be installed and almost immediately, when it is discovered that the remains were excavated from the exact same spot where the bodies of Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby -- two 11-year-old boys from a nearby housing estate who had been brutally murdered -- were found 20 years ago, a long-closed murder investigation is brought back into the spotlight. At the same time, the boys’ childhood best friend Cody Swift, who narrowly escaped the same fate that Charlie and Scott endured, returns to Bristol – the town where he grew up and also where the murders took place – in a search for answers after being haunted by the deaths of his two friends for most of his life. He decides to use his experience as a filmmaker to produce a true crime podcast documenting his search in the hopes that people who might have been involved or knew anything about the case but were afraid to speak up previously would now come forth and set things straight. Presented as entire chapters interspersed throughout the story, each episode of the podcast was narrated by Cody and featured interviews with people who had been involved with the investigation several decades ago as well as residents of the housing estate that was forever changed after the murders. The rest of the chapters alternated between the perspectives of two other central characters in the story – Charlie’s mother Jessica Paige, who tries desperately to keep long-held secrets about the case buried, and also Detective John Fletcher, who had been the lead investigator on the original case and coincidentally was also the one who discovered the remains in the new case. In addition to these alternating perspectives, the narrative also features a dual timeline, with each chapter covering both the case in the present as well as the one that took place in the past.
Despite the many threads to the story, the author Gilly Macmillan was able to tie everything together brilliantly, creating a tautly-written page-turner that I honestly found very hard to put down. As with most books from this genre, I picked up the clues throughout the story and thought I had everything all figured out, but then I got to the end and, well, all I am going to say is that I was completely wrong. I don’t want to say too much about the ending of course, but I was definitely floored by the “surprise twist” (though admittedly there was also some “follow up” to the ending that I was expecting but never got so in that sense, it was a little less satisfying). The other unique aspect with this story was the way the characters were written – I’m not going to go into much detail on this for fear of spoiling the story, but I will say that this was not the typical “protagonist vs antagonist” setup that we are used to seeing with these stories…with this one, the roles were far from clearly defined, which, for me, added another layer of complexity to the story. A word of caution – don’t be surprised if, by the time you get to the ending, you end up disliking every single character in this story….
Overall, I definitely enjoyed this one, though I did have a slight problem with the way the transitions were done between the dual timelines, which confused me at first (and since I read an ARC version, it didn’t help that the formatting was already a bit off). I had to read the first two non-podcast chapters twice, but after I figured out the pattern, I was able to plow through the rest of the book without much issue. Needless to say, this one is highly recommended! I have not read Gilly Macmillan’s previous works but rest assured that I will be adding her other books to my TBR to read at a later date!
Received ARC from Harper Collins / William Morrow via Edelweiss.
May 20, 2018
Gilly Macmillan is a master when it comes to creating perfectly-plotted psychological suspense and characters with real emotion and depth. I KNOW YOU KNOW is a smart thriller that will keep readers on the edge of their seats, from the first gripping chapter all the way through to the mind-blowing finale. Add this to your to-read list.
June 18, 2018
I received an advance reader’s edition of this book as a Goodreads Giveaway. Expected publication is in September 2018.
“I Know You Know” tells the story of the murder of two 11-year-old boys, revisited 20 years later after the man convicted of the crime (Sidney Noyce) kills himself in prison and a man’s body is uncovered near the original murder site. Scott Ashby and Charlie Paige were best friends, along with Cody Swift. Cody was being punished the night the boys were killed, which is the reason he wasn’t with them. As an adult, Cody begins recording and airing a podcast and starts dredging up details based on an article by a reporter who covered the original trial and doesn’t believe that the right man was convicted. Interesting premise, not so interesting execution.
The first few chapters hooked me pretty well. I wanted to find out how the murders 20 years ago tied to the discovery of the body in the present day. Throughout the book, we meet many characters who are developed well – the detectives on the original case, Charlie’s mother and her current family, her former “boyfriend” Felix, and a variety of other characters who seem more incidental to the story. The exception in character development is Cody Swift, and he’s the one we should know the most about. He felt to me like a faceless public radio personality. His voice in my imagination was very humdrum and quiet, almost like he was introducing “the soothing sounds of smooth jazz” or something – not at all like a true crime/detective recording, which is what he was portraying. And every chapter that was an episode of the podcast had the lines: “My name is Cody Swift. I’m a filmmaker and your host of ‘It’s Time to Tell,’ a Dishlicker Podcast Production.” By the end of the book, I had had enough of Cody’s introductions, and his podcasts were excruciatingly boring. I’m not a listener of podcasts, but if they all play dialog like this, I’m not missing anything.
“Annette, hello! Is that really you?”
“You’re all grown up, Cody Swift. Look at you!”
“You recognized me right away!”
“You’ve still got that up-to-no-good look about you.”
“Really? I’m not sure that’s a good thing!”
***Spoilers ahead***
I felt like there were a lot of things wrong with the plotlines.
First, you have a detective who is portrayed as really caring about putting away the person who killed the two boys, but he destroys evidence, covers up for pimp-turned-PR-guy Felix, helps frame the lead investigator on the case to get him pulled off the case, convinces witnesses to fit their statements and testimony to his story, and pries a false confession out of the mentally handicapped Sidney, ignoring all other leads.
Second, when the new body is uncovered near where the boys were killed, the reader almost has to believe that the murders are unrelated and years apart because how could the man’s body not be discovered at the same time as the boys. Through the course of the book, however, we learn that the boys were killed because they saw the other crime taking place. Why would the killer hide one body and leave the other two out in the open? And supposedly the killer hid the body so well that it wasn’t found for 20 years?! And the man who was killed was reported missing two days later, and no one questioned whether there was a connection? There’s also the fact that Charlie was found alive, and muttered the word “ghost” before he died in the detective’s arms. The author tries to bring that reference full circle at the end of the book, and it’s completely irrelevant in my opinion. But you’re telling me that no one investigated that 20 years before?
Third, we find out that Cody actually knew all along what happened to his friends, kept quiet all of these years, and only came forward when the article came out because he wanted a publicity stunt to start a new business…using the pimp/PR guy as his PR guy.
Finally, the actual killer is already dead and doesn’t even get his comeuppance. What a letdown!
I just didn’t enjoy this at all. And the book title should have just been “It’s Time to Tell.” That’s the name of Cody’s podcast, and it just seems more fitting. I didn’t find a reference to “I Know You Know” anywhere.
My opinion…skip this one.
“I Know You Know” tells the story of the murder of two 11-year-old boys, revisited 20 years later after the man convicted of the crime (Sidney Noyce) kills himself in prison and a man’s body is uncovered near the original murder site. Scott Ashby and Charlie Paige were best friends, along with Cody Swift. Cody was being punished the night the boys were killed, which is the reason he wasn’t with them. As an adult, Cody begins recording and airing a podcast and starts dredging up details based on an article by a reporter who covered the original trial and doesn’t believe that the right man was convicted. Interesting premise, not so interesting execution.
The first few chapters hooked me pretty well. I wanted to find out how the murders 20 years ago tied to the discovery of the body in the present day. Throughout the book, we meet many characters who are developed well – the detectives on the original case, Charlie’s mother and her current family, her former “boyfriend” Felix, and a variety of other characters who seem more incidental to the story. The exception in character development is Cody Swift, and he’s the one we should know the most about. He felt to me like a faceless public radio personality. His voice in my imagination was very humdrum and quiet, almost like he was introducing “the soothing sounds of smooth jazz” or something – not at all like a true crime/detective recording, which is what he was portraying. And every chapter that was an episode of the podcast had the lines: “My name is Cody Swift. I’m a filmmaker and your host of ‘It’s Time to Tell,’ a Dishlicker Podcast Production.” By the end of the book, I had had enough of Cody’s introductions, and his podcasts were excruciatingly boring. I’m not a listener of podcasts, but if they all play dialog like this, I’m not missing anything.
“Annette, hello! Is that really you?”
“You’re all grown up, Cody Swift. Look at you!”
“You recognized me right away!”
“You’ve still got that up-to-no-good look about you.”
“Really? I’m not sure that’s a good thing!”
***Spoilers ahead***
I felt like there were a lot of things wrong with the plotlines.
First, you have a detective who is portrayed as really caring about putting away the person who killed the two boys, but he destroys evidence, covers up for pimp-turned-PR-guy Felix, helps frame the lead investigator on the case to get him pulled off the case, convinces witnesses to fit their statements and testimony to his story, and pries a false confession out of the mentally handicapped Sidney, ignoring all other leads.
Second, when the new body is uncovered near where the boys were killed, the reader almost has to believe that the murders are unrelated and years apart because how could the man’s body not be discovered at the same time as the boys. Through the course of the book, however, we learn that the boys were killed because they saw the other crime taking place. Why would the killer hide one body and leave the other two out in the open? And supposedly the killer hid the body so well that it wasn’t found for 20 years?! And the man who was killed was reported missing two days later, and no one questioned whether there was a connection? There’s also the fact that Charlie was found alive, and muttered the word “ghost” before he died in the detective’s arms. The author tries to bring that reference full circle at the end of the book, and it’s completely irrelevant in my opinion. But you’re telling me that no one investigated that 20 years before?
Third, we find out that Cody actually knew all along what happened to his friends, kept quiet all of these years, and only came forward when the article came out because he wanted a publicity stunt to start a new business…using the pimp/PR guy as his PR guy.
Finally, the actual killer is already dead and doesn’t even get his comeuppance. What a letdown!
I just didn’t enjoy this at all. And the book title should have just been “It’s Time to Tell.” That’s the name of Cody’s podcast, and it just seems more fitting. I didn’t find a reference to “I Know You Know” anywhere.
My opinion…skip this one.
October 4, 2018
Favorite Quotes:
If you can control where an interview takes place, you are part of the way to controlling the interview itself. Location matters. Fletcher’s wife announced she was leaving him when they were in the Costco car park. He didn’t see it coming. He remembers acutely the humiliation of loading bags into the boot of the car while she explained across the laden shopping trolley that their marriage was over. “Well, why are we buying in bulk then?” was all he could think to ask.
