Member Reviews
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for honest feedback.
“But people needed stories to make sense of things, and she had learned to give them what they needed.”
Emma and her husband, Nathan, fall into financial hard times and Emma has no other option but to move back into her childhood home. The problem is that her past is filled with such painful memories: both of her parents were killed in the house, there was ongoing suspicion that Emma had committed the crime, and Emma is estranged from her sisters, Daphne and Juliette, but the three of them jointly own the home. So Emma is thrown into a whirlwind while trying to simply just get back on her feet. Unfortunately for her, it seems that bringing up the past can be dangerous and that some secrets are better left buried.
This was a fast paced thriller with then and now chapters from multiple points of views, but for me, the transition between then/now and different POV got confusing at times, especially in the beginning of the book. I definitely read the first few chapters slower than the rest of the book because it took me a while to understand who was who and exactly what was going on. But once I had that foundation, I flew through the rest of the book and couldn’t put it down! I didn’t figure out who the killer was ahead of time. I had my guesses and was convinced I knew who it was, but there were just so many twists- it was clear that the author wanted to lead us town a path and try to shock us in the end. I actually was surprised! The suspense level was high up until the very end of the story and I felt that the plot was well executed.
If you enjoyed Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth or The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins, you’ll love this book.
Thank you so much to @flatironbooks and @netgalley for my eARC of this book!
Overall this was a pretty decent read. I did feel at times there was too many characters and it felt hard to follow. But it was an interesting premise. I really enjoyed the beginning and the end, but the middle started to drag a little bit. I liked the flashbacks and seeing how these estranged sisters worked their issues.
I really liked the fact that this book had multiple points of view and relatively short chapters. It kept me entertained throughout the whole book, while I did read both the audio and the physical book.- I truly enjoyed this reading experience. I am going to pick up her other books based off of this.
I really enjoyed Marshall's first adult mystery/thriller and so I was really excited for this one. Unsurprisingly for me, I really enjoyed Marshall's writing and quickly found myself hooked into the story. I found the balance between the three sisters' POVs was handled well. However, ultimately I found the plot to be good, but sometimes confusing or underwhelming. By the conclusion, I still felt like I didn't know the whole truth or anything at all. I think the premise was a good one, but not everyone will like the ambiguous feeling ending. I still look forward to her next book though!
A long, drawn out and repetitive domestic drama.
Fourteen years ago a wealthy couple, Randolph and Irene Palmer, were gunned down in their beautiful home. Suspicion falls on one of their daughters, Emma, but Juliette and Daphne (her sisters) might also be guilty. No arrests were ever made. All left Arden Hills and made lives elsewhere. Now, however, Emma returns to her childhood home because her husband, Nathan Gates, has lost his job and she is expecting their first child and they need a place to live. Because she shares ownership with the sisters she hasn’t spoken to in years, Emma feels that it is time to reconnect and make decisions. Nathan does not know any details about Emma’s past. Unfortunately, the memories of the night of the murders are murky and no one is quite certain about what really happened.
Does that description sound confusing? The whole narrative flips between then and now and no one is able to do more than guess about what happened and who did what the night of the murders. That and the constant repetition and uncertainty made this whole book quite annoying. I didn’t care for any of the characters - they were all unlikeable as they tried to justify their behaviors through faulty reasoning. The writing style and the melodrama did not appeal. The attempts at twists and shocking revelations missed the mark. In short, I did not like the story.
I listened to the audiobook while reading along in the e-book ARC provided by the publisher and was quite disappointed with the narrator as she attempted to do all the voices with most everyone sounding the same. She definitely had some overly dramatic moments. This would have benefited with a multicast performance.
Overall, not at all to my taste.
I was so excited to be approved for this as I have previously loved Kate Alice Marshall but this one just isn't doing it for me and based on other reviews, the things that aren't working are only going to increase so I'm calling it quits.
After hearing fabulous things about Kate Alice Marshall's debut, I was thrilled to read the synopsis and dive into No One Can Know. However; I found the back and forth timeline arc and multiple character POV to be confusing and I found myself not to be invested in what truly happened. I wasn't a fan of any of the characters and decided not to finish the story. Fans of small town thrillers with the "suspect" back in town however; my enjoy this Marshall's sophmore thriller!
I highly recommend this book if you are into mysteries and solving the riddle. This book had me guessing to the very end.
Thanks #Netgalley for the opportunity.
An engaging read that I thoroughly enjoyed! Highly recommend and will purchase several physical and digital copies for library collections. Thank you!!
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall is a psychological thriller with an air of mystery. The story in No One Can Know is one that is told from multiple points of view and takes place in the present timeline with some flashing back to a past timeline.
Emma, Juliette, and Daphne were raised by their parents in their home in Arden Hills until one night the girls find their parents murdered. Emma being the middle sister was suspected by the police to have commited the crime but the case never closed with the sisters seperating and moving on with their lives.
Now fourteen years later Emma is married and has just discovered that she is expecting her own child with her husband. This realization comes just as Emma and her husband are having financial difficulties so in order to save money Emma admits her old family home which she and her sisters own is sitting empty but moving back will force Emma to face her sister and the secrets they’ve kept of that night of their parents murder.
