I enjoyed this fast paced thriller. The characters were relatable in how I believe most families would act in the case of a missing child. “In the eyes of others, we’re often not who we imagine ourselves to be.” I like this quote and it is very true in many cases when something goes wrong. 



I just reviewed What She Knew by Gilly Macmillan. #WhatSheKnew #NetGalley

Wow this is suspenseful & fast paced! MC Rachel goes walking with her eight year old son, Ben, runs up ahead and disappears. Omg this feeling of panic is very relatable for any mother so my heart sank. There’s so many parties involved, details that come up, it’s gripping and makes you suspect Rachel. Thanks to Book Club Girls, William Morrow and NetGalley. This is my honest review.

What She Knew tells the story of the disappearance of Ben Finch and the desperate days afterwards trying to find him. It offers unique perspective, being told from two viewpoints - Rachel, Ben's mother, and Jim Clemo, one of the detectives investigating Ben's abduction. This book does a great job of putting you into the state of mind of two people that have the most to lose, how they see each other, and how the public sees them. It also does a great job of integrating in how the public generally reacts to a sensational story like this. Even though I don't have a child, it makes me think about how I would react if someone I cared about was taken, if I could trust the people I surrounded myself with - friends, family, fellow parents, teachers and educators. There's so many people that touched Ben's life that the number of potential suspects is endless, and someone that's part of the investigation leaking details to the public only makes the situation more fraught. At points it feels like the books has almost too many details, goes on too long, has too many angles to investigate, so it did feel like it started to drag for me a little bit. There isn't really anything in the story that's completely unnecessary, but in spite of enjoying it, I felt like it could have been paced a little bit better, and been a little bit more compact in the storyline.

Eight-year-old Ben disappears while taking a walk in the woods with his mom. Readers are thrown into the investigation from the perspectives of Jim, the lead investigator, and Rachel, Ben's emotionally unstable mom. Chapters are narrated alternately by these two characters as well as a variety of emails, notes from psychotherapy sessions, press releases, and blog posts. Macmillan creates a splendid psychological thriller as the reader follows every lead and intuitive thought communicated by the characters. The author has developed intriguing characters, each unique through their voices, actions, and backstories. It's easy to get caught in their waves of emotion, from the frantic yet determined mother to the detective who finally has the opportunity to take the lead in a crucial case. Once begun, it's difficult to put this one down.

Gilly Macmillan has done a great job of making this an emotional book. You can feel the emotions of all of the characters. Rachel and her son Ben are out for a walk when Ben asks to run ahead with his dog, Skittles. Ben disappears and Skittles is found hours later with a broken leg. The author does a great job of developing the characters, and as I said before, you can feel the emotional upheaval everyone is going through during the search for Ben. The ending is a surprise, but very believable. Ms. Macmillan has a great career ahead of her if she continues to write at this level. Thank you to Net Galley for providing this copy for me to read.

A heartbreaking story of a parents worst nightmare. The story kicks right into the disappearance of 8 year old Ben and takes on the point of views of the parents and the detective who was on the case and haunted by the search and investigation details of the case. 
Readers will be hooked as the story unfolds.

I loved this book! It was very suspenseful,. I couldn’t put it down! This is the story of a young boy who disappears, and the effects it has on his parents, their friends and the community. A great read, with an ending i never saw coming.

3.5 stars. Good storyline, as it kept me guessing until the end. It was not quite the page-turner I was hoping for, but I will read more by this author.

I really, really enjoyed this book.  I liked seeing Rachel's perspective and Jim Clemo's perspective side by side.  I was shocked at the ending, but I also loved the ending.  I was really excited to find out that there is a 2nd book in this series!

What She Knew shows Gilly Macmillan’s ability to construct a well-written thriller. In this novel, she has set the scene for what would become a series based around Detective Jim Clemo, a complex character with struggles and feelings that resonate with many a reader. Towards the end, the actions of Rachel Jenner (the protagonist with the missing son) seemed a bit too fantastic—notwithstanding those, this book is Exhibit A as to why Macmillan is a standout in this genre.
I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks to NetGalley, William Morrow/Harper Collins, and Gilly Macmillan for the opportunity..

Not one of my favorites, but certainly a solid thriller from a reliable author.  Mystery and detective readers will enjoy this one.  Kept me interested.

What She Knew is a psychological thriller about a young boy's abduction and how this affects all those in his world. There are so many possibilities of who may have done this. Each time you think you have it figured out, there is another possibility.  Who did this, will he be found?

A child is abducted...a parent’s worst nightmare!  Will the mom be able to get her child back?  Well written book that keeps you intrigued!

This story begins with every parent’s worst nightmare: 8 yr old Ben goes missing while enjoying an outing with his mother Rachel.  There are few clues and multiple suspects including Rachel and her ex-husband John. As other characters are introduced, the reader is wise to suspect everyone. If you enjoy British crime mysteries, this is a good one. I noticed some similarities with Clare Mackintosh’s plots and writing. I didn’t love the ending but appreciated the journey this author took me on.  

Thank you to Book Club Girl for providing a free copy for review.

While this is not one of my favorite genres, I was completely sucked in to the story on the first page. The story is if a child abduction and is told from the point of view of the mother and the chief investigator on the case. I enjoyed the POV of the mother, Rachel best of all. The author did an outstanding job capturing the emotional ups and downs that this character is experiencing. The plot has enough twists and turns to keep me engaged, however, I felt that the epilogue was a bit too long and didn’t lend a lot to the story. All in all it was a good read.

An older read as part of The Book Club Girls Free Friday.

I liked how the author drew the reader in from the beginning. This was a quick read. I felt bogged down in descriptions that didn’t add to story.

An older read, as part of the Book Club Girls Free Fridays

MacMillan writes a strong thriller, what could have happened to Ben in the seconds between him asking his mother to run ahead and arriving at the playground?

Told in the two perspectives of the boy's mother and the investigator, the story grips you from beginning to end.

What She Knew is a psychological thriller that will keeps you on the edge of your seat.  I really enjoyed this book, all the characters were very well written and the  author kept me guessing till the end. I would recommend this book to anybody that likes a good mystery.

I read this from #NetGalley - my first read from there. So, it was on my Kindle reader which is never my preferred - I still like real books. But, to the writing: it was very good - Macmillan took to along many paths to where you weren't sure what was going to happen or who was to blame. I'm not sure there's a Jim Clemo #2? Jim wasn't even my favorite part of the book, though. Overall, it was a very enjoyable read.

This thriller was exciting and fun to read. I devoured it as I couldn’t put it down. 8 year old Ben goes missing when he runs ahead while on a walk with his mother.  The story is what happens next as police investigate and search for him. The story is told through the perspectives of ben’s mother, Rachel, and the lead investigator. Sprinkled in are clippings from articles about abduction and social media posts about ben’s disappearance.  The characters are realistic and there are twists and turns. A great story, I highly recommend!