It’s a resting place for cold cases, and Fletcher thinks of it as an archive of failure. For every high-profile solve, there’s an unsolved crime shelved here. In each tidily filed box, Fletcher thinks, there are not just papers, photographs, and other case materials, but other things, invisible things. There are traces of the open emotional wounds an unsolved crime leaves on the families and detectives affected by it. There is also the shadow of something more rotten: the person who got away with it.
Like a nodding dog ornament on a dashboard, she moves her head laboriously to look at Danny. Everything she does is so slow it makes Fletcher’s joints feel as if they’re liquefying under the strain of being patient.
I said you’re a prat, John Fletcher. Always have been, always will be. I’m fed up of you strutting about like you own the place when you passed your sell-by date years ago. The only time I’ll look forward to seeing you will be at your retirement party.
I did a bit of unscientific research on the subject—by which I mean to say that I looked it up on the internet…
My Review:
I was unprepared for the twists and turns of the diabolically clever Gilly Macmillan. Her fascinating yet despicable characters were as compelling as the well-crafted storylines they inhabited. They squeezed then broke my heart while holding me captive to my Kindle as I hissed and huffed my distress. No one was innocent, except for the condemned patsy, and no one was as they had initially appeared, it was brilliant.
Gilly Macmillan has strong word voodoo. Cunningly woven into this adroitly written book were the gut-churning savagery of children, blackmail, police coercion, nefarious manipulations, greed, ambition, corruption, and desperation. The writing was exquisitely nuanced, the wily characters were deeply damaged and irreparably flawed yet keenly described and depicted in a cleverly magnetizing manner. It was riveting, yet tragic and heartbreaking. I was enthralled and even though she turned me inside out, I covet her mad skills and greedily want all her words.
New additions to my Brit Vocab list include tearaways which Mr. Google tells me is a wild or reckless person; bung which is a bribe or payoff; and cobblers which apparently has two meanings as it is nonsense to some, and testicles to the Cockneys - although those two things are pretty much the same thing to me ;)
If you can control where an interview takes place, you are part of the way to controlling the interview itself. Location matters. Fletcher’s wife announced she was leaving him when they were in the Costco car park. He didn’t see it coming. He remembers acutely the humiliation of loading bags into the boot of the car while she explained across the laden shopping trolley that their marriage was over. “Well, why are we buying in bulk then?” was all he could think to ask.
It’s a resting place for cold cases, and Fletcher thinks of it as an archive of failure. For every high-profile solve, there’s an unsolved crime shelved here. In each tidily filed box, Fletcher thinks, there are not just papers, photographs, and other case materials, but other things, invisible things. There are traces of the open emotional wounds an unsolved crime leaves on the families and detectives affected by it. There is also the shadow of something more rotten: the person who got away with it.
Like a nodding dog ornament on a dashboard, she moves her head laboriously to look at Danny. Everything she does is so slow it makes Fletcher’s joints feel as if they’re liquefying under the strain of being patient.
I said you’re a prat, John Fletcher. Always have been, always will be. I’m fed up of you strutting about like you own the place when you passed your sell-by date years ago. The only time I’ll look forward to seeing you will be at your retirement party.
I did a bit of unscientific research on the subject—by which I mean to say that I looked it up on the internet…
My Review:
I was unprepared for the twists and turns of the diabolically clever Gilly Macmillan. Her fascinating yet despicable characters were as compelling as the well-crafted storylines they inhabited. They squeezed then broke my heart while holding me captive to my Kindle as I hissed and huffed my distress. No one was innocent, except for the condemned patsy, and no one was as they had initially appeared, it was brilliant.
Gilly Macmillan has strong word voodoo. Cunningly woven into this adroitly written book were the gut-churning savagery of children, blackmail, police coercion, nefarious manipulations, greed, ambition, corruption, and desperation. The writing was exquisitely nuanced, the wily characters were deeply damaged and irreparably flawed yet keenly described and depicted in a cleverly magnetizing manner. It was riveting, yet tragic and heartbreaking. I was enthralled and even though she turned me inside out, I covet her mad skills and greedily want all her words.
New additions to my Brit Vocab list include tearaways which Mr. Google tells me is a wild or reckless person; bung which is a bribe or payoff; and cobblers which apparently has two meanings as it is nonsense to some, and testicles to the Cockneys - although those two things are pretty much the same thing to me ;)
October 9, 2018
I’m going to be in the minority here but I found this book tedious. And the ending was like a deflated balloon finally let out its last air.
August 6, 2019
Twenty years ago the police caught the killer of his two best friends, Scott and Charlie. Now, Cody Swift wants the truth and has made a Podcast called It's Time To Tell" hoping to get help from the public.
But someone else will do anything to keep new evidence from surfacing. Including murder.
Twenty years ago
While they wait for the ambulance, a tractor skirts the track twice, smoothing the sand. Fletcher cradles the lad’s head in his lap and carefully wipes his hair back from his forehead, avoiding the wounds. He takes one of the boy’s small, soft hands in his own and tells him over and over again that he’s all right now, that they’ve found him, that he’s going to be okay, that he needs to hang in there, that help is on its way and it won’t be long.
A leaning corrugated metal fence separates Fletcher and the boy from the back of the uncovered bleachers. The fence has gaps in it a slight man might be able to squeeze through. People have dumped rubbish here: building site rubble, bits of metal, furniture carcasses, cracked old tires with no tread, a mattress, and the carpet roll, all marooned in the corner of half an acre of unmade ground that otherwise resembles a moonscape. Here and there, Fletcher sees remnants of an old coating of asphalt: peeled-up pieces and sticky black clods oozing in the heat.
From the dog track a public address system plays a startlingly loud trumpet fanfare. Through a gap in the fence and the bleachers, Fletcher has a view of blue-coated handlers leading the dogs onto the track. Some of the men wear flat caps in spite of the heat, or maybe because of it. Fletcher wipes his brow. A gobbet of blood appears at the edge of the boy’s mouth and drips down the side of his cheek. Fletcher wipes it away.
“No you don’t,” he says. “No, no. Hang in there, son.”
There is such a struggle in the child’s eyes. He retches and more blood appears. Fletcher gently pulls the kid further onto his lap and wraps his arms across him, willing some of his own vitality into the child, yet trying not to squeeze him too tightly. The track PA announces the names of the dogs that are ready to race. The words boom into the intense blue sky above Fletcher, and when they fade, he hears the whine of ambulance sirens from the overpass. Finally. Five minutes left to place your bets, the voice on the PA warns. The boy’s eyelids flutter. Flying insects buzz and whine at an unbearable pitch.
“Come on, son!” Fletcher says. “Hang in there. Do it for me.”
Danny has run back to their car. He sits in the passenger seat, door open, one leg out, foot on the ground. He’s talking on the radio. His mouth is making the shapes of urgent words, but Fletcher can’t hear them. He squints. Behind Danny the ambulance is circling down the exit ramp, lights flashing.
“Ambulance is here!” Fletcher roars at Danny. “Meet them at the gate. Bring them over here!”
He and the boy are screened by a drift of California poppies growing amongst the rubbish. They’re so fucking orange. A fly lands on the boy’s nose and Fletcher waves it away. The boy blinks, too slowly. He attempts to speak, but his throat catches and his eyes fill with tears. He tries again and this time he rasps something.
“What did you say?” Fletcher asks. With lips as parched as the boiled air, the boy’s mouth forms a word, but a gargle from inside his throat distorts it.
“Ghost?” Fletcher asks. “Did you say ghost?”
From the track comes the sound of the gates crashing open and the dogs running. The commentary’s a drone. In response to Fletcher’s question there is only fear in the boy’s eyes. He dies seven seconds later.....
*********
I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan follows two storylines from past and present day.
The first is from twenty years before during the original investigation into the murders of ten year old boys, Scott and Charlie.
The second begins in present day when the body of a man is discovered in the same location that the murdered boys were found. Cody Swift is the remaining friend, alive and safe from harm only because he was grounded by his mother on the night his friends were murdered. Cody has always had doubts about the guilt of the man who was imprisoned for the boy's murder all those years ago so he's hoping that the Podcast will shine light onto the case and determine the truth concerning the person responsible for his friend's deaths. All he wants is to be certain that justice was served for Scott and Carlie.
The twists begin as the two detectives who worked the case of the murdered boys twenty years ago, are the same ones who are on scene of the murdered man. They are also following Cody's podcast very closely.
This audiobook is full of twists and turns, with tension you can cut with a knife as the danger to anyone who feels 'it's time to tell' mounts! The chills and anticipation begin early, intensifying and running amuck the closer the story gets to the conclusion.
*Narrators*
I Know You Know is narrated by three separate narrators that bring added further personalization to the story that would otherwise be missing if I had read the book.
In addition, and more importantly, each narrator's performance increased the emotion and sensitivity of the characters enormously, creating a more thrilling and chilling atmosphere to the story. All of the narrators did an exceptional job at using different voices and accents to individualize different characters but I think Steve West did the best performance in this audiobook and I will seek out other audiobooks narrated by him.
Steve Brand is the voice of DI Fletcher and plays him perfectly! When he finds Charlie on the brink of death, his emotions shine through and I felt like I was right there, witnessing the child's last moments, causing is a visceral reaction in me that I couldn't escape.
Fletcher is badly shaken by this experience and he wants justice very badly for both boys. Cool and sure of himself in the very beginning, he thinks he has his killer. I could feel his emotions accutly as the story unfolds.
Imogen Church is Charlie's mother, Jessica. She does an outstanding performance as is always the case.
If you are familiar with my audiobook reviews you will know that Imogen is one of my all time favorite narrators and she never fails to illicit a gut wrenching response from me no matter what story she is telling! I have listened to most audiobooks she's narrated.
Steve West plays Cody Swift and his performance caused an immediate feeling of loss and a need for justice that went straight to my heart! His determination to get to the truth for his childhood friends overrides the increasing danger to himself and those around him and he may pay dearly for it in the end.
I love the uniqueness of this book and have never been disappointed in anything written by Gilly Macmillan! She's a master at choosing the perfect narrative performers that have raised her stories to another level entirely and this one is no exception. I enjoyed the music that is used in this audiobook as it gives it yet another dimension from the book.
But someone else will do anything to keep new evidence from surfacing. Including murder.
