In 2011, Zoe Nolan disappeared from her dormitory during a party, never to be seen or heard from again. Her story joined the legions of cold cases involving missing girls that happen every year. But when a struggling writer named Evelyn stumbles across it, she is fascinated and becomes determined to investigate the crime. Told in interview format interjected with email correspondence to a friend, True Crime Story shows Evelyn’s descent into the disappearance of Zoe all the way to its shocking and tragic conclusion.

Thank you to @bookmarked and @netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

I’m a sucker for a good true crime novel (you’d think working in the field would be enough, but apparently not 🤷🏼‍♀️) so I found the concept of this book super interesting. Knox blurs the lines between fiction and reality by inserting himself as a character in the book - a friend of the woman investigating the disappearance and ultimately the editor of the account. He interspaces interviews with emails between him and his friend while she is writing the book. This almost reminded me of a more accessible House of Leaves in essence (which I swear I am still slowly working my way through). The structure of the story and foreshadowing from the emails creates an air of mystery that constantly keeps the reader on their toes. Because of this and the many reveals, it is hard to figure out “whodunnit” until the very end.

Without spoilers, the only thing that didn’t ultimately work for me was the ending. On one hand, I felt Knox left it intentionally vague because true stories don’t always have a clear cut ending. On the other, some of what I think he was trying to do didn’t land as strongly, and it was the thread of the story I was most interested in so I was a bit disappointed. Still a very cool, meta look into the true crime genre, and absolutely put Knox on my radar to read his other books.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

TRUE CRIME STORY by Joseph Knox

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the e-arc! This one is out 12/7!

At first, I really disliked this book and wanted to DNF. However, as I read, I realized how deeply woven the story was and I became more and more impressed. I'm so glad I kept going!

Zoe goes missing during her first semester of college, vanishing from her college dorm and is never seen again. Years later, Evelyn is writing a true-crime book about her disappearance, interviewing her twin sister Kim, roommates, and other people around her. The more that everyone shares, the more questions Evelyn and Joseph have.

This book is fiction...but nonfiction... but fiction? I honestly still am not sure. I went to Goodreads to check and eventually messaged someone else who was reading it too because it was mind-bending. Joseph includes himself as a character, references the publisher, and more that really made me think it was nonfiction. The way the interviews were written, the photos he included, and the emails back and forth... they were all brilliant.

As I mentioned, I was really not into this book to start. It took me a little while to get into the way it was written, but once I did I was so invested in Zoe's story.

It reminded me a little of IN MY DREAMS I HOLD A KNIFE, in that it is something that happened in college and we're hearing about interviews many years later.

The ending was a little quick... I thought it was building up to being someone else and was angry at that character, so I was a little unsatisfied when it was someone else / how the crime was solved.

If you like thrillers, true crime, or collegiate suspense, add this one to your list!

This was a huge slog to get through. Like I said in one of my updates, this format would have worked well as an audiobook, but on the page it was incredibly drawn out and slow, ALL telling, no dialogue, action, or showing of any story.

It's presented as two writers who have researched a cold case of missing college student Zoe Nolan. In going back through old transcripts, as well as conducting new interviews with those involved, they are determined to discover what happened to her.

Through pages and pages of tedious interviews from all involved, we realize that everyone in turn is an unreliable narrator--because when it comes right down to it, aren't we all in real life? We position ourselves in the best possible light, and if that means bending the truth, deliberately hiding things, and misdirecting--if we know that it has no effect on the outcome, we all do it. But when you take it as a whole, the lies of omission and the truth bending just serves to make solving the crime nearly impossible.

I didn't care for the ending wrap up either. It was too abrupt, after so very much lead up. I only stuck with it because I wanted answers, and I was far from satisfied with what I got. The ending was way too neatly tied up, yet way too open ended for my liking (if that makes any sense).
I know many people really liked this one but it just did not work for me in so many ways.

This was my first Joseph Knox book and the title and synopsis drew me in immediately. As someone fascinated by most things True Crime this book called to me for many different reasons. I throughly enjoyed the way Knox played out the plot, through a series of interviews and emails. I thought it was different, easy to follow and moved the storyline along quickly. I had to check twice that True Crime Story was in fact a work of fiction as the "drama" with the author and his relationships with players as well as the emails really gave way to a "realistic" feeling to the story. I would have liked to see the story be a little shorter, it felt a little drawn out without much "can't do without" addition to the plot. Overall this was a good read, it was unique, felt realistic and was a quick read.

