This is my first novel by Joseph Knox.

As a fan of true crime, I was excited that this story was written as if it were an actual true crime case – the transcripts and interviews were a nice touch. I had to remind myself a couple of times that this was a work of fiction and not actual true crime!

I thought that the writing was fantastic and the plot was compelling and fast paced. I could not put the book down! While I found many of the characters unlikeable, they were well developed and very complex, so this more than made up for that.

I would highly recommend “True Crime Story” and will definitely be on the lookout for further works by Joseph Knox.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark and Joseph Knox for the opportunity to review this ARC. This review and all opinions are my own.

This was wonderful and unique. I loved the mixed media style with the interviews, emails, "author's notes," etc. The audio cast of this was absolutely fantastic and I think consuming this via audio is the perfect thing. I definitely felt this was real and kept second guessing myself that it actually was a true story. Not only is the format wonderful, but the actual mystery at the heart of the story was well written and engaging until the very end.

This was a unique read! Written in a similar style of Daisy Jones and the Six, this book is transcribed clips of interviews about the mysterious disappearance of a young college student. Her friends and family are all suspects, and as the story unfolded, my mind kept changing as to what really happened to her. This book definitely kept me on my toes. When the true suspect was revealed at the end, it made me want to go back and reread all of his interview clips to see if he gave anything away. It took some time to get in to the style, but once I did, I really enjoyed this book.

I had the joy of listening to the majority of this one through @netgalley and I really enjoyed it. So many narrators! I think there were 14 different ones. If you like books/audio in interview format or true crime podcast/mysteries, I think you will really enjoy this one! I love how the author inserted himself into the book, and how the story kept me guessing until the end! Thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for putting on my radar!

True Crime Story uses fictional emails, transcripts, and statements to tell the story of the mysterious disappearance of a university student and the characters involved in the subsequent investigation.
Perfect for fans of crime podcasts, True Crime Addict by James Renner, and books using a fictional oral history format like Daisy Jones and the Six.
Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks for a digital review copy.

True Crime Story is a thrilling account of 19 yr old Manchester University student Zoe Nolan's sudden disappearance after leaving a party on Saturday, December 19th, 2011.
She was never seen again.
Seven years later, Evelyn Mitchell, a struggling writer, becomes obsessed with Zoe's unexplained disappearance and after interviewing family and friends enlists the help of crime writer Joseph Knox. Together they unravel a compelling story that blows their minds.
Told though interviews, emails and editorial comments this investigation gripped me from start to finish.
A very creative and intriguing way, of blending fact and fiction, to tell a story!

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

So I just loved this story. You know it’s fiction but it reads like true crime then you have to make sure if what you are reading is true crime or fiction. Because it’s just that good at absorbing the reader.

Written like a great podcast, it comes and goes with a cliffhanger. I loved this audio but I went back to reference the book at times. I can see why some that read the book version would be distracted by the story. The audio is a 100% better. With different narratives, music between chapters and each story is brought with a negative/argumentative point of view. It's remarkable that this is a complete work of fiction as it's so much like a true-crime podcast.

If you like the way Daisy Jones and the Six was written, you'd like the book version of this story. If you LOVED Daisy on audio give this one a try. If you love true crime podcasts you'd love this true-crime fiction.

Zoe Nolan just simply disappears one day, and years later, no one, not even the police have figured out what happened. In comes writer Evelyn Mitchell, who decides she wants to write a book about the event and try to figure out what happened to Zoe.

The book is written as a series of interviews and emails. I didn't mind it at all, but I am guessing there are others out there who will not like this format. It's full of twists and turns, and every time you think you have it figured out another new twist comes along. I am not sure if this was the author's intention, but in the end, I am still not sure they caught the real killer.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of True Crime Story by Joseph Knox.

First of all, I LOVE it when there are multiple narrators, especially in this interview format. They even had sound effects for typing, sent emails, and interlude music. HOWEVER, I really wish that they had introduced every character every time they spoke. Maybe it would have gotten redundant, but it still would have helped me a lot. I had the hard copy as well, so I found myself having to switch back and forth a lot to stay on topic.

Having said that, this is a story about a young woman and identical twin who goes missing one fateful night, never to be found again. The friends, family, and police are all stumped, which is why Joseph Knox (actual author) and his author friend Evelyn are determined to know more for the story they hope to publish one day.

But this story may be hitting closer to home then they bargained for, and the killer may be closer than they realized.

As I've mentioned, it was really easy to get lost, and I had to work harder than I would have liked to stay on course, but I still really enjoyed this one. It twisted in ways that absolutely surprised and thrilled me. I especially loved the ending.

