This was my first book by Mike Omer, and it won’t be the last. Very satisfying mystery/suspense story that wrapped up well, and I couldn’t figure it out!!

Right... I definitely didn't expect this to happen. I've been meaning to try Mike Omer's work for a while now, and there was just something about the premise of Please Tell Me that made it impossible to resist. I mean, I can never say no to a serial killer angle... Add Kathy's trauma and therapy being a key in it all, and I thought that I was up for a fascinating read. Sadly, I ended up being considerably underwhelmed with it all... And I kind of wish I had made the decision to DNF instead. I'll try to explain briefly why.

I still can't believe I had this reaction to Please Tell Me to be honest. I was absolutely fascinated by the premise itself, and in theory it ticked all the boxes of what usually would make a successful read for me. Sadly, the complete opposite turned out to be true. The first obstacle was the writing style and tone itself, which I could somehow never completely warm up to. The premise was intriguing enough to overcome this and keep reading, but I was soon struggling with the fact just how surprisingly dull and repetitive the plot itself was. Not something you would expect from this story, and it unsettled me.

One of the main things I struggled with had to do with the main characters though. I didn't like any of them, and especially Robin could get extremely frustrating. I just don't get how she can be a therapist when she has so many mental problems and mummy issues herself... She just wasn't credible to me, and then I'm not even talking about those cringeworthy therapy sessions where she verbally explains every little thing the child is doing. Creepy much? The constant references to her mummy issues and the way she let's her mother walk all over her got so frustrating that I almost threw my kindle at the wall. She just seemed so immature and again: I just don't see that someone who can't even stand up to her mother would be able to be a successful child therapist.

I can't say that I was a fan of the constant reminder of COVID in Please Tell Me either. I get that the pandemic is something that should be incorporated to make books with a recent setting more realistic... But there is mentioning it and there is constantly referring to it and almost making it political. The constant mentions of social media also got old real fast... And then I'm not even talking about the romance subplot suddenly popping up. Why o why did the romance have to be added at all?! It only distracted from the main plot even more.

I confess that I started skimreading long before the halfway mark, and I'm still not sure why I even continued reading. I guess part of me was still curious to see who was behind it all... And sadly, the reveals didn't even make up for the struggles for me. Different suspects are constantly thrown at you without too much development or details, and while the first reveal was solid enough (albeit cliche), the last 'twist' just didn't do it for me. I just couldn't look past the fact that it only seemed to be introduced for the shock-factor, and there was no explanation offered for what motivated the person. It just seemed rather lackluster for what I suppose was ment as an 'explosive' ending.

As you can guess, Please Tell Me and me most definitely didn't get along. I do seem to be in the minority though, as most reviews have been glowing so far... So the chances are you will have a better time reading this story. I'm just adding my two cents in case there are more people out there having violent thoughts about kindles and walls while reading this book.

This was an amazing book, full of twists and turns. It showed the reappearance of a girl after fifteen months. She held the secrets to finding not just her abductor but the one who tortured and killed many people. The only problem is that, she has stopped talking! Now, it's upto her therapist, Robin Hart to help her and in the process find her abductor.

This book was definitely a great read. From the cover to the end, everything reflected its thrilling elements. This is one of the best thrillers that I ever read.

When Kathy Stone went missing, no one expected to ever see her alive again. But after a year of trauma, Kathy is found walking along the side of the road, bleeding and mute. She is unable to tell her parents or the police where she has been and what happened to her. In desperation, Kathy's parents bring her to Robin Hart, a child psychologist. Unable to gain information from Kathy, she will introduce play therapy between this 8yr old girl and herself. But Kathy's actions are not play. The more Robin interacts with Kathy, the more she is certain that Kathy knows more than she can tell. Robin will partner with the police to find Kathy's abductor and keep her safe.

This was a good thriller. I'm a Mike Omer fan and read his titles as often as I can. In PLEASE TELL ME, Omer carries several story lines through the major plot line that will keep readers guessing. The ending? Well, let's say you'll not guess this one.

Please Tell Me is a story full of suspense and fear for the life of a lttle girl. The beggining pages that the book opens with are sad and dreadful as Kathy describes walking along a dirt road with bloody feet and starving.
She has been traumatized from some sort of experience that has left her mute. The people in her town are so happy that she has returned but frustrated that she has yet to name her abductor.

