All They Need to Know

Gold Creek #1

by Eileen Goudge

A woman escaping a violent past finds new friendships, romance, and tenuous sanctuary in an emotionally gripping novel by New York Times bestselling author Eileen Goudge.

On the run from her abusive husband, Kyra Smith hits the road. Destination unknown. With a neglected dog she rescued in tow, she lands in the peaceful California town of Gold Creek and is immediately befriended by an openhearted group of women called the Tattooed Ladies Club. They’re there for Kyra—and for each other.

The maternal Frannie is a tattoo artist struggling with a troubled daughter. Suzy is a self-described fashionista grandma bearing a painful estrangement from her son. Then there’s Jo, whose enviable marriage is coming undone. And bookstore owner Marisol. She longs for the kind of romance she only reads about. For them, and for Kyra, fortunes can change.

Just as Kyra parlays her artistic talents into a new career, and finally meets a man she can trust in and love, her ex tracks her down. He has a twisted plan to upend everything she now holds dear. Marshaling her renewed power and wisdom, Kyra will stop at nothing to put the past behind her. Once and for all. Whatever it takes.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Audiobook, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Adult, Suspense

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2024

About the author

I began writing at the age of eight and wrote my way through the lean years before I found success as New York Times' bestselling author with my first novel GARDEN OF LIES. To date I have published 19 novels and a cookbook. Every life experience I've weathered has found its way into my novels in one form or another: bad exes, births, deaths, divorces, romances, and even true crime. My heroines are like me: tough cookies who don't crumble.

My latest novel, Book One of my Gold Creek series, ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW, is the story of a woman fleeing her abusive ex who finds refuge in a small California mountain town, where she's befriended by a group of women who call themselves The Tattooed Ladies and reinvents herself as a police sketch artist. Kyra "draws lines to stop crimes," as they say in the biz, never imagining she'll one day be forced to confront the biggest criminal of all: her ex.

I'm married to former entertainment reporter Sandy Kenyon and the mother of two grown children. We live in Sacramento, California, where we remodeled a 1940's house for which I was the on-site project manager. Fortunately, multi-tasking is my superpower, so I was able to write a book and supervise a home remodel at the same time. The latter is sure to find its way into a future book. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to see pics of my home remodel and other adventures.

Reviews

[Suzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

While perusing NetGalley one day, I was in the mood for something other than my usual psychological thriller. When I came across this one, I saw that it was a “Read Now” and thought why not? It’s been a very long time since I’ve read anything by this author. Now I’m thinking I should go back and look at some of her other books.

A woman is on the run after leaving her abusive husband. While on one of her gas/snack stops, she finds a neglected dog in the back of the store. She scoops him up and he continues on her journey with her. She winds up in tiny Gold Creek, California, and is quickly befriended by a group of women and a very welcoming community. They all become her biggest supporters and deep friendships are created.

I really like this one because it’s a starting over type of story with a bit of suspense built-in. It gives major Virgin River vibes. I’ve never finished that book series, but I’m a big fan of the Netflix show!

I’m really looking forward to continuing with the series. Mainly because – let’s be real – my favorite character is Ranger, the neglected dog that is naturally the hit of the book for me!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union publishing for my advanced copy to read and review.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

A woman escapes her abusive husband, rescues a neglected dog, and finds a family among a group of women and her new community. Sounds like the perfect setup for an engaging contemporary novel, right? That’s what I thought, too. Unfortunately, this book fell flat—it was dull and completely unrealistic.

First off, Kyra, the protagonist, faces absolutely no real challenges after leaving her husband. No money? No problem—strangers shower her with free stuff. No friends or a place to stay? Don’t worry—every single person she meets adores her and helps her land affordable housing. No job? Somehow, she gets three and excels at all of them effortlessly. She’s practically untouchable!

Then there’s the dog. Don’t get me wrong, the dog is the best part of the book. But apparently, this is a magical dog that’s welcome literally everywhere—restaurants, workplaces, classrooms, homes. Every character she meets is totally fine with it, no questions asked.

