Thursday, March 31, 2016

#Thursday Review - No One Know by J.T. Ellison (Mystery Thriller)

Series: Standalone
Format: E-Galley, 368 pages
Release Date: March 22, 2016
Publisher: Gallery Books
Source: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery

The day Aubrey Hamilton’s husband is declared dead by the state of Tennessee should bring closure so she can move on with her life. But Aubrey doesn’t want to move on; she wants Josh back. It’s been five years since he disappeared, since their blissfully happy marriage—they were happy, weren’t they?—screeched to a halt and Aubrey became the prime suspect in his disappearance. Five years of emptiness, solitude, loneliness, questions. Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered? Did he run away? And now, all this time later, who is the mysterious yet strangely familiar figure suddenly haunting her new life?

In No One Knows, the New York Times bestselling coauthor of the Nicholas Drummond series expertly peels back the layers of a complex woman who is hiding dark secrets beneath her unassuming exterior. This masterful thriller for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins will pull readers into a you’ll-never-guess merry-go-round of danger and deception. Round and round and round it goes, where it stops…no one knows.






Five years ago, Aubrey Hamilton's husband Joshua disappeared without a trace while attending his friends bachelor party. No One Knows what really happened to him. No one really knows if Aubrey had anything to do with his disappearance, or if she is keeping a deep dark secret from Josh's mother Daisy who despises her. Aubrey knows one thing for sure; The State of Tennessee officially declared Josh dead, and her monster in-law intends on fighting her for the insurance monies that are due any day.

Let's have an honest chat about this book, shall we? This story is an absolute trip from start to finish. From the moment the story opens, we see a distraught and angry character named Aubrey Hamilton being told that her husband is officially dead after 5 years missing. From there, we get flashbacks of Aubrey's life, and I have to say that I would have given this lady a hug or two for everything that she experienced in her younger years. The connection between Josh and Aubrey is true. Josh was always there for Aubrey, even in her darkest days in foster care with only Tyler to save her from bullies.

Either by her own hand, or others, Aubrey really goes thru the ringer with her own life, and her job as a teacher after Josh disappears. She's forced to defend herself against a rogue District Attorney and an arresting officer who both believe that she's guilty of murder. But the worst of the worst when it comes to her own personal antagonist Daisy Hamilton. I have nothing nice to say about Daisy. She showed absolutely no emotion for Aubrey after she lost her parents, and later when she and Josh became a couple. Daisy is 100 percent sure that Aubrey is guilty as Sin for Josh's disappearance. She goes to extraordinary lengths to claim the insurance monies that Josh left for Aubrey. Money that Aubrey never wanted. 

No One Knows is mostly told from Aubrey's prospective, but there are others like Chase Borden, Daisy, and Josh himself through flashbacks that take place from 5-20 years in the past. Each makes their appearances felt. Chase as a reporter looking into the truth about Josh, Josh as he spirals out of control, and Daisy, well I've already spoken enough about her.

The author does a good job of getting you to feel all sorts of emotions for Aubrey, some good, some bad, but really lays it on readers by the time you get to the final 3 chapters. I dare say I love good twists, and this particular twist just floored me to the point where my mouth hung open for a good 5 minutes. It also left me questioning how any of what happens makes any sense. Ellison really does psychological stories well. You really have to wonder if you can trust any of the characters in this story.


Quote of the book:

"Fairy tales don't come true. Parent's die and leave you alone in the world. Little girls get molested. Lover's die; husband's die, and disappear, then try to pretend all is well."




No comments:

Post a Comment