While Kathy is in therapy she begins acting out horrendous murders ones that have already taken place and ones they assume are from her imagination. At least until the ones that haven't happened start to occur.
There is a race against the clock as Kathys abductor is still lurking around the corner watching and waiting for the chance to take Kathy again.

I want to thank #Netgalley for the chance to read #PleaseTellMe by MikeOmer in return for a fair and honest review.

I absolutely loved this book! The whole time you are wondering what happened and you keep getting the feeling that not the whole story is being told and then the plottwist happens and it is so good! Definitely a book that I will recommend to everybody who loves a good thriller!

why did I wait so long before reading this masterpiece?
full of emotions, thrilling scenes, and lots of suspense - the perfect recipe for an amazing thriller novel.
I wasn't able to put the book down, the reason why I'd put it down was having to go to sleep because of uni or having to study for exams, that's how good the book was!

the tone is set well, characters are written in a manner that I was able to see them as real people. also, while the book is around 400 pages you don't feel that it's long and you can enjoy every page of the story.

Please Tell Me starts with a massive emotional gut punch that completed hook me and I ended up staying up most of the night to read this one. While I’m not generally one for issuing trigger warnings, with this story revolving around child that was abducted and held for over a year, I could completely see how upsetting this might be for some readers. Excellent, tense, story, with some fantastic characters, with one of the major ones that doesn’t even talk! If you’re like me, once you start this one you won’t want to put it down. I’d like to thank Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review an eARC of Please Tell Me.

https://www.amazon.com/review/R109ISUVSTO6HF/ref=pe_1098610_137716200_cm_rv_eml_rv0_rv

4.25⭐

Please Tell Me is a thriller that is both intriguing and compelling. With the COVID-19 pandemic at the forefront and focusing on eight-year-old Kathy. Who goes missing from her front garden. Leaving her parents and the community at large devastated, shocked, and scared. 

But a year later, the community, the local police and Kathy's dad Pete have pretty much accepted that she is dead. Only Claire, her mother, is hopeful that she will return. 

And she does. 

After being found alone and terrified on the side of the road. Kathy returns to her home. But she won't speak of her ordeal, so the police have nothing to go on.

So child therapist Robin, whose clients are local children who have been dealing with the effects of living with a pandemic and losing a friend, is tasked with helping Kathy open up and deal with the trauma she has suffered. As well as hopefully giving the police some leads to go on.

However, what Robin doesn't expect is for Kathy to start acting out violent scenes all within the confines of a Victorian doll's house. Scenes depicting unsolved murders in the area.

And so the hunt begins for a killer who Kathy is clearly connected to. 

But how? 

That's what the police need to find out, hopefully without putting Robin and Kathy in danger.

And with a shocking reveal at the end. An intriguing premise and a lot of twists. This was a very enjoyable read. That was only let down for me by the pacing at the beginning. 

But I appreciated that the focus was on a therapist rather than a police officer, and it was evident that extensive research had been done.

Kathy Stone, a young girl who went missing over a year ago and was presumed by most to be dead, turns up walking barefoot on the side of a dark road with bloodied soles one night. When discovered by a passing motorist, she’s traumatized and mute, unable to tell anyone what happened in words or writing.

That was the opening, and it had my attention immediately!

Kathy’s mother, Claire, reaches out to Robin Hart, a former classmate and psychologist to help her daughter. During weeks of play therapy, Kathy draws alarming pictures and zeroes in on a Victorian dollhouse and assortment of six dolls, including one who she mimes violently harming the other dolls in a variety of disturbing ways. When her play mirrors several recent murders that occurred, Robin reaches out to Detective Nathaniel King.

Are the murders connected? Is there a serial killer on the loose?

Things get even more complicated when one of Kathy’s play scenarios seems to predict a murder that happens AFTER she returned. How did she know? Furthermore, who do the final two dolls … a child and a woman … represent? One thing is clear: Playtime is starting to get very real!

I’ll be honest: I was prepared to dislike this book after the COVID pandemic was first mentioned in chapter 2 (and then repeatedly throughout). The author had a purpose for it that played into the storyline, but it felt a little gimmicky. I also found Robin’s therapy technique of narrating Kathy’s actions back to her a bit bizarre to listen to, even if that is an actual practice. Those minor issues aside, I was surprised by how much I got sucked into this story!

