Find out what Mumsnetters thought of thriller What You Don't Know by JoAnn Chaney

I enjoy crime thrillers and this one didn't disappoint although, as other readers have mentioned, there is (in my view) excessive use of bad language which some might find a little off-putting. I didn't guess the twist and, overall, enjoyed the read. I would look out further books from this author as this is a strong debut.

I was sent a copy of this book to review and had never heard of this author before. I especially enjoy crime thrillers and wasn't disappointed by this one. At times it did move at a somewhat slow pace but the twists and turns in the stories made up for that with a lot of details put into the storyline and the characters. I did guess the culprit before the end but that is probably from experience gained by reading quite a bit of this genre. I would choose to read any story to by this author.

My husband read this book first and he said this book is very good, well written, and easy to pick back up again when he hadn't read it for a while.

I received a copy of this book and have almost finished it. It's not my normal type of book, and the language is quite strong. Despite the goriness I am persisting as it is a good book.

A good read for a wet weekend

I did post a review of this a while back.
I found the story very engaging and thoroughly enthralling. I would have enjoyed it more had the swearing and bad language been toned down somewhat.

Well written crime thriller with an unexpected twist!! I love any type of book so well pleased with this. Thank you.

The book started off well and I liked that the plot developed quickly, keeping me interested. Didn't really enjoy the bad language and gory details though! I thought The book would have been just as good without them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this debut crime novel by Joann Chaney, a very gripping read and look forward to more great writing.

I'm a big fan of crime thrillers and this one did not disappoint. I enjoyed the style of writing and a good plot and interesting characters. I'd definitely read another of Joann's books.

I usually enjoy crime thrillers but this one did not appeal to me. Although a well thought out plot and good characterisation I found some of the detail and bad language rather disturbing.

Not my usual type of read but it's good to try something different.
I did enjoy it and would read another of Joann Chaneys novels. Particularly liked the twist at the end.

I enjoyed this book but would agree with comments that it's not a book to read if you can't overlook the bad language. Nice build up throughout with an unexpected twist.

As an avid reader of crime novels, I enjoyed this book as it's different to the books I've read. Look forward to a second novel from Joann Chaney.

Very good, atmospheric crime novel set in Denver,Colorado that deals with an aftermath of catching a serial killer and an emerging copy-cat killer.Told from three different points of view, very well written and compelling.Each of the characters is a varied, complete personality and this is a great, new angle in crime.Enjoyed it a lot.Interested to read more from this author, whose debut is accomplished and intelligent.

I'm sorry to say that I gave up on this book. I found none of the characters likable. Perhaps it's not a beachside read.... I passed it onto my husband who enjoyed it, but he said that the felt the end was rushed and everything was tied up very conveniently.

Many thanks, Mumsnet, for a copy of this book. As a fan of crime thrillers, I was really looking forward to this, and I'm glad to say, I wasn't disappointed. This riveting debut by author JoAnn Chaney is a nail-biting crime thriller that keeps you guessing until the end.

Seven years prior, detectives Ralph Loren and Paul Hoskins had solved the highest-profile serial killer case in Denver. 31 bodies were dug up from a crawl-space of a residential house, and the perpetrator, Jacky Seever, was brought to justice. Sammie Petersen’s exclusive first-on-the-scene reporting had made her a name to be reckoned with in the media world. And Gloria, Seever’s wife, who claimed to have no knowledge of her husband’s crime, found herself facing the prospect of moving on from it all, but with no idea how.

Seven years on. Seever’s still in prison. Hoskins has been demoted to a desk job. His ex-partner, the temperamental Loren, is constantly alienating one new partner after another. Sammie is working in a retail make-up department. And Gloria is living the life of anonymity, shut off from the outside world.

But then the killings begin again, with the crimes bearing all the hallmarks of Seever’s notorious deeds. But Seever is locked away in prison? Right?

For Hoskins, Loren and Sammie, it presents the opportunity to ‘rise from the ashes’ in their respective careers, to have a crack at solving the crime that only they have the unique insight into. But for Gloria, it’s about facing a set of truths she so desperately wants to avoid.

The chapters in the book are recounted as individually seen through the eyes of the main characters, predominantly Hoskins, Sammie and Gloria. The pages are immediately awash with foul language and gory descriptions. The bad language initially comes across as ‘lazy’ story telling, going for shock value to hide narrative composition inadequacies. However, this helps enhance the flaws in the characters’ personalities, and makes each one appear they have something to hide. In fact, the selfishness and unsympathetic nature of the characters make even the ‘heroes’ of the story difficult to root for. The author then manipulates her characters like pieces on a chess board, bouncing doubt and suspicion from one to the other. Until finally, all the objects are in position for the climatic conclusion.

A well-crafted, tightly-wound thriller, with a Hollywood, twist-in-the-tale ending. A humdinger of a first novel!

This isn't the type of novel I would normally choose but I enjoyed the story and was eager to find out what was going to happen next. I liked the way the chapters were organised to focus on the different characters and the fact it was a 'who dunnit' but also went back to give us an insight into the original case and murderer. I did find the ending quite predictable and the detail sometimes a bit too graphic but would read another novel by this author.

Thanks for my copy of this book. I really enjoyed it.

I haven't finished this book yet as it took ages to get a copy from the library but am really enjoying it. The style of writing is refreshing and different and it grips you. As others have said it can be a bit hard hitting but it is an enjoyable change and reminiscing of the type of books I read when younger. A really good choice of book, thanks.

I liked the structure of this book, with each chapter relating to a particular character. The plot was great and it was an interesting slant from the aftermath of the murders. However the read was spoilt for me by the constant foul language. I would look at the next book from this author but not if the same extremes of bad language are used

I received this book in exchange for an honest review. The book started really strongly, it gripped me from the first age. It is well written, the author describes the scenes and the characters amazingly well. The characters and the plot are believable and the plot develops at a fast snd constant pace. At no stage was I bored. This would be 'up there' with my top favourite thriller books of all times if it weren't for the sickening gory details and foul language. I can tolerate both to a certain extent but this book has too much and they spoiled it for me..

I received my copy and read when my little girl falls asleep.
I read the first few pages and wasn't sure with some of the language whether I would enjoy as the style was a little different. That passed and the characters developed nicely. The story is a good who did it with a back-plot explaining the original serial killer. I enjoyed the book but if easily offended or sensitive to graphic descriptions of killing it may not be appropriate. I felt the ending was a little rushed when the killer was revealed..although didn't guess who it was.
Enjoyed the book because the writing style was different. I usually.like Tess Gerritsen.
Thanks for the chance to review

Very good, atmospheric crime novel set in Denver,Colorado that deals with an aftermath of catching a serial killer and an emerging copy-cat killer.Told from three different points of view, very well written and compelling.Each of the characters is a varied, complete personality and this is a great, new angle in crime.Enjoyed it a lot.Interested to read more from this author, whose debut is accomplished and intelligent.

I have just finished my copy. The story had an interesting start, different from most thrillers I've read. Characters were difficult to warm to though. Twist towards the end which was well done.