Husband disappears (Josh), Aubrey is arrested and ultimately released for lack of evidence. Fast forward 5 years, Aubrey's mother in law (Daisy) is moving to have Josh declared dead. He also has a 5 million life insurance policy.
Lots of going back and forth between present and past. Lots of narratives (Josh, Daisy, Chase, and the main one- Aubrey). Aubrey's got the tragic backstory (orphaned, foster care kid, poor). She lacked a backbone and continued to tolerate toxic people- her (foster) brother Tyler and MIL Daisy. Daisy hated Aubrey (and for no good reason except she didn't like Aubrey's mom when she was alive). Daisy was the stereotypical MIL, but dialed up to 100 (was that really necessary?). The whole "poor me" got on my nerves.
And just as I thought I know everything there was THAT TWIST. Really?! And then the epilogue. Geez Louise. I still have questions that really weren't answered (what was Megan's deal?)
Lots of going back and forth between present and past. Lots of narratives (Josh, Daisy, Chase, and the main one- Aubrey). Aubrey's got the tragic backstory (orphaned, foster care kid, poor). She lacked a backbone and continued to tolerate toxic people- her (foster) brother Tyler and MIL Daisy. Daisy hated Aubrey (and for no good reason except she didn't like Aubrey's mom when she was alive). Daisy was the stereotypical MIL, but dialed up to 100 (was that really necessary?). The whole "poor me" got on my nerves.
And just as I thought I know everything there was THAT TWIST. Really?! And then the epilogue. Geez Louise. I still have questions that really weren't answered (what was Megan's deal?)
I've read twisty murder thrillers before but nothing, nothing on the scale of "No One Knows". Just as soon as you feel comfortable that you've got a hold on the truth and what's really going on, the rug gets ripped out from under you and you realize you don't know Jack! And this happens again and again. But it works! You don't feel cheated by the reveals because they actually feel right and make sense. The layers are peeled back one by one and until the very final paragraph do you feel that it is done. The characters are amazingly fleshed out and I never felt like they were acting out of character. I don't reread many books (who has the time with the awesome selection of good books out there) but this one is one I'll make an exception on and I know that it will be fully enjoyed and relished even though I now know the ending.
Disappointing and hard to get through.
Aubrey Marie Trenton Hamilton divides her life into three sections. Seven years before she met Josh, the seventeen years she knew Josh, and the five years since Josh died. Josh Hamilton and Aubrey met when they were around seven years old. When Aubrey was eight her parents passed away and Aubrey went into foster care (where she grew up too fast). Five years ago Josh and Aubrey were going to friend's bachelor and bachelorette parties. They were in an accident on the way, but they finally arrive at the hotel where the parties were being held. They parted ways after entering the lobby and that is the last time Aubrey saw Josh. Josh's body was not found and the investigation focused on Aubrey (of course). Daisy Hamilton, Josh's mother, never liked Aubrey (because she did not like Aubrey's mother, Marie). Daisy petitioned the courts to have Josh declared dead after five years (she wants his big life insurance policy which names Aubrey as beneficiary). Daisy likes rubbing salt into Aubrey's very open wounds (still grieving). Then Aubrey sees a man who walks just like Josh (has other similar mannerisms). He also looks a lot like Josh. His name is Chase Boden. Chase is a reporter from Chicago wanting to write a story on Josh (believes there is more to the story). Chase and Aubrey start looking into Josh's past. What happened to him five years ago? Read No One Knows to find out.
I found No One Knows by J.T. Ellison to be expected (I wanted surprises and twists). It is a slow-paced novel with a likely "twist" (to me it was no surprise) at the end. The pace of the novel does pick up near the end (thank goodness). No One Knows is told from various viewpoints and goes back and forth in time to tell the story (which makes it hard to get into the novel). I was hoping for a good suspense novel, and it was just okay. I think to enjoy a novel you have to like the main character (at least a little bit), but I did not like Aubrey (nor Daisy). My favorite character was Winston, the Weimaraner. No One Knows contains foul language, sex, drugs, and violence (fair warning). I give No One Knows 3 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of No One Knows from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the novel.
