No One Can Know

My December Book of the Month selection was No One Can Know by Kate Alice Marshall (the other options were A Winter in New York by Josie Silver, The Kingdom of Sweets by Erika Johansen, The Storm We Made by Vanessa Chan, and Tomb Sweeping by Alexandra Chang). I obviously love thrillers because my first selection for 2023 was What Lies in the Woods by this same author! Emma Palmer learns that she is pregnant on the same day that her husband reveals that he has lost his job. Since they are facing eviction from their apartment and other financial hardships she reluctantly agrees that they should move into her childhood home in the small town of Arden Hills, which she owns with her estranged sisters Juliette and Daphne, until they get back on their feet. However, this forces her to reveal something that she has kept secret from her husband: her parents were brutally murdered in this house fourteen years ago and she was the main suspect. Moving back after all of these years reignites interest in the still unsolved murders, especially for the vindictive police officers who worked the case, and this prompts Juliette and Daphne to return in order to ensure that Emma keeps the rest of their secrets about that night. We soon discover that her sisters have been keeping secrets of their own from her. The narrative alternates between the POVs of all three sisters, both in the past and the present, and it becomes incredibly suspenseful as it is revealed that each sister had both motive and opportunity to murder their parents. It is very fast-paced and there are so many twists and turns and bits of misdirection that it was hard for me to put it down. It definitely kept me guessing until the very last chapter! The characters are extremely well-developed and I especially enjoyed the psychological examination of how each of the sisters responded to the abuse inflicted on them by their parents in the past and how that informs their behavior in the present as well as their dysfunctional relationship with each other. I was particularly drawn to Emma's character arc because she is so complex (both incredibly sympathetic because of what she has been through but often unlikable because of how she responds to her situation). I really liked this and I highly recommend it to fans of psychological thrillers.

Note:  I have decided not to renew my Book of the Month subscription next year.  I spend way too much money on books and I am running out of room on my bookcases so I have made a goal to use the library more!