Twenty years ago
While they wait for the ambulance, a tractor skirts the track twice, smoothing the sand. Fletcher cradles the lad’s head in his lap and carefully wipes his hair back from his forehead, avoiding the wounds. He takes one of the boy’s small, soft hands in his own and tells him over and over again that he’s all right now, that they’ve found him, that he’s going to be okay, that he needs to hang in there, that help is on its way and it won’t be long.
A leaning corrugated metal fence separates Fletcher and the boy from the back of the uncovered bleachers. The fence has gaps in it a slight man might be able to squeeze through. People have dumped rubbish here: building site rubble, bits of metal, furniture carcasses, cracked old tires with no tread, a mattress, and the carpet roll, all marooned in the corner of half an acre of unmade ground that otherwise resembles a moonscape. Here and there, Fletcher sees remnants of an old coating of asphalt: peeled-up pieces and sticky black clods oozing in the heat.
From the dog track a public address system plays a startlingly loud trumpet fanfare. Through a gap in the fence and the bleachers, Fletcher has a view of blue-coated handlers leading the dogs onto the track. Some of the men wear flat caps in spite of the heat, or maybe because of it. Fletcher wipes his brow. A gobbet of blood appears at the edge of the boy’s mouth and drips down the side of his cheek. Fletcher wipes it away.
“No you don’t,” he says. “No, no. Hang in there, son.”
There is such a struggle in the child’s eyes. He retches and more blood appears. Fletcher gently pulls the kid further onto his lap and wraps his arms across him, willing some of his own vitality into the child, yet trying not to squeeze him too tightly. The track PA announces the names of the dogs that are ready to race. The words boom into the intense blue sky above Fletcher, and when they fade, he hears the whine of ambulance sirens from the overpass. Finally. Five minutes left to place your bets, the voice on the PA warns. The boy’s eyelids flutter. Flying insects buzz and whine at an unbearable pitch.
“Come on, son!” Fletcher says. “Hang in there. Do it for me.”
Danny has run back to their car. He sits in the passenger seat, door open, one leg out, foot on the ground. He’s talking on the radio. His mouth is making the shapes of urgent words, but Fletcher can’t hear them. He squints. Behind Danny the ambulance is circling down the exit ramp, lights flashing.
“Ambulance is here!” Fletcher roars at Danny. “Meet them at the gate. Bring them over here!”
He and the boy are screened by a drift of California poppies growing amongst the rubbish. They’re so fucking orange. A fly lands on the boy’s nose and Fletcher waves it away. The boy blinks, too slowly. He attempts to speak, but his throat catches and his eyes fill with tears. He tries again and this time he rasps something.
“What did you say?” Fletcher asks. With lips as parched as the boiled air, the boy’s mouth forms a word, but a gargle from inside his throat distorts it.
“Ghost?” Fletcher asks. “Did you say ghost?”
From the track comes the sound of the gates crashing open and the dogs running. The commentary’s a drone. In response to Fletcher’s question there is only fear in the boy’s eyes. He dies seven seconds later.....
*********
I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan follows two storylines from past and present day.
The first is from twenty years before during the original investigation into the murders of ten year old boys, Scott and Charlie.
The second begins in present day when the body of a man is discovered in the same location that the murdered boys were found. Cody Swift is the remaining friend, alive and safe from harm only because he was grounded by his mother on the night his friends were murdered. Cody has always had doubts about the guilt of the man who was imprisoned for the boy's murder all those years ago so he's hoping that the Podcast will shine light onto the case and determine the truth concerning the person responsible for his friend's deaths. All he wants is to be certain that justice was served for Scott and Carlie.
The twists begin as the two detectives who worked the case of the murdered boys twenty years ago, are the same ones who are on scene of the murdered man. They are also following Cody's podcast very closely.
This audiobook is full of twists and turns, with tension you can cut with a knife as the danger to anyone who feels 'it's time to tell' mounts! The chills and anticipation begin early, intensifying and running amuck the closer the story gets to the conclusion.
*Narrators*
I Know You Know is narrated by three separate narrators that bring added further personalization to the story that would otherwise be missing if I had read the book.
In addition, and more importantly, each narrator's performance increased the emotion and sensitivity of the characters enormously, creating a more thrilling and chilling atmosphere to the story. All of the narrators did an exceptional job at using different voices and accents to individualize different characters but I think Steve West did the best performance in this audiobook and I will seek out other audiobooks narrated by him.
Steve Brand is the voice of DI Fletcher and plays him perfectly! When he finds Charlie on the brink of death, his emotions shine through and I felt like I was right there, witnessing the child's last moments, causing is a visceral reaction in me that I couldn't escape.
Fletcher is badly shaken by this experience and he wants justice very badly for both boys. Cool and sure of himself in the very beginning, he thinks he has his killer. I could feel his emotions accutly as the story unfolds.
Imogen Church is Charlie's mother, Jessica. She does an outstanding performance as is always the case.
If you are familiar with my audiobook reviews you will know that Imogen is one of my all time favorite narrators and she never fails to illicit a gut wrenching response from me no matter what story she is telling! I have listened to most audiobooks she's narrated.
Steve West plays Cody Swift and his performance caused an immediate feeling of loss and a need for justice that went straight to my heart! His determination to get to the truth for his childhood friends overrides the increasing danger to himself and those around him and he may pay dearly for it in the end.
I love the uniqueness of this book and have never been disappointed in anything written by Gilly Macmillan! She's a master at choosing the perfect narrative performers that have raised her stories to another level entirely and this one is no exception. I enjoyed the music that is used in this audiobook as it gives it yet another dimension from the book.
April 4, 2019
Twenty years ago, the bodies of 11-year old boys Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby were found near a dog racing track in Bristol. The man convicted of their murder was mentally challenged and recently committed suicide, having never stopped professing his innocence. Now the body of a man who was thought to have absconded to Venezuela after a major financial scam was discovered near the same site, having been there all along and forcing a fresh look into the boys’ murders. Cody Swift, one of the boys’ friends who was supposed to be with them that night, has also launched a new podcast exploring the old case, exposing new information that would have challenged the findings and casting Charlie’s mother Jessica in a blemished spotlight. The boys were supposed to have been under her care that evening.
I like mysteries or police procedurals where there’s a look back over solved cases. This one was especially intriguing as we soon learn there was every reason to be skeptical of the original conclusions. John Fletcher, the lead detective of the old case and now the new one, is one of the narrators so we get valuable insights about the old case. Jessica Paige is a very different person from the broken mess she was when her son died. She’s now married, a former successful television actress and mother of a 16-year old daughter who doesn’t want her past resurrected.
The story transitions between the two investigations, the original and the new one. What makes this unique is the podcast which is presented in broadcast format, even more ideal in the audio version. However, whereas in the printed book the old case is highlighted, there wasn’t any indicator for when the narrative reverted to the past in this version. It wasn’t always clear when that happened but I was able to adjust. Otherwise, I loved everything else about the audio performance with three narrators handling the characters exceptionally well.
I really enjoyed this story with its flawed, conflicted host of players, including the lead investigator. Sifting through the truths and lies, trying to determine which was what from unreliable narrators made this even more of a puzzle. While I figured out the framework of the truth, I was still thrown by the little twist at the end that tossed it all up in the air. There’s a reason why this author is an auto read as nothing and no one in this story was sacred and you have to keep your wits about you. Really well done.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
I like mysteries or police procedurals where there’s a look back over solved cases. This one was especially intriguing as we soon learn there was every reason to be skeptical of the original conclusions. John Fletcher, the lead detective of the old case and now the new one, is one of the narrators so we get valuable insights about the old case. Jessica Paige is a very different person from the broken mess she was when her son died. She’s now married, a former successful television actress and mother of a 16-year old daughter who doesn’t want her past resurrected.
The story transitions between the two investigations, the original and the new one. What makes this unique is the podcast which is presented in broadcast format, even more ideal in the audio version. However, whereas in the printed book the old case is highlighted, there wasn’t any indicator for when the narrative reverted to the past in this version. It wasn’t always clear when that happened but I was able to adjust. Otherwise, I loved everything else about the audio performance with three narrators handling the characters exceptionally well.
I really enjoyed this story with its flawed, conflicted host of players, including the lead investigator. Sifting through the truths and lies, trying to determine which was what from unreliable narrators made this even more of a puzzle. While I figured out the framework of the truth, I was still thrown by the little twist at the end that tossed it all up in the air. There’s a reason why this author is an auto read as nothing and no one in this story was sacred and you have to keep your wits about you. Really well done.
Posted on Blue Mood Café
(I received an advance copy from the publisher in exchange for an unbiased review)
November 16, 2022
Book Blog | Bookstagram
This book is getting a big UGH from me.
Cody Swift has one of the hottest true crime podcasts around, Time to Tell. It focuses on his search for what really happened to his two childhood best friends twenty years earlier when they were killed and the intellectually disabled target of their bullying, Sidney Noyce, is convicted of their murders.
In the present day, Sidney Noyce has taken his own life in prison and then a new body is discovered at the same site the two boys' were found decades before. Cody uses the renewed spotlight on the case to sell his podcast with the goal of finding the real killer.
I love the idea, but the execution is severely lacking for me as a reader.
For one, despite the shifting POVs, Cody Swift is really the main character of this story but he's given almost zero character development and I fault the podcast episode style his chapters are written in. It felt like the narrative was relying too heavily on that gimmick and not putting any effort into the emotional aspects.
Swift comes across as bland and boring and the podcast is dry. Nearly every episode starts with someone exclaiming "it's really you! You've gotten so big! Look at how you've grown," etc., etc... And not even the "Oh no, someone is threatening me!" stuff was working for me. Everything takes place off the page and is told as a recounting of events for the podcast instead of a real-time menace. That messed with the suspense for me.
The "twist" in the end was also a completely unknowable element of the plot, therefore not really a twist at all. It reads like a trick on the reader. I don't like that style of writing. It ceases to be a mystery to solve.
This novel was disappointing and kind of depressing, for me. All these bad people, dead children and tragedy of justice, but there's very little satisfaction, in the end, to hold onto. None of the characters were likeable, and the podcast-style chapters made for a dull read. And holy hell, why was this not titled Time to Tell!? It's right there. It's so easy.
