I think as you can see, it took me awhile to read this one. Almost a month! I found it hard going at times. I am still really confused if this was all fiction or elements of it were true or all of it. Also the added parts in about the author, really made me more confused. anyway as a whole concept it was good. I love true crime so that style in a book is the first time I’ve read something like this. I definitely think it’s worth people’s time, it got better as the book went on. However I had to power through to finish which I don’t really like.

Brilliant book. Enjoyed the twists and turns. Not usually the type of book I would read but definitely recommend it.

True Crime Story - Joseph Knox

Don't let the title put you off.

This is a fictional missing person crime thriller presented as journalistic research conducted by (the fictional) Evelyn Mitchell and the author Joseph Knox.

Constructed from emails between the two, and transcripts of interviews with the key participants with the occasional newspaper report.

The format works very well, especially in presenting multiple character recollections of key incidents.

The story follows the aftermath of the disappearance of Zoe Nolan, a first year Music student. Kimberley is her twin also a first year student. Zoe's friends, parents, Police and members of the press also feature with different characters coming and going at different stages on the investigation.

The characters really come alive through their own words, especially Kimberley and Jai, the Asian outsider who has a hard time of it.

The 19 storey brutalist tower block Owens Park (a real building) is their halls of residence and plays a key role in the story.

As a novel, I enjoyed it, there is a feeling of piecing it together from the transcripts.

I enjoyed the the setup and the body of the novel more than the ending. I felt involved even gripped for the first 80% while merely interested to see how it would wrap up for the last 20%.

A missing university student disappeared one night after a party and was never seen again. Sounds interesting, I thought. I was hoping that the crime (if it was a crime) would be solved, and the perpetrator given justice. Sadly, my interest soon began to wane. I found it really difficult to follow the ‘interviews’, especially as I could never work out what questions they were in answer to. The chopping from one friend or family member to another began to annoy me, and I kept thinking “What did he/she say before?”. I found myself trawling back through the book to remind myself of who that person was, and what they’d said before. It was the same with the emails between Joe and Evelyn - I didn’t understand them. I soon got completely lost, and wondered when the story was going to begin. I appreciate that the book was well written, but it wasn’t for me I’m afraid. I struggled to finish it but I read it to the end because I really wanted to know what had happened to Zoe. I’m none the wiser. Sorry!

This story blew my mind. There were large chunks of it when i actually thought i was reading a true crime book. I raced through this because i had to know what happened and then i went back and read it again. I can't believe such an incredible book like this exists; one that so perfectly combines the best parts of true crime, fiction and mystery. Superb.

1.5 rounded up

Having largely enjoyed Knox's debut Sirens I was curious to give this new standalone novel a try as the premise sounded intriguing.

It seems like mysteries involving missing persons and framed as a podcast - Sadie, Are You Sleeping, Six Stories are other examples that immediately spring to mind - are here to stay. And with the success or Serial and all of the imitations and spin offs it gave rise to, it's hardly surprising.

I should say that TCS isn't actually told in a "podcast" format per se but it may as well have been: the story of missing Zoe Nolan is told by what are framed as snippets of interviews that the "author", a young woman called Evelyn who is writing a book about the case is recounting to Joseph Knox, to get his opinion on whether she has enough to publish said book. Their exchanges come at the end of each chapter in the form of emails, and the interviews are with Zoe's flatmates, parents and friends, laid out in brief paragraphs to form the narrative of the story.

I found the format to be fine and it made for a quick read in that respect, although I could have done without the brief summaries at the beginning of each chapter... when my interest is waning and the summary sets out that nothing particularly groundbreaking appears to happen in a chapter, I'm going to end up skimming it.

My main issue with the novel was that the crime and story itself was just not compelling to me in any way. The characters felt almost like caricatures at times, and there just wasn't enough background or development for me to really care about what was happening to any of them, and as a result I frankly felt quite bored after about 50% when it became apparent the stakes and pace weren't going to ramp up a notch. For this reason the ending fell flat, and I finished the novel feeling wholly underwhelmed.

Safe to say this was not for me, but I do hope others get more enjoyment out of it.

