"Cleverly blending the real and imagined worlds until the reader can't differentiate the two, Knox has created a twisty, turny thriller that cuts through the heart of the modern true crime fascination, all while keeping us enraptured by it."—BuzzFeed THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER! What happens to all the girls who go missing? The thrilling story of a university student's sudden disappearance, the woman who became obsessed with her case, and the crime writer who uncovered the chilling truth about what happened... In 2011, Zoe Nolan walked out of her dormitory in Manchester and was never seen or heard from again. Her case went cold. Her story was sad, certainly, but hardly sensational, crime writer Joseph Knox thought. He wouldn't have given her any more thought were it not for his friend, Evelyn Mitchell. Another writer struggling to come up with a new idea, Evelyn was wondering just what happens to all the girls who go missing. What happens to the Zoe Nolans of the world? Evelyn began investigating herself, interviewing Zoe's family and friends, and emailing Joseph with chapters of the book she was writing with her findings. Uneasy with the corkscrew twists and turns, Joseph Knox embedded himself in the case, ultimately discovering a truth more tragic and shocking than he could have possibly imagined... Just remember: Everything you read is fiction. Praise for True Crime Story: "Stunningly unique...For fans of stories with a little something extra, this book is set up like an oral history, complete with emails, newspaper clippings and photos that propel the story all the way to a shocking and satisfying conclusion." —Newsweek "Mr. Knox is a fantastic writer. His ambitious fourth novel satirises and celebrates the true-crime genre with glee. True Crime Story, by turns horrific and hilarious, is scandalously entertaining." —The Times (UK) "The gifted Joseph Knox continues his upwards trajectory with True Crime Story forging something original and innovative." —Financial Times (UK) "This is one of the most engaging cold-case novels I have read." —Literary Review (UK)
Reviews with the most likes.
Well, shucks. You wouldn't think a book made up primarily of interview transcripts could suck you in, but it REALLY did for a while there. I also appreciated how the correspondence sections act as a book club for the reader, speculating on what we've learned so far, where it's going next, and of course teasing new info... It effectively built up three quarters of a blisteringly well-paced and characterized story and then, I dunno, just didn't land. Twist not satisfying, ending not satisfying, just more missing and dead women and some plea for how the killer might be “just misunderstood”. 🤢It appears that my disinterest/distaste for reading true crime as I feel it sensationalizes, or at the very least, presents for the interest of readers, real human misery, partially extends to mystery novels formatted like true crime. Especially with the author inserting himself as a suspect and the stock pictures of real people standing in for murdered characters, really creeped me out.This feels more like Jai's tragic story than Zoe's. I'm grateful that Jai and Kim get happy endings.
I think this reads more like a mystery, but characters' capacity to be nasty to each other, sharpened humour, and ultimate reveals are more like a thriller, and as you may know, I hate those.
⚠️ Fatphobia