It's a no from me.
But I'm an outlier in my opinion, as per usual, so take my bad attitude for what it's worth.
⭐⭐½ | 2.5 stars rounded down
This book is getting a big UGH from me.
Cody Swift has one of the hottest true crime podcasts around, Time to Tell. It focuses on his search for what really happened to his two childhood best friends twenty years earlier when they were killed and the intellectually disabled target of their bullying, Sidney Noyce, is convicted of their murders.
In the present day, Sidney Noyce has taken his own life in prison and then a new body is discovered at the same site the two boys' were found decades before. Cody uses the renewed spotlight on the case to sell his podcast with the goal of finding the real killer.
I love the idea, but the execution is severely lacking for me as a reader.
For one, despite the shifting POVs, Cody Swift is really the main character of this story but he's given almost zero character development and I fault the podcast episode style his chapters are written in. It felt like the narrative was relying too heavily on that gimmick and not putting any effort into the emotional aspects.
Swift comes across as bland and boring and the podcast is dry. Nearly every episode starts with someone exclaiming "it's really you! You've gotten so big! Look at how you've grown," etc., etc... And not even the "Oh no, someone is threatening me!" stuff was working for me. Everything takes place off the page and is told as a recounting of events for the podcast instead of a real-time menace. That messed with the suspense for me.
The "twist" in the end was also a completely unknowable element of the plot, therefore not really a twist at all. It reads like a trick on the reader. I don't like that style of writing. It ceases to be a mystery to solve.
This novel was disappointing and kind of depressing, for me. All these bad people, dead children and tragedy of justice, but there's very little satisfaction, in the end, to hold onto. None of the characters were likeable, and the podcast-style chapters made for a dull read. And holy hell, why was this not titled Time to Tell!? It's right there. It's so easy.
It's a no from me.
But I'm an outlier in my opinion, as per usual, so take my bad attitude for what it's worth.
⭐⭐½ | 2.5 stars rounded down
September 26, 2018
The talented and international bestselling author, Gilly Macmillan returns following Odd Child Out (Jim Clemo #2) with an unputdownable multi-layered standalone thriller with a “killer” plot twist– I KNOW YOU KNOW. 5 Stars +++ Absolutely love this book and the cover!
A true-crime podcast stirs up new evidence in a twenty-year decades-old murder with an explosive ending you will not see coming! For fans of unsolved mysteries and the popular podcast, Serial as well as Harlan Coben’s The Five (a favorite). True crime buffs will devour!
For the true crime devotee, there are twenty different kinds of true-crime podcasts: episodic, serialized, cold cases, current events, historical, and thematic. Some of these are similar, to Serial and S-Town and some are wildly different, both in topic and method, but they are all the kind of true crime podcast that will leave you questioning the human psyche, social relationships, and the legal system.
I KNOW YOU KNOW is a perfect example and will feed your true crime obsession. A twenty-year-old cold case. Read it, and you will find out why! In part, due to the author’s brilliant and clever crime writing. Her best yet!
MacMillan skillfully maximizes suspense by juggling narrators and the timing of the two cases, as well as using the podcast episodes and distinct voices to connect past with the present to the shocking final twists.
Set in Bristol, England an estate at night near an old Greyhound racing dog track. Who doesn’t love Greyhounds! (Some of my friends have adopted the retired Greyhounds).
A group of friends at play. Kids are always in the wrong place at the wrong time. From a decades-old brutal murder of two young boys, abandoned on wasteland. Still a mystery years later. Now an award-winning filmmaker Cody Swift, haunted by the murder of his two best friends, returns to Bristol to find out what really happened.
Scott Ashby (age 11) and Charlie Paige (age 10) were beaten to death in Bristol, England in 1996.
Sidney Noyce - a mentally challenged adult, was charged with the murder. He spent time with the boys at the dog track kennels on the morning before Scott and Charlie disappeared. He was a 24 yr. old man at the time with the mental age of a 10 yr. old boy. A boy in a man’s body. No prior criminal record. He was likable by many. The gentle giant. Did he receive a fair trial?
In 2017, he commits suicide in prison, after twenty years. He was serving a life sentence. However, he never stopped proclaiming his innocence. Was there something more sinister going on behind the scenes?
Cody begins a Podcast (Dishlicker Podcast) entitled, “It’s Time To Tell.” You see, not everyone believes Sidney Noyce was guilty. Was he a sitting duck? There were also the detectives and the parents.
Who to believe? Everyone is hiding secrets. Many pieces to the puzzle. A complex chain of events. The thought of Noyce being innocent intrigued Cody.
He begins a personal investigation into the murders of his best friends. He starts from the beginning with “It’s Time to Tell” Episode I – Three Deaths and an Article and ends with Episode 11 – Wrong Time, Wrong Place. He has a knack for storytelling. But there is still more to the story after the final episode.
How would you feel if things changed twenty years later, to have it unearthed once again? This opens up emotions and conflicted feelings.
From the loss of his friends and his guilt that he survived is a darkness he has lived with. Digging up the past will not be easy, but if the reporter is correct that Noyce did not kill his friends, then someone needs to solve this mystery. Who really committed the murders?
For those still remembering and struggling with the darkness – It’s time to tell. Charlie was still alive when he was found and the last word he said was “ghost”. What did it mean?
However, there are some who do not want this double murder investigation stirred up again. One being Jessica (Jess) Paige, Charlie’s mother (loads of doubt here) and suspicions, who turns to wealthy Felix Abernathy (he has always done favors for those people who need those favors to remain a secret) - to try and stop Cody’s probing. He became very useful to some very influential people in Bristol. What are his secrets and motives?
Jess has married since the murder of Nick. Jess has hidden the past from her daughter, Erica. “Cody Swift has lit a stick of dynamite that could blow everything in her life to smithereens. She knows already that his podcast could be a new and dark dawn in her life.” Lots of hidden dark secrets. But, why?
Throw also into the mix: Detective Supt. Howard Smail, whose career was ended by the case and D.I. John Fletcher, who originally built the case against Sidney. What about the powerful man, Felix —What is he hiding?
After the violence of Cody’s best friends’ murders, his home and community have never felt the same again. The brutality of the crime that ripped everything apart. Cody was the third boy in the friendship group who got away. How could this have happened? However, some want to keep the truth buried. If Sidney Noyce was innocent, then someone else is guilty.
As Cody Swift digs deeper and his podcast episodes began to unravel the real truths—some are in great danger if certain facts come out. There is also Owen Weston, the crime reporter who mounted a crusade to convince others that Sidney Noyce was innocent. What really happened that night? Then another missing person is found dead? Do the two cases connect?
Wow, this one will be on my Top Books of 2018.
Well-researched, a master of suspense, connecting past with the present, I KNOW YOU KNOW a supercharged, complex, multilayered crime page-turner thriller, heavy on character development, cop procedural, and psychological suspense. Highly entertaining.
Well done and bloody good! Highly topical— A taut, gripping novel about the deadly secrets of the past. A real crime podcast is at the heart of I KNOW YOU KNOW. The author takes us through the complicated lives of children to adulthood. Mistakes, regrets, betrayals, deceit, fears, secrets.
Through the podcast episodes, we see a wealth of emotions, even being years after the crime. Many different tales, opening old wounds from the past which are threatening to their lives today. From the victim’s mother, Jess, Cody, and even the detectives, among others.
Each character is dynamite in their own ways; however, I thought Cody and especially Jess’s characters were quite intriguing looking back from past to present. Highly relatable characters. Readers will find an exploration into Jess’s history from a scared young mother, a dark past she would like to keep buried to keep from ruining her current life, yet she possesses the reliance and strength to go up against the worst of enemies. Jess was my favorite character. She will keep you guessing.
I KNOW YOU KNOW is sure to appeal to fans of true crime and especially Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Mary Kubica, Shari Lapena, and Michael Robotham (my favorites).
Readers of Charlie Donlea’s Don’t Believe It will enjoy the podcast episodes and interviews of the victims’ families, the cops, and those affected by the tragedy, as well as those who are guarding their secrets of the past.
I loved the hot air balloons (my former hometown held an annual balloon rally) and loved the hashtag #awaitthedate. Our dog race track here in West Palm Beach, FL is located across from the Palm Beach International Airport. Not sure I will ever ride by again without thinking of this story.
On a side note: Hazel Collins (the person who made the report and character in the book). Ironically, I have an aunt named Hazel Collins Lail my favorite – now age 90 in a nursing home in NC with Alzheimer's and a stroke victim. Each time I read her name, thought of her. I also have a cousin Anabelle (Ann) Collins, deceased. For more than 15 years Hazel has been in a home has no clue of any of her family or where she is. She was moved to hospice 20 yrs. ago to die and they had to move her out to a nursing home. She keeps on ticking. Would love to know her secrets.
Speaking of juicy secrets to enhance your reading experience, highly recommend reading listening to these interviews with Gilly: I thoroughly enjoyed
Jean Book Nerd In her interview, you will learn many interesting facts about I KNOW YOU KNOW. I really enjoyed how she created: ‘Dishlicker’ is a slang word for ‘greyhound’ which is why Cody chose the name for his production company. The location of the murders was real and fascinated Macmillian. She is a true-crime podcast addict and this was her most complicated book to plot to date. (and the best, I will add).
Also, note the interview with Gilly and Mary Kubica (another good one). The Art Of Domestic Suspense by CRIME READS.
Podcast Interview with Gilly MacMillan and Hank Garner "Stories Behind the Stories" The Author Stories Podcast.
A special thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for an advanced reading copy of #IKnowYouKnow. I also purchased the audiobook narrated by Steve Brand, Steve West, and Imogen Church for a highly entertaining and satisfying performance.
JDCMustReadBooks
A true-crime podcast stirs up new evidence in a twenty-year decades-old murder with an explosive ending you will not see coming! For fans of unsolved mysteries and the popular podcast, Serial as well as Harlan Coben’s The Five (a favorite). True crime buffs will devour!
