Member Reviews

As a mother, this book terrified me and broke my heart. As someone who has worked in and with law enforcement for a long time, albeit in the US and not the UK, I appreciated the attention to detail and the thorough research that went into the writing of this book. The alternating viewpoints between Rachel, whose son is missing, and Jim, the lead detective tasked with finding him, worked perfectly to tell this story, and the inclusion of emails, blogs, news articles, and therapy transcripts all lent a sense of realism and depth as well. This is one of the best thrillers I've read in a long time.

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I'm not sure what I expected from the title of this book, but it wasn't what I thought it would be.

This is a story about a stolen child. As a parent, when I realized where the plotline was going, I questioned if I'd be able to get through it. I don't know if it's because it was set in London or Rachel's life was just different enough from mine but I could keep up a mental separation that kept me from having anxiety while reading.

I can see though how this could be a triggering read for some parents.

I thought this book read quickly, the plot line flew along. I loved the alternating perspectives and the breaks that focused on the detective's therapy session transcripts. This element kept you second-guessing where the "case" was going and just how it would end up.

I did find Rachel to be a likeable character, flaws and all. I thought the author did a great job of showing her growing and coming out of her fog from her divorce through the trauma of her child missing. Macmillan showed a mother bereft, wracked with guilt, who was determined to get her son back no matter the cost.

Detective Clemo was an admirable character and one I'd be interested in reading more about. He was a dedicated police officer and truly invested in finding Benedict, the missing child. I appreciated being witness to his mental state and how cases such as these would affect the officers involved. I also liked how the author showed the police searching multiple avenues; often coming up short and pursuing an empty lead, as I'm sure this is a very realistic glimpse into solving a case.

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What She Knew captured my attention immediately and made me feel like I was following a real-life case of child abduction. The combination of alternating narratives, news articles, websites and blogs contributed to this sense of authenticity. I was surprised to learn afterwards that this was the author's debut novel. Thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for a copy to read and review.

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Overall a strong mystery that kept me hooked. Good amounts of misdirection with a resolution that didn’t feel like it came from out of nowhere.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I'm usually terrible about trying to guess the 'who did it' and the 'what happens' with books. This one kept me guessing and trying to figure it out. I would definitely recommend it to my 'mystery/thriller' reader friends.

Thank you Netgalley for a review copy of this book.

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So here’s another thriller from Gilly Macmillan that I was totally sucked into from the jump! I was in shock that this was a debut, I really thought it was so well done! The entire time you are with Rachel, I don’t think I ever doubted her or her “involvement” with Ben’s abduction. I thought she was written so well, you just really felt her pain and frustration! I enjoyed the relationship and growth that her and her ex had. This could have driven them even further apart, but it really was great to see that blame wasn’t assigned and that they could join forces to find their son.
The fact that this is a series and I can find out what happens with Jim and Emily makes me very happy! The underlying therapy bits (it also felt like an internal affairs investigation) makes me want to pick up the next to see if we get a resolution to that!
I am so thankful that William Morrow and NetGalley gifted me this book after publication! Because of them I have another check in the Macmillan may be my favorite thriller author column!

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Serviceable thriller but took some time to get into. After Rachel's son, Ben, goes missing intense media attention on the case makes Rachel goes from sympathetic to suspicious. Told in dueling perspectives between Rachel and the detective assigned to the case. I felt this book was too long and the story could've been tightented up a bit.

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After reading To Tell You The Truth by Gilly Macmillan, I became a fan! What She Knew was equally as gripping from beginning to end!

While on a walk, Ben Jenner gets permission to run ahead from mom Rachel. When she calls him and he doesn't answer and she can't find him, she's realizes he has disappeared.

Detective Jim Clemo is on the case and he's dealing with issues of his own which we learn more about during his sessions with therapist Dr. Francesca Manelli.

Rachel's sister Nicky comes to help out as well as her close friend Laura but there are issues with both of them that adds stress to the situation.

The story goes back-and-forth from Rachel's perspective to Clemo's and there are also other things going on with the other terrific characters including Nicky, Laura, Rachel's ex John, his wife Katrina and family liaison Officer Emma Zhang.

In addition, to move the story along there are therapist reports to help us understand Clemo and social media plays a big part.

After so many who-dun-it possibilities as well as not knowing if Ben is alive or dead, the reveal is terrific and I loved the ending which didn't leave any unanswered questions.

Thank you, Ms. MacMillan for this gem of a book! And, thank you Book Club Girls and NetGalley for this copy of What She Knew. This is my opinion.

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I enjoyed this so much, except for the title, I couldn’t figure out exactly how that fits. Missing children has always been a personal terror of mine and this played on that one so well. I love the mom’s natural drive to find her son. That is just what so would do. Great book!

