Seven years ago, Zoe Nolan disappeared. She walked out of her dorm suite during a party after publicly fighting with her boyfriend. Since that night nothing has been heard of her and the case has gone cold. But now someone is taking notice. Eve Mitchell has heard about the case and is making it the centerpiece of her new book. She has been interviewing the police involved as well as family and friends. She sends her book in chapters as she finishes them to her mentor and friend, Joseph. He gives her advice which she blithely ignores as she writes the book her way.
Zoe was eighteen and had been at university for only a couple of months. She was a singer and her family had always considered her destined for fame and fortune. Her twin sister, Kim, always felt left out of the family and does whatever she can to distinguish herself from Zoe. She is appalled when Zoe decides to come to the university Kim has picked for herself to get away, and even more appalled when her father arranges for the girls to share a dorm suite.

The story of Zoe's disappearance is told in bits and pieces from various sources. There is the boyfriend, a rich kid who wasn't really that interested in Zoe. There is the Muslim boy who is victimized for his differences. There is the over helpful guy who is always there whether anyone wanted him there or not. There is the Oriental roommate who loves drama and finds Zoe to be a rich source of it. There is the professor who may or may not have been in Zoe's life as more than a professor. There is her overbearing father and mousy mother. Each has a piece of the story and as Eve puts it together, danger seems to be coming for her. Can she solve the mystery?

I listened to this title and there are a cast of narrators. Having someone different narrate each character's viewpoint makes the story seem more realistic and adds interest to the narrative.

This is a fascinating novel that breaks the rules. It is told from multiple viewpoints, a book within a book and it is up to the reader to decide what is true and what is false. There are discoveries and there are unreliable narrators. Through it all, the reader starts to glimpse what may have happened that night to Zoe. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

This was a fantastic read. First, the full cast narrators were absolutely perfect. I think the best way to consume the book is via audio. There was a large cast of characters, and the different voices definitely made it easier to keep everything straight. Additionally, the sound effects (like typing of emails, etc) made the audio experience so fun. This was written so well I definitely looked up whether this was in fact fiction and not true crime. Highly recommend for mystery lovers and true crime lovers!

This is a unique take on a true crime novel. First of all, the story unfolds as a documentary and interview style. Evelyn starts out sifting through transcripts, emails, notes. She becomes so engrossed in the case she decides to interview all the family & friends of Zoe Nolan determined to crack the case. Its’s not even one interview at a time. The format is that the “author” Evelyn asks a question and then all the responses from the interviewees are revealed. The mystery unfolds rather well, with many unexpected twists and turns. In an interesting twist, the actual author of the book (Knox) is also a character in the book who takes over the project from the first author (character), Evelyn.

What’s great about the audiobooks is the fact that there’s a distinct voice for each character as opposed to one cast member reading as several people.

I thought this book was really unique and interesting. It basically is a fictional podcast that is chronicling the disappearance of a young woman. At first I was a bit confused about the characters but as a true crime fab who loves true crime podcasts and books alike, this book was super fun and enjoyable. I definitely recommend it!

Really enjoyed this audiobook. The narrator was great and the production flawless. I can really recommend this intriguing and well written book. Thanks to the author, the publisher and NetGalley for the copy.

I struggled to listen to this one. I don't know if it was the narrator or the "background noise" sounding like an old time tape recorder at times.

The story was interesting enough, and I probably would have enjoyed it more as an ebook.

Wow wow wow one of the best books I’ve listened to in a very long time. This really felt real and like I was there experiencing the story in person, just awesome.

True Crime Story had an interesting premise (and the beginning totally intrigued me!) but I just found that I couldn't totally connect with the characters and plotline.

The idea of mixed true crime with fiction sounded like my kind of read, but I think it ended up feeling more confusing and distorted for my taste. Points for creativity, but the execution just didn't totally work for me.

I did enjoy the narration, although this may be a better book to read than listen, as it contains mixed media like interviews and emails, which at some point, felt harder to follow along with on audio.

Thank you to the publisher for my gifted copy. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

An excellent addition to the crowded crime genre. A recommended purchase in all formats for collections where thriller are popular.