For the true crime devotee, there are twenty different kinds of true-crime podcasts: episodic, serialized, cold cases, current events, historical, and thematic. Some of these are similar, to Serial and S-Town and some are wildly different, both in topic and method, but they are all the kind of true crime podcast that will leave you questioning the human psyche, social relationships, and the legal system.
I KNOW YOU KNOW is a perfect example and will feed your true crime obsession. A twenty-year-old cold case. Read it, and you will find out why! In part, due to the author’s brilliant and clever crime writing. Her best yet!
MacMillan skillfully maximizes suspense by juggling narrators and the timing of the two cases, as well as using the podcast episodes and distinct voices to connect past with the present to the shocking final twists.
Set in Bristol, England an estate at night near an old Greyhound racing dog track. Who doesn’t love Greyhounds! (Some of my friends have adopted the retired Greyhounds).
A group of friends at play. Kids are always in the wrong place at the wrong time. From a decades-old brutal murder of two young boys, abandoned on wasteland. Still a mystery years later. Now an award-winning filmmaker Cody Swift, haunted by the murder of his two best friends, returns to Bristol to find out what really happened.
Scott Ashby (age 11) and Charlie Paige (age 10) were beaten to death in Bristol, England in 1996.
Sidney Noyce - a mentally challenged adult, was charged with the murder. He spent time with the boys at the dog track kennels on the morning before Scott and Charlie disappeared. He was a 24 yr. old man at the time with the mental age of a 10 yr. old boy. A boy in a man’s body. No prior criminal record. He was likable by many. The gentle giant. Did he receive a fair trial?
In 2017, he commits suicide in prison, after twenty years. He was serving a life sentence. However, he never stopped proclaiming his innocence. Was there something more sinister going on behind the scenes?
Cody begins a Podcast (Dishlicker Podcast) entitled, “It’s Time To Tell.” You see, not everyone believes Sidney Noyce was guilty. Was he a sitting duck? There were also the detectives and the parents.
Who to believe? Everyone is hiding secrets. Many pieces to the puzzle. A complex chain of events. The thought of Noyce being innocent intrigued Cody.
He begins a personal investigation into the murders of his best friends. He starts from the beginning with “It’s Time to Tell” Episode I – Three Deaths and an Article and ends with Episode 11 – Wrong Time, Wrong Place. He has a knack for storytelling. But there is still more to the story after the final episode.
How would you feel if things changed twenty years later, to have it unearthed once again? This opens up emotions and conflicted feelings.
From the loss of his friends and his guilt that he survived is a darkness he has lived with. Digging up the past will not be easy, but if the reporter is correct that Noyce did not kill his friends, then someone needs to solve this mystery. Who really committed the murders?
For those still remembering and struggling with the darkness – It’s time to tell. Charlie was still alive when he was found and the last word he said was “ghost”. What did it mean?
However, there are some who do not want this double murder investigation stirred up again. One being Jessica (Jess) Paige, Charlie’s mother (loads of doubt here) and suspicions, who turns to wealthy Felix Abernathy (he has always done favors for those people who need those favors to remain a secret) - to try and stop Cody’s probing. He became very useful to some very influential people in Bristol. What are his secrets and motives?
Jess has married since the murder of Nick. Jess has hidden the past from her daughter, Erica. “Cody Swift has lit a stick of dynamite that could blow everything in her life to smithereens. She knows already that his podcast could be a new and dark dawn in her life.” Lots of hidden dark secrets. But, why?
Throw also into the mix: Detective Supt. Howard Smail, whose career was ended by the case and D.I. John Fletcher, who originally built the case against Sidney. What about the powerful man, Felix —What is he hiding?
After the violence of Cody’s best friends’ murders, his home and community have never felt the same again. The brutality of the crime that ripped everything apart. Cody was the third boy in the friendship group who got away. How could this have happened? However, some want to keep the truth buried. If Sidney Noyce was innocent, then someone else is guilty.
As Cody Swift digs deeper and his podcast episodes began to unravel the real truths—some are in great danger if certain facts come out. There is also Owen Weston, the crime reporter who mounted a crusade to convince others that Sidney Noyce was innocent. What really happened that night? Then another missing person is found dead? Do the two cases connect?
Wow, this one will be on my Top Books of 2018.
Well-researched, a master of suspense, connecting past with the present, I KNOW YOU KNOW a supercharged, complex, multilayered crime page-turner thriller, heavy on character development, cop procedural, and psychological suspense. Highly entertaining.
Well done and bloody good! Highly topical— A taut, gripping novel about the deadly secrets of the past. A real crime podcast is at the heart of I KNOW YOU KNOW. The author takes us through the complicated lives of children to adulthood. Mistakes, regrets, betrayals, deceit, fears, secrets.
Through the podcast episodes, we see a wealth of emotions, even being years after the crime. Many different tales, opening old wounds from the past which are threatening to their lives today. From the victim’s mother, Jess, Cody, and even the detectives, among others.
Each character is dynamite in their own ways; however, I thought Cody and especially Jess’s characters were quite intriguing looking back from past to present. Highly relatable characters. Readers will find an exploration into Jess’s history from a scared young mother, a dark past she would like to keep buried to keep from ruining her current life, yet she possesses the reliance and strength to go up against the worst of enemies. Jess was my favorite character. She will keep you guessing.
I KNOW YOU KNOW is sure to appeal to fans of true crime and especially Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay, Mary Kubica, Shari Lapena, and Michael Robotham (my favorites).
Readers of Charlie Donlea’s Don’t Believe It will enjoy the podcast episodes and interviews of the victims’ families, the cops, and those affected by the tragedy, as well as those who are guarding their secrets of the past.
I loved the hot air balloons (my former hometown held an annual balloon rally) and loved the hashtag #awaitthedate. Our dog race track here in West Palm Beach, FL is located across from the Palm Beach International Airport. Not sure I will ever ride by again without thinking of this story.
On a side note: Hazel Collins (the person who made the report and character in the book). Ironically, I have an aunt named Hazel Collins Lail my favorite – now age 90 in a nursing home in NC with Alzheimer's and a stroke victim. Each time I read her name, thought of her. I also have a cousin Anabelle (Ann) Collins, deceased. For more than 15 years Hazel has been in a home has no clue of any of her family or where she is. She was moved to hospice 20 yrs. ago to die and they had to move her out to a nursing home. She keeps on ticking. Would love to know her secrets.
Speaking of juicy secrets to enhance your reading experience, highly recommend reading listening to these interviews with Gilly: I thoroughly enjoyed
Jean Book Nerd In her interview, you will learn many interesting facts about I KNOW YOU KNOW. I really enjoyed how she created: ‘Dishlicker’ is a slang word for ‘greyhound’ which is why Cody chose the name for his production company. The location of the murders was real and fascinated Macmillian. She is a true-crime podcast addict and this was her most complicated book to plot to date. (and the best, I will add).
Also, note the interview with Gilly and Mary Kubica (another good one). The Art Of Domestic Suspense by CRIME READS.
Podcast Interview with Gilly MacMillan and Hank Garner "Stories Behind the Stories" The Author Stories Podcast.
A special thank you to HarperCollins and Edelweiss for an advanced reading copy of #IKnowYouKnow. I also purchased the audiobook narrated by Steve Brand, Steve West, and Imogen Church for a highly entertaining and satisfying performance.
JDCMustReadBooks
September 25, 2018
For twenty years, Sidney Noyce has claimed his innocence for the murders of Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby. In 1996, their bodies were found dumped by a dog track near the estate where they lived. Their friend, Cody Swift, who was ten like Charlie, lived, and now, twenty years later, is reviving the case via a podcast, It's Time to Tell. He too has his doubts about Sidney's guilt. He returns home to Bristol to start investigating. But not everyone wants this case reopened, including Charlie's mother, Jessica, who has started a new life, with a new family. And then there's the investigating detective, John Fletcher, who found the boys. Charlie died in his arms; you don't forget a case like that. Now, he's investigating another body--found buried in a location near where the boys died. Are the two cases related? Is there a murderer still out there?
I still remember the moment I discovered Gilly Macmillan, and her books are such a treat. This one was no exception. This is a stand-alone novel, or at least not one of her Jim Clemo novels, and I found it to be a highly enjoyable and compelling mystery. When I first realized that part of the book was being told via the podcast format, I felt a bit of deja-vu, as I had just recently finished another book in that structure (Sadie), but have no fear: the organization of this one is fresh and flawless.
The book is told via the podcast; Jessica's point of view; and Fletcher's perspective--both now and back then, when he was a rookie cop, investigating the boys' death. You have to get used to the book swinging back and forth in time with Fletcher, but it doesn't take much, and it's worth it, because Macmillan parallels things so well in time. The juxtaposition of the past and present with the two cases (current body, the boys' case - plus Cody's podcast) is really brilliant. Plus, we get to see the trajectory of Fletcher's life and the many decisions that have led him to where he his today. His character, for me, was fascinating and one of the best surprises of the book.
One of my favorite aspects of any Macmillan novel is her characters. They are always so detailed and fully fleshed out. That is the case here: you will find yourself transported back to the estate twenty years ago, with Charlie, Scott, and Cody running around, and then to the present, with Cody and his podcast, Jessica struggling to keep her new life afloat, and Fletcher, unraveling the details on a new--potentially related--case.
There are multiple mystery threads to keep any detective fan happy: what happened to Charlie and Scott all those years ago? Was it really Sidney Noyce? How about the body Fletcher just discovered nearby? Just a coincidence? I loved the way Macmillan weaved the pieces of all these stories together. There are some wonderful and unexpected turns here. I adore a book that surprises me, and it was great to have some twists and turns that shocked me.
Overall, this is a fascinating and compelling mystery that expertly weaves together the thread of two cases separated by twenty years. The characters are well-detailed and the book is beautifully plotted. It's hard to go wrong with a Macmillan mystery, and this one is no exception. 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
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I still remember the moment I discovered Gilly Macmillan, and her books are such a treat. This one was no exception. This is a stand-alone novel, or at least not one of her Jim Clemo novels, and I found it to be a highly enjoyable and compelling mystery. When I first realized that part of the book was being told via the podcast format, I felt a bit of deja-vu, as I had just recently finished another book in that structure (Sadie), but have no fear: the organization of this one is fresh and flawless.
