JoAnn Chaney | What You Don't Know

This week sure was busy and with summer approaching, it's only going to get crazier. So, while I went out and celebrated a little too much for my upcoming 30th birthday on Friday, last night I just wanted to go to bed at like...11. I didn't. I pushed through and finished "What You Don't Know" by JoAnn Chaney last night @ 2AM! It was so worth it.

Plot: 

He didn’t take their lives -- but he ruined them.

The final victims of an infamous serial killer may be the ones he didn’t kill.

Hoskins cracked the case of one of the most infamous serial killers -- and then it cracked him. He’s in cold cases, as is his career.

Sammie was the lead reporter who broke the story, but now she’s selling makeup at the mall. She wants back on page 1.

Gloria claims she was the unsuspecting wife. She didn’t know a thing.

And as new murders shake Denver, this is a final chance to get their lives back.

Review:

As a reader, whenever I am nose-deep in some new thriller or mystery, I am always a sucker for imagery. When I read, I cast the characters in my mind and really need to envision a novel as a movie in my mind. This is why I started casting main characters on my Instagram when I post my review.

With that being said, this was the book for me. So uniquely written, this one actually is written out between the three characters...not necessarily their perspectives like you're used to, but as "scenes". It also kind of reads like a movie. Telling you when the music gets creepy, when something ominous is looming. This is probably the most unique way I've ever read a book other than "Six Stories".

The plot is f-ing terrifying. A pillar of the community as a serial killer? Even worse, a serial killer who legit dresses like a clown. I. Am. NOT. Joking. Everything that goes bump in the night was in this novel...including the horrors of retail during Christmas!

The characters are all so three-dimensional, that I had to question of this was in fact a novel or if I had read something wrong and found myself with a non-fiction book. They were in your face, real, unlikeable, selfish, manipulative, and beautiful. I especially loved the coldness of Gloria and the wild Ralph Loren. 

And then there's the meat of the novel. A copycat killer? Bodies start to be found and does this take a turn for the worse...for the characters anyway. For me, it was such a thrilling read. It was intensely written with red herrings literally EVERYWHERE. Like I had about four or five theories before reading the finale.

The ending was extremely satisfying. The credits were rolling.

And then, my personal favorite part of the story happened. Chaney actually wrote a chapter called "What You Don't Know", which is about eight paragraphs answering all of the questions you might have...or come up with after reading. What happened to this person when it was over...how this person started doing this...how did so-and-so react to this earlier...

It was amazing. 

And then in  true movie (or good television) fashion, there is an unremarkably creepy last chapter that I don't think I'll ever forget.

I cannot recommend this one enough. Read it now. A long weekend is coming up and this is the perfect book to keep you occupied while you enjoy three whole glorious days off!

Rating: 5/5