A bit of fact and a bit of fiction, all rolled into a slightly disappointing read. Difficult to get into, due to the format of snippets of interviews and the constant unfolding emails, but I persevered and was so pleased to reach the end. I failed to like any of the characters and I found the ending somewhat disappointing with unanswered questions, overall, a bit dull for me. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

This is a new author to me, but having heard a lot of good things about this book and with it being set in my hometown, I was excited to get stuck in.

In 2011, Manchester University student Zoe Nolan went missing after a party at her student accommodation. With year's passing and Zoe still not being found, the case grabs the attention of writer Evelyn Mitchell who seeks out Joseph Knox for advice on writing about the mystery.

The book is written by way of emails between the two and interviews conducted by Evelyn with the main players - Zoe's twin sister, parents, boyfriend and friends.

The accounts of each slowly weave the backstory before Zoe's disappearance, up to the event of the night she went missing and beyond, in the aftermath of her disappearance.

It is a complex case and although I loved the way it was told, it takes some concentration to keep up with who is who and what they have said before. I felt like making my own murder board at times just to keep track!

Well worth a read if you like true crime and mysteries.

In the early hours of Saturday, December 17th, 2011, Zoe Nolan, a 19-year-old Manchester University student, walked out of a party taking place in the shared accommodation where she had been living for three months. She was never seen again.

This book It’s written like an interview of possible suspects, which have been spliced together to give one long picture of what may or may not have happened to Zoe Nolan. I genuinely never figured out what was going to happen, so the ending was also brilliantly done.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I’ve never read anything quite like this! Like many other reviewers I googled Zoe Nolan to find out more about her. True Crime Story is highly original look at the disappearance of her using interviews with her closest friends. It reads like a true crime documentary although I must admit I found certain parts slightly repetitive however it’s definitely original and well written just not 100% sure I can sayI thoroughly enjoyed every single page. With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

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<p>Joseph Knox take a bow! This book is completely and utterly INCREDIBLE. I definitely haven’t been disappointed by this one. </p>
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<p>This is an extremely complex novel, we are told the story through the interviews and emails- which I can imagine was a nightmare to write. </p>
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<p>This has been so realistic, I found myself googling Zoe Nolan. This is a superb read which I have been unwilling to put down. I have loved that Zoe is the central focus of this one from the very beginning. </p>
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<p>The characters are an interesting bunch. I’ve been unsure about a few of them. This definitely hasn’t been a book that I’ve wanted to put down. </p>
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<p>I’m ashamed to say this is my first read by this author. But I will definitely be adding more to the TBR immediately. This is the book that has converted me as a fan of this author. </p>
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<p>There are a lot of twists present in this one and you are suspicious of everyone at some point or another. There are darker elements to this one and it is definitely a must read. </p>
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<p>This is definitely going to be one of my top reads of 2021. Absolutely outstanding, not one to be missed. </p>
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This documentary style story is based around the disappearance of Zoe Nolan, a young twin who vanishes suddenly whist at flat sharing University. There are a group of main characters that we are introduced to very early on and as everything unravels, it is made clear that most of them have something to hide, secrets begin to become revealed.

I really enjoyed the flow of this, and just when I thought I had it all figured out, Joseph Knox flipped everything, and made me begin my own investigation once again. I read this with a notepad close by, to help me conclude what had happened to Zoe, and I am delighted to say the final twist was not foreseen at all. This is a thrilling and engaging read and is perfect for those readers who love to do a bit of detective work. .

Is this a True Crime Story as the title suggests? It certainly gives the impression of such in the style of writing, and I don't mind admitting that I was duped into thinking this was based on real events, but research proved me wrong!

This is a highly recommended read, which I predict will be a massive hit for all readers alike.

WHEEEWW. I KNEW that this book was fiction, presented as true crime, and yet I still found myself googling Zoe after the first few chapters juuuuust in case I was mistaken. The author has written himself into the book and I think that is bloody brilliant. The book is all transcipts of interviews between Evelyn and the characters, and then email correspondence between Evelyn and Joseph, which made it an easy read, easy to plant red herrings and easy to say "go on then I'll just read one more entry"... and then you're up all night finishing it.