The book is told via the podcast; Jessica's point of view; and Fletcher's perspective--both now and back then, when he was a rookie cop, investigating the boys' death. You have to get used to the book swinging back and forth in time with Fletcher, but it doesn't take much, and it's worth it, because Macmillan parallels things so well in time. The juxtaposition of the past and present with the two cases (current body, the boys' case - plus Cody's podcast) is really brilliant. Plus, we get to see the trajectory of Fletcher's life and the many decisions that have led him to where he his today. His character, for me, was fascinating and one of the best surprises of the book.
One of my favorite aspects of any Macmillan novel is her characters. They are always so detailed and fully fleshed out. That is the case here: you will find yourself transported back to the estate twenty years ago, with Charlie, Scott, and Cody running around, and then to the present, with Cody and his podcast, Jessica struggling to keep her new life afloat, and Fletcher, unraveling the details on a new--potentially related--case.
There are multiple mystery threads to keep any detective fan happy: what happened to Charlie and Scott all those years ago? Was it really Sidney Noyce? How about the body Fletcher just discovered nearby? Just a coincidence? I loved the way Macmillan weaved the pieces of all these stories together. There are some wonderful and unexpected turns here. I adore a book that surprises me, and it was great to have some twists and turns that shocked me.
Overall, this is a fascinating and compelling mystery that expertly weaves together the thread of two cases separated by twenty years. The characters are well-detailed and the book is beautifully plotted. It's hard to go wrong with a Macmillan mystery, and this one is no exception. 4+ stars.
I received a copy of this novel from the publisher and Edelweiss in return for an unbiased review (thank you!).
Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Google+ ~ Instagram
November 9, 2018
I Know You Know is the second stand-alone novel by NYT best-selling British author, Gilly Macmillan. Early in 2017, Detective Inspector John Fletcher is called to an excavation site where bones have been discovered. He and his partner, DC Danny Fryer note that it’s very near the place where they found two missing boys, victims of a fatal beating, just over twenty years earlier. For those murders, Sidney Noyce, an intellectually disabled man, went to prison, but there’s been a recent spate of interest, with a newspaper article and an ongoing podcast questioning his guilt.
The podcast, titled “It’s Time To Tell”, has been created by Cody Swift, a close friend of the two murdered boys, who himself narrowly escaped their fate. Cody has decided to remind the public of the tragic events during that hot summer of 1996, in the hope that someone will remember some vital thing that leads to the truth. The proximity of the bodies could raise questions about a possible connection between the murders, but DI Fletcher is confident that his conviction of Sidney Noyce in 1996 will stand. It does appear, though, that not everyone wants the public’s attention on this.
Macmillan uses three narrative strands to tell the story, two of these also featuring flashbacks to the events of 1996. The podcast strand consists of transcripts of interviews both past and present, with parents, police, lawyers, neighbours and friends, as well as transcripts of the 999 call made at the time, and Cody Swift’s own commentary about the events and those involved. The perspectives of DI Fletcher and one of the mothers, Jess Paige, complete the picture.
This is a cleverly constructed tale, and Macmillan touches on several topics including the difficulties faced by teenaged single mothers, in particular those in reduced circumstances without the support of parents or friends, and where self-interest can often overshadow the welfare of children. She also demonstrates how ambition and laziness can lead to unethical policing. Her characters are complex and multi-faceted, and none is quite as they first appear. This is another excellent British crime thriller, full of twists and red herrings, that will keep the reader guessing until the final pages.
The podcast, titled “It’s Time To Tell”, has been created by Cody Swift, a close friend of the two murdered boys, who himself narrowly escaped their fate. Cody has decided to remind the public of the tragic events during that hot summer of 1996, in the hope that someone will remember some vital thing that leads to the truth. The proximity of the bodies could raise questions about a possible connection between the murders, but DI Fletcher is confident that his conviction of Sidney Noyce in 1996 will stand. It does appear, though, that not everyone wants the public’s attention on this.
Macmillan uses three narrative strands to tell the story, two of these also featuring flashbacks to the events of 1996. The podcast strand consists of transcripts of interviews both past and present, with parents, police, lawyers, neighbours and friends, as well as transcripts of the 999 call made at the time, and Cody Swift’s own commentary about the events and those involved. The perspectives of DI Fletcher and one of the mothers, Jess Paige, complete the picture.
This is a cleverly constructed tale, and Macmillan touches on several topics including the difficulties faced by teenaged single mothers, in particular those in reduced circumstances without the support of parents or friends, and where self-interest can often overshadow the welfare of children. She also demonstrates how ambition and laziness can lead to unethical policing. Her characters are complex and multi-faceted, and none is quite as they first appear. This is another excellent British crime thriller, full of twists and red herrings, that will keep the reader guessing until the final pages.
November 3, 2023
Gilly Macmillan's I Know You Know is a complex mystery with many characters.
The novel starts with the discovery of a nest of bones in a pit in a car park. Whose bones are these? And how these bones are tied to the murder of eleven-year-olds Charlie Page and Scott Ashby twenty years ago is what the story is about. Turns out those two murders that seemed unrelated might actually be linked. Cody Swift, the protagonist plagued by the memories of his childhood friends' murders, dedicates himself to a podcast aimed at uncovering new evidence. However, his poorly developed character doesn’t really stand out even though his podcast, It's Time to Tell, is interesting.
To put it concisely, the book presents a fast-paced and suspenseful narrative, but it failed to leave a lasting impression on me.
The novel starts with the discovery of a nest of bones in a pit in a car park. Whose bones are these? And how these bones are tied to the murder of eleven-year-olds Charlie Page and Scott Ashby twenty years ago is what the story is about. Turns out those two murders that seemed unrelated might actually be linked. Cody Swift, the protagonist plagued by the memories of his childhood friends' murders, dedicates himself to a podcast aimed at uncovering new evidence. However, his poorly developed character doesn’t really stand out even though his podcast, It's Time to Tell, is interesting.
To put it concisely, the book presents a fast-paced and suspenseful narrative, but it failed to leave a lasting impression on me.
September 8, 2018
Podcast, multiple POVs, past & present! Yes pls! RTC
August 26, 2018
I first came across the “book within a book” concept in Emily Carpenter’s The Weight of Lies, and I totally fell in love with it. Since then there have been a few books that have featured social media or podcasts in their stories, such as Are You Sleeping by Kathleen Barber and Our House by Louise Candlish, and I have hoovered them up hungrily. I love Gilly Macmillan’s writing, and her new book was one of my most anticipated new releases this year, but when I discovered that it, too, features a true crime podcast I was ecstatic (and threw my whole reading schedule up in the air by snatching it up before my other books from my TBR pile patiently waiting for attention)! You may have gathered my adoration for this book from my star-crossed rating – this was one very clever mystery!
Reviewing mysteries that rely on shock and surprise and unexpected developments is always tricky, because one little spoiler can ruin the book for someone. I advise to go into this one blind – you will thank me later. But for those of you who absolutely have to know a little bit about it, I will try to tread very carefully:
During the excavations for a new shopping centre, human remains are unearthed near the scene of the double murder of two teenage boys from a nearby housing estate twenty years ago. For the detectives who found the two victims all those years ago, this latest discovery brings back terrible memories – murders of children always hit the hardest. At the time, a mentally handicapped young man was found guilty of the murders and jailed, and has recently died in prison whilst serving his sentence for the crime. But with a John Doe on their hands so close to the crime scene, the detectives are left wondering: could the two cases be connected? At the same time, Cody Swift, a young filmmaker who used to be best friends with the two murdered teenagers, has returned to his hometown to look for answers to some questions that have always bugged him in the years since his friends died. Together with his girlfriend Maya, he sets out to interview all people involved in the case, and publish his findings in a true crime podcast. But as Cody gets closer to the truth, there are some people who will do anything to keep the past hidden ...
I loved the podcast element in this story, with its breadcrumb like trail of clues surrounding the murder of the two teenagers. As the red herrings come rolling in, I was ready to pat myself on the shoulder for being such a good detective and figuring it all out – only to be proven massively wrong yet again. It’s safe to say that no one in this story is as they seem. Isn’t that the best kind of mystery? I thought so. Totally engrossed, I kept turning the pages way past the time of night where I could expect to be a functioning human being the next day.
In summary, I loved everything about this extremely clever mystery, from its flawed, believable characters to the chilling crime at the centre of the story – and of course the “book in a book” (or “podcast in a book”) theme, that added that special something to the story. Told from multiple POVs, this one kept me guessing until the “big bang” at the very end that upended all my carefully constructed theories. Brilliantly written, as is Macmillan’s usual style, it gets all the stars from me – very highly recommended!
Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow Paperbacks for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
Reviewing mysteries that rely on shock and surprise and unexpected developments is always tricky, because one little spoiler can ruin the book for someone. I advise to go into this one blind – you will thank me later. But for those of you who absolutely have to know a little bit about it, I will try to tread very carefully:
During the excavations for a new shopping centre, human remains are unearthed near the scene of the double murder of two teenage boys from a nearby housing estate twenty years ago. For the detectives who found the two victims all those years ago, this latest discovery brings back terrible memories – murders of children always hit the hardest. At the time, a mentally handicapped young man was found guilty of the murders and jailed, and has recently died in prison whilst serving his sentence for the crime. But with a John Doe on their hands so close to the crime scene, the detectives are left wondering: could the two cases be connected? At the same time, Cody Swift, a young filmmaker who used to be best friends with the two murdered teenagers, has returned to his hometown to look for answers to some questions that have always bugged him in the years since his friends died. Together with his girlfriend Maya, he sets out to interview all people involved in the case, and publish his findings in a true crime podcast. But as Cody gets closer to the truth, there are some people who will do anything to keep the past hidden ...
I loved the podcast element in this story, with its breadcrumb like trail of clues surrounding the murder of the two teenagers. As the red herrings come rolling in, I was ready to pat myself on the shoulder for being such a good detective and figuring it all out – only to be proven massively wrong yet again. It’s safe to say that no one in this story is as they seem. Isn’t that the best kind of mystery? I thought so. Totally engrossed, I kept turning the pages way past the time of night where I could expect to be a functioning human being the next day.
