No One Knows

This is my first book by this author. I actually meet her at ThrillFest in New York. As I like mystery style writing , I decided to read this one based on the storyline. I am adding the word spoilers to this review as per commenter request. This story is told via viewpoints of several main characters, the main ones being Audrey and Daisy, and centers about the disappearance/death of Josh, husband of Audrey and son of Daisy during the time of a bachelor party for his friend. The timing of the story is set 5 years later, the day both Daisy and Audrey received notice of declaration of death from the state since Josh's body was "never" found. You would think that the 2 women who both loved this same man would have bonded together in grief over this tragic event but no and here's where the backstory begins. Little by little pieces of both women stories are reveled along with some of Josh's and one begins to question who really "killed" Josh. It is not until Audrey finds out Josh had an older brother who had been adopted, one begins to suspect what really happened to Josh and who did the manipulation of the whole story. The best way, I can describe it, think of the Gone Girl ending.

I had just finished reading several books and was looking for "just the right one" to sit down and really enjoy. I had been looking at this book for the past few weeks and finally decided to download it. I immersion read so let me just say for those of you at audible, you're in for a treat! This is not only a great story, but the narrator is wonderful!!! This story begins with a young woman finishing up her school year when she receives an envelope confirming that her husband is dead after five years. The story goes through the ups and downs of her life, her relationship with her husband, how she met him, her mother-in-law etc. just when you think you have things figured out SURPRISE!!!!

This is one of those books that is like a dream you have that you want to return to so you can finish the ending - so hard to put down, I found myself reading way into the night, then reluctantly falling asleep. It had me hooked from the first few pages, where Aubrey who is waiting for her husband who is at a bachelors party, smiles as she sits at a bar when the waiter serves her favorite gin and tonic, which she did not order but assumes her husband sent. He knows what she likes. Yet why hasn't he answered her texts to meet her? Then the next thing we learn his that Josh is presumed dead and Aubrey is desperate to prove he is still alive. There are frequent references from present day to 5 years ago with different characters points of view. Daisy the mother-in-law who is contesting the will for $5 million dollars. A man who Aubrey literally runs into and sends her heart thumping, who instantly reminds her of Josh, his mannerisms are identical but Chase is not Josh. Aubrey is confused and wonders how could this be...and if not Josh who is he? There is Tyler her drug addicted foster brother who re-enters Aubrey's life and is not to be trusted, yet they have important history that is to be revealed. You won't know who to believe, each discovery compelling, but the brilliant twists and turns of this thriller keep the secret until the very end...which I didn't see coming at all. Its a complexity that hits you all of a sudden. I am glad I bought this book, its one I could not wait to read - you won't be disappointed if you like psychological thrillers!!

This is one of those books that is like a dream you have that you want to return to so you can finish the ending - so hard to put down, I found myself reading way into the night, then reluctantly falling asleep. It had me hooked from the first few pages, where Aubrey who is waiting for her husband who is at a bachelors party, smiles as she sits at a bar when the waiter serves her favorite gin and tonic, which she did not order but assumes her husband sent. He knows what she likes. Yet why hasn't he answered her texts to meet her? Then the next thing we learn his that Josh is presumed dead and Aubrey is desperate to prove he is still alive. There are frequent references from present day to 5 years ago with different characters points of view. Daisy the mother-in-law who is contesting the will for $5 million dollars. A man who Aubrey literally runs into and sends her heart thumping, who instantly reminds her of Josh, his mannerisms are identical but Chase is not Josh. Aubrey is confused and wonders how could this be...and if not Josh who is he? There is Tyler her drug addicted foster brother who re-enters Aubrey's life and is not to be trusted, yet they have important history that is to be revealed. You won't know who to believe, each discovery compelling, but the brilliant twists and turns of this thriller keep the secret until the very end...which I didn't see coming at all. Its a complexity that hits you all of a sudden. I am glad I bought this book, its one I could not wait to read - you won't be disappointed if you like psychological thrillers!!

Reading Progress

02/09 marked as: to-read 04/03 marked as: currently-reading

J.T. Ellison is one of my favorite authors. She has proven her ability to create complex, multilayered, unsettling, dark plots filled with twists and turns as evidenced by the Taylor Jackson and Samantha Owens series. Also excels at character development, a fact that she has proven through both of those series.

Now Ellison proves she can do the same with a standalone novel, No One Knows. This story is a dark journey the principal characters take from beginning to end, and the end is jaw dropping and extraordinary. I was gobsmacked! Many other reviewers have described the story in detail, so I won't.

The story is told from the POV (Point of View) of the principal characters, alternating from present to past and character to character. The time frame and character changes are clearly identified and serve the story line very well.