Zoe Nolan is a young English girl who goes away to college in Manchester. She walks out of a party at her dorm and is never seen again. As the police investigate, they come to realize that her life wasn't exactly as it seemed.

Fast forward seven years later and an author named Evelyn Mitchell is attempting to tell Zoe's story in a bid to help solve the mystery and bring Zoe home. She begins to piece together the story of Zoe's disappearance through interviews with her friends, family, and the authorities in charge of the case. As she uncovers more information, she begins to receive odd calls and strangers appearing at her house without warning. As she proceeds with the writing she reaches out to an author she admires, Joseph Knox, for help and early reading of her book as it progresses.

There appears to be a new genre called true crime fiction. The author places him or herself in the story as a prominent character and frames the story as a true crime novel. There have been a few books that have pulled this off perfectly but sadly I do not feel this is one of them. I found the format a little less than fluid and there was far too much going on. As a reader, I like to be emotionally invested in the main characters but I felt no connection to these characters and wasn't excited to get to the end of the book.

A fiction book meant to read like a true crime story, I really enjoyed this creative novel! It’s written as interview transcripts with some email exchanges and commentary and was so well done I found myself forgetting that it wasn’t a non-fiction book. There are so many twists and turns as more and more secrets are exposed. I am happy to say that my suspicions were mostly wrong too, so while a few aspects had predictable outcomes for the most part the plot took me by surprise. It does start out a tad slow but I quickly found myself absorbed in the plot. One drawback I did have was that I never was fully invested in Zoe herself, so while I was very interested in seeing the truth come out I did wish that there was more of a Zoe focus, especially since the faux author of the book early on discusses how the focus should always be on the victims not the killers.

I recommend this to both true crime and thrillers fans looking for something different! 4/5⭐️

Thank you to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for this DRC.

All I can say is wow! True crime meets fiction--I didn't know I needed this genre-blending book in my life! As I was reading, I kept having to remind myself that True Crime Story was a work of fiction. Which leads me to my next point, the delivery and the interview format of this book was phenomenal-- excellent story-telling decision. It felt like I was watch (reading) a true crime documentary on Netflix and as a result, I committed to finding out what happened to Zoe.

True Crime Story is a work of fiction made to look like non fiction. Much like Daisy Jones and the Six, but with a thriller. I had a hard time with this one. All of the characters are terrible and I just didn't care about them. It felt like work to read this one and I don't recommend it.

In the early hours of Saturday 17 December 2011, Zoe Nolan, a nineteen-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. Seven years after her disappearance, struggling writer Evelyn Mitchell finds herself drawn into the mystery. Through interviews with Zoe's closest friends and family, she begins piecing together what really happened in 2011. But where some versions of events overlap, aligning perfectly with one another, others stand in stark contrast, giving rise to troubling inconsistencies. Shaken by revelations of Zoe's secret life, and stalked by a figure from the shadows, Evelyn turns to crime writer Joseph Knox to help make sense of a case where everyone has something to hide. Zoe Nolan may be missing presumed dead, but her story is only just beginning.

Thank you to the publishers at Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for this e-ARC of True Crime Story.

All I can say is, wow! What an incredible and unique thriller novel!

True Crime Story revolves around missing 19 year old, Zoe Nolan. After disappearing from the rooftop of her university housing during a fire alarm, nobody has seen her since. Evelyn, a small time writer, decides to dive back in about 7 or so years after the disappearance to see if she can find any new leads. As she interviews all of Zoe’s friends, family, acquaintances and more, we begin to see the truth slowly leaking out. What happened to Zoe?

When I first began reading True Crime Story, I honestly felt confused. “I thought this was fiction?” That is how convincing Knox is at making Zoe Nolan feel like a real life case of a missing girl in the UK. As I began to read further, I really enjoyed the overall set up of this novel. The interviews felt unique to each character, and I enjoyed the back and forth via email between Knox and his friend, Evelyn.

While we never get an answer about what exactly happened to Zoe, we get a surprise, twisted ending that I never saw coming and absolutely loved! Seriously, 5+ stars! Go out and preorder this now! You won’t regret it!

True Crime Story releases December 7th!

"What happens to all the girls who go missing?"

A young woman goes missing from a college party never to be heard from again. The case makes headlines as these type of stories usually do. But what happens when leads dry up and the public begins to forget? A story is still there. A person is still missing. When a writer begins to look into the case, a bigger picture slowly emerges. A picture that darkens the deeper she digs. With her true crime writer friend as support will the truth ever be discovered?