No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall was an engaging read right from first picking it up. As the story unfolds there’s no shortage of suspicions to go around for the characters as we peel back the layers to the past and present. Both timelines were intriguing as it went along and of course there were a few twists and turns to keep the pages turning. Definitely an author I’d return to after finishing this thrilling tale.
I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.
Thank you NetGalley for this advance reader copy in exchange for my free and honest review. What an amazing novel. This book truly hooked me from the start and did not disappoint in the least. Amazing characters and a storyline with valid and believable twist and turns page after page. An absolute delight to read and can’t wait to now read the other books by this author. A new favorite for me!
“No One Can Know” by Kate Alice Marshall is a slump-busting binge read!
Mood reader index: a twisty, fast-paced small town murder mystery 🤝🏻 family drama
I blew through this book in less than 24 hours! I really enjoyed the author’s “What Lies in the Woods,” which came out last year. But this one had me glued to the book until I finished the last word.
Emma Palmer has just learned she’s pregnant and her husband lost his job, all in the same afternoon. The house they were under contract to buy is no longer in reach, but Emma knows where they can go: to the home where her parents were murdered. She still owns it with her two sisters. Once they’re back in her small town, though, all of the small-town secrets and mysteries come back to the forefront. What really happened the night Emma’s parents died?
I knew from the get-go I was going to like this one; I immediately loved Emma’s vibe and voice. The book is told in alternating perspectives and timelines, so you also get Emma’s sisters’ experiences. Even once you think the mystery is solved — it’s not. The book keeps you guessing until the end. There are also some really witty lines in this book, and I’d love to see the author flex that muscle when more in her next!
Thank you NetGalley and Kate Alice Marshall for the eARC of No One Can Know.
Let me start off by saying that overall, this book was very enjoyable. I really liked the multiple POVs as well as the alternating timeline. I just feel… confused after the end. It seems like it was changed several times, and it almost felt like it was thriller whiplash!
If you’re looking for a fun, binge-worthy thriller, look no further than No One Can Know!
A solid thriller up until the end. I felt like I really liked this u til the end where everything just felt very basic and not very exciting. I feel like this one won’t be too memorable for me.
Another solid read from Kate Alice Marshall. She has become an auto buy author for me! Her plots are compelling and characters are interesting and this one was no exception.
This was my first book by this author and was a great one to start with. No One Can Know would make a great book club pick and discussion. One thing I loved was the family drama. It's something most people can relate too, albeit less dysfunctionally hopefully. I definitely reccomend checking this one out.
This is like my 4th/5th novel by this author and I’ve enjoyed all of them! I was so happy to find out I got approved for this arc due to me loving her last books. I was very intrigued by the description of three sisters having their parents murdered but none of them really knowing what happened. They all just made certain assumptions or pushed it aside out of self (and sister) preservation. I love the fact we get all of their POV’s once the story is a little developed AND we get then and now timelines. This helped keep me plugged into the story and be interested in where it was all going. I like how she added in characters and built them up with all this mystery about them and had me second guessing majority of people from time to time. This author always does a great job at getting me to feel emotions that she’s trying to evoke and be mad or root for certain things. I really loved the plot twists she included as it was building and THE ENDING! I knew some things felt unfinished and I was still unsure and then we get another great twist that will have me thinking about it for a while. I would highly recommend this novel to anyone who likes suspenseful adult thriller novels.
I received a digital copy from NetGalley & the author of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Kate Alice Marshall for this novel!
**edit I did listen to most of this as an audiobook and I really enjoyed it that way as it helped me get into it in the beginning and today immersed in the world.
⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5
• domestic suspense
• multiple POV/dual timeline
• family secrets
I enjoyed the complicated relationships, bad husband, and small town drama. For me, the pacing was a little off. The twists at the end kept coming!
🗣 Thank you to netgalley and Flatiron Books for the opportunity to read and review this book via gifted eARC! All opinions are honest and my own.
Thank you Netgalley, author and Flatiron Books for the ARC.
Three estranged sisters end up meeting each other under same roof after many years and circumstances force them to recollect the horrible night their parents were killed in their own home . The police always had their suspicions on the sisters and that they were definitely hiding something. Now Emma the middle sister is forced to reside in their old home and finally confront the past and resolve her past family issues to mend and hold onto her current family she’s making !
This domestic thriller had really interesting premise . It’s a quick read with short chapters alternating between past and present narrated from perspectives of each of the three sisters , that are filled with twists and revelations.
Although the story had the right ingredients for a good suspense thriller , like the build up to the murder incident in the past , the sisters childhood & their secrets, all the red herrings were intriguing to read but the culmination was not impactful comparatively.
Overall this may not be the best domestic thriller book out there but I don’t necessarily mean there is no audience for this book. If you’re a seasoned thriller reader , you won’t find it the best you’ve read but if you are new to thrillers or rarely read them it can be a decent choice.
It’s a 3/5 🌟 read for me .