I had a bit of a tough time with this one. I liked the premise- a 40 something psychologist is trying to move on from the tragedy that struck his family years ago when he hears that his convicted killer step brother is being released from prison- but I found the writing convoluted and the characters to be just too unlikable. The Satanic worship was an interesting angle, and I do think it's reminiscent of the 80s, but other than that it didn't do anything to move the plot along. The writing was interesting and he used some unique techniques to tell the story, but in the end it didnt grip me and I found myself drifting out of interest in the story.

Yet another book that apparently gets glowing reviews and I can't seem to figure out why. I hated the writing and couldn't find it in me to care about the main characters. I would not recommend.

Depressing, and not in a good way. Just left me with a sad, ugh feeling. I received this ARC from NetGalley - thank you!

Enjoyed this quite a bit. I might have seen the ending coming had I not made the mistake of reading the beginning right before falling asleep, more than once, but this was a good exploration about the fallibility of memory.

Ill Will is dark and twisted, playing with memory and stories — lies and truths — that get all mixed up as the years drag on. The very flawed protagonist, Dustin Tillman, is a lost soul only getting more lost after his wife, who seemed to be his anchor, dies.

Readers get the story from many points of view, from Dustin to his children, his cousins, Rusty, even his suggestive patient. We have a front row seat to Dustin’s obsession and inevitable unraveling.

I love that this man is a psychologist. After he put the death of his parents in a box and shut the lid, Dustin’s denial of his wife’s cancer, her impending death, and the out-of-control nature of his one son is inevitable. His other son’s need to escape is understandable.

I remember the hysteria of Satanic cults. A teen in the 80’s, it freaked me out. We were sure, in Colorado, that there were cults in the mountains, or the woods, or out in the plains. In spaces just beyond where we could see, in the shadows of every corner. And those older kids listening to REAL heavy metal (not hair bands, but the really dark stuff), well, they were probably into devil worship. Or that’s what our 14 year old minds believed.

It was all hype and hysteria, and this was all before the internet. Word of mouth hysteria, which seemed to make it worse.

Ill Will is a true thriller, giving readers suspense on all sides. From Dustin’s past, to Rusty’s impending release, to the deaths of college kids at colleges throughout Ohio (and the fact that a few of them are in my backyard was just crazy!). All of the stories hinge on lies and false memories, and finding the truth is part of the mystery, with the thrill and suspense along for the ride.

Chaon’s written a truly dark literary thriller, exploring so many aspects of the mind, especially a suggestible mind. This is not a quick, easy read; instead, its one that will stretch your mind and make you question what you remember.

Couldn't figure out how to get this book to load on my device, do unfortunately never got a chance to read it....

You know that chill you get when you walk into shadow? That is this book.

A cold dark truth emerges from beneath this twisted murder tale as the timeline of a man’s life plays out and he must grapple with each new revelation about the people he thinks he knows best.

This book is a tightly written page-turner due to Chaon’s mature and polished style. He is able to casually fill the story with people who get weirder and weirder, and will stop at nothing to tickle your psyche. I really enjoyed being creeped out by this read!

A copy was received from the author so I could create this honest review. This review and more at annevolmering.com.

I had a hard time with this book..The story line was very interesting but the format was totally confusing to me. In addition, there were too many unanswered questions.

Ill Will is more about the stories we tell to expose ourselves and Dustin is exposed. This will not make you want to visit your local psychiatrist but the twists will keep you reading. Enjoy

DNF. It seemed more like rambling and was very hard to follow.

This is one unique book. I will first say that I had an ARC from NetGalley but chose to listen to the finished version on audio. A few of the chapters end, just stop, right in the middle of a thought, of a sentence. Why? Being edgy, risky, gimmicky? Mr. Chaon, I don't usually care for gimmicks or such distractions. (This IS at least explained later.) The narration switches between characters, between first, second, and third person, and between past and present. Why all the jumping around in books these days? I don't usually care for that either, and was one of the reasons I gave your book You Remind Me of Me only 2 stars.

But, again, this book is SO different, to put it mildly. This book, gimmicks and all, hooked me by the neck and yanked me along its journey through no less than two gripping murder investigations, two cancer deaths, two estranged brothers, two sisters also estranged, hard drugs, and multiple versions of the past. Our remembrances of our own pasts are called into question: You think no one knows your past better than yourself, but Chaon takes you by the neck, again, looks you square in the eye, and says Hah! That's what you think! And when a traumatic event such as finding your parents, aunt, and uncle all dead is involved, and of course when buku drugs are being ingested, memories are even more sporadic or repressed.

The older I become, the more I am uncertain of my own memories. This is a subject that always fascinates me, in books or in discussions. So I was simply captivated by this book and wished I could get back to it every time I put it down. It was chilling, and the author's choice to be a little out there worked for me this time, but may not for others because....

I did read parts of the ARC aside from listening to it. I could not get into the printed book at all and can see why some low ratings. My reason is that the formatting in some chapters gives us two or three columns of narration side by side on the pages. Not so unusual, but then I could not figure out for certain if I was supposed to read all 3 columns on a page before turning the page, or was I supposed to read all pages of the left-hand column first, followed by all pages of the middle column, and then the right-hand. I really didn't spend too much time on that since in the audio, that decision was made for me. Thus, I for one would recommend the audio over other versions. Plus, it was just excellent.

