Special thanks to Grand Central Publishing for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

I am a huge true crime fan & I certainly love a memoir. This is a well-written book that deals with identity fraud & it's devastating effects on one family. I think non-fiction readers, fans of more sober memoirs & true crime addicts would enjoy it!

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

Axton did an excellent job giving the reader a full picture of how identity theft shaped her life. Each part is more intense than the last and the last few chapters were hard to put down. ⠀
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The first section was a tad slow as she introduced her childhood and laid the groundwork, but once I got further along it made me appreciate getting that raw, innocent perspective before it was completely tainted from her findings. ⠀
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She put you in the middle of the fear and paranoia that identity theft created and some of the struggles she incurred growing up in its aftermath, then you were taken for a ride as she made this subject her life’s mission from studying and practicing it to solving her own mystery. ⠀

Before instances of identity theft became unfortunately more frequent as the Internet became more of a staple in everyday life Axton Betz-Hamilton’s parent’s identities were stolen. Starting when she was eleven she watched her parents credit and their marriage deteriorate at a rapid pace. The banks, lenders and authorities didn’t have rock solid methods established for dealing with identity theft so Axton’s parents pleas for help seemed to fall on mostly deaf ears.

The identity theft seemed inescapable as it even followed them to different addresses after their personal information had also been changed. Confident that it was someone in their lives that knew them personally, Axton’s parents isolated their family from the small town that they lived in – including family and friends. Growing up isolated, strangers, family and friends caused Axton to develop anxiety, panic attacks and an eating disorder at a very young age. Her mother became obsessed with perceptions of their family and accepted nothing less than perfection in public. As time continued without results of finding the culprit Axton not only grew up but also attended college. It was while she was attending college that Axton found out that it wasn’t just her parents that became a target of the thief that had plagued her childhood.

I feel like true crime books are very hit or miss on the writing style and Axton definitely made it easy on us in her autobiography and/or memoir. Honestly this book could technically be considered both. Her book doesn’t cover a lot of her story before the start of her teens but she has dealt with the aftermath of identity theft the majority of her life. Just the fact that she chose to essentially embrace what had happened to her and her family while turning it into something mostly positive for herself is inspiring. Not to mention after being a private person she chose to share her story with the masses in hopes of helping others. It has been a while since I’ve had similar connections with an author of anything I’ve read. Similarly to Axton I grew up in small town, on a farm and was a member of our local 4-H and my high school’s FFA chapter as well.

If you are not already familiar with Axton’s story do yourself a favor and DON’T Google her if you don’t want to potentially spoil the book. I was nearly at the end and I wanted to look up something she’d referred to, I wish I hadn’t – it spoiled the buildup of Axton finally finding out who had targeted her family nearly her whole life. Even though I ruined the discovery of who did it for myself the ending still blew me away. I literally cannot even imagine what that must have been like.

“Instead I was mad that our paranoia ran so deep it seemed to create canyons of silence between us and the people we should have been closest to.”

I would highly recommend reading this book if you enjoy true crime, nonfiction, autobiographies, memoirs and mysteries. I would like to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for the chance to read this inspiring true crime novel. I would also like to thank Axton for sharing her life story and struggles with those who read her book, articles etc.

I really enjoyed this book, perfect for biography and memoir enthusiasts. This book was generously provided to me through NetGalley. Highly Recommended!

This is a truly disturbing story about identity theft. Moreso, it is a story about mental illness. I read it in one sitting. It was a well-written, fast read that kept you engaged. I would have liked to know more about the pathology behind what motivates a person to do this to another person. I recommend it to true crime readers.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC

Thanks to NetGalley, Grand Central Publishing, and Axton Betz-Hamilton for the opportunity to read and review this book - especially one that is so personal and private and had to be difficult to write.

Axton grew up an only child on a farm in rural Indiana. From an early age, there were many secrets swirling around the family and Axton learned the term "identify theft" before it was a common thing. Her parents fell prey and Axton was taught to be suspicious of anyone and everyone; she never fit in at school, had friends, could answer the phone. When Axton finally went off to college and discovered her credit report, she realized that she was also a victim from the age of 11.

This is a difficult book to review - some things seem so obvious to the reader. It comes down to the blinders we wear in our family and how we trust them to be honest and put our needs above their own or others. When that doesn't always happen, it's devastating. Mental illness plays a big part in the backstory of this book. To me, Axton, no matter how successful, is partially still that child keeping the rest of the world at bay.

