A #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller.
#1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s shocking and empowering true-crime story of three sisters determined to survive their mother’s house of horrors.
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 … mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now.
For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.
Harrowing and heartrending, If You Tell is a survivor’s story of absolute evil—and the freedom and justice that Nikki, Sami, and Tori risked their lives to fight for. Sisters forever, victims no more, they found a light in the darkness that made them the resilient women they are today—loving, loved, and moving on.
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There’s only one writer who can tell such an intensely horrifying, psychotic tale of unspeakable abuse, grotesque torture, and horrendous serial murder with grace, sensitivity and class… A riveting, taut, real-life psychological suspense thrill ride… All at once compelling and original, Gregg Olsen’s If You Tell is an instant true-crime classic.
This disturbing true story was as hard to put down as it was to keep reading. Fact is definitely scarier than fiction in this case.
An intense read. It’s hard to believe that people actually live like this. But the story of this mother, this family, serve to prove fact is stranger than fiction.
We all start life with immense promise, but in our first minute, we cannot know who’ll ultimately have the greatest impact on our lives, for better or worse. Here, Gregg Olsen — the heir apparent to legendary crime writers Jack Olsen and Ann Rule — explores the dark side of that question in his usual chilling, heartbreaking prose. Superb and creepy storytelling from a true-crime master.
One of the most shocking, true stories I’ve ever read. Although it seemed to drag a bit, while the young daughters grew older, it was an insightful story involving a mentality deranged parent that abused her children in brutal, horrible ways and the father that blindly assisted, leaving dead bodies in their wake.
It is a well written true crime novel. The subject is a hard topic to read, I took breaks while reading to keep from being overwhelmed with the truly awful things that happened. It is very clear that a lot of research was done by the author and that translated to feeling like you were there, too, being a voyeur while horrible abuse happens. I really enjoyed the afterword talking about the psychology of abuse of children and how they might react differently than most; it helped put some actions into perspective.
My only issue with the book is the length of the chapters (they are very short and some of them should have been combined for better flow) and some of the transitions (from one perspective to a different one) were a little rough.
This true crime from Washington state had me turning the pages late into the night. There were a couple times I even caught my mouth gaping open in shock!
This book is non-fiction, and really heavy, but it’s a good read. It was the book of the month in the book club I’m in. (Peter Loves Books with Peter Monn on YouTube, Good Reads.) It took me a while longer than usual to get through it because I could only read a little at a time and I’d have to take a break from it. It did bring up some emotions in me, mostly anger at Shelley. But I think it’s a good book for people to read because it gives the perspective of the children, of the victims, going through physical, verbal, emtional abuse. And how things like this can go on unnoticed in our own backyard – small town, big city, anywhere and everywhere.
Oh my goodness … What a heart-wrenching story of abuse … I feel like I needed to edit my review because I cannot stop thinking about this story and these brave young women … What their life was robbed of … They lived in the house of horrors … I am glad these sisters got their story out and were able to eventual heal … Author Gregg Olsen did a fantastic job with the writing and details … Although a difficult read, I highly recommend checking this book out …
Bristling with tension, gripping from the first pages, Gregg Olsen’s masterful portrait of children caught in the web of a coldly calculating killer fascinates. A read so compelling it kept me up late into the night, If You Tell exposes incredible evil that lived quietly in small-town America. That the book is fact, not fiction, terrifies.
Even the most devoted true-crime reader will be shocked by the maddening and mind-boggling acts of horror that Gregg Olsen chronicles in this book. Olsen has done it again, giving readers a glimpse into a murderous duo that’s so chilling, it will have your head spinning. I could not put this book down!
If You Tell by Gregg Olsen is profoundly disturbing and a true crime book, The unspeakable, monstrous mother, Shelly Knotek and the groveling, spineless, cowardly husband/father cannot be over-imagined.
They are the true meaning of beneath contempt. They not only tortured their 3 daughters and nephew, but tortured and murdered 3 other victims.
Be sure you have a strong stomach before you commit to reading this book. Gregg Olsen was heroic in even writing the book, and including all the research he had to do. I applaud him for facing up to it. This woman/psychopath is still in prison, and that is a spoiler–but something I am grateful for.
Trigger warning: this book contains severe abuse, graphic descriptions and serious neglect.
Holy hell. This book is heavy. It’s dark. It’s sad… and it’s a true story. Honestly, Gregg Olsen is one of my absolute favorite true crime authors, because he is able to tell a horrible story with such delicate eloquence, but he does the truth justice. He is fair, well researched and thorough. This book, at times, made me feel physically sick. There were times I had to put the book down, and step away. Times I cried. Times I didn’t think I would be able to finish. But I did. As hard as it was, reading about all of the brutal, unfair, atrocities that took place within this family… I finished the book. This one sat in my gut for a few days after I finished reading it… simply because trying to process what happened from any type of logical place… with any type of common sense just seemed to make it worse. Buckle up- you’re about to witness something completely devastating, and it’s going to grab ahold of you and not let go.
Such a sick mom! Those girls had a horrible life.
5
This was an intense book about mental, physical abuse and murder. A mother and wife who was a psychopathic, narcissistic, abusive, manipulating, murder. She tortured her children, manipulated everyone and should have been on death row, for what she did. It was sometimes hard to listen, awkward hearing what she would do her children and people who came to live with them. It was an excellent book, that brings to light, how crazy some people are. How lucky I am to have the family I do. I don’t know how anyone can do these things to anyone, never mind their own family. I’m in shock right now, I don’t know what to say.
How these people kept it together and dealt with what was going on, is crazy, but I can see how it can happen, kinda. Everyone had no where else to go, or turn. If they said anything and weren’t believed, their lives would be in danger. It’s a hard situation.
It was definitely well written, I believe it was based on a true story. I’m not sure though, I was going back and forth between two books, I know one was based on a true story. The Author did a wonderful job of describing everything, giving a mental picture of what was happening. The story was smooth. and engrossing. The characters all distinct personalities and they all dealt similarly, yet different. As much as this affected me, my feeling is when an Author can get you feeling real emotions and develop a true connection, or (concern in this case), they have done a GREAT job. My emotions were runithing over!! Great book.
Thank you to Netgallery for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
It’s been awhile since I have read a book about a true crime. This story of an abusive mother, husband and their 3 daughters is very dark and disturbing. I had to put it down several times because I was having a hard time processing how a mother could be so cruel. Knowing that the parents have been, it will be released is a hard pill to swallow. Makes you wonder about the justice system.
Overall a good read, although a little long.
This is a rather lengthy book about the atrocities inflicted on family and other victims by a psychopathic woman. It’s a fact-based account that includes the perspective of the three daughters, the step-mother and husband number three. This story is an education into the personality of a psychopath and how easily she was able to gain control of her immediate family while seducing and brainwashing “friends.” Most unsettling is that there is no closure. The book is worth reading even though the writing is somewhat amateurish and tedious.
This book was definitely a book hard to get through. I didn’t actually read what the book was about aside from the title due to the high amount of reviews with good ratings. Immediately I assumed the book was good. I don’t regret listening to it at all though. There weren’t a lot of plot twists, but when they happened, it caused wide eyes and a shocked look. I honestly would never have thought this was based on anything truthful – it’s hard to believe anyone would have ever done anything they speak on in the novel. The story was thrilling though, and I enjoyed it (despite it being true and me being local to where it occurred, which was part of why I immediately was interested in it.)
Wow what a brutal story. I couldn’t even imagine this happening. It kept me interested until the end to see what happened.
I’m speechless!