This story is written in a different approach to most books. A young blond college student goes missing. All her friends and people involved with the case are interviewed for a book. Each person tells their account of what happened. The two top interviews are with the missing girl's twin sister and the girl's boyfriend.
I enjoyed it.

What happens to all the girls who go missing?

The thrilling story of a university student's sudden disappearance, the woman who became obsessed with her case, and the crime writer who uncovered the chilling truth about what happened...

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All I can say is WOW. This book was phenomenally written and I can honestly say that it read like a TRUE CRIME STORY.

Told through interviews, emails and editorial comments, the story of Zoe's disappearance is slowly unveiled. Although there were parts of the story that seemed to drag (I think because of the format of the book) the resolution of the case at the end of the book was 100% worth it. I didn't see that coming!

Recommended for fans of the true crime or thriller genre. Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for my ARC!

I absolutely adored this book! It's easily one of my favorite reads of the year. It is written in a documentary format, and blurs the lines between true crime and fiction. What I found even more unique, though, is the humor. It's rare to read a Mystery/Thriller that has enough wit and word play to make you laugh out loud, but this one did it for me. Although it is not nearly as dark, in some ways, this reminded me of HOUSE OF LEAVES by Danielewski. I think that is partly because of the unique format, but I also think there's a similar tone and feel to the way in which the story is told. This is a book that I am definitely going to reread or turn to in a moment when I'm feeling uninspired or stuck in a reading slump. This is the first book I've read by Joseph Knox, an author living in England, but I enjoyed this so much, I'll go back and read his others. I HIGHLY recommend this for anyone who enjoy mysteries, thrillers, true crime or the type of smart wit it sometimes seems that only the Brits are blessed with.

The author used a unique format in writing this novel…and yes, it is a novel! Despite the title, the story is so well written that some are inclined to believe it is based on fact. The mystery of a girl’s disappearance is told through interviews of friends and family by an “author” who is writing a book. It is cleverly plotted with many plausible suspects and a satisfactory ending.

Thanks to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the ARC to read and review.

This mystery/thriller was such a great page-turner that I tore through it in 24 hours - had to force myself to go to sleep and then basically put my life on hold to read it.

Don’t let the title and the conceit of the notes from the author throughout fool you - this is a novel, but a super-creative and unique one! The premise is that a college student named Zoe went missing back in 2011. Writer Evelyn starts investigating it years later, eventually sharing parts of what she has written and her thoughts with fellow mystery writer Joseph Knox, a fictional version of the author of the book. The book is all in the form of her emails and excerpts of her book, which are told in the form of weaving together excerpts from all her interviews with the family and friends of the missing girl, as well as other people she discovers in the course of the investigation - plus notes from “Knox” and additional interviews he conducted after something happened to Evelyn.

I know, sounds very meta and confusing, but trust me when I say it works! It’s a totally unconventional narrative - reads like the oral history format of Daisy Jones & the Six, or like the transcript of a true crime podcast. I found this to just be such a breath of fresh air in a world of copy cat thrillers. It was incredibly effective in building suspense for a disappearance that had happened before the book started, and presenting it as interviews put a fun new spin on the trope of the unreliable narrator.

I couldn’t put it down, and it kept me guessing right til the end, which I did not predict but which also made sense.

With just a few weeks left in the year, I’m going to go out on a limb and declare this book my favorite mystery/thriller of the year! 4.5 stars.

An informative look at what happens to girl who go missing. As well as bringing light to the the fact that more needs to be done in missing persons cases.

True Crime Story was really confusing. I understand what Joseph Knox was trying to do but using his own name in the story was just confusing as hell. It has good bones but not the right execution. thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

Unfortunately, this book just wasn't for me. I was lost and had a difficult time following the storyline. I understand that we all read and listen to books differently so while it wasn't for me it could still be a 5 star read for you! Happy reading!

I enjoyed the premise of this book, but sadly that's about it. I found keeping the characters straight to be tiresome and confusing. The email communications got annoying after awhile. I really wanted to like this book, but sadly I just could not get into it.

3.5 stars
True Crime Story is written in the style it's title implies.
Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebook/Landmark for the eARC for review!
Author Joseph Knox creates a world resembling real life, with fictional author Evelyn Mitchell taking on the case of missing college co-ed Zoe Nolan. Evelyn's story-gathering is supplemented by Joseph's investigation notes; turning the author into a character. Editor and author notes, character photos and redacted correspondence are included throughout.
The story is presented as statements from acquaintances and family members of Zoe, as part of the investigation of her whereabouts.
The writing is solid and the format engaging. I did find the story became unfocused and ran long at times, but overall an interesting premise on the traditional missing person story.
Recommended for something different.
Released on Dec. 7.