I found No One Knows by J.T. Ellison to be expected (I wanted surprises and twists). It is a slow-paced novel with a likely "twist" (to me it was no surprise) at the end. The pace of the novel does pick up near the end (thank goodness). No One Knows is told from various viewpoints and goes back and forth in time to tell the story (which makes it hard to get into the novel). I was hoping for a good suspense novel, and it was just okay. I think to enjoy a novel you have to like the main character (at least a little bit), but I did not like Aubrey (nor Daisy). My favorite character was Winston, the Weimaraner. No One Knows contains foul language, sex, drugs, and violence (fair warning). I give No One Knows 3 out of 5 stars.
I received a complimentary copy of No One Knows from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review of the novel.
Book Description
In an obsessive mystery as thrilling as The Girl on the Train and The Husband's Secret, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison will make you question every twist in her page-turning novel--and wonder which of her vividly drawn characters you should trust.
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.
My Review
I've read Gone Girl, The Husband's Secret and The Girl on the Train but I think Ellison's book, No One Knows, definitely tops them all. The characters are well-drawn but as in all complex mystery plots, some of them are not like what they seem like. It is a page turner with lots of twists and turns. Just when you think you have figured things out another twist comes and keeps you spinning until the very last page. This was my first book by Ellison but it won't be my last. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy a mystery thriller with a totally surprise ending.
In an obsessive mystery as thrilling as The Girl on the Train and The Husband's Secret, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison will make you question every twist in her page-turning novel--and wonder which of her vividly drawn characters you should trust.
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.
My Review
I've read Gone Girl, The Husband's Secret and The Girl on the Train but I think Ellison's book, No One Knows, definitely tops them all. The characters are well-drawn but as in all complex mystery plots, some of them are not like what they seem like. It is a page turner with lots of twists and turns. Just when you think you have figured things out another twist comes and keeps you spinning until the very last page. This was my first book by Ellison but it won't be my last. I highly recommend this novel to those who enjoy a mystery thriller with a totally surprise ending.
This book grabbed me like glue and I found it "unputdownable".
I loved the cast of characters, loathed the despicable mother-in-law, and enjoyed every abundant twist and turn this thriller spewed at me! The ending was like "OMG", never saw it coming. I savored the Epilogue.
Reviews are all over the place for this mystery/thriller, but I loved it and recommend it for lovers of this genre.
I loved the cast of characters, loathed the despicable mother-in-law, and enjoyed every abundant twist and turn this thriller spewed at me! The ending was like "OMG", never saw it coming. I savored the Epilogue.
Reviews are all over the place for this mystery/thriller, but I loved it and recommend it for lovers of this genre.
I liked this BUT it does have some flaws--it moves very slow and has a lot of repeat repeat in it, how many times do you need to say 'he is dead', I didn't find it a 'thriller' but I did finish as I wanted to know the ending but there is a lot to tread through with all the flashbacks
Don't want to give anything away but the ending was not what I expected and was kinda a let down, you reach a point in the book that you think 'okay I know where this is going' and it goes along for a few chapters but as it gets near the end it has more twists (you can probably figure it out) and it does another turn (which I didn't expect) and it kind of spoiled something, then at the very end of the book it seemed like 'was that the best ending she could come up with?'
There will be some that will LOVE this book and I gave it 4 stars because I think it deserves a good rating because you can probably overlook the flaws in the story but I didn't find it a suspense or thriller at all but just a mild mystery that will hold your attention if you can survive the flashbacks to get the whole story in bits and pieces.
Don't want to give anything away but the ending was not what I expected and was kinda a let down, you reach a point in the book that you think 'okay I know where this is going' and it goes along for a few chapters but as it gets near the end it has more twists (you can probably figure it out) and it does another turn (which I didn't expect) and it kind of spoiled something, then at the very end of the book it seemed like 'was that the best ending she could come up with?'
There will be some that will LOVE this book and I gave it 4 stars because I think it deserves a good rating because you can probably overlook the flaws in the story but I didn't find it a suspense or thriller at all but just a mild mystery that will hold your attention if you can survive the flashbacks to get the whole story in bits and pieces.
This kept me guessing. Lots of twists and turns!
