No One Knows: 5 Stars

Thrillers are one of my favorite genres and no one does them quite like J.T. Ellison. Below is a brief summary of Ellison's "No One Knows" followed by my overall thoughts and recommendation of the novel.

Summary

We follow along with our main character, Aubrey as she navigates life without her beloved husband, Josh who after 5-years has been officially declared dead regardless of the inability of the authorities to find his body.

As Ellison switches storylines from the past (beginning when Aubrey is 10 and Josh 12) to the present (5 years after Josh's death). As we get a glimpse into the past we discover Aubrey has been dealt a difficult hand in life. When Aubrey's parents died in a car accident she was moved to a foster home. Influenced by her foster brother, Tyler Aubrey picked up smoking, drugs, and light thievery. While not the best influence, Tyler saves Aubrey from a brutal attack becoming her protector. However, he cannot protect himself from his heroin addiction, robbery, and other crimes eventually landing him in prison.

Aubrey keeps the rougher part of her life from Josh, letting him be her savior and eventually, lover. Despite the unexplainable vendetta Josh's mother has held for her since she was a young child, Josh and Aubrey marry and lead a happy life together.

A few days before his death, Josh takes out a large life insurance policy in Aubrey's name making her the number one suspect in the police investigation. Once Aubrey is acquitted of the crime she tries to move on, live life without her beloved Josh.

Tensions begin to rise as the date on which Aubrey is due to receive the insurance money draws closer. The police have begun to monitor Aubrey again. Aubrey's foster brother recently surfaces from prison. A new man enters Aubrey's life. Unsolved questions surrounding Josh's murder are beginning to be answered and we discover Josh, the golden boy, all-star athlete, and the soon-to-be doctor is not as innocent or perfect as everyone assumed.

We read as Aubrey battles to find the truth, clear Josh's name, and continue to prove her innocence.

My thoughts

From the first chapter of this book, I was on high alert. I'll admit, at one point or another I suspected nearly every character of playing a role in Josh's murder.

Ellison writes in a way where you can't help but be suspicious of certain people throughout the novel. Nearly all of the characters have a secret that is revealed throughout the novel. Some have nothing to do with the murder, others have secrets relating directly to the murder.

That's what I like about Ellison's novels. Anyone could be guilty. It is not unlike her to turn the main character into the villain, the weak into the strong, the pawn into the mastermind. She takes so many twists and turns, with several storylines happening at once you're not sure where to point your finger.

For example, Tyler, Aubrey's foster brother does not get along well with Aubrey's best friend. That odd relationship interested me and took me off the scent. I thought there was something suspicious about it, more to the story. However, it resulted in nothing. Sometimes in life, people simply don't like eachother. You get so swept up in the drama, you get suspicious when there's a real-life conversation without a double meaning.

"No One Knows" has become one of my favorite Thrillers to date. I am a rather slow reader and I was able to get through this in less than 2-days. If you're a thriller fan, I'd highly recommend giving this a read.

Thank you for reading my book review of "No One Knows" by J.T. Ellison, I appreciate your support. Feel free to subscribe to my blog for other book reviews and more!

Leah Lawrence