Omer did a nice job creating the red herrings and sense of visceral unease that put my senses in high alert! He interspersed a few short chapters from the viewpoints of those involved in Kathy’s disappearance, while still somehow not giving the whole surprise away. Yes, the events leading up to the ending and the ending itself strayed a little close to Sillyville, as far as believability, but does anyone actually read thrillers for realism? I recommend not taking it too seriously and just have fun with it!

★★★ ½ (rounded to 4)

A decent twisty mystery thriller that was slightly spoiled for me by all the 'pandemic' references. I am not usually bothered by this but this book relied on the pandemic angle a little too much, in my opinion, which made the actual (pretty good) story rather disjointed. Still a decent read apart from that. 3.5 stars

Mike Omer crafts a perfect thriller from the get-go. It's enticing, climactic, and keeps your interest easily. With a whole host of well-defined characters, it's easy to get lost in the world Omer creates. The narration and writing style differ based on the focus of the chapter, which made the characters come to life. It was a great balance of excitement and backstory without over-detailing. I truly could not put this book down, and every twist and turn had me dying to know more.

In her therapist's playroom, eight-year-old Kathy uses an intricate Victorian dollhouse to act out horrific murders. The little girl hasn't spoken since she escaped the abductor who had held her captive for the past eighteen months. No one knows who took her or what happened during that stretch of time, but the stories she play acts with the dolls she buries in the playroom sandbox match up with unsolved murders...and she did some of them before the murders occurred.

I really enjoyed this thriller. The pace is a bit slow and there are a lot of characters doing a lot of things that don't have much to do with Kathy and her story, but one things start to come together my patience absolutely paid off.

My biggest complaint -- and the thing that drew me to the book in the first place -- is the dollhouse. I think the author is unaware of the fact that there are dollhouses for children to play with and dollhouses for adult collectors. Some of the scenes with the dollhouse left a sour taste in my mouth in a book that I otherwise loved.

“She needed to get home, where it was… safe. Where there were no bad men, and where Mommy and Daddy could hug her and her doll.”


I read and really enjoyed Mike Omer’s Abby Mullen series. Please Tell Me is a stand alone novel with quite a different vibe than the Mullen series.

This book is intense and had a nice twist, but it’s a bit darker and it won’t be for all readers.

There are several things in this book that may be turn-offs or triggers for some people so I’ll list them up front: child abduction, a narcissistic parental relationship, quite a few Covid references, and some graphic and violent deaths- we don’t get the play-by-play as they happen but we are told how the people died after the fact and we know that the killer was inspired by several horror films.

Just one of these could be enough for someone not to read a book, so Omer took a risk in combining all of these things into one book. For some, it may be too much.

I wouldn’t be able to read books like these one right after the other and if all his future books continue in this trend I would need to stop, but for a one-off, I could handle it. It helped that there wasn’t a ton of swearing and the violence was not glorified or overdone like a horror novel. There were creepy parts and uncomfortable parts and danger lurking around the corners, but we weren’t subjected to blood everywhere and we weren’t forced into the killer’s mind as he committed his acts.



I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the book when it opens from the POV of a little girl walking along a road without shoes. She had been abducted and she had somehow escaped. It breaks your heart to read her thoughts. That beginning chapter is the only chapter where we are in the little girl’s thoughts.

I was glad that the book didn’t portray her within her captivity because it’s so hard to read about kids going through trauma. Instead, the book is about trying to figure out who took her. She (Kathy) goes to process her experience with a child therapist, Robin— our main character.

Kathy has been so traumatized that she doesn’t speak. If she could have just been able to speak or write (like the title- please tell me), this whole thing would have gone a lot differently, but that’s not how trauma works. There are no neat packages with little bows.

And so, we are drawn through her therapy process through play. Kathy starts to reenact what appears to be violent scenes using little figurines and a dollhouse during her sessions. Robin realizes what she is doing and she tries to help law enforcement by providing details of these sessions that start to match up with murders that have occurred since Kathy was rescued.

Can they help find her abductor before the abductor comes back for Kathy?



Comments

I was mostly satisfied with the direction Omer took everything, but I feel like we needed a little bit more background on what led her abductor to do what they did. It wasn’t clear what was behind that and so the twist feels a bit like a twist just for the sake of a twist instead of a logical progression. It definitely made for a surprise— which I liked— but after we found out, I would have liked more information on motive.

There develops a small romance between Robin and one of the investigators on the cases. I didn’t care for that. It added a bit to the character development of Robin, but not much to the story as a whole. I don’t really like the trope of ‘woman in distress falls for law enforcement person helping her.’ Overdone, not realistic, unnecessary.