A stunning dive into a world so often unseen. A thrilling trip and a gut wrenching story. Would be an excellent choice for Book Clubs/Kits and readers who want to delve into a life so different from their own.

Written with brilliant prose against the backdrop of Axton's Ph.D in Human Development with a focus on Child Identity Theft, and with a seriously shocking twist that even I didn't see coming, "The Less People Know About Us" is a stunning, heartbreaking work of True Crime that will keep you reading until the last page, I would highly recommend this book to readers new to the True Crime genre, or readers looking to a fantastic True Crime book, but without all the serial killers, murderers, blood, and gore.

This book left me heartbroken for the author. The author spends her whole life dealing with identity theft, but then has to deal with even more trauma. Fascinating book that shows the best and the worst of people when dealing with money.

When you think you know someone and find out you had no clue who they are. Axton Betz-Hamilton’s family has been struggling financial for years. Her mother, Pamela, controlled the house income while her father worked & handed over the money. Day in, day out bill collectors would call & the refrigerator would be empty. None of this made sense as both parents made decent money.
Moving forward, Betz-Hamilton goes off to college and is all set to get her own place but ends up being denied because of credit debt that she had since she was 11 years old.

Wait? What?!
Oh, wait it gets better.

At this point Betz-Hamilton has had enough! She files a police report and continues her search on the identity theft that is causing mayhem in her life. Betz-Hamilton mother is diagnosed with leukemia and doesn’t have much time. She and her father do all they can to make her comfortable & gather all information so he can live. That means getting all her passwords to pay the bills.

SHOCKING moment about to happen!

When Pam dies all her skeletons are revealed and once, I found out my jaw dropped!
I don’t want to spoil anything, just read this book. That pacing sucks, but its not enough to make you stop reading. As the story unfolded all I could say was “wtf!”, “no way!” . True crime junkies will enjoy this one.
Thank you, Netgalley & Grand Central Publishing for gifting me this DARC in exchange for an honest review.

There were some pacing issues (for me) in this true crime memoir, but I was motivated to keep reading because of the relationship between the daughter, Axton, and her parents and Axton's drive to understand identity theft (personally and academically).

This was one of the most bizarre stories I've ever read. When I first started it, I wondered what I was getting into because it seemed like your typical marital and parenting problems but I figured out early enough on where this was going to go. I enjoyed the premise even though it was uncomfortable looking in on someone else financial strain. It was really tough to read at some points because you could only imagine what Axton was going through.

I am not a huge reader of non fiction. I picked this because the description sounded intriguing, and almost fiction like. I wasn’t disappointed. This was indeed a story best described as ‘stranger than fiction.” It is well written, recalled in vivid detail, with an easy to follow chronology. I felt like I was watching a car wreck in slow motion with almost grotesque fascination. Could this story be real? How could such evil exist? And like Axton- I just want to understand why. I hope Axton finds her answers.

A fascinating look at not only a family but into deception, identity depth and mental illness. It was a real page turner!

I stayed up late reading The Less People Know About Us, a memoir by Dr. Axton Betz-Hamilton. It's a gripping story of growing up with a mother she later realized she didn't know at all. Her mother, Pamela Betz, controlled the family's finances and often let bills go unpaid and the refrigerator go empty, so there was nothing to eat in the house. No one seemed to realize that Betz was actually spending the money recklessly, often on shoes, jewelry and more, while letting her own children go without.

This continued into college, when Betz siphoned away the money her husband was providing for Betz-Hamilton's tuition, leaving their daughter to struggle to make ends meet. The mother even lied about how identity theft had ruined their credit.

Eventually, lies are exposed and the sense of betrayal and terrible pain runs deep. Betz-Hamilton has bravely shared her story to help others who may face similar situations, and she's spent a lifetime researching and counseling about identity theft. I wish the reader could understand why Betz did this to her own family, but even her daughter is still trying to figure it out.

I received this book free from Netgalley in return for an honest review. I don't think I will keep it to re-read it, but I recommend it to others.

This book was an eye opener for sure. I can't imagine the things that author (along with her father) had to go through after mothers death. Crazy! Hoping author had found peace and happiness. Well written, and fascinating book.

Thanks to author,publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book. While I got the book for free,it had no bearing on the rating I gave it.

I didn’t finish this one. Not for the quality of the writing or the story, but because it was so anxiety producing.