With the same page-turning suspense as The Girl on the Train and The Husband’s Secret, New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison’s No One Knows is a “riveting…skillfully plotted” (Publishers Weekly) thriller that questions if the narrator’s husband really has returned from the dead—or if she’s merely losing her mind.Aubrey Hamilton has been mourning her missing husband for five years, … mourning her missing husband for five years, despite being even while she was considered the prime suspect in his murder. But when he is officially declared dead, there are still more questions than answers: Why didn’t Josh show up at his friend’s bachelor party? Was he murdered, or did he run away? And who is the new, mysterious and strangely familiar figureman suddenly appearing in Aubrey’s life? And has she finally lost her mind after years of loneliness and confusion?
No One Knows is an evocative mystery that explores the complex darkness within all of us, perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Liane Moriarty, and Paula Hawkins.
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Can grief make you see things that aren’t there? Or is her husband actually alive? This central question drives this fast-paced narrative to its shocking conclusion.
The plot of J.T. Ellison’s NO ONE KNOWS is full of twists and turns. I liked how the author went back and forth in time to tell the backstory of the main characters. Speaking of the characters, they were fully-fleshed and acted in a realistic manner. Good read!
Pretty good read. Surprise ending.
Excellent didn’t see the ending coming it was a surprise
Killer standalone by J.T. Ellison that will keep you guessing until the very last page and possibly beyond. Go in knowing nothing and question everything. Loved it.
3 stars to J.T. Ellison’s No One Knows, a suspense and thriller mystery novel. I received this as a giveaway but was very interested in reading it… in the end, I’m glad I did as there were many good parts, but the ending was definitely a puzzle.
Story
Aubrey Hamilton’s parents died young and she fell prey to the repugnance of a bad seed in the foster system. She had a few people watch out for her, including one she married when Josh became the love of her life. A few years into their marriage, he disappears while at a friend’s wedding and is presumed dead. Many think Aubrey did it, and she almost went to jail for it. After a few stints in rehab and jail, she finally gets her life in order, but she’s not really enjoying her time. When her mother-in-law has her son declared legally dead, Aubrey’s world turns upside down. She’s due to inherit $5M but her mother-in-law plans to take it. Sightings of Josh occur around town, and people suspect he might be alive. A look-a-like falls in love with her and she gives him a chance. And a drug dealer starts stalking her. She’s determined to figure out how it all fits together so she can move on with her life, but when it all comes to a crashing revelation 80% through, readers will be left spinning not knowing who to believe anymore!
Strengths
1. Aubrey has a grave struggle, and readers will root for her. You want her to survive and either find Josh and have their happily ever after, or if he’s truly dead, ride off into the sunset with Chase even though it started out as a lie. She even takes care of her mother-in-law (who HATED her) when she’s sick… so the sympathy card definitely gets played.
2. It’s a page-turner… I read 30 pages the first night and was really tired so went to sleep, but the next day, I sat for 3-4 hours to finish it because I just had to know… was he alive? did she have something to do with it? Was Chase a bad guy? Was it the mother-in-law all along? Was it the best friend? Was it Arlo, her husband’s best friend? Someone was rotten and I couldn’t stop til I knew!
Suggestions
1. Oh what a confusing ending. And I’m a smart guy. Not Einstein, but pretty swift at solving these types of mysteries after reading a few hundred. No spoilers here, but a lot is left out for readers to interpret and/or choose their own ending. I like some openness, but I think the lack of true clarity was a big let-down.
2. Too many holes in the story. Parts left unanswered… Do Tom and Daisy stay together? Why did the foster brother tell us Megan was bad news without any real ending – what was Megan’s deal? Where does the foster brother end up? Who gets arrested? The last page jumps 2 years into the future and is vastly different than the entire wrap up / epilogue. Too offbeat for me.
Final Thoughts
Overall, I still liked the book. I like the author’s style… it could have been a little tighter, had more suspense and included solid, obvious structure to the way in which it was narrated. But if you can look past those things, and you like a good plot with some intense characters, and a bunch of guess-work, give it a chance! I will definitely try another book by the author.
This book is on the line with Gone Girl. Couldn’t put it down.
3.50 stars
Hmmm I thought this book had promise and came up a bit short in the end. The book jumps from past to present from different characters point-of-view as it weaves this murder mystery together. The story was very interesting, but in my middle it seemed to drag on a little too long. It did not stop me from trying to figure what was really going on in Abrey’s life.
The ending did have a nice twist to it. The story was very interesting and complex.
I will say I did not much care for Aubrey, she was a bit irritating throughout the whole story. Daisy was quite the monster-in-law, I found it weird that she almost completely got cut out of t he story halfway through.
I did not dislike this book nor did I love it. I liked the story, but felt it could have been better in some way.
Josh and Aubrey Hamilton had a great marriage and a seemingly wonderful life, until her husband disappeared five years ago. Josh vanishes into thin air – as the couple head into a bachelor/bachelorette party – and is never seen or heard from ago. When Josh’s mom finally has him declared dead, Aubrey is devastated. How will she move on without Josh? Then there’s the matter of the $5M life insurance policy he put into place shortly before his death. His mom plans to fight her for it, but Aubrey doesn’t care. She just wants Josh back. So much she imagines she sees him around the places they loved so much. Or is she just imagining this?
This was an interesting and well-written thriller. I was hooked from the beginning. You rarely read a book where the husband disappears, but you hear the story from the wife’s perspective, so that was a nice change of pace. The story flips back and forth in time, so we can unravel bits and pieces of it ourselves, but we mainly hear from Aubrey’s perspective, which is sort of nice.
The novel is suspenseful and keeps you guessing. Aubrey is a complicated character (as is Josh, really) and Ellison does a good job explaining their childhoods and how they became the people they are. There’s a supporting cast of characters who are also pretty well-developed. To me, the ending was a little sudden, but still well-done. Even better, it pretty much surprised me, which isn’t always easy to do.
I vacillated on this a bit, but overall 4 stars – it’s a thrilling and enjoyable novel. (Even if I did constantly think of the baseball player every time I read the name Josh Hamilton!)
(Note: I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in return for an unbiased review.)
Great read! Very entertaining book. I couldn’t put it down. I highly recommend it.
Kept me turning the pages.
This is one of my favorite authors.
JT Ellison is a superb author that writes the most incredible books and you will enjoy each one from beginning to end. I have read all of his books and always checking to see if another book has come out. He writes page-turner unpredictable books.
Too many ‘loose’ ends at the finale. Guess it might be that this will become a series? Still enjoyed, but a little disappointed from the other books by this author.
I didn’t come close to figuring this one out. If you love a book with multiple mysteries, you’re in for a treat. Ellison takes you by the hand through so many “rooms” in this story, and then pulls the floor out from under you! Enjoy!
Lots of twists.
Great story. At first seemed like others but it became twisted and intriguing and the end was totally unexpected.
This book is a WOW!!!! Couldn1t put it down. This is J T Ellison style to a T. Loved it. You will not be disappointed.
Shallow & trite
I thought it was a romance novel until 82% of the book went by and then it turns and turns every which way. I did not like it at all.