I think Robin was a likable character. Some reviewers have mentioned the therapy sessions being boring or repetitive, but I didn’t feel like that when I was reading. I thought it was interesting to see how a therapist would handle these situations. Based on the acknowledgements at the end of the book, it sounds like Omer got a lot of input from professionals so I think what he wrote is a pretty realistic handling. And I appreciated that Omer included that Robin consulted another therapist while treating Kathy to make sure she wasn’t doing anything harmful. She didn’t have an ego and it added to the authenticity of her practice.

There are parts of her character that make her more complex— her relationship with her mother, her divorce, her miscarriage, and her own need for therapy. I think we view people like therapists on these pedestals like they don’t have anything traumatic or dysfunctional in their own lives because they have all this psychological knowledge and know what’s going on. But it makes sense that they should have their own struggles and might need to see their own therapist. I don’t think that makes them a bad therapist, it makes them a normal person.

I think Omer did a great job with some of Robin’s inner dialogue— like when she is doom scrolling on Facebook one night. Omer is very attuned to social media behavior and psychology and I found that section relatable and humorous. Like how she made sure to ‘like’ all the posts about Kathy’s return because she didn’t want to make her own post about it because ‘It always confused her when people stampeded their way to social media to share their feelings.’ but she also didn’t want people to think she didn’t like that Kathy was back. (Side note: Robin has more Facebook friends than me.)

I do wish Robin wasn’t a smoker. It seems like such a stupid habit for anyone to take up now that we KNOW all the harmful effects of smoking. Why would anyone do that?! So it’s hard for me not to see smokers as dumb people. I wish her coping mechanism was something else. Like candy. I don’t know.



One thing I thought was strange as I was reading it was that it felt like Omer only used the word ‘cop’ instead of police officer. Cop just feels like a negative way of referring to officers. If I was talking to my kids I don’t think I would use the term cop. But in the story Robin used ‘cop’ with Kathy.

I did double check this and my perception was a little off from reality. Cop was used 65 times— which is a lot, but then I checked for police and that was like 73. So he did interchange, but my perception while reading was that ‘cop’ was overused.

I know cop is just more informal, but it just feels disrespectful to me. Cop feels like the term perpetrators use. Police feels like the term victims and normal people use. Is that just me?



The Triggers

As mentioned, there are several trigger points or turn-offs.

Child abduction. As a mom, I’ve obviously worried about this scenario multiple times. I think Omer does a good job of portraying Kathy’s mom’s (Claire) struggle with what happened. Kathy was taken from her yard while she was playing and her mom was doing dishes. Claire endures judgment from people about not paying attention to her daughter, and the guilty ‘if onlys’ that plague her. And then once Kathy is back, Claire has to learn how to care for Kathy all over again because of her silence and her reactions to loud noises etc.

Narcissistic parent. Robin’s mom is a classic narcissist. I know of several people who have one of these in their life and the way Omer writes their interactions and dialogue seems very on par with reality. It is a frustrating thing to read and I can see how some who already deal with that in real life would not want that in a book they’re reading.

Covid. I’m not a fan of Covid being included in books. I’ve read a few now where authors have set their stories during or in a world where Covid existed. The way it’s talked about in the book is very pragmatic and normal conversations or comments about people’s lives: when they couldn’t leave their houses, when they had to wear masks, how people were fighting over toilet paper, how people cared if you were vaccinated or not, etc. There was also one reference to a shooter drill in school. It’s not everywhere in the book but it’s more than a few comments. I do think it’s an interesting point within the setting of the book. When Kathy first disappeared and they had the community help search, everyone had masks which obscured the police from really seeing who came out to help (since the abductor often shows up to those kinds of things).

Violent deaths. I won’t go into details here because I’ve already mentioned a few things, but the deaths are based on horror movie scenes and each one was different. I don’t feel like it was written like a horror novel at all which is good. It adds a darkness to the book, but it’s not super descriptive and doesn’t take up a lot of page real estate. Another element of this was that there is mention of these crimes and violence being an erotic experience for the perpetrator.



Recommendation

This is a hard book to know how to recommend. I think people who really don’t have any triggers and they just want an intense thriller will really like this book.

But I just think it’s important for the reader to consider if this combination of things will be okay for them to read.