True Crime Story is a thriller/murder mystery written as a nonfiction true crime book. The narration is written as excerpts from interviews and emails between the two writers. In this creative way we get snippets of what occurred before and after Zoe Nolan goes missing. But how much of it is accurate? Are people telling the truth and are they right about the things they say? People love to discuss and dissect cases and I feel the storytelling reflects that.

Despite the story being told through interviews we get a clear picture of the characters and the things that also were happening to them at the time. I grew to care about several of the characters. There are several people to be suspicious of but there were a few people that I never suspected. Appearances can be deceiving and I feel like it was done well, not just to throw the reader off but as a reflection of real life.

The story has a lot of sadness. There are a lot of creepy moments. Although the plot is about Zoe going missing we never get a great sense of her as a person. Some people might not like that but I think it's realistic for this type of novel. In real life we don't know anything about victims until the crime has already happened and even then we can only know so much. Also the ending doesn't give us much clarity as to the killer's motive. I don't think we need it and it's great that the focus was not on them. They shouldn't get all of the attention.

True Crime Story was a quick read. I loved the writing. I think the author is very talented and I will check out more of his work.

Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark for the digital copy!

I absolutely loved the premise of this one. I love true crime where the author inserts themselves into the narrative. So I was eager to read a piece of fiction that would recreate this experience. Unfortunately, this one did not fully succeed in the execution. 

I think my reading experience suffered because I read this one after Chasing the Boogeyman and I could not help but compare these two 2021 releases. I absolutely love Richard Chizmar's novel and this one just paled in comparison. 

To be fair, this is a good mystery with a compelling setup. The biggest pitfall for me was the fact that I usually do not enjoy these non-traditional narratives. I just do not connect with these stories told through interviews and emails. This might work better on audio but I read this one.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

I’m such a fan of unique and uncommon narration formats so when I began 𝑇𝑟𝑢𝑒 𝐶𝑟𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑆𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 by @knobbth I was so excited that the whole story is given to us in the format of transcripts! I love the whole documentary/podcast feel this story gives us through the narration of interviews of characters.

This is probably one of the most creative books I’ve ever read. Between the authors writing style, the way the author concocted the story, and lastly how he incorporates himself in this story easily makes this a five star read.

Although this is your typical “beautiful college girl goes missing” story, it turns out not to be so typical -at all. The characters are disturbing, unlikable and are all quite questionable in regards to their relationships with missing character Zoe. There are so many twists & turns you won’t see coming, and once you start this, be prepared to be handcuffed to your book because you won’t be able to put it down!

MINI SYNOPSIS: “In the early hours of Saturday 17 December 2011, Zoe Nolan, a nineteen-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.

Seven years after her disappearance, struggling writer Evelyn Mitchell finds herself drawn into the mystery. Through interviews with Zoe's closest friends and family, she begins piecing together what really happened in 2011.”

This book was a page turner from beginning to end. Zoe Nolan leaves a party in college. And never makes it home. The case goes cold. No one has any leads. Until this author picks up the case and refuses to give up until answers are found…..I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Life as a twin can be extremely hard, it can become even harder when your sister disappears and you are considered to be a person of interest in their disappearance. Kim and Zoe are excited to start their new lives at college. There is a great new world for them to explore. When some of their choices lead them down a dark path, only one of them is able to come home again. Will Evelyn be able to uncover what happened to Zoe that dark night? Will her investigation uncover secrets that change the investigation for the better or worse? More importantly will she be able to bring Zoe home?

True Crime Story is a very interesting way of writing a crime novel. The book itself is written almost as if it is a reenactment you would find on ID channel. The narrator is all of the different people who came in contact with Zoe and played a role in her life before and after the disappearance. So the book is broken down into individual statements. I really didn't mind that format for the writing. I found it to be intriguing, though at times a bit over explained when it came to certain characters perspectives. I also liked that the book included the writer's email correspondences. It really helped develop the writer's intentions, and helped the reader feel like the writer was uncovering something that potentially could cause issues down the line. Overall I liked this book, but it did drag in parts. Overall the story conclusion was well written, there was a bit of a twist, however for myself the shadow person was not a surprise. How they accomplished being the shadow person was however.

Thank you so much to Sourcesbooks Landmark and Netgalley for allowing me to read an advance copy.

True Crime Story: A Novel was my first novel by Joseph Knox. I have exactly zero experience with his other novels. Maybe this was a good thing because I thoroughly enjoyed this one.