Really smart, really captivating and really fun to read.

A good read if you like lots of dialogue.

I struggled with this book in places, it’s not the kind of book I usually go for due to the format it has been written.

It is interview based and paints a picture of Zoe’s life before her disappearance and puts a personality to her name rather than her being ‘just another victim’.

It seemed a little fragmented going from person to person, explaining the timeline.

It was very thoroughly researched and had a lot of information in it.

Probably much better for someone who likes this format of writing.

Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for gifting me this arc in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

Don't be deceived by the title of this book - it is not a true crime story at all. Pitched as a blending together of fact and fiction this is just the opposite and is instead entirely fictitious.

This is the story of Zoe Nolan, who in December of 2011 disappears from her student accommodation in Manchester. The police looked for her but could find no trace of either Zoe or foul play. In 2018 writer Evelyn starts investigating the disappearance and interviews the main players, from Zoe's jealous twin sister Kim, sleazy boyfriend Andrew, obsessive father Robert, and a bevvy of friends who all have their own opinions of what they experienced in the run up to Zoe's disappearance and what has happened to them in the intervening years.

This is told in part through a series of emails between Joseph Knox and Evelyn (an additional character within the book with her own story to tell) and interviews with everyone else. We cover and recover and recover parts of the story with each of the characters having their 'say' in a series of interviews which are spliced together so that all characters comment on the same event at the same part of the book. We are lead in every dizzying circles as the police do a sweep of the flat but miss a service hatch hidden in the wall. where the 'killer/kidnapper' watches Zoe through holes drilled in her wall - really??

The story is not thrilling, exciting or gripping - instead it is dull, monotonous and it takes an inordinate amount of time to make progress with the story. None of the characters are in anyway likeable - in fact I struggled to care about them at all. The 'reveal' of what happened is a disappointment as it isn't clear about what exactly occurred to Zoe, and I found that I didn't care about her either as we don't spend anytime getting to know her.

On the whole I found this to be a disappointing read.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I expect that the length of time it took me to finish this book, almost 2 weeks, gives a true reflection on how I feel about it. I thought it would be a story I could really get into, but I found the way in which the interviews were set out were difficult to focus my attention, and had to reread at times.
The idea of the book is good, and had it been more cohesive, then the premise would have worked. For me I found it too lengthy and also childish at times. With some editing it would have worked better as a “teenager” book. Not one for me sadly.
Thank you NetGalley.

It’s an intriguing premise. The ‘true crime story’ of the title - the disappearance of student Zoe Nolan - isn’t a true story at all.
However, it reads like documentary, told in the voices of the family and friends of Zoe. Their narratives intersect so it feels a bit like a conversation between them.
But the story is complex, and full of twists and turns that mean that no one person can be trusted or believed.
I haven’t read a book written in this way, and the effect is clever and builds up
a gradual picture of Zoe and what happened to her.
But it isn’t always the easiest to read; the plotting gets complicated, sometimes slightly at the expense of the characterisation.
Regardless, this is a self-assured and accomplished story, told in a credible way. Recommended.

I really liked the concept of this book - a whodunnit, told in the style of a true crime, with the author written in to the storyline. It reminded me a bit of Paul Auster.

The execution is great as well - using mixed media, such as emails, Facebook posts and news articles; together with first hand accounts of the events surrounding Zoe’s disappearance, meant that you’re constantly seeing the story from different people’s views. There’s a whole host of unreliable narrators, not least Knox himself, who redacts parts of Evelyn’s research to suit his own version of the narrative.

My only criticism is that it felt a bit ‘teenage soap opera’ - I love Pretty Little Liars and shows like that, but this felt a little childish in parts.

I definitely recommend it, as the ‘story within a story’ is really intriguing.

