This book has more twists and turns in it than the mighty Mississippi! Tell Me My Name is a mind boggling psychological thriller that some may not be able to wrap their mind around; others will devour it. You best be prepared to read this one straight through from beginning to end. Enjoy!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my voluntary and honest review.

Imagine you and your significant other are tied up by someone from your past. You have no idea who this mysterious kidnapper is, but he knows you. He gives you three chances to guess his name. If you guess wrong the first time your husband loses his finger, second time husband loses his toe, third wrong guess your husband dies. Basically this is how this one starts off. Talk about creepy and unsettling. If you want to find out what happens next check this one out!

I will say this one had me hooked for the first half of this book, I read the first half in one sitting during the work week and that never happens. This is one of those thriller books with a lot of action, so it’s going to seem like a quick read because you will want to keep turning those pages.

This was an excellent suspense thriller, with a few twists scattered throughout. I especially loved the final twist. I love thrillers that make me feel a wide range of emotions, and this one had me feeling sad, tense, nervous, and rooting for the main characters.

This is my first book by @erinruddy but I would happily read more from her.

Thank you @netgalley and @dundurnpress this one is available everywhere on Tuesday!

Buckle up for this wild terrifying novel. You won’t put down the book until the very end!


Ellie and Neil are kidnapped and tortured by a stranger from Ellie’s part. Ellie is tasked with three guesses to guess the kidnappers name for everything to end at once but the only problem is Ellie can’t remember who the kidnapper really is. Any wrong answers leads to unimaginable consequences for Neil.

As Ellie desperately goes down memory lane to find out who this stranger is from her past she realizes all the deliciously dangerous truth about her and husband’s, Neil, love story was all just a lie

Seeking for a rollercoaster of emotions and nail bitting action? How a look at TELL ME MY NAME!

Ellie and Neil are finally getting some alone time after dropping their two children off at summer camp. Ellie chases their dog into the neighbor’s yard and accidentally invites the neighbor, Jake, for dinner. Two days later, Jake has kidnapped them both. Jake has three rules for Ellie...but only the last one is important. “All you have to do is Tell Me My Name. Say it, or your husband loses a toe.”

I’m not sure why but I really didn’t care what happened to these characters. Usually, I enjoy an unsympathetic hero or heroine. I think it was because I didn’t feel that they acted the way a real person would in the same situation. Plus I was quickly sick of hearing about Ellie’s childhood issues. I also dislike the ending as it was just too much of a coincidence. For me, 2 stars.

Thanks to Dundurn Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

This was a fast-paced thriller with twists and turns. I found it a little predictable but if you're looking for a quick and easy thriller, give it a try.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Rating: 4 🍷 🍷 🍷 🍷 !!!!!!!
Book: Tell Me My Name
(Release Date: October 27, 2020)
Author: Erin Ruddy
Genre: Thrillers, Mystery, Suspense
⚠️Triggers-Abuse, Kidnapping

This was a debut book by the author, and I was not letdown. Tell Me My Name was a fast-paced thriller that had you trying to figure out the mystery of the kidnapper’s identity along with Ellie. The book starts right off with action, Ellie and her husband being kidnapped by a “stranger”. Except this stranger is someone Ellie should know from the past and if she doesn’t guess his name before time runs out then there will be dire repercussions.

This book is not full of twists but there is one main twist that I think you can see coming if you pay attention. It does, however, have a lot of thrills and suspense wrapped up in a bunch of crazy chapters that play out just like a scene from a movie. This was a quick and engaging read for me and I would recommend it.

Thank you to @NetGalley @DundurnPress for an advanced copy of @TellMeMyName and @ErinRuddy

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This can best be described as a warped version of Rumpelstiltskin. Ellie is kidnapped by a man from her past and to save her husband, she must say the name of the man, who has had cosmetic surgery, etc, and is not easily physically recognized. I like the concept but didn't connect with the execution. Ellie somehow didn't seem sympathetic. I did not like her husband at all. And the villain just seemed like a very sad person in need of some help. In addition, the story seemed to be drawn out quite a bit with the added parts being the most unbelievable parts of the story. I feel like this could have been a terrific and solid short story but the whole thing was padded to extend the length.