I was initially intrigued by this one as it seemed a bit different from all the other crime/thriller/suspense books I've been reading lately. The author manages to incorporate himself in the story, and not just as a peripheral character, but rather quite centrally to the plot. This, as you can imagine, had the potential to go so horribly wrong. Luckily for us readers, it actually went very right.

True Crime Story: A Novel is a dark, twisted tale that reads a lot more like a true-crime documentary than a novel. This style of narrative, which can sometimes come off as kind of chaotic and fragmented might not be for everyone, but it worked for me. There are plenty of twists, turns, secrets, and obsession in this very complicated tale. Well worth an afternoon curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate.

5 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I would definitely be recommending this book to readers on my Instagram bookstagram account.

Thank you to NetGalley, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Joseph Knox for the advanced copy of True Crime Story in exchange for my honest review.

The year is 2011, and Zoe Nolan seemingly disappeared from her dorm in Manchester, and hasn't been seen or heard from since. Crime writer Joseph Knox was approached by his friend and colleague, Evelyn Mitchell, who wants to get Zoe's story told. Evelyn takes matters into her own hands by interviewing Zoe's family, friends, and investigators involved in the case. Can she and Joseph find out what happened to Zoe?

First of all, I ABSOLUTELY LOVED how this was a work of fiction but read like true crime. The format of the book is largely transcripts of Evelyn's interviews with the occasional email between Evelyn and Joseph sprinkled in. I was reminded a lot of Daisy Jones and the Six while reading it, which I also really enjoyed. I found I kept wanting to look up the missing person case regarding Zoe Nolan only to remember it's not real!

This was unputdownable for me, but it lost me toward the end for one big reason. But don't worry, I won't spoil it. I'm looking forward to more people reading this book so I can finally discuss my thoughts!

HIGHLY recommend to thriller and true crime lovers. This one won't let you down.

True Crime Story is out in the US (after smashing success in the UK!) on December 7, 2021.

This book very much reads like a true crime book, so I kept finding myself having to remember that it is a work of fiction. I also very much struggled with the format, especially at first. Once I got used to it, I was able to enjoy the reading a bit more, but overall this book just sort of didn’t work for me.

The format was what really made it hard for me to enjoy the story. It left me confused at first until it was explained what the author was doing. Evelyn, the fictitious author, interviewed all of the people involved in Zoe’s disappearance, and then spliced these interviews together to make the narrative. It made for a disjointed and slow story in my opinion. Also, I never felt like I got to know any of the characters to feel connected to any of them, most importantly Zoe, the victim.

Another thing that kind of bothered me, was that I didn’t like any of the characters, except for one. They were all self absorbed, horrible people. I think I suspected all of them at least once throughout the book, and there were a few that I was really hoping would get their comeuppance, but they never did.

However, even with these issues, I did find the mystery of what happened to Zoe, quite compelling and I found myself wanting to slog through the book to find out what happened. There are quite a few twists and surprises along the way that kept you interested through the slower parts. The ending was the biggest surprise of all, and unfortunately it felt unfinished. While we do finally get the culprit, we never really get a motive or a resolution to Zoe’s disappearance.

Please don’t decide to not give this book a chance based on my opinion. There are a ton of people out there who loved the book and weren’t bothered by the format like I was. If you like True Crime or books that feel like they are real, then you should give this one a chance.

December 2011, Zoe Nolan disappears. No one knows what happened to her, including her twin sister, her boyfriend and her roommates. Evelyn Mitchell a young college student is obsessed with figuring out where “all the missing girls go” and begins to interview family and friends of Zoe in her search for answers for a novel she is writing. Evelyn is emailing pieces of her research to her friend Joseph Knox, but doesn’t realize she may be putting herself at risk in her search.

This was an interesting and entertaining story told in interview format. I really enjoyed the interview style, it flowed so well! It kept me guessing until the very end. I loved how Joseph Knox (the author) is also portrayed as a character in this book! I struggled the whole time trying to figure out if this was a “True” crime story, or a fictional one!

I had a difficult time getting started with this book, it's like a book within a book. Evelyn is writing a book about the disappearance of a college student named Zoe. She was last seen at a party in her dorm room. Through emails, we learn Evelynn is forwarding chapters to her friend Joseph and asking for his thoughts. The story of Zoe is odd. She lives in a building that is full of urban legends, such as hauntings and fire alarms that frequently go off. Her roommate even hears voices inside her closet and quickly moves out. Through interviews with Zoe's family and friends, Evelynn hopes to find out what happened to Zoe. But can her family and friend's be trusted? And is Evelynn in danger as she gets closer to the truth?