I had the joy of listening to the majority of this one through @netgalley and I really enjoyed it. So many narrators! I think there were 14 different ones. If you like books/audio in interview format or true crime podcast/mysteries, I think you will really enjoy this one! I love how the author inserted himself into the book, and how the story kept me guessing until the end! Thanks to publisher for my copy!

This book feels like it was meant to be an audiobook. The multi-voiced story worked so well in this format, the first half of the book really knocked it out of the park for me. I love a good true crime podcast and this had all the elements of that, plus the extra layer of the writer of the novel talking to another writer about the book. These layers within layers made me wish that I'd thought of that technique and used it myself, a sure sign that I love a book. In the interest of not including spoilers, I'll be vague here, but there is one small aspect of the book, where the author of the novel is also a character in the book, that I felt just didn't quite pay off at the end, where as a reader, I was expecting a shocking twist ... that didn't come. There WAS a twist (and a satisfying one because I hadn't seen it coming) but the heavy-hints dropped early that it had to do with the author didn't pay off, in my opinion. That said, I definitely looked forward to listening to this on my daily hike and I'd recommend it to others. It's a solid who-done-it that sticks the landing.

Thank you Netgalley for this audio edition of True Crime Story by Joseph Knox.

First of all, I LOVE it when there are multiple narrators, especially in this interview format. They even had sound effects for typing, sent emails, and interlude music. HOWEVER, I really wish that they had introduced every character every time they spoke. Maybe it would have gotten redundant, but it still would have helped me a lot. I had the hard copy as well, so I found myself having to switch back and forth a lot to stay on topic.

Having said that, this is a story about a young woman and identical twin who goes missing one fateful night, never to be found again. The friends, family, and police are all stumped, which is why Joseph Knox (actual author) and his author friend Evelyn are determined to know more for the story they hope to publish one day.

But this story may be hitting closer to home then they bargained for, and the killer may be closer than they realized.

As I've mentioned, it was really easy to get lost, and I had to work harder than I would have liked to stay on course, but I still really enjoyed this one. It twisted in ways that absolutely surprised and thrilled me. I especially loved the ending.

This is such an original concept. Told in an interview style definitely gives the feel of it being a real case and feel like it’s a real missing person. I feel like the cast of characters isn’t like able at all. And they’re all questionable. At some point i just lost interest because it felt a tad repetitive and just a bunch of drama. I wanted to feel more connected to the missing chick and i wanted to know what happened but it seemed to drag on in my opinion. I didn’t feel a connection to her either and maybe that was the point? But it was hard to be invested and to want to know when i didn’t feel much for her.

I also struggled with the audio. It was great to have a full cast but it was hard to figure out who was who & keep up with all the characters. Besides that the accents at times were hard to understand and i felt i missed things at times even with slowing it down.

While i think it’s an original concept and does a fantastic job of making you believe it’s a real story, it just didn’t work out for me.

True Crime Story is a missing person mystery novel told through interviews, emails and author’s notes. What sets this book apart from other amateur detective novels is that the author placed himself as a character inside the book leaving the reader wondering “what is real...and what is fiction?”

True Crime Story is the story of a missing university student named Zoe Nolan, the cast of characters (suspects) that surround her and the two writers that get wrapped up in her story.

Seven years prior Zoe went missing after leaving a party in her dormitory. Writer Evelyn Mitchell becomes obsessed with the case and uses extensive interviews with the people that knew Zoe to try to find out what happened to her. The book unfolds as she emails all of her detailed notes past her writer friend Joseph Knox (also the name of the book’s author) and the reader watches as Knox goes from passive observer to an interested party in the case. The case itself is filled with false leads, red herrings and a lot of dubious characters and the reader isn’t sure if Evelyn will ever solve the mystery of the missing young woman.

Overall, this was tense novel that really keeps the reader wondering what is real and what is fiction. By inserting himself into the story Joseph Knox broke down the wall between writer and reader that made this book stand out in a category crowded with pretty-girl-in-jeopardy stories.

I recommend this one to readers that love both true (and untrue) crime books. And fans of full cast narration should definitely check out the excellent audiobook version.

4 stars

Full disclosure I thought this book was real until the kindle store told me it wasn't when I search for the author. I even message my reading buddy to tell her that she needs to listen to this.