Ellie Patterson and her husband Neil are taking a rare vacation alone at their summer cottage when a stranger arrives to terrorize them. The man holds them hostage and claims he will kill Neil unless Ellie tells him his name. What results is a bizarre obsessive game between Ellie and the man (Clive) and a race against time for Neil and the police to save them.

A chilling and creepy read by a debut author.

I received a digital ARC from Netgalley and Dundurn with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

This was the book that didn't seem to want to end. Sadly, had it been a better book this might not have been a bad thing. However, there was just too much going on for me to be able to fully immerse myself in this world.

I was down for the synopsis, I just wish it had been better executed (and that it made more sense). Not only do we switch between the present and the past, but in later chapters, we even switch which character is telling the story. It winds up being a confusing mess (especially when so many different characters are running around by that point).

I think part of the problem is that we know very little about these characters (and what we do know isn't enough to make us care about them or even like them all that much). The secondary characters are exactly the same - except maybe the Detective who is probably the most annoying of the bunch. Seriously, what kind of detective ends calls (or face to face meetings) by saying "toodle-loo"? And if that isn't bad enough, despite Neil repeatedly doing the opposite of what she tells him, she never follows through on any of her threats to stop him.

And then there is our bad guy. The "George Clooney lookalike" expects a forty-year old woman to know who he is even though its been years since she last saw him, they had little interaction with one another AND he's had his entire face reconstructed to look like the one celebrity she liked? Not to mention the fact that the entire scene in the woods is just down right implausible.

I think with a little work, this story could be better. The author had a great idea, and I would read more from them in the future to see how they grow.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

Tell Me My Name by Erin Ruddy is an exciting thriller, and my first book by this author. Tell Me My Name had me hooked from page one, I could not put it down, what a wild ride! So many twists and turns. This was an absolute page turner. I recommend this for anyone looking for a fast paced thriller. I will be reading more books by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

While I do feel the twist at the end salvaged this book somewhat, there were so many other issues that it was hard to take anything seriously.

First, can we talk about Clive? He was a caricature of an abused child, but at age fifty. Everything about him came across as cartoonish instead of sympathetic. I couldn't even feel any hatred for him, despite his vile acts, because it was like reading about Wile E. Coyote, or some equivalent.

Second, let's take a look at Laura, the lead detective. What the hell was up with that "Toodle-oo," business? A cop would NEVER talk like that to suspects/victims/criminals. Every time she said it, I felt a little further removed from the story. And police procedural be damned. It's pretty sad when the kidnapped woman's injured husband is better at finding her than the police squad.

The ending was okay. There was actually a twist I didn't entirely intuit, and for that...I was grateful. I needed something to keep me tethered to this not-so-great story.

Overall, can't recommend this one.

Available October 27, 2020

**Many thanks to NetGalley and Dundurn Press for my review copy.

A one-step-behind, kidnapping suspense with deeper undertones of forgiveness and the multifaceted ties of marriage.

[book:Tell Me My Name|52379165] takes us on a whirlwind kidnapping of a mom of two, Ellie, and her husband, Neil. Their deranged captor plays a game - Ellie knows him. He is a part of her past and she must tell him his name or Neil dies. At first I thought this would be the full storyline of the book, but OH NO. This part of the torment only captures about 50 pages. We see into Ellie's past - her various run ins with predatory men, her lost and lonely 20's, and her trauma of losing a sister as a teenager. Eventually, Ellie figures out who this man is, and then the book really begins. Part two follows Ellie and her captor as the cops trail almost directly behind them, pretty easily figuring out the next steps. At the same time, a wounded Neil starts his own investigation, showing his reckless need to protect Ellie and prove his love. Part two gives us a bit of a loose ending and then part three brings home the whammy of the twist. And in this gut-wrenching twist, you really feel the author's purpose of exploring marriage. How much does history play into staying with someone? Is love enough? How much do we ever truly know someone?

