Review: I Know You Know by Gilly Macmillan

Title: I Know You Know

Author: Gilly Macmillan

Published: September 2018, William Morrow Paperbacks

Format: ARC Paperback, 384 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary:

Twenty years ago,
eleven-year-olds Charlie Page and Scott Ashby were murdered in the city
of Bristol, their bodies dumped near a dog racing track. A man was
convicted of the brutal crime, but decades later, questions still
linger.

For his whole life, filmmaker Cody Swift has been haunted
by the deaths of his childhood best friends. The loose ends of the
police investigation consume him so much that he decides to return to
Bristol in search of answers. Hoping to uncover new evidence, and to
encourage those who may be keeping long-buried secrets to speak up, Cody
starts a podcast to record his findings. But there are many people who
don’t want the case—along with old wounds—reopened so many years after
the tragedy, especially Charlie’s mother, Jess, who decides to take
matters into her own hands.

When a long-dead body is found in the
same location the boys were left decades before, the disturbing
discovery launches another murder investigation. Now Detective John
Fletcher, the investigator on the original case, must reopen his dusty
files and decide if the two murders are linked. With his career at risk,
the clock is ticking and lives are in jeopardy…

My thoughts: Ever since reading Gilly Macmillan’s debut novel, What She Knew, back in 2015, I knew this was an author I was going to follow and read everything she wrote…and so far she has not let me down! I love that she has her books with familiar characters – DI Jim Clemo and then she has her standalones, and each and every one stands out as being twisty and brilliantly crafty, with that one unique piece to make it stand out.

I am not a listener of podcasts, but I loved how it was used in this book to tell part of the story. I know that other authors have used this device in their books but I have not read those books yet, though I plan to soon! This is just one of the many elements used to tell the story. There was also the different points of view and the use of a dual narrative – and all these different elements came together to tell one heck of a good story that kept me captivated from page one. I binge-read this book in one day, unable to tear myself from this book once I started reading it.

Ever so slowly, the suspense builds in this book. It seems that everyone is hiding secrets and no one is as they seem. The true crime podcast series that Cody Swift is producing is in the hopes that he will finally get answers to what really happened the night his two best friends were murdered. Was the wrong man sent to prison for their murder? And was the man that was just unearthed in a spot not far from where the boys were killed linked to their murders?  

I loved that as we get to know the characters, both from their own perspectives and what we learn about them during the investigations, we find that they aren’t necessarily what we might have thought of them initially. This book is definitely full of rich character development and as we get deeper into the book, we find that each of the characters aren’t quite who they appear to be. You end up questioning them and wondering if they are trustworthy or not…and that is the brilliance of this book. Just when you think you have it all worked out, think again!

This book kept me on my toes and guessing all the way up to the very last page. I thought I was on the right track but boy was I wrong. There were just enough twists to keep me guessing and wondering where it would head next. And the way the story was told definitely added to the intrigue. I really enjoyed this book and definitely recommend it!