My thoughts about Joseph Knox’s Brilliantly written gripping suspense murder mystery thriller True Crime Story, was just what can I say beyond excellent just superb. The way Joseph Knox has written the story and the characters, that conducts serious of interviews and investigation’s of Zoe Nolan’s Disappearance,The interview is of her family members and university friends,was just incredible.When you reach the ending of every chapter, when the interview finishes, it finishes with a suprise cliffhanger,that leaves you breathless.True Crime Story is not only a breathtaking suspense mystry thriller,but it is completely different what Joseph Knox has written before that what makes it realistic. The theories you find in each interview investigations, of who’s telling the truth just totally blows you away. True Crime Story, tells the story of the disappearance of 19 year old Zoe Nolan, a Manchester University student who walks out of a party but goes missing and she’s never seen again. If you thought Joseph Knox’s Aidan Waits series was brilliant, then think again His True Crime Story is even better. Take a bow Joseph Knox,True Crime Story is going to be big this year, your best one yet. A brilliantly written gripping hardhiting thriller, that packs a punch. I would like to say thank you to author Joseph Knox, for kindly sending me a signed Advance Review Copy for me to read and review this outstanding thriller. Highly recommended.

I really struggled to finish this book. Clearly I'm in the minority, but I was completely bored the entire time. I felt like I was in the middle of a crowded room with multiple people all shouting at once, with only snippets of the conversations getting through, and I'm still not clear on the ending.

Bloody hell, I need everyone to read this book so I can talk about it in real life and work out what actually happened.
My jaw hasn't finished dropping, I am completely blown away by what I have read. True Crime Story feels like a real investigation - and maybe it is- or is it all fiction? It centres around a university student, Zoe Nolan, who goes missing just weeks into her first term at Manchester. The story is told in a series of excerpts of interviews from flat mates, family members and other players, as well as emails between the author and the interviewer.

I absolutely loved it, the story flowed fantastically and the twists and bombshells were perfectly placed. If its fiction-wow, this is first class writing. If its real life, the world is much more twisted than I suspected

Thank you so much for the chance to read it

Billed as "blending fact and fiction" this is the story of Zoe Nolan who goes missing from her student flat in Manchester in December 2011. This appears to be a journalistic investigation of an unsolved missing person or crime. There are email interactions between the woman who is researching this and Joseph Knox. They contain narrative from interviews with various people involved at the time. It is increasingly obvious that quite a bit was not discovered about Zoe when she first went missing.

In a sense I thought this was quite a good story looking at it as a whole. There are numerous twists and turns in the narrative as aspects of Zoe and her friends' lives are gradually revealed. I confess that I thought I knew the answer to this but I was wrong! From that view point I think this is a good story.

However I cannot honestly say that I got as much pleasure as I was hoping for reading this. I came to this as a fan of Joe Knox's Aidan Waits stories. However here the narrative style of hopping between contributors was not one I really liked. I also felt that the first third at least was fairly slow. Certainly the pace and tension improved significantly from around halfway through.

The other aspect that I found puzzling and a little disappointing was the characters. It didn't take me long to realise that I didn't really like any of them very much although Zoe's twin sister might be an exception to that. I felt no engagement with them or really the story for quite some time. Given that Aidan Waits is one of my favourite characters of recent years and his stories for me were very well written I found this odd.

I must stress this is not a bad read. Far more it is a case of the fact it wasn't the great read I was expecting. I can see that plenty of people love this so possibly it's just me. Personally I would advise people new to Joe Knox's work to start with the Aidan Waits stories.

This latest book from the very talented Joseph Knox is quite different from his Aidan Waits series as it’s presented like a transcript for a documentary. It’s a blend of ‘fact’ with fiction which centres on the disappearance of Zoe Nolan from her Manchester University accommodation in December 2011. What happens to Zoe? This story is told via interviews with key characters and a series of emails which works surprisingly well as you try to work out whose account is believable.

This is a very ambitious piece of work and I imagine is harder to write than a conventional crime story. It becomes a compelling and gripping read as you see the multitude of complications and the mystery of Zoe’s life. It becomes apparent that it’s like an iceberg in that two thirds of it is hidden from view. You witness a family who are fractured to say the least, with secrets and lies, jealousy, obsession and ambition at its heart. There are several suspects, a lot of weird and unsettling events and it’s clear there are dark forces at work but the ‘who’ and the ‘why’ remains a mystery for years. There’s a very creepy atmosphere which sends shivers down your spine around Zoe’s university accommodation which is literally stuff of nightmares. I can’t say the characters are especially likeable, in particular Zoe’s father Andrew does not emerge out of this story well. All the suspicions, fraught atmosphere and a botched investigation are conveyed well. The ending is a bit left field but is certainly dramatic.

Overall, an intriguing book which feels very authentic and keeps the interest until the end. I like the fact that Zoe stays centre stage in the inquiry as all too often it becomes about the perpetrator and we forget the names of the victims of crime. How wrong is that?

