Quick Synopsis

The author of What Lies in the Woods returns with a novel about three sisters, two murders, and too many secrets to count.

Publisher’s Synopsis

Fourteen years ago, the Palmer sisters―Emma, Juliette, and Daphne―left their home in Arden Hills and never returned. But when Emma discovers she’s pregnant and her husband loses his job, she has no option but to return to the house that she and her estranged sisters still own . . . and where their parents were murdered.

Emma has never told anyone what she saw the night her parents died, even when she became the prime suspect. But her presence in the house threatens to uncover secrets that have stayed hidden for years, and the sisters are drawn together once again. As they face their memories of the past, rivalries restart, connections are forged, and, for the first time, Emma starts to ask questions about what really happened that night.

The more Emma learns, the more riddles emerge. And Emma begins to wonder just what her siblings will do to keep the past buried, and whether she did the right thing staying quiet about what was whispered that night: “No one can know.”

Book Review

No One Can Know is Kate Alice Marshall’s sophomore adult thriller about three estranged sisters who are forced back together 15 years after their parents’ murders. While Emma, the middle sister, was considered a prime suspect in the murders, no one was ever convicted, and Emma is still unsure who held the smoking gun.

No One Can Know starts off with a bang and immediately engrosses you in the story of Emma, Daphne, & Juliette. And I love a book that pulls you in immediately and continues at a breakneck pace until the end. Marshall’s writing is propulsive albeit verging on YA at times. Regardless, I found this book easy to read and did not want to stop until I finished the last page.

Within the plot, this book explores the complex relationship between siblings and the lengths at which we will go to protect them. I found this theme to be interesting but not established enough to really make you think. However, I did enjoy the time Marshall spent exploring the sisters’ childhoods.

Through examining their childhoods and relationships with their parents, Marshall develops each sister and her identity. I could have used more development of the sisters’ as adults, but at least we were given a character to hate. Emma’s husband is someone that you will want to throat punch, with his gaslighting and sheer audacity. And that is all I will say about that so not to spoil anything.

Marshall tries to convince readers that one sister in particular is the murderer. However, it is so obviously a red herring. I would have rather she raised questions about each sister, actually developed all of them as full adult characters, and allowed readers to figure it out themselves. But perhaps that is simply my preference.

When I read a thriller, I want to be surprised at least once by a twist or turn, or at the very least who the killer is. Sadly, I never gasped while reading No One Can Know and knew who the killer was early on. While I did have fun reading it, I know that this is one of those books you will forget every bit of a month from now.

Overall, No One Can Know is a fast-paced thriller with interesting themes and an unusual crime. If you enjoy propulsive writing and do not need crazy twists or turns, I recommend reading it.

Rating

Overall Rating

Writing

Plot

Character Development