In summary, I loved everything about this extremely clever mystery, from its flawed, believable characters to the chilling crime at the centre of the story – and of course the “book in a book” (or “podcast in a book”) theme, that added that special something to the story. Told from multiple POVs, this one kept me guessing until the “big bang” at the very end that upended all my carefully constructed theories. Brilliantly written, as is Macmillan’s usual style, it gets all the stars from me – very highly recommended!
Thank you to Edelweiss and William Morrow Paperbacks for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.
*blog* *facebook* *instagram*
September 4, 2018
Hands down one of the best thrillers I have read this year - the dual timeline/flashback/podcast format kept the plot moving quickly and kept me guessing - all while maintaining a great element of suspense. As plot twists were revealed, I found myself needing more and more - until the very last page. The plot is centered around a 20 year old murder of 2 young boys and the three perspectives are Cody, the third best friend of the boys who survived that night by lucky fortune, Jess, the mom of one of the boys and Detective John Fletcher, the officer who found the bodies of the two boys.
There are a lot of people in this story that are keeping secrets - but what are they are why? The answers might surprise you, I know they surprised me.
I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own.
There are a lot of people in this story that are keeping secrets - but what are they are why? The answers might surprise you, I know they surprised me.
I received an advance copy. All opinions are my own.
June 14, 2018
Wasn't impressed but maybe you will be
August 28, 2018
This tale holds the reader, until the plot thickens and becomes too convoluted. Still, it is worth the read because this is an author who knows how to write suspense. Approximately 20 years earlier, two eleven year old boys were found buried in a space behind a local dog race track. Detective John Fletcher was on scene, and sadly, one of the children died in his arms.
Fast forward to current time when the body of a man is found in the same area, and detective Fletcher is anxious to find a thread linking the murder of the boys and the murder of a local near-do-well man who scammed many out of their life savings.
Cody Swift was one of the three boys who were constantly at each other's side in a run down, poverty-stricken neighborhood. Two were murdered, and because he disobeyed his mother and was made to stay inside on the night his childhood friends were murdered, his life was spared.
Now an adult, and still haunted by the death of his friends, Cody starts a pod cast. Opening up the story of the tragic death of his friends upsets more than a few members of the community, including John Fletcher.
A mentally challenged man was charged with the crime of murdering two boys. He hung himself. Cody and others doubt that the man charged was guilty. John Fletcher may know this truth, and hopefully the pod cast will solve who really murdered the young boys.
The premise of the book is good; the writing is above average, but still, I was disappointed at the convolution at the end. When I have to go back and read pages because the story is difficult to follow, then, I deem the book wanting.
I wish that the end would have been wrapped up in a more clear manner.
Fast forward to current time when the body of a man is found in the same area, and detective Fletcher is anxious to find a thread linking the murder of the boys and the murder of a local near-do-well man who scammed many out of their life savings.
Cody Swift was one of the three boys who were constantly at each other's side in a run down, poverty-stricken neighborhood. Two were murdered, and because he disobeyed his mother and was made to stay inside on the night his childhood friends were murdered, his life was spared.
Now an adult, and still haunted by the death of his friends, Cody starts a pod cast. Opening up the story of the tragic death of his friends upsets more than a few members of the community, including John Fletcher.
A mentally challenged man was charged with the crime of murdering two boys. He hung himself. Cody and others doubt that the man charged was guilty. John Fletcher may know this truth, and hopefully the pod cast will solve who really murdered the young boys.
The premise of the book is good; the writing is above average, but still, I was disappointed at the convolution at the end. When I have to go back and read pages because the story is difficult to follow, then, I deem the book wanting.
I wish that the end would have been wrapped up in a more clear manner.
February 4, 2019
I was so excited when this was picked for book club. Although I've only read one other of Macmillan's books, I know that I love the easy, thought provoking reads that keep you involved through each chapter. For this one, I was torn on how I felt. I read through it at a moderate pace and I was involved in Jess's story. But something just fell a bit flat for me.
I'm not a podcast listener and reading the chapters that were podcast chapters just didn't quite hit my happy spot. Now, I was intrigued with the storyline. I felt for the characters (except Fletcher - F him) and was VERY curious on how this one was going to end. I felt like a lot of different lines were cast for each character but nothing got fully fleshed out. The ending was a head scratcher. I had a lot of WHYs going on in my head.
I absolutely understand I'll be an unpopular opinion on this and that's ok. Not every book is going to work for every reader. I do know that I like Macmillan's style in general and plan to continue to pick her up.
I'm not a podcast listener and reading the chapters that were podcast chapters just didn't quite hit my happy spot. Now, I was intrigued with the storyline. I felt for the characters (except Fletcher - F him) and was VERY curious on how this one was going to end. I felt like a lot of different lines were cast for each character but nothing got fully fleshed out. The ending was a head scratcher. I had a lot of WHYs going on in my head.
I absolutely understand I'll be an unpopular opinion on this and that's ok. Not every book is going to work for every reader. I do know that I like Macmillan's style in general and plan to continue to pick her up.
November 11, 2019
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
20 years ago, some boys were murdered, and left in some tunnels near a railroad track. Now the best friend of the boys is starting a podcast. This lights a fire under the police, who begin investigating again, and under some of the people who used to live in the area.
Pretty decent. Saw the ending coming, though.
20 years ago, some boys were murdered, and left in some tunnels near a railroad track. Now the best friend of the boys is starting a podcast. This lights a fire under the police, who begin investigating again, and under some of the people who used to live in the area.
Pretty decent. Saw the ending coming, though.
October 10, 2018
4.5
Review to come
Review to come
October 10, 2018
Thanks to TLC Book Tours and William Morrow for the copy in exchange for my honest review
The best way to describe this book is unique and clever. Reading so many different thrillers you begin to notice that they begin to follow the same patterns and can become predictable in some ways. I KNOW YOU KNOW by Gilly Macmillan definitely breaks that mold and brought something different to the table. Two murders committed 20 years apart – are they connected?
When a body is found in a construction site questions begin to swirl around due to the location of the body. The body is found in the exact same place that two boys, Charlie and Scott, were found years earlier. For nearly two decades, Sidney Noyce has maintained his innocence in the murders of the two boys. Cody Swift, a childhood friend of Charlie and Scott, has doubted Sidney’s guilt since he was convicted and has decided to reopen his own investigation. He starts a podcast to outline his new findings and as a way to talk about what happened. Cody quickly realizes that not everyone wants this case being reexamined – his mother being one of them.
Detective John Fletcher is forced to pull out the files from the horrific murders to see if these are somehow related to each other. Is there the potential that the murderer is still out there? What secrets are people still keeping about these incidences?
With the alternating perspectives and timelines there is always the potential for things to get mixed up but Macmillan does a fantastic job keeping everything easy to follow while also keeping the right amount of mystery. She expertly weaves this story and it all came together well at the end. What I loved the most though was how fleshed out the characters were – all were developed and you really got a feel for who they are. I also liked the podcast format being added in. Whenever authors incorporate social media or other mediums like this in their stories I always enjoy it.
The best way to describe this book is unique and clever. Reading so many different thrillers you begin to notice that they begin to follow the same patterns and can become predictable in some ways. I KNOW YOU KNOW by Gilly Macmillan definitely breaks that mold and brought something different to the table. Two murders committed 20 years apart – are they connected?
When a body is found in a construction site questions begin to swirl around due to the location of the body. The body is found in the exact same place that two boys, Charlie and Scott, were found years earlier. For nearly two decades, Sidney Noyce has maintained his innocence in the murders of the two boys. Cody Swift, a childhood friend of Charlie and Scott, has doubted Sidney’s guilt since he was convicted and has decided to reopen his own investigation. He starts a podcast to outline his new findings and as a way to talk about what happened. Cody quickly realizes that not everyone wants this case being reexamined – his mother being one of them.
Detective John Fletcher is forced to pull out the files from the horrific murders to see if these are somehow related to each other. Is there the potential that the murderer is still out there? What secrets are people still keeping about these incidences?
With the alternating perspectives and timelines there is always the potential for things to get mixed up but Macmillan does a fantastic job keeping everything easy to follow while also keeping the right amount of mystery. She expertly weaves this story and it all came together well at the end. What I loved the most though was how fleshed out the characters were – all were developed and you really got a feel for who they are. I also liked the podcast format being added in. Whenever authors incorporate social media or other mediums like this in their stories I always enjoy it.
June 27, 2019
RATING: 4 STARS
2018; William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins Canada
I am a huge fan of true crime podcasts, so I was excited to see Gilly MacMillan's newest book was using this device to solve a cold case. We have the podcast host and "investigator" Cody Swift starting the podcast in order to revisit the murder of his two friends, and if the man convicted for their murder was really guilty of the crime.
Twenty years ago, Cody was friends with fellow eleven year olds, Charlie Page and Scott Ashby. He was supposed to have been with them but was held back by his mother for punishment. He feels guilty that he was not with them and they were killed and their bodies left by a race track in Bristol. A man, with mental disabilities, was convicted of the murders. Cody wonders if the police investigation wasn't just rushed to convict anyone to make the public happy. As he starts to interviews the players from the time - the police to single party hard Jess Page, young mother to Charlie - and unearth new evidence, he begins to put himself in danger.
Like any good true crime podcast, this book had me hooked and I could not listen fast enough. We get to see the case from Cody, Jess and the police's point of view. I was all over the place with who had done it and why the murders happened. Even when I figured out where it was going I was still strapped in for the ride. I wasn't a fan of Macmillan's first standalone novel (The Perfect Girl), but really enjoyed her first novel and book 1 in a series (What She Knew), so I was interested to see what I would think of this book. Much like her debut novel, this book hooks you and keeps you wanting more. I am excited to read more by MacMillan and would recommend this one to those like steady British mysteries.
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
2018; William Morrow Paperbacks/HarperCollins Canada
I am a huge fan of true crime podcasts, so I was excited to see Gilly MacMillan's newest book was using this device to solve a cold case. We have the podcast host and "investigator" Cody Swift starting the podcast in order to revisit the murder of his two friends, and if the man convicted for their murder was really guilty of the crime.
