Tense weaving of truth and fiction to create a complex mystery that will lead you into the wee hours turning the page. For fans of deep mystery and also fans of true crime, this is a gem.

Yet another strong outing from Joe Clifford. Once again basing his story in icy, small-town NE, this time Clifford blurs the lines between fiction and non-fiction with a cold case, true crime podcast style narrative that will have the reader wondering how much is real, how much fiction, and where that line blends/blurs.

Say My Name by Joe Clifford is a book that tries to marry genres. It attempts to be both true crime and fiction at the same time. Somehow, this feels more like reading a novel with an unreliable narrator and it just did not work well. I struggled to read this book. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

"Say My Name" by Joe Clifford is a unique true crime story that blurs the lines between reality and fiction, creating a complex narrative that keeps readers guessing. While the novel offers an intriguing premise and a mind-blowing conclusion, it falls slightly short of a higher rating due to certain elements.

The story follows a midlist mystery writer who, in the aftermath of a divorce, returns to his hometown in Central Connecticut. The protagonist is drawn back into a decades-old, unsolved case involving former missing classmates. As he delves into the investigation, the novel weaves together elements of modern domestic psychological thrillers with popular unsolved mysteries, creating a meta blend that plays with expectations and perspectives.

One of the strengths of "Say My Name" lies in its innovative approach to storytelling. The fusion of true crime and fiction adds layers of complexity, and the exploration of the protagonist's journey blurs the lines between reality and imagination. The meta aspect, likened to a mix of "Girl on the Train" and "In Cold Blood," contributes to the novel's uniqueness.

The mind-blowing conclusion is a standout feature, delivering a twist that challenges readers' expectations and preconceptions. Clifford's ability to play with perspective and keep the narrative unpredictable is commendable.

However, the complexity of the narrative might be a double-edged sword. Some readers may find the intertwining layers confusing, impacting their ability to fully immerse themselves in the story. The constant shift between true crime elements and fictional storytelling may create moments of disconnect.

The characters, while intriguing, may lack the depth needed for readers to fully connect with their experiences. The protagonist's journey, while central to the plot, could benefit from more emotional resonance to enhance reader engagement.

In conclusion, "Say My Name" is a three-star novel that offers a unique blend of fiction and true crime with a mind-blowing twist. Joe Clifford's innovative approach to storytelling adds intrigue, but the complexity may be challenging for some readers. Despite its flaws, the novel stands out for its creative exploration of the blurred lines between reality and imagination in the true crime genre.

Gripping! A true crime novel, with an excellent premise. I will look for the crime fiction books by this author.

I was fascinated with this novel. It reads like a true crime investigation. As others have commented and as the book is described, it is a novel. It is fiction but it does not read like it is. Reading this book was really an interesting and almost disconcerting experience.

I did have trouble liking the hero. I liked the idea of him trying to get a new start on life after so many things had recently happened to him. But he got drunk way too often and checked out of a conversation right when someone was telling him some important information. I am sure his character was deliberately crafted that way, considering the twist at the end. In a sense, this novel is a mystery but also a character study.

The plot was well crafted. It certainly could be predicted that digging into a decades old unsolved crime in a relatively small town would cause trouble. The villain was not expected, but the other people involved did not come as a surprise. There were suitable twists and red herrings that kept me reading as new facts were uncovered.

Perhaps we are left with a creepy question at the end. How much of our life do we create like an author writes a story? This is a good novel for readers who like an unusual spin on a cold case investigation.

Thanks to Netgalley and Books Go Social for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is supposedly a true crime account of an author that moves back to Connecticut from the west coast after getting divorced, and decides to write a book about some twins in this home town that went missing when he was a kid.

DNF at 52%.

This book was so boring, and there was so little happenning that I just couldn't continue. Basically the main character is a sad sack down on his luck-ish author and he gets drunk, begins smoking again and basically bums around the town talking about how he is going to write a book about this unsolved mystery from his teen years but as far as I could tell he did no investigation and there was no book being written by the time I decided to give up. I thought about skimming to the end but didn't even want to spend the time doing that. I read another book from this author previous that wasn't too bad, but I just didn't get the point of this one at all.

This was incredibly confusing to me because the whole time I was reading this thinking it was a real case. Living in CT it took everything in me not to google the case to find out what happened but then like - it was made up? I still don’t understand if this is legit true crime or not.

Not a bad book otherwise.

Overall this was a decent read that kept my interest for most of it but I didn't enjoy the main character. - it felt like we spent a lot of the book watching him drink and just be oblivious to the calls etc that could have helped him.

Whilst this one wasn't my favourite, I have enjoyed other books by this author and would continue to read their work in the future!

Joe Clifford's Say My Name was a bit confusing for me. It's billed as "true crime", and there's a forward from the author talking about the disappearance of two of his classmates back in 1985. The disappearance of those girls, twins Ava and Annabelle, is the subject of this book, as Clifford returns to his hometown for a teaching gig and begins thinking back on his memories and wondering why the twins' disappearance was never solved.