I'm honestly surprised I haven't heard more about this book. As an avid suspense reader, I appreciate when I can truly feel that the author is giving me a takeaway and something to ruminate on rather than just leaving me on the edge of my seat until the end. I did feel at times that it seemed much too easy for the detectives to find the next clue or the next step, making the kidnapping portion feel like more of a rush to get to the conclusion. However, she did a lovely job of character development, both with Ellie's past and her relationship with her sister and the captor himself. So much that I actually could feel pity for him at times. And THAT TWIST actually made my stomach drop. It was all wrapped up into an elusive ending that included very atmospheric and lovely writing, reminding me of my own feelings of warmth and home and nostalgia in my marriage.

DNF'd halfway through. It started off intriguing enough, but then got a little silly/unrealistic, especially after you found out who he was. It wasn't worth continuing after that, because the stakes were no longer high.

This is my first by this author. I really enjoyed it and will read more of her work.

This book starts out with Ellie and Neil headed to their new home after dropping their two children off at camp. Now they can begin a couple of weeks being alone and getting back to knowing each other again. A kind of honeymoon for them. Little do they know what is about to happen. Their world is going to be turned upside down and things will never the quite the same again. Things will come out that they don't want each other to know. At least for Neil. Although Ellie knows one of Neil's dirty little secrets. I tried to feel bad for him for that one but I just couldn't. Cheating is cheating no matter the reason.

I loved the story here. I was wondering from other reviews what Ellie's sister's stories would have to do with this one but fully understand after reading the whole book. Laura, Ellie's older sister is a model. Suppose to be a world famous runway model in fact. That being said, I didn't find her life to go with what I know of runway models. She was basically a drunk and strung out on drugs and different men almost every night. Her life was a constant party. A model has to look nice. Be pretty and ultra skinny. A person who parties like Laura can not possibly stay fresh faced and concentrate on a job like that when she's doing so much partying. I didn't find that part believable. Also she meets a man during a photo shoot with her two sisters and gives up her partying life like it's no problem at all. I didn't find that believable either. Though I did think her and Abeer were perfect for each other later in the book when they are mentioned again. I was glad Laura got her life together and found happiness. All that partying was because of the sister, Bethany, who they lost years before. From what I read Bethany would not have wanted Laura to do that to herself at all.

Bethany was a very outgoing and athletic young girl. She was in great shape and could do anything she set her mind to. She played all kinds of sports. She was basically killed in a head on wreck. The woman driving and her daughter, Bethany's best friend, were killed and Bethany left in such a shape she had no quality of life. Brain damaged and severed spinal cord. After three years of that she died. Ellie survived so much because of hearing what Bethany said to her. How to not ever give up. Keep on trying until you achieve what you need.

In my opinion both of these sisters played a big part in this story in some sense or the other. One who gave Ellie a place to live when she started a job and needed a place. One who was in Ellie's head when she was going through such a horrific thing at the hands of a madman. Both played out great in this story.

Neil was Ellie's husband and the love of her life. He had a one night stand several months prior to what happens and was living with that guilt. While I am totally against affairs, I felt bad for Neil. But I felt more sympathy toward Ellie when she found out. Neil did it and he should have felt bad. I understand that he loves Ellie and would do anything for her, but he was not going through what Ellie was. Neil did not give up though. He would have moved mountains if he could have to find Ellie and bring her back home safe and sound. He was a decent man who made a mistake.

Clive on the other hand was a crazy man. He was obsessed with Ellie and wanted her. He would do anything and I do mean anything, to have her. He had plotted for a while to do what he did. He had obsessed over her for twelve years or longer. He was a deranged man but I did feel sorry for him too. His life was set on a collision course at a very young age. As the child of a woman who was a drunk and a tramp. A very abusive mother to Clive. He thought the things she did was her way of loving him. The name calling and the hitting were things he thought were normal. A normal part of life and they were for him. Shows that a child can be trained at a very early ago to grow up to be evil. The things that a parent does shapes children. It sure did for Clive. In that way my heart broke for him. While I did think he should have to pay for the things he did, it was sad that it happened at all.

