Not That I Could Tell
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Suspense
3.3
(98)
Jessica Strawser
"Full of slow-burning intrigue, Strawser's second novel will appeal to fans of Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies and Jennifer Kitses' Small Hours." —Booklist*Book of the Month Club SelectionAn innocent night of fun takes a shocking turn in Not That I Could Tell, the next page-turner from Jessica Strawser, author of Almost Missed You.When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal. By Monday morning, one of them is gone. Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce—and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her—and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions—especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own. As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors—and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.
AD
Buy now:
More Details:
Author
Jessica Strawser
Pages
336
Publisher
St. Martin's Publishing Group
Published Date
2018-03-27
ISBN
1250107881 9781250107886
Community ReviewsSee all
"This was a good book. It was predictable and no plot twists, but it was an from an angle I had never really thought about before. What happens to the friends and family of the missing person? What do they go through as they search for clues, hoping for a reappearance, or closure? Their lives are forever altered as well. The event becomes a stigma they can't escape even when they try. <br/><br/>"
"First off, thank you to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Jessica Strawser for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Not That I Could Tell relates the story of a group of women living in a neighborhood and the aftermath of a night when one of them goes missing. It questions how well you really know your friends and neighbors and how things are not always as they seem on the surface. I found the story an easy one to read but too formulaic and easy to predict. I didn't really find the twists to be surprising and could see them coming right away - I kept waiting for the story to veer off of the expected path, but it really never did. I like the premise of not knowing what lies under the surface of friendships and relationships despite public facade (especially in the age of social media where everyone's life is portrayed as idyllic), but found the story to be just "meh" in the end."
J C
Jennifer Cohen
"Really great story! "
J R
Jennifer Rodrigo
"http://www.anurseandabook.com/2018/03/not-that-i-could-tell-by-jessica.html<br/>This book had a touch of Big Little Lies in it, and a touch of Karin Slaughter's suspense, adding up to the perfect book club book.<br/><br/>Izzy is new to Yellow Springs and trying to start a new life after some heartbreak. The neighborhood seems welcoming, and the women on the block take her in, but after a bonfire one night, Izzy finds herself in the middle of a mystery.<br/><br/>Kristin has disappeared, along with her twins. And Izzy and her mom friends are the last people to se her, but no one has much memory of the night. I'm not much of a drinker, but doesn't it seem strange that no one remembers anything?<br/><br/>As Kristin's estranged husband begins hanging around their former home, the women have different ideas about his intentions. Izzy fights her attraction to Paul, but should she? Doesn't she deserve to be happy? And doesn't he if his wife ran away with the kids?<br/><br/>A great read that leaves you wondering how much any of us really know our neighbors and how much are women willing to do to each other in the quest to not end up alone?<br/>"
M F
Marcee Feddersen