What She Knew
Author: Gilly MacMillan
Genre: Mystery/Crime
Published by: William Morrow
Published on: December 1, 2015
Pages: 512 [paperback]
Opening Sentence:
In the eyes of others, we’re often not who we imagine ourselves to be.
On a crisp Sunday afternoon, Rachel and her son, Ben, were taking a nature walk with their dog. Feeling independent, Ben ran ahead to a rope swing. When Rachel reached the clearing, the rope was eerily swaying, the dog’s leg was broken, and her son was missing.
Now, Rachel is shattered; she hit rock bottom. Her husband left her for a younger woman, and her son is missing. The journalists camped outside her front door and the media pointing fingers at her certainly aren’t helping. In the draining effort to find her son, what will she lose along the way?
“In the UK, a child is reported missing every three minutes.” (www.missingkids.co.uk)
Review
MacMillan takes her time telling the story. At the start, we are as clueless as those searching for Benedict Finch. But when it picks up, it really picks up. It took me a week to read the first half, and a day to read the second half. I became addicted, sneaking in a couple of pages here and there throughout the day. I HAD to find out what happened to Benedict Finch in the woods that day.
What She Knew is told, alternately, by Detective Jim Clemo and Rachel, the mother.
Furthermore, the story is told in a variety of formats:
- First Person;
- Blog Style;
- E-Mail Correspondence; and
- Psych Evaluation of DI Jim Clemo
Dr. Francesa Manelli’s evaluation of the detective is a curve ball in the story; the psychiatrist questions the stability of the DI Clemo in the aftermath of the investigation. The fact that DI Clemo is speaking to a psychiatrist leads readers to assume that the turnout of the case was not good.
MacMillan builds a breathtaking crescendo of tension, until suspects emerge. The conclusion, although long waited for, is dramatic and will leave you in utter shock.
My Rating
What She Knew is the first book of the Jim Clemo series. The second book, Odd Child Out, was published October 2017.
If you enjoy novels by authors such as Tana French, Jane Harper, Kate Atkinson, and J.K. Rowling (aka Robert Galbraith), than this series is for you!
This sounds like a really good book! Check out my latest post for another underrated crime novel! Hope you like and follow and subscribe if you do!xx
I will check it out right now! Thanks & happy reading 🙂
I read this book in 2016 and really loved it! I’ve been meaning to get Odd Child Out but haven’t yet. I’m really looking forward to it. Great review 😊
Thank you! Happy reading 🙂
hmmm I’ve never heard of this book but I love mysteries and all the authors you mentioned. thanks for the heads up!
Anytime!
Oh now I see why this rung a bell… I have Odd Child Out on my TBR! I didn’t know it was a part of a series though. I love a dramatic, shocking ending so this sounds like a wonderful book as well and I should probably read it first!
This sounds really good. I like that it’s told in a variety of formats.