Gregg Olsen did a fine job in relating this true tale of three sisters raised by their dangerously mentally ill mother and compliant stepfather near Seattle, Washington.

Shelly Knotek was described as a beautiful, vivacious young woman who attracted all kinds of people with her charismatic personality. Unfortunately, many of those who were most attracted to her were those who were easily overwhelmed by a master manipulator. Not only did Shelly torture and abuse her own daughters in unthinkable ways, she subjected them to these same and worse nightmares that she inflicted upon others, even to the point of repeated murders.

This book is fascinating and horrifying. Both Shelly and her weak husband, who allowed himself to be manipulated as much as others did, inflicted continuous terror to her daughters, Nikki, Sami and Tori. In so many instances, I found myself wanting to scream at all of the victims to just “get out of that house!”

Although the author states that all three adult daughters are now living happy lives, I can only imagine that it took years of therapy for them to reach that point, considering the nightmarish lives they led. I sincerely hope they’ve been able to put their past behind them. The one thing that I wish the author had expounded on was more of their lives today, but I realize that the women themselves may have requested that this be kept private, based on all they’ve lived through. I don’t blame them.

Let me just say that this was a tough, cringe-worthy read. This book illustrates what evil can lie within a person and it shows that the human spirit is able to endure and thrive.

My thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for this advanced readers copy. This book released in December, 2019.

Very well written true crime book. I already like your books Gregg both non fiction and fiction. This book didn't disappoint. It was so disturbing to read what happened. I couldn't put it down and wanted to keep on reading. Its so sad that this story is true.

Too lengthy (450 pages), biased and half-baked account of an incredibly evil woman (and compliant / indifferent / enabling / dysfunctional people in her life).

When a person is found to be guilty of horrific crimes against family and friends, there is a reasonable assumption that they must be 'evil / just not right in the head.' This book gives no other explanation of Michelle Knoteck's behavior - the author spoke to her stepmother and her 3 daughters and last husband (who was convicted of aiding and abetting her) - that's it. All of these people are full of stories of her perpetual abuse - which is true (because she got convicted) but it doesn't provide the entire detail or picture of this person's life and behavior.

It would've been better if Mr. Olsen had been an objective observer, taking all the scenes from the sidelines, and talking to more people from Knoteck household, town and employers and friends, to get a well-rounded picture of Michelle Knoteck's double life.

And 'Nikki' is directly responsible for getting 'Shane' killed - though Shane should've just run away anonymously. Both, of course, are easier to say when one is not in the thick of it.

No pictures in the arc.

Thanks to the publisher for the ARC. But as much as Mr. Olsen has worked on writing it, he should've done more research.

I didn’t originally realize this was a true story. This story was quite shocking and very hard to read. While I understand it is a true crime the cut and dry writing made it difficult. The author did a great job conveying the details but would have liked more opinions and if the story was more personalized.
In all it was very well written and interesting. I would recommend this for any true crime readers.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

Unsatisfying

This is a horrific account of child abuse and murder but not much else. It is heartbreaking and so hard to read. But there’s not much thought put into it other than a cut and dry retelling of cobbled facts. There’s no reason or attempt to find any logic of why this went on, how. Maybe more importantly, how can this be avoided?

I read these books of true crime to try and figure out what went wrong and where. This gave me none of that. I can’t figure out why her parents allowed her to continue behaving and manipulating people the way she did? I can’t imagine a man spraying an outside hose on a freezing child in the name of love. It just doesn’t make sense! And there was no attempt to try and find out!!

I know the author is that, an author, not a psychologist and has no basis to weigh in BUT, for goodness sake, meet with a few and get their opinions!

Maybe I want to find answers where there aren’t any.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Thomas & Mercer for a copy in exchange for a review.

I love true crime so I was really excited to read this book. I was pulled into the story right away when I read that it was about 3 sisters, because I am one of 3 sisters. Thankfully, I never experienced any of the abuse that these sisters did at the hands of their mother. I have read other accounts of abuse, but never have I read any that have the same level of abuse, manipulation, deceit, torture, and downright dehumanizing actions of a mother.

The Knotek family might have seemed like a "normal," loving family to outsiders; but anyone that lived in the home knew the horrors within the walls of that house (I can't truly call theirs a "home"). Nikki, Sami, and Tori (in that birth order) were all subjected to abuse of themselves and others, and they were even manipulated into "helping" their mother with abusive behaviors mostly out of fear of retribution and punishment at the hands of their sadistic mother, Shelly.

I don't know how anyone can read such a disturbing account of abuse without being totally disgusted and in horror at the thought of a mother inflicting such pain on her own children, as well as others. The degree to which she manipulated others into allowing abuse, even those who were not family, is unfathomable and even shocking to me.

Gregg Olsen created a well-written account of the Knotek family, and I love that he included the background of Shelly's father and mother and their relationships with Shelly. It did help me understand (if that's possible) why Shelly would have difficulty being nurturing and loving, but nothing could ever give me reason enough to comprehend why she did the despicable things she did.

Note: I would like to thank NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer publishing for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

Tbh, I didn't know this story was real until I read this book. I was shocked at the gruesome details this mother did to her children and whatnot. I love anything true crime, but man, this one kinda got me. The poor children this woman hurt, my heart just breaks. A really great story but very dark and heart wrenching.

Thank you Netgalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Holy cow, reader beware this book will absolutely gut you! It’s heart wrenching, shocking, disturbing, and dark! It makes you crazy wondering how a mother could possibly treat her children in the disgusting manner this woman (won’t even call her a mother, as I don’t think she was one) did. Gregg Olsen did a wonderful job of telling this painful story, in a way that let the reader into the cruel, deprived world, but also I felt respected the victims. I highly recommend to those who love true crime, but are able to deal with the triggers heinous child abuse can cause. I had a hard time being a mom myself!
Will make sure to buzz this book up!