The characters are important to the story, varied and for the most part were well developed, especially the protagonist Aubrey. Aubrey is a fascinating character. Initially she seemed to be a fragile victim of her circumstances and probably unstable. I saw her as a person without much depth but as the story unfolded, she evolved into a strong character with real depth and I found myself not only liking her but admiring her fortitude.

The story is full of betrayal, lies and deceit. Talk about nothing is as it seems, Josh (Aubrey's husband) turns out to be reverse of Aubrey's portrayal of him. From my point of view he turned out to be a weak and basically self-centered man with a lack of a strong moral center. As you get near the end of the book you will see why I say that.

There are somethings that do bother me about aspects of this story. Where did Daisy's (Josh's mother and Aubrey's mother-in-law) vicious hatred of Aubrey come from? It was never really explained. What happened to Aubrey's foster brother (Tyler), he seemed important to the story and Aubrey but just disappeared near the last couple of chapters. Then there is Chase. He is important to Aubrey and she has strong feelings for him but near the end dismisses those feelings and he sort of disappears. He knows she winds up in a hospital (how does she get there and why has he cut her out) but seems to have cut her out of his part of the story and then the next thing we are in Chicago with the "where did that come from" ending.

Therefor I rated the story overall at 4.40. However, be clear that THIS IS A BOOK WORTH READING!!!! For that matter you should treat yourself and after reading this book go on and read all of the Taylor Jackson series in order and then the Samantha Owens series in order. You deserve the best!

5 star review until the end. I gave this book a four star review because I absolutely loved it until the last chapter. This was compelling and riveting and well written until the very last chapter and epilogue when I found myself confused.

My review is not because I wanted a different conclusion but because It was abrupt and felt rushed and unfinished.

I was disappointed with this book. Parts I and II were a great set up to what should have been an awesome part III. Some others have mentioned plot twists that do not make sense. This is absolutely true. The ending totally negates major portions of this book. Perhaps the main character's mental illness should have been explained better in order to lay it out in a way appears logical to the reader. It is a thriller in a sense that the book has several flashbacks, and these always seem to start at a suspenseful point in the story line. This book has been compared to Gone Girl, it certainly has a couple similar plot points, but its not nearly the psychological mind game that Gone Girl is. And really? Mrs. Boden? That seemed to be thrown in at the end, and honestly it was totally pathetic.

I'm amazed I'm giving this two stars but I normally enjoy the author's work. This, however, was a big disappointment. The ending totally came out of left field and was so unbelievable that even if you'd been enjoying the book it was sure to leave a bad taste in your mouth. To begin with each chapter bounced you from character to character like a ping pong ball. This slowed the pace of the story and made it drag until I started flipping pages just wanting it to be over!

We're supposed to feel sorry for the lead character, Aubrey. Her husband, Josh, disappeared off the face of the earth five years ago and she's supposedly never gotten over it. She comes across as pathetic, takes pills because she hallucinates, and has sex with another man because he reminds her so much of her missing husband. Her mother-in-law is a vicious woman who blames Aubrey for her son's death. She's going after the insurance money that was apparently supposed to go to her if Josh hadn't forgotten to change beneficiaries before he went missing. Then we also get Josh's perspective of what went down before he disappeared.

By the time I got to the end I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. The characters at the end are totally different than what we've been led to believe throughout the story. All I can say is don't waste your money. Hopefully the author will stick to her series work and leave the standalones alone!

I do like J.T. Ellison's stories, usually. She's a compelling writer who draws you into each scene with her prose. I wish she would stay in her scenes and write to the end with an occasional drop of backstory-- instead of the jarring way she jumps back and forth in time. One chapter at a time.

This book missed the mark for me. I've noticed that Ms. Ellison has trouble creating main characters who are likable. I failed to enjoy ANY character in this book. Aubrey began as a believable widow then turned into Ms. Ellison's typical tragic, mental case of a woman. I kept waiting for her ex-mother-in-law, Daisy's redeeming qualities, but they were not written anywhere in this book. She was too awful to Aubrey and too cliched as the evil mother of Aubrey's lost husband. Everyone has something that redeems them as a human being. Not Daisy Hamilton.

Each time I read one of Ms. Ellison's books, I hope for a smoothly written plot. When I finally get settled into the forward moment of the story and relax, Ms. Ellison goes back in time with a character years earlier. I'm struck by the continual yank between past and present and back again. It's frustrating. And it happens a lot.

I won't spoil the ending, but found it so off-putting I was shocked at how the author concluded the mystery. The already unlikable characters were made worse in the end. Sadly, I will forego reading more of Ms. Ellison's books for now. I can't bring myself to get over the format and unpleasant characters.