The detective in this story was a bit aggravating at times but she was also good at her job. She had a way of talking that made me laugh at times. The one thing that I didn't find real was that she decided they should stop at a motel and sleep when they were on their way to possibly find Ellie and Clive. I mean they were only like I think about half an hour away. Though even that was a very necessary stop. It was the beginning of the end of Ellie's nightmare. Almost.

Thank you to #NetGalley, #ErinRuddy, #DundurnPress for this arc. This is my review in my own words.

4/5 stars and I do recommend this book. It's very good.

This is a well paced thriller with a somewhat implausible premise that nonetheless kept me reading. Ellie and Neil are enjoying time at their cottage when suddenly, horribly, a stranger shows up. Or is he a stranger? Here's the thing- he gives Ellie three chances to tell him his name and with each failure, Neil will be mutilated. Well, he'll be mutilated twice and then killed. A lot is riding on this but Ellie can't place him. She scrolls back through her memories as she figures out how to save them both. No spoilers from me. It does have moments where it tilts over into the nutty but....THanks to netgalley for the arc. A fast read which will have you rooting for Ellie.

This book was rather melodramatic and quite unbelievable. I expected more, but somehow still found the story entertaining. The last twist was completely over the top and only added another layer of disbelief. While it definitely had possibilities, it just never reached its full potential.

Oh my god!! this was a very engrossing fast-paced psychologiacal thriller!! By all means I didn't expect it to turn out this good, especially since it involved family dynamics which are rather so cliché nowadays in thrillers but this one was good! 3.5 stars for Tell me my Name.

Ellie and Neil drop off their two kids at camp, and then look forward to spending some alone time at their new cottage. Their marriage has been a little rocky lately and this is an attempt to get back to the loving relationship they once had.

The neighbors don't seem too friendly .... Ellie finds herself abducted, hands bound, and gagged. He insists that Ellie is his soulmate ... she was supposed to be with him ... not Neil.

He wants to play a deadly game. He will give her 3 chances to say his name. One wrong guess...and Neil loses a toe. Second wrong guess and he loses a finger. Third wrong guess ..and Neil dies.

Ellis is thrust into a desperate trip down memory lane to remember all the men she has known ... much to her regret.

BOOK BLURB --- Only after discovering the man's true identity and sacrificing her own safety to save Neil does Ellie finally learn the truth — that everything she thinks she knows about her husband and their decade-long love story is a lie.

This debut novel seems to have it all --- a tightly woven, suspenseful plot, characters that are deftly drawn ...warts and all , and a walk through a psychopath's mind. Ellie is a strong character ... a woman facing her fears and doing what it takes to save herself and her family. This is an author to watch!

Many thanks to the author / Dundurn Press/ Netgalley / Edelweiss for the digital copy of this Psychological Thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

Um...that was a bit of a hot mess! Ellie Patterson and her husband Neil are enjoying some child free time in their new cottage when they are catapulted into a nightmare. The handsome stranger from next door turns into a monster who kidnaps them and insists Ellie is his soulmate. All she has to do is say his name and they can be together. She gets three guesses, if she gets it wrong he will cut bits off Neil. After a few pointless trips down memory lane, looking at random creeps Ellie has encountered, she does guess his name (phew) but that is only the start of the nightmare! And this is where the story fell down and started to go off the rails.

The villain, a middle aged man with serious ‘mommy issues’ comes across as a cartoonish caricature. There was no subtlety. How he ever held down a job with that temper is beyond me. The police came across as cheesy. But Neil - he drove me nuts! He was like the energiser bunny running around, getting in everyone’s way despite being too injured to leave hospital. I pictured him as some bandage-wrapped Egyptian mummy horror movie figure stumbling around trying to save the wife he cheated on. And then - we just had to go there - a big secret from Neil’s past that just happens to relate to Ellie’s family... No, it was too much!

While I can’t recommend this book I did keep reading to see how it ended. I think if the author writes another book and just tones it down a bit it will end up much better. Thanks to Netgalley, Dundurn Press and Erin Ruddy for providing this review copy. My opinions are my own.

This book was a bit of a surprise but I really enjoyed it. I thought it was a gripping read & did not see the twists at the end at all. It is a fast paced story, and I found it very easy to read.