I can't even begin to wrap my head around how a mother can be so abusive toward her children. I couldn't get this book out of my head for a long time.

Shocking! Disturbing! Unbelievable!

I had to keep reminding myself this isn’t fictional, this really happened! Shelly was a true sadist but beyond that horribly sick. My heart goes out to those daughters, they are forever changed by what the endured and witnessed. This is not only a story of horrors but a story of survival. A story of not just a bond that sisters shared but a love between them that was stronger than their mother’s numerous attempts to sever.

Blame it on podcasts but I've recently become fascinated by true crime, something that just wasn't the case before. Before, I used to like my crime fictional with strong female protagonists and killers that didn't seem to die until the very last page. Now, I like to read about what really happened, though given how horrific some of these stories are, I'm not sure it's really a good idea!
That's definitely how I felt at points in If You Tell. There were times when I just didn't want to pick it up because the story was so relentlessly bad. Three young girls desperate for the love of a mother who the word psycho seems to have been made for. A woman so evil that anyone who trusted her came to regret it (if they didn't end up dead first). It's also a story of triumph over adversity, of people coming good despite having a horrendous start in life, a life I couldn't imagine living.
All this makes for a fascinating story, one that sent me to google to find out more. Unfortunately, the relentlessness of Shelly Knotek doesn't necessarily make for a good book - at least not for me. After a while, the repetitiveness of what she did, how she behaved, started to make me feel somewhat numb. This wasn't helped by the way the story was told, with the girls reminiscing and reliving conversations.
For me, there were too many places where these took over from hard facts; it's hard when you are only being given one side of the story. There were also too few other voices. Interviews with other people would, I think, have helped paint a more rounded picture, one with real depth.
Which leaves liking but not loving the book. Sorry!

Powerful and terrifying, If You Tell is the brutal story of a mother's abuse of her daughters and others in her life and how she was able to get away with horrific crimes for so long, influence others to commit abuse and the damage this has on her family. It reminded me a bit of the what happened to Sylvia Likens, showing how a matriarch can create a situation of constant abuse and control over her family.

Highly recommend for those who enjoy listening to true crime podcasts. This is a story that has not received as much profile as some of the "big" ones in the genre but is very important and deserves attention so we can help stop this form of abuse from happening again.

Olsen is a respectful in how he tells the story and does not exploit the tragic topic.

Trigger warning: detailed abuse against children

Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A powerful, terrifying read. How a mother can abuse, manipulate and terrorize her own family astonishes me. This story literally gave me nightmares and I wouldn't recommend it to the faint of heart. It's brutal but the fact that it's a true story... wow.

This is a story that never really made the headlines because there were no trials to air the details of the horrific cruelty inflicted on innocent people by this woman, who is currently serving a 22-year sentence for her crimes. For the most part, the details were told in a well-written, chronological order of events. I recommend this book for anyone interested in true crime and its lasting effects on the surviving victims.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for providing a copy of this book to read and review. Opinions expressed are my own.

Chilling, in that this is a true story about emotional and physical abuse of children.
Scary, in that this is a true story about the deliberate torture and subsequent murder of at least three people.
Fascinating, in that this is a true story about personal strength, sisterly love, and personal resilience.

I have become such a true crime junkie, I’ve read/ listened to a ton of crime books and podcasts, but I’ve never heard a story like this one. It was dark, disturbing at times- especially towards the end, and it was so well written.

As far as plot goes, I don’t want to go too much into detail because I think you should read this one and see how it all unfolds for yourself.

A true story of murder and abuse. Although tough to read and hard hitting I had to keep reading to make sure Shelley got what was coming to her.

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle's talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now.

This book is amazing. I often find true crime books a bit hit and miss. Some are great, others get so caught up in the details that it ends up boring you to death (pun unintended). This is one of the good ones, possibly even one of the best true crime books I’ve ever read. Greg Olsen writes in such a way that you are led in to believing that it’s just a story. Each component of the story told in such an eloquent manner, that while you are getting all the facts, it does feel just like a really good mystery/thriller novel - I think that’s what’s so brilliant about it. Yes, the crimes are horrendous and and awful and this book is not for the faint of heart. But if, like me, you love a good gruesome book than I would highly recommend it. It really does shed light on the awful torment the three sisters went through, with such care and grace.

Thanks to #netgalley for the ARC. What a read! I raced through this book it was spellbinding. When I wasn't reading it, I couldn't stop thinking about it and wondering how it would all end. The fact that its a true story wasn't lost on me. The subject matter is very dark and disturbing as well as being inspiring of just what people can survive through. Nikki, Sami and Tori grew up in a house of horrors where their mother and father subjected them all to years of horrific abuse as well as inflicted horrific abuse on other people who lived with them in front of the girls. Their mother Shelly was the severely disturbed woman behind all of the abuse. The manipulative and evil ways she tortured her victims is beyond comprehension. The most disturbing thing is that she will soon have finished serving her prison sentence for these horrors and be released. The bonds, love and empathy these 3 girls all have despite the horrors inflicted upon them is nothing short of amazing. Their love and support of each other and how they have managed to survive their childhoods is nothing short of inspiring. #greggolsen #netgalley #bookstagram #goodreads #amazon #kindle #ifyoutell #forreadingaddicts #litsy #tea_sipping_bookworm #t2tea
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