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Bem and his mother, Rachel, are walking through the woods. Ben is allowed ro run ahead and disappears. He is abducted and the structure if the novel is told by multiple viewpoints. An engaging and suspenseful thriller that shouldn't be missed.

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Good thriller. I never really thought Rachel did it, but wasn't sure who did. Lots of good sidelines

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What She Knew is a thriller about a missing child kidnapped in the woods.
The plot of the book is good and keeps you wanting to continue reading to find out what happened to 8 year old Ben and the suspicions of Rachel his mom and condemnation of her from the press and the police.
There are hints for who did it throughout the book, though. So you may decipher who the culprit is.

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I did not enjoy this one sadly. It did not hold my attention. I may just not have been in the right place at the time to properly read and enjoy this book.

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Let me just say that I loved this book. I love a good suspense novel, and this delivered! I love Macmillan's writing; it has a nice rhythm that I can easily get into. This book has multiple points of view, which doesn't always work for me, but definitely worked for me here.

The story moves along at a good clip, for the most part, and slow parts didn't last long for me. I was thinking about this book a lot while I wasn't reading it, and it's the kind of book that I think I'll be thinking about long after.

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3.5 stars.
While taking their usual walk in the woods Ben is abducted after running ahead to the swing they usually visit. After 30 minutes of searching and yelling his mom goes back to the main parking lot for help and to call the police. Will they find Ben? Is he still alive? Who took him? You follow two characters DI Jim Clemo and Rachel, Ben’s mom, through nine days of investigation, worry, and fright.
I was captivated right away. As a mom myself I couldn’t imagine what Rachel was going through. My only hope was that she get her son back, alive. I also enjoyed reading this from the main investigator’s point of view. He was able to give insight to the mystery the mother didn’t see. I was expecting a little more in the ending, but it does seem to conclude realistically.
I would recommend this to a friend.

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When Rachels son Ben disappears during a walk in the woods it turns into quite the fiasco.

Some felt for her. Poor mom, lost her kid. Some are angry - ex-husband and Ben's father in particular. Some accuse Rachel of being the worst mom ever for taking her eye off her kid. And some are losing their minds... like, Rachel, herself.

I do think, since I am not a parent, I tend to not get into the missing kid books as much as others would. This one was written fantastically, it was structured well, really great details and back stories. It flowed exactly how you would want a book of this plot to flow.

But... It was just kinda meh. A bit unsuspenseful, a pretty blah ending, just kind of slow overall. And while there were a few twists and some pretty tense moments - I wish it had gone in a "more thriller-y fun" direction.

I love her writing, her story ideas, and character development - so still a fan of hers, of course! I will continue to read her books, always!

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This was a fast-paced thriller that I was immediately drawn in to! From the first chapter, I wanted to know what happened to Ben and I was flipping pages frantically to find out. The writing style was different from anything I've ever read and it took a while to get used to at first, but once I got the hang of it, this book was so easy to read. If you enjoy fast-paced thrillers, this one's for you!

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"In the eyes of others, we're often not who we imagine ourselves to be." This is a story of a missing child while on a walk with his mother runs ahead and disappears . This gut wrenching thriller is told through Rachel, the mother and Jim Clemo, the detective assigned to the case. The reports from Clemo's psychiatrist gives us incite into the emotional stress he went through. This child abduction novel was an emotional roller coaster. t\Thrilling till the end.!

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What She Knew

A Novel

By: Gilly Macmillan

Harper Collins Publishers

William Morrow Paperbacks

Mystery and Thrillers

Publish Date: December 1, 2015

#WhatSheKnew #NetGalley

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I was really surprised by this book. No one really wants to read about a child being abducted but she did a really good job. I would highly recommend this book. You get many clues but the person who actually did it came out of the blue because they weren't mentioned much in the book.

This book is about an 8 year old boy who is abducted in the woods while walking his dog with his mom. He actually runs ahead and is to meet his mom at the swing by a pond. At first she didn't want him to run ahead but she knew she had to give him some independence.

At first she thinks he is playing a game but after awhile she realizes he is gone along with the dog. There are several people in the area doing their things but she happens to find one of friends and his dad and they help her look and they find the dog with a broken leg. They finally decide that they need to call the police.

The police are now involved and the search is on. The parents are divorced and the father is remarried.

There is a lot happening in this story and you get caught up in the story and are hoping they the boy alive. You also are trying to figure out who would kidnap a boy and put a family through this and you get mad.

I gave this book 4 stars.

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Great psychological thriller. Was a little slow at times, but overall kept my interest and had me guessing until the end. I will read more from this author in the future.

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