If it was really graphic and dark I don’t think I would recommend it at all, but I don’t feel like that was the case here. It wasn’t over-the-top, it just had a unique combination of things that could be overwhelming to certain readers.

I would still definitely recommend Omer’s other books (they’re more crime/procedural thrillers with law enforcement being the primary characters) and I’ll keep reading his future books at this point!


[Content Advisory: 1 f-word, 31 s-words; no sexual content; violence and some graphic deaths described after the fact]

**Received an ARC via NetGalley**

(3.5) Mystery, some creepiness and a surprise. There was a lot going on in this book, a lot of people, and their stories, in depth. I was getting lost and trying to figure out why I needed such in depth on so many people, it kept pulling me from the plot, or so I thought. The ending almost made the slow reading worthwhile. It was completely unexpected and appreciated. Thank you for the arc. I freely volunteer my thoughts and opinions. #PleaseTellMe #MikeOmer #ThomasandMercer #Netgalley

Entertaining and immersive. A recommended purchase for collections where crime and thrillers are popular.

Overview:
After disappearing from her front yard, little Kathy is found wandering the streets, shoeless and disorientated. Everyone wants to know where she’s been the last 18 months and who took her but Kathy is dealing with lots of trauma and has become mute. Eager to get her talking again, her parents ask for help from child psychologist Robin. But during her sessions Kathy begins to act out violent murders with the toy dolls, murders that have already happened. Robin must try to unlock the information Kathy is holding before another victim is murdered.

My Review:
This one was a bit of a rollercoaster ride for me in terms of enjoyment. At the beginning of this book I very almost gave up and didn’t finish it. It was the writing style I struggled with and at times it felt quite basic and didn’t flow very well. I decided to stick with it and ended up getting into the plot. Then at about 75% in it felt like everything was coming to an end and I was left thinking “is that it”? But there was more to come and by the end I’m glad I struck with it. It turned out to be a good read and I was invested in the characters.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

When eight-year-old Kathy Stone turns up on the side of the road a year after her abduction, the world awaits her harrowing story. But Kathy doesn't say a word. Traumatised by her ordeal, she doesn't speak at all, not even to her own parents. Child therapist Robin Hart is the only one that has success connecting with the girl. Robin has been using play therapy to help Kathy process her memories. But as their work continues, Kathy's playtime takes a grim turn: a doll looks to stab another doll, a tiny figurine is chained to a plastic toy couch. All of these horrifying moments, enacted within a Victorian doll house. Every session, another doll does.

The pace is perfectly set. Each chapter seems to end in the middle of a dramatic scene, so I just had to keep reading to find out more. The story is told from multiple points of view, we even get the voice of the perpetrator. I really liked Robin, we learn of her sister, Melody, and the dysfunctional relationship with her mother. Kathy's mother Claire - her story is told in the present day and flashbacks to when Kathy was abducted. It did take me a little while to get into this book, but once I was in, I was hooked.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #Thomas&Mercer and the author #MikeOmer for my ARC of #PleaseTellMe in exchange for an honest review.

8 year old Kathy is abducted, but manages to escape a year later. She does not speak and is terrified all the time. A child therapist Robin agrees to help Kathy learn how to handle and how to live with her traumatic memories. During the sessions Kathy seems to playact recent murders.

I really liked this book. The story is told from several points of view, but Robin is clearly the main character. She's recently divorced and also grieving after the death of her father. In addition to that her mother is unstable and demanding and makes her life really difficult. Robin still manages to be a sympathetic and likable charater.

It takes a while for the author to set the stage for the story. I was anxious to get it going. Fortunately the build up was really worth it. The chapters are short and end in cliffhangers. There was a sense of urgency that kept me reading and turning pages. I thought I had the killer figured out, but I was totally wrong, which is nice. I usually don't care for romance in thrillers, but here it was quite cute and subtle and I actually liked Nathaniel too. There are many references to Covid-19, which is something I would not care to read about. I eventually got over it, though.

This is the first book I read by this author, but definitely not the last.

Happy Pub Day ! 🥳
#NetGalley ArC

#PleaseTellMe had a lot to unpack & I guarantee you didn't guess who did what because there was no way ! Which was kinda cool but also super random.. but I guess these cases are right?!
This book was very repetitive at times & the length of the book overall imo was too long
Menny the dog was a fave of course 😂
Robin's mom completely made me cringe & want to slap her. I hate her 🙊
Overall good & bad parts but I felt it did drag in parts.