But the cover of this book says "true crime novel". "Novel" implies that this is fiction.

So.....was everything I read in this book real or not? Based on a true story but highly embellished?

Maybe that's the appeal of the book. While I thought the discovery of the story and how the narrator put together pieces of the puzzle was interesting, the book was just as much about the narrator (Clifford?) and his inner monologue as it was about solving the mystery of the missing girls. This tended to slow things down a bit. I also did think it was weird how the narrator becomes so obsessed with the case, seemingly out of nowhere. Like, he remembers having a crush on one of the girls, and now it's his moral duty to avenge her! And the ending - for me, it all happened so quickly. Maybe that's because there's a bit of a twist, and it twists right at the end so that everything just finishes.

Would I be interested in reading some of Joe Clifford's other crime fiction? Yeah, probably. But this one didn't really do it for me.

Say My Name is published by Square Tire Books and is available to purchase now. I received a free e-ARC from the publisher.

This seemed like a great idea but the writing was sooo annoying. Too many cliches and references. Not a fan.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC of this book. What did I just read? This was just terrible. The main character and narrator is a blackout drunk which made the entire story unbelievable.

Say My Name by Joe Clifford #seventyfirstbookof2023 #arc

CW: abduction, murder, discussion of rape, alcohol abuse, drunk driving, extreme narcissism and self-absorption, panic attacks

This book was incredibly frustrating. Newly divorced know-it-all man moves home where two missing girls mirror a similar event from his childhood. He decides to insert himself into the old investigation and makes trouble, alienating himself from everyone and infuriating me.

It’s written from the first person perspective of an extremely unreliable main character, clearly a black out alcoholic, egotistical, assumes the fact that he is a published author will open doors and is shocked when it doesn’t. He is the worst.

The author inserts old pop culture references in this weird way, assuming only a select few will get it, insinuating that everyone else is dumb. It was odd.

The ending is ridiculous. Basically a monologue sort of explaining part of the older mystery and then it’s done within a few sentences and all of a sudden we’re at the epilogue and it’s talking about parallel lives.

This was incredibly not for me.

Thank you to @netgalley and @booksgosocialgroup for the advance copy. (Available now, published in June)

Sometimes I feel like there is pure genius in the writing, other times I can’t believe how long this book felt. It’s very heavy on the internal dialogue. I feel like so much detail is given to things that don’t necessarily matter to the story, but then important bits are glossed over. Nearly every important conversation - with his doctor, Mel, Jim, Iver, Wayne - anytime something of importance was discussed he did the whole out zone out of space thing. BUT then we get the whole play by play on making coffee! I wanted to shake the narrator by the shoulders and tell him “FOCUS! PAY ATTENTION here! I’m 200 pages in here and I still don’t know what the hell is going on!”

My thoughts on the storyline - I thought he was willing to sell out Iver pretty fast considering he was like a dad to him. Since the reader isn’t given any reason to suspect Iver ever mistreated him the sellout feels kind of abrupt. I also read The Shadow People and thought there were some parallels between the narrators and Iver/the Grandfather. Overall, I did like the storyline and the concept, I just felt like it went off on a tangent a lot. The ending felt a little rushed. We spend so much time on what might have happened all those years ago I would have liked a stronger conclusion.

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

Joe Clifford is guaranteed to deliver with every book he releases. Once again I lost myself in a Joe Clifford book, for a few thrilling hours. SAY MY NAME had me thinking I had figured out the major plotline... nope. A few twists and turns and I was once again flummoxed and pleasingly surprised in the end. I loved the buildup and not seeing the ending I expected! An excellent leading character, and an amazing story. Another good one Joe!

Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for the early read. This one wasn't really one of my favorites but it's not bad. Check it out and see if it works for you...

I enjoyed this book! It was something a bit different but I only rated three stars, as the writing style itself I found almost a little uncomfortable.

However, it's an interesting premise and plotline with some great twists and ultimately leaves you satisfied.

A very thin line between true crime and author's imagination. A very strange protagonist and more strange story/ies. Unfortunately not for me.

A unique novel that blurs the line between fiction and true crime. The protagonist of this book is an author who moves back to his hometown of Berlin, CT, seeking a fresh start after his divorce. He soon hears about the disappearance of two teen girls from a nearby town, which brings back memories of the twin girls who disappeared from Berlin in the 80s, when he was a teen himself. He becomes obsessed with this case, and decides to write a true crime novel about the disappearance. His writerly intuition is telling him that these cases must be related, and he is determined to find the truth, no matter who gets hurt in the process.

Wow, this was a strange one. I honestly couldn't tell how much of this was based in reality and how much was fiction, which is definitely the author's intent. I couldn't help but dislike the narrator, with his constant disregard for the feelings of others, and all the times he drove while under the influence. Big no, no. But I was hooked by the mystery and couldn't wait for the truth to come out. A memorable read, sure to be enjoyed by fans of true crime and mystery in general.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.