Told in true crime-style interview transcripts and emails between investigators--and with Joseph Knox as a character within his own novel--this playful and clever format elevates the story of a campus killer.

I have picked up this book as I thought it was an actual true story.. Didn't take me long to understand that it wasn't, however the idea behind it is very interesting. To show events through the eyes of different people, who witnessed the same events..
In fact it's a brilliant idea! Execution wasn't as good in my opinion. It dragged and dragged and dragged.. for something that is supposed to look like a true story there were a bit too many "big" events and "not coincidences" in it.
Ending made me think that the author just ran out of ideas. Maybe it was supposed to leave way too many questions unanswered, way too many strange events, but it didn't sit well with me.
Not exactly the author's fault, but it was also very poorly edited for a kindle reader and I had to go back to my table to read certain parts of it. It was also interesting that parts that were supposed to be "edited out" of the emails etc. were all readable on kindle. Including phone number that was supposed to be couloured out.

True Crime Story is the first stand-alone from Joseph Knox and it is a story told from the perspectives and recollections of a number of unreliable witnesses.

Does it work is the big question and I’m afraid that in my case I just couldn’t get into the style or engage with any of the characters which was a disappointment.

This is a different take on a typical genre of book. I didn’t particularly enjoy it, but I can appreciate how well crafted and put together it was. I liked the writing style and I was interested in finding out what happened.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

I unfortunately could not get into this book at all. I thought it would grip me from the first page but got no such luck at all

Pub 17/6
3*
Author Evelyn Mitchell is investigating the disappearance of Zoe Nolan 7 yrs after the event. She turns to friend and crime writer Joesph Knox to help her unravel the mystery.
It has a theme of journalistic investigation with retrospective interviews with friends and family.
The presentation is different and has you thinking it’s real.
We see the unfolding story in emails and transcribed recordings framed into book chapters from a bunch of friends who don’t seem to like each other, are either drunk, stoned or both. Talk about a bunch of unreliable narrators.
It took me awhile to get into the format, the pace is slow. it’s very character driven. It is well written and articulate managing to avoid too much duplication with the overlapping interviews. Joesph Knox is undoubtedly a story teller, but it didn’t grab my interest.
Non of the characters are likeable or seem trustworthy. Flawed characters are in abundance. Not all characters in books are likeable, I just find it easier to engage if I find one that is.
For me it was too drawn out

This was a really unusual thriller regarding the unsolved disappearance of Zoe, a Manchester student which is being investigated by a struggling author who feels compelled to try to unravel the mystery. I loved the way this was told through emails and interview transcripts with so many viewpoints telling the many events and the way different opinions and memories compare and contrast. Zoe herself was revealed to be an increasingly complex character which only added to the mystery. The interviews really showed up the different characters flaws, I thought the dad was despicable however I didn’t really dislike any characters as I enjoyed their complexity. The ending was a fabulous twist and quite scary how it was missed!

After making his name with his wonderful Aidan Waits series, Joseph Knox moves in a surprisingly different and original direction with this, done in the style of a disturbing, dark and chilling true crime documentary in which Knox himself features. In 2011, a Manchester University student, 19 year old Zoe Nolan goes missing from her student flat after a party, never to be seen again. Her twin sister, Kim, is at the same university, she had lived under the shadow of Zoe in her life. Evelyn Mitchell has been looking into Zoe's disappearance, discussing the case with Joseph Knox, seeking advice and support from him through emails. In a fragmented and chaotic narrative, there are interview transcripts from the relevant characters, friends and family, memories and accounts of the night Zoe went missing. Barely any of the characters are likeable, everyone is a suspect, as inconsistencies emerge.

There are twists and turns aplenty as secrets, lies, deceptions, and obsessions emerge in this complex and complicated mystery, keeping the reader off kilter right up to the unexpected conclusion. This novel became more and more compulsive the more I read, with an increasingly menacing feel to this intriguing read, definitely a fruitful and riveting new direction for the author to take. I can see this particularly appealing to true crime fans, as well as other crime and mystery readers. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.