Well done to you Mr Knox for your clever writing style especially that disclaimer at the beginning and inserting yourself into the story.

Definitely want to try this author again.

I did not finish this book. There are too many characters to keep track of and the tempo is so slow it didn't capture my attention and I don't really feel compelled to find out what happened. Ultimately, I decided there are better ways to spend my time than on this book.

The blurb did a better job than I could of giving you a teaser/summary for this story, so go check it out if you don’t already know. 😊

I absolutely love that the audiobook version of this story used a cast of characters so that each person “interviewed” had their own voice. If you are debating between reading a print/ebook version of this book or listening to the audiobook, I highly recommend the audiobook! The story was full of twists and turns and kept me guessing from beginning to end. At various points, I kept wanting to google things mentioned in the book, only to remember that this is not a real crime that happened but a work of fiction.

I HIGHLY recommend this audiobook, especially to those who love TRUE CRIME PODCASTS.

Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me an audio ARC of this book.

This book has been amazing to listen to! This was such a unique concept and it makes the reader feel so immersed into the story. I felt like I was listening to a true crime documentary the entire time. I will say that I was expecting a little more from the ending but its important to remember that this book is meant to mimic real world, and sometimes the real world does not always get wrapped up in a pretty bow like we are used to in normal books.

TRUE CRIME STORY has an interesting set-up: Evelyn Mitchell has been investigating the Zoe Nolan case (a young woman who's been missing for 7 years) and sharing her progress with friend Joseph Knox. After Evelyn dies, Joseph Knox finishes the book in her honor. The book is comprised of a combination of interview excerpts, narration, and emails.

I thought this would make a really cool audiobook, especially with a full cast narrating the different parts -- the interview excerpts were stitched together to make the different characters sound like they're in conversation. Unfortunately, the sound quality left much to be desired. The interview recordings sound like audio recordings (think white noise in the background) which, while cool, got to be a bit grating after awhile. More problematically, not all of the narrators enunciate their words clearly. Even slowing the playback speed way down, I struggled to make out some words/phrases. It felt like legibility lost out to verisimilitude in places. (This may not be an issue for those OK not hearing/reading 100% of a text, e.g. if you skim or are just looking for the gist. But as someone who really does read every single word, I struggled listening to this one.)

The plot itself is what kept me listening. At the same time, I think the book could have used a trim. The long buildup to the climax made the ending feel abrupt -- almost like part of it was missing.

Still, the book's structure is undeniably clever. If you like the true crime genre, you may well love TRUE CRIME STORY.

Thanks to NetGalley & Recorded Books for providing a free audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn't entirely aware of the conceit of this books when I started it; I had just seen it in a few trade publications and was curious. It's essentially like a Blair Witch Project, but for a true crime narrative, and despite a slow start, it's way better than I expected.

We start off with author Joseph Knox reading off some disclaimers and explanations about an earlier edition of the book, and how changes have been made to this 2nd edition. The book gets off to a rocky start, with that rather odd inclusion of the actual author (it makes sense later, but initially it sounds like he went through a thesaurus looking for great adjectives and honestly I almost quit then), and we are introduced to another writer who is interested in the story, Evelyn. Evelyn is friends with Joseph, and she forwards audio of friends and family of a girl who's been missing for several years, answering questions about her case. There's lots of verisimilitude here, not unlike a drama podcast such as Homecoming or Limetown, such as the clicking of computer keys while we hear Evelyn's voiceover. Parts of her emails, presumably containing personal info unrelated to the case at hand, are bleeped out, adding to the film of reality.

The voice actors are mostly great. I saw some reviews that think the voices are all the same, but each one has a particular accent or something to set it apart. I did have some confusion between the female police officer and the missing girl's mother, because those voices were a bit similar, but as I listened more I became more aware of the distinctions. The voice actor playing Kim was especially good (she sounds exactly like Jessica Barden).

I do think the story went on a bit longer than was necessary, but it had plenty of drama and action, lots of B-plot stuff that was pretty entertaining, and of course the interplay between the two authors was good. I really got into it and it was a fun listen - I'd imagine it's far less immersive as a book versus audio. The twist (of course there's a twist) was a good one and I didn't see it coming, always a plus for me.

All in all, a welcome surprise!