Twenty years ago, Cody was friends with fellow eleven year olds, Charlie Page and Scott Ashby. He was supposed to have been with them but was held back by his mother for punishment. He feels guilty that he was not with them and they were killed and their bodies left by a race track in Bristol. A man, with mental disabilities, was convicted of the murders. Cody wonders if the police investigation wasn't just rushed to convict anyone to make the public happy. As he starts to interviews the players from the time - the police to single party hard Jess Page, young mother to Charlie - and unearth new evidence, he begins to put himself in danger.
Like any good true crime podcast, this book had me hooked and I could not listen fast enough. We get to see the case from Cody, Jess and the police's point of view. I was all over the place with who had done it and why the murders happened. Even when I figured out where it was going I was still strapped in for the ride. I wasn't a fan of Macmillan's first standalone novel (The Perfect Girl), but really enjoyed her first novel and book 1 in a series (What She Knew), so I was interested to see what I would think of this book. Much like her debut novel, this book hooks you and keeps you wanting more. I am excited to read more by MacMillan and would recommend this one to those like steady British mysteries.
***I received an eARC from EDELWEISS***
My Novelesque Blog
November 28, 2018
2.25 stars
After all the hypes, I didn't think this book was worth it. It was... underwhelming, to be honest. While I appreciated the writing and the podcast style, I didn't think it was beneficial to this book. Here are the reasons why I was very unimpressed by this novel.
1. The murder: It was too disappointing, especially in the end when we knew who did it. Not until the end was the link between the murders of Charlie and Scott in 1996 and the murder of Peter Dale in the present time clarified, though disappointingly, it was extremely blurred and didn't make a strong impact on the discovery of the killer(s). I had expected a mind-blowing discovery, and yes, it was uncovered that someone that I had never suspected of indirectly led to the incrimination of Sidney Noyce (the seemingly innocent accused of the murder of Charlie and Scott) - but it was in the very last page! It wasn't even the central point! The focus was on the murderer who was not very surprising to me and the motivation wasn't strong enough, in my opinion. Well, the plot twist (the end of the ending) and the murders themselves let me down intensely.
2. The podcast: It was a very good creative way to add more intrigues to the story. However, this time it failed. The podcast presented themselves with ridiculous contents and were extremely unhelpful and useless. Perhaps the purposes of showing the podcasts were to enlighten readers with details of the cases, but to me, those purposes could have been completed without the help of the podcasts. Cody Swift, the creator of the podcast, seemed unrealistic and unconvincing. I saw him as a very pretentious and phony person, who out of nowhere was convinced of Sydney Noyce being innocent after all this time truly believing that he was guilty of the murders. It was shallow of him.
3. How the murders were solved: I would say very briefly about this, the whole chunk of the book was dedicated to the whiny detective inspector Fletcher and the hollow podcasts. I didn't see any real police work and investigation. There were just this corrupted cop trying to behave like he was much better than anybody. He was absolutely incompetent and was always undermining the case without even realizing that on his own. The murders were not solved. There were no real evidence that could lead to any concrete clues. Just guess work without solid reasoning. The police, Fletcher in particular, were presented very ridiculously. They were helpless with murders of the two boys in the past, and the same state was applied in the present situation too, with the murder of Peter Dale. This Fletcher guy, this dirty cop, even thought that he was an excellent cop and he could work and live forever. I despised him so much. I couldn't stoop myself to even consider sympathizing with him. No murders were actually solved using deduction and using proofs. Purely by accusing wrong person(s) and accidental discovery, Fletcher was able to uncover a very thin trail that eventually led to this shady guy who possibly was behind all of the murders (though in fact this shady guy wasn't involved in the murders).
3. The redundancy: Jessica Paige. I struggled to understand why Jessica's perspective was even told in this novel. Throughout the novel, she didn't do anything that majorly influenced the progress of the case. She kept thinking about her past and comparing it with her current happy family which also was irrelevant. Frankly, I found she rather dumb and shallow, just like Cody Swift. She was useless and very contemptible and somehow too proud of herself. As I mentioned before, there was a real plot twist at the end of the ending (the final page) that was actively uncovered by Jessica. AND it was the only thing that she actively did during the whole book. Yep, she was a totally useless person until that ending.
After all the hypes, I didn't think this book was worth it. It was... underwhelming, to be honest. While I appreciated the writing and the podcast style, I didn't think it was beneficial to this book. Here are the reasons why I was very unimpressed by this novel.
1. The murder: It was too disappointing, especially in the end when we knew who did it. Not until the end was the link between the murders of Charlie and Scott in 1996 and the murder of Peter Dale in the present time clarified, though disappointingly, it was extremely blurred and didn't make a strong impact on the discovery of the killer(s). I had expected a mind-blowing discovery, and yes, it was uncovered that someone that I had never suspected of indirectly led to the incrimination of Sidney Noyce (the seemingly innocent accused of the murder of Charlie and Scott) - but it was in the very last page! It wasn't even the central point! The focus was on the murderer who was not very surprising to me and the motivation wasn't strong enough, in my opinion. Well, the plot twist (the end of the ending) and the murders themselves let me down intensely.
2. The podcast: It was a very good creative way to add more intrigues to the story. However, this time it failed. The podcast presented themselves with ridiculous contents and were extremely unhelpful and useless. Perhaps the purposes of showing the podcasts were to enlighten readers with details of the cases, but to me, those purposes could have been completed without the help of the podcasts. Cody Swift, the creator of the podcast, seemed unrealistic and unconvincing. I saw him as a very pretentious and phony person, who out of nowhere was convinced of Sydney Noyce being innocent after all this time truly believing that he was guilty of the murders. It was shallow of him.
3. How the murders were solved: I would say very briefly about this, the whole chunk of the book was dedicated to the whiny detective inspector Fletcher and the hollow podcasts. I didn't see any real police work and investigation. There were just this corrupted cop trying to behave like he was much better than anybody. He was absolutely incompetent and was always undermining the case without even realizing that on his own. The murders were not solved. There were no real evidence that could lead to any concrete clues. Just guess work without solid reasoning. The police, Fletcher in particular, were presented very ridiculously. They were helpless with murders of the two boys in the past, and the same state was applied in the present situation too, with the murder of Peter Dale. This Fletcher guy, this dirty cop, even thought that he was an excellent cop and he could work and live forever. I despised him so much. I couldn't stoop myself to even consider sympathizing with him. No murders were actually solved using deduction and using proofs. Purely by accusing wrong person(s) and accidental discovery, Fletcher was able to uncover a very thin trail that eventually led to this shady guy who possibly was behind all of the murders (though in fact this shady guy wasn't involved in the murders).
3. The redundancy: Jessica Paige. I struggled to understand why Jessica's perspective was even told in this novel. Throughout the novel, she didn't do anything that majorly influenced the progress of the case. She kept thinking about her past and comparing it with her current happy family which also was irrelevant. Frankly, I found she rather dumb and shallow, just like Cody Swift. She was useless and very contemptible and somehow too proud of herself. As I mentioned before, there was a real plot twist at the end of the ending (the final page) that was actively uncovered by Jessica. AND it was the only thing that she actively did during the whole book. Yep, she was a totally useless person until that ending.
March 8, 2019
Fans of the mystery novel that uses a podcast as a plot device (e.g. the Six Stories books and Sadie), rejoice: here's another one. And I'm not yet over the allure of this nascent minigenre – gotta catch 'em all. In I Know You Know, a filmmaker begins digging into a 20-year-old (and seemingly solved) crime. The podcaster, Cody, has personal links to the case – the two murdered boys were his best friends – and he's convinced the wrong man was convicted. As well as transcripts of the podcast episodes, we get the perspectives of two others: the detective who investigated the original case and the mother of one of the boys. It's a skilful, compelling mystery that makes good use of its multiple protagonists, cleverly moving one from unlikeable to sympathetic while simultaneously doing the opposite with another. It's all topped off with a Twist You'll Never See Coming (I mean, I actually didn't see the twist coming at all and yet it actually makes sense – you don't get that every day). Good solid entertainment.
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TinyLetter | Twitter | Instagram | Tumblr
December 5, 2020
I really enjoyed ‘The Nanny’ and ‘To Tell you the Truth’ by this author so had high hopes for this one but unfortunately this one didn’t reach the same standard. The book is well written but there was little else I liked as I never really got into the characters.
The case of a twenty-year old murder of Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby is being reinvestigated by their childhood Cody Swift, who is then posting in a Podcast. Cody has returned to his roots to re-open the case and search for the truth. A man was convicted and found guilty of the murders, but Cody isn’t convinced. Does the murderer still walk the streets free while an innocent man is locked up.
I don’t mind a little twisting of the truth to make the story a better read but the whole podcast thing for me seemed too much to believe. Fortunately I am aware how good this author can be so won’t be put off by this when deciding future reading.
The case of a twenty-year old murder of Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby is being reinvestigated by their childhood Cody Swift, who is then posting in a Podcast. Cody has returned to his roots to re-open the case and search for the truth. A man was convicted and found guilty of the murders, but Cody isn’t convinced. Does the murderer still walk the streets free while an innocent man is locked up.
I don’t mind a little twisting of the truth to make the story a better read but the whole podcast thing for me seemed too much to believe. Fortunately I am aware how good this author can be so won’t be put off by this when deciding future reading.
March 3, 2019
Another book with a true crime podcast as it’s central theme I can’t get enough of them if they are done well and this one was. Clever plotting and an excellent finale.
Past and present collide as Cody returns to a difficult time in his life, the loss of his two closest friends. At the same time a body is discovered, dragging the original investigator back to a difficult and emotional case.
This one has a lot of layers but mostly it’s about tangled relationships, moral life choices and the shades of grey that are ingrained in human nature. It’s a gripping read with plenty of twists and turns of character, a strong emotional core and an unpredictable vibe that keeps you turning those pages.
I’ve loved Gilly Macmillan’s previous books and this one was no different – I immersed myself into it and read it over two sittings. Very good indeed.
Recommended.
March 7, 2019
I listened to the audio version of
I Know You Know
and was captivated from the first word. A whip-smart thriller that kept me guessing all the way through, revealing layer after layer of complexity and secrets. Whenever I felt sure I knew a character, and what they'd done, another twist spun me around. Turns out, I knew nothing :-) Loved it!
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