One of the joys of reading is watching suspense build toward a satisfying climax, but that doesn’t happen here. The author throws in a few minor problems, but they’re resolved in minutes. Even when the abusive ex returns late in the story, the conflict is tidied up so quickly and perfectly it’s almost laughable.

If you like your books wrapped up in an overly neat bow with no real tension or stakes, this might be for you. It’s included with Kindle Unlimited, but I can’t recommend it unless you enjoy stories where everything falls into place a little too easily.

[Linda Zagon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eileen Goudge, the Author of “All They Need to Know” has written a captivating and intense novel. The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Suspense, Friendship Fiction, Divorce Fiction and Small Town and Rural Fiction. What would you do if you were leaving an abusive and toxic marriage, and had to leave to save your life? In this well written and thought-provoking novel, Eileen Goudge, vividly describes the plot, scenery, landscape, and the dramatic and colorful characters.

The female protagonist in this novel, “Kyra Smith” is forced to leave everything behind to save her life. Along her trip, she picks up, and rescues a dog. Kyra finds a small town, and makes friends with a group of women that call themselves “The Tattooed Ladies Club”.Each of the ladies has their own stories and problems. Kyra also finds herself and has the courage to start a new career.

Krystal is always looking over her shoulder, fearful that her husband will find her. When it seems that he does find her, Krystal and her friends are in danger. I appreciate that the author discusses domestic abuse, alcoholism, self-worth, and the importance of friends. I highly recommend this memorable story.

[Angel · Rating 4 out of 5]

"All They Need To Know" by Eileen Goudge is women's fiction with some suspense in it.

On the run from an abusive spouse, Kyra Smith goes across the country and ends up in small town Gold Creek, California. A group of women known as the Tattoed Ladies take her into their fold as a friend. She doesn't dare tell them about her past because she is ashamed of not leaving sooner, and she is scared her husband will find her. If they know about him, then they might be at risk.

Kyra adopts a dog who becomes her best friend and protector.

Kyra takes two jobs to make ends meet, and by the end of the book, she has moved ahead in the job situation. This part was inspiring.

The end of the book is scary and exciting.

The narrator, Almarie Guerra, did a wonderful job with this 12 hr. long audiobook!

I highly recommend this book for inspiration and support - whether you are in a dangerous relationship or not. It reminded me of the importance and value of female friendship.

Characters - 5/5
Writing - 5/5
Plot - 4/5
Pacing - 3/5
Unputdownability - 3/5
Enjoyment - 5/5
Narration - 5/5
Cover - 4/5
Overall - 33/8 = 4 2/8, rounded to 4 stars

Thank you to Netgalley, Brilliance Publishing, and Eileen Goudge for providing this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

[Mitzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a fan of Eileen Goudge, I couldn’t wait to dive into ALL THEY NEED TO KNOW. The story follows Kyra Smith, who escapes an abusive marriage and ends up in Gold Creek, a small town in the Sierra Nevadas. As Kyra heals, she finds new friends, a fresh start, and a supportive community. I loved the setting and the storyline of finding hope and friendship in a new place—it gave me VIRGIN RIVER vibes. The suspense of Kyra’s fear of being found by her powerful husband kept me hooked. Definitely recommend for fans of Nora Roberts and Karen White. Can’t wait for more stories set in this town!

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

[emily *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ · Rating 4 out of 5]

tw: domestic violence
when kyra is beaten within an inch of her life by her abusive husband she finally gains the courage to leave him. after leaving with no trace she travels across the country in search of a new place to call home. after coming across gold creek she decides it's perfect. will she ever be able to be free of rory or will he come and find her?

[Susan Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

All They Need to Know is a gripping story of strength, courage, and resilience. Kyra Smith is a woman fleeing from her abusive husband, desperate to escape and forge a new life as far away as she can get. Her story is harrowing, and the author pulls no punches in describing the horrors Kyra has gone through. As she forges new friendships in her new