Loved this book
Didn't want it to end
Highly recommended

I did not finish this book. I found it impossible to relate to the characters and the author's writing style was confusing and difficult to follow. I will NOT be putting a review on my website.

Is Dustin Tillman the unluckiest man in the world? One might think so. He comes from a horrific childhood. One morning he and his cousins woke up in their backyard from a camping night and went inside only to find both his and their parents brutally slaughtered. Dustin's adopted brother, Rusty, who is into Goth and dealing drugs, is the police's first suspect. When Dustin tells the things Rusty has done to him, Rusty is arrested and sent for trial. Dustin and his cousin are the main witnesses against him and Rusty is sent to prison for life.

Fast forward to adulthood. Dustin has reinvented himself and is now a psychologist living a normal family life in the suburbs. His wife is a lawyer and his two sons are healthy and happy. Then tragedy strikes again. His wife gets ill and passes away. The family can't move beyond their grief and fall apart. The older son goes off to college and Dustin and his younger son rattle around their house, rarely speaking and never communicating when they do.

Then Dustin hears the news. Rusty is being released after an Innocence Project has taken his case. It turns out that there was never any forensic evidence. Rusty was convicted in an atmosphere of societal worry about teenage kids and satanic cults, like the Memphis Three. Now thirty years later, he is coming out of prison and its unsure what he plans to do next.

In Dustin's own city, there is another troubling issue. One of his patients is a former policeman who has been sent for psychological help. Yet he is less interested in his own problems than in a case he believes he has found. Teenage college boys are being found in bodies of water. The cases seem similar; they go out drinking with their friends, disappear and are found drowned later. Most of the cases are classified as accidents or suicides. Yet the patient believes there is a serial killer out there and draws Dustin into his belief system. Soon Dustin is helping in the 'investigation' and neglecting everything else.

This is a haunting book. It starts slowly, portraying a normal family. Tendrils of menace float up occasionally, leaving the reader uneasy. Then the hits start to come faster and faster as one is drawn into the realization that Dustin has been removed from reality his entire life and that he is the ultimate unreliable narrator. The book is like a ride down a snowy hill on a sled. At first nothing much happens and then the reader is riding pell-mell to an inevitable end. This book is recommended for mystery readers.

I chose this book to read based on the description. It met the description, but the style of the book was a bit confusing and difficult to follow. This novel is very"free form" flowing between character's points of view with no warning. The story itself is sound...How much of our memory is real and how much is influenced by others...other circumstances, other people, subliminal messages and blatant lies.

Dr. Dustin Tillman is a psychologist, a career chosen specifically because of his troubled past . As a child, his family is massacred. Mother, father, aunt and uncle. His adopted brother Rusty is accused, and convicted, of the heinous crime. But thirty years later, Rusty is released with no warning. This causes Tillman's mind to start remembering...and what he remembers raises doubts. Did Rusty actually commit the crime he was accused of?

At the same time, a new series of unexplained deaths comes to his attention. Young, college age men, are drowning in local waterways, each with an extremely high blood alcohol content. Are these murders? Or are they simply unfortunate accidents that bear a striking similarity? Tillman is pulled into the case reluctantly at first, but he becomes increasingly suspicious.

Add the death of his wife and a son spiraling into a web of drug addiction, Tillman's world is imploding. Will he navigate his way free? Or will he be the next victim of ill will?

This book was very unsatisfying. The plot, with its dual murder cases in two timelines, was contrived and the author just seemed to be trying too hard. I found the writing style very annoying as it shifted among time periods and points of view from chapter to chapter, sometimes ending chapters in the middle of sentences. After making me slog through this confusing mess the author could at least have answered my questions at the end, but no such luck. This book was too much work for the meager payoff.

I received a free copy of the ebook from the publisher, however I wound up listening to the audio version borrowed from the library.

Did not finish. Meh It started out intriguing. It did not deliver. Structure was frustrating. Transitions from past to present from one character to another was confusing and frustrating. Thematic issues were all over the place: Satanic rituals, murders, serial killers, wrongly accused and imprisoned relative, drug abuse and addiction, grief issues, all of which muddled the proverbial waters for me.

DNF @ 25%

Dan Chaon is one of those literary writers everyone raves about. Ill Will has received many spectacular reviews but I’ve realized that he has a style that is very eclectic and definitely isn’t for everyone and that unique writing style is what ultimately did me in. I understand the reason for writing it this way (bouncing between narrators and time) because it caused a sense of disorientation regarding the mystery already surrounding the crime (when Dustin was a teen, his mother, father, aunt, and uncle were murdered and he accused his adopted older brother). Not only did the story bounce rapidly between narrators and between time but often there were sentences left incomplete and particular chapters where text was written in columns and you had to flip back and forth between pages to finish the one column before starting the next which was very difficult on Kindle. I’m not sure if Chaon was going for some House of Leaves-esque formatting or what but it left me so confused in trying to figure out how to read it that I failed to get lost in the story itself.

I didn't really enjoy this one. Kind of slow and a bit on the odd side. (Amazon reviewed).