From the bestselling author of What You Did comes a true-crime investigation that cast a dark shadow over the Ireland of her childhood. I had mixed feelings about this one. The premise was interesting albeit a little far fetched. Two unconnected insomniacs think they see a missing girl trapped in an empty house. The rest of the book is these characters trying to get the police to take them seriously whilst making various unsavoury discoveries along the way. Rachel thinks her life has started to come together, she lives in the countryside and has a boyfriend she loves albeit he is separated from his wife and has a small child. One morning on her regular walks with her dog she spots a body. What does she do? She runs it is the wife of her boyfriend. Should she report it? Well she has her reasons, 20 years ago when she was known as Casey she decided to fly to Los Angeles to become a Nanny thinking it was a stepping stone to fame. Because if you ever find yourself in a situation where your best friend is accusing your husband of rape, you can safely assume you took a very wrong turn somewhere in your life.

One thing to know about these two, because it will be repeated incessantly for the first quarter of the book: They’re tired. Really, really, reeeally tired. It’s amazing that they can function at all, they’re so tired. Despite their unending tiredness, these neighbors both end up in a park near their homes at 4 AM peering up at a lit window of a home where they both believe they’ve seen a young woman, Samantha Ellis, recently reported missing in the news. Two people living in a London suburb cannot sleep at night. Mary is a young mother whose two children won't let her close her eyes for even a few hours. Tim is a former journalist struggling with a serious case of PTSD. One night, these two see something in the empty house next door that really bothers them. Soon they are convinced that they have seen Samantha - a young girl who disappeared in the area not so long ago. Mary and Tim try to help the missing girl at all costs. In the present, Rachel stumbles upon a body and runs. Was it a coincidence? Is she as innocent as she seems? And what really happened 20 years ago?Her unease only deepens after renovations begin, when the builders find sinister dolls hidden in the walls. As Helen digs into the house’s past, she discovers that the previous owner was not only rumoured to be a witch; she was also imprisoned for a brutal triple murder thirty years earlier. Rachel spends most of her time wondering why her lover hasn't called; playing Miss Marple, talking about how annoying Jeremy is and the reasons she left him. The one highlight from my point about this plot was the inclusion of the media trial and the social media condemnation which usually takes place when a person is accused of a crime (whether or not they are guilty!) I have heard great things about this author’s work, so I will have to give her another try-but this one unfortunately, was a MISS for me!

Mary is a married mum of two wee ones who is desperate to sleep. She is also a lawyer which in this story is almost irrelevant. One tormented sleepless night up with her babies she looks out the window and questions what she sees...is it her insomnia-induced state or did she really see something? Meanwhile, Tim is awake but for different reasons. His terrible past prevents him from falling asleep. But on that same fateful night he, too, sees something from his window. The two meet one night and make a decision to investigate. Is there a link to the missing neighbourhood girl? The pasts become the present as other characters appear. And there is reason to question each of them. I loved Ms McGowan's book THE PUSH. It was edge of your seat thrills. This one was good but not great. It had some things that I love and others that just didn't do it for me. Furthermore I found the message, awareness around violence against women and the highlighting of the woman’s movement well done it was subtle and cleverly intertwined into the story. Other than that, I Know You was a nice, engaging thriller that I’m sure many people would enjoy very much. I kept really wanting something exciting and gripping to happen, but it didn’t; it was very disappointing.

Customer reviews

Convinced the “missing woman” who has been all over the news is being held captive there, they team up to investigate after the local Police, don’t feel that the tip they call in is credible enough to even visit the property in question.

I'd recommend this to fans of thrillers such as DARK PLACES, JAR OF HEARTS, WATCH THE GIRLS, and IF I DISAPPEAR.If you have a sordid past, isn't the first place you go to a big city so everyone doesn't know your name and business? I like the characters in this book. It's told from Mary and Tim's POV as you get to know each. I was a bit disappointed in the ending though. To me it seemed to just happen and then that was that. No real closure maybe. Or explanation. Something was just missing.