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld /Doubleday for the arc for an honest review.

This is the story of 19 year old Zoe Nolan who went missing in 2011 as written by author Evelyn Mitchell. Joseph Knox steps in and completes the book when something happens to Evelyn which we are told about in the prologue. It is written as a series of interviews with everyone involved in the case including her twin sister Kimberley. There is also emails between authors Joseph Knox and Evelyn Mitchell discussing the case and what is happening to Evelyn in her life.

I was honestly quite confused at first as I thought I was reading a true crime story but something made me question whether this was non fiction. I then looked up the book and found that it is actually fiction. I got engrossed in the story very quickly and loved the format of the book. The characters are very believable. I thought that this was a very clever book.

I've loved Knox's Manchester- noir for several years and think this latest novel may be his best yet. Absolutely gripping and with a sinister setting and characters that keep you reading way into the night.

Thoroughly enjoyed this book. I’m such a true crime fan that this was right up my street. Written in bite sized chunks of interview pieces from several friends, family member and others, the dialogue flows as more and more is revealed. I was totally swept away and still unsure if this was fact or fiction. Loved it!

My favourite read of 2021, True Crime Story is fascinating, perplexing and bloody brilliant. This is genuinely one of those books that is so gripping you devour it in a day, every time I put it down briefly to fetch a drink or make food, all I could think about was getting back to it.

Told through the medium of interviews and investigative journalism, Knox has created a fascinated piece of fiction deeply rooted in everyday fear - what happens to young women that disappear? It was so convincingly written that I kept reaching for Google to see if any of the characters were real. One for your TBR pile this summer!

I feel privileged to read this book early thanks to NetGalley, as I've read the author previously and have always enjoyed his style and content. Rest assured, there is no drop in quality with this author, in fact it is perhaps his finest story yet.
If I'm honest, I'm not sure what is true and what is fiction and in many ways that makes no difference at all to me. The story begins to evolve slowly, with the characters having their own voice recited in their own words documented within the book. These individual accounts draw you in, with their own perspectives and opinions putting the reader into the epicentre of this harrowing and gut wrenching story.
In some ways it reminds me of the Six Stories books by Matt Wesolowski, which is not a bad thing at all as they are both incredible authors who can tell a story from emails, sounds, accounts and events in a most incredible and original way. I loved how Joseph Knox incorporated himself and his own life into this story, which just added another level of interest and intrigue and is a stroke of genius.
I tore through this book as it totally gripped me, a modern day mystery of the highest standard. There are events that shock and surprises throughout, it is simply impossible to put this book down. I still never saw the ending coming.
Although I would have read this anyway, I want to buy a physical copy to share with other people as this book deserves to be shared to the widest possible audience. This is how to write a modern day classic. Thank you Joseph.

Before I list the reasons why I loved this book let me deal with the negatives. The blurb claims "Blending fact and fiction in his first stand-alone novel, Joseph Knox delivers a thrilling true crime story like no other." ..... By 20% through I was getting frustrated at being unable to work out what was fact so I turned to the gospel of Google. Zoe Nolan never existed, Evelyn Mitchell never existed. There is no first edition of this book so the publisher can't have demanded edits. I REALLY didn't like how when "Knox" began to realise that Evelyn was onto something he offered to take some of the credit. All of the stuff about Knox's marriage etc suffering as a result of this book was also unnecessary fiction..
BUT this is without a doubt a 5 star read!! Unique premise, clever format, brilliant plot, complex characters and plenty of drama combine to make this a stand out book of the year.
Highly recommended

This was an excellent take on the true crime genre, with the disappearance of a young woman at the center of it. Highly recommended!

Bite size pieces of interviews,that make it too easy to just read one more bit,makes for a compelling book.
Starting with a missing girl,and expanding out to her circle,as questions are asked about her disappearance,it becomes clear,that these are not likeable people.
Any of them.

Lots of secrets come to light,and a genuine surprise as to what ,and how.
Very much a page turner.
And very clever.

This book is a mix of a true crime story and fiction by author Joseph Knox that makes fascinating reading. The book started really well and I was addicted very quickly finding mysely unable to put the book down.

This is a well written book that is told through interviews and investigations into the disappearance of Zoe Nolan. This book is a great read that tells the story of Zoe Nolan, a 19 year old Manchester University student who went missing walking home from a party and was never seen again. Excellent read and so well written.

I would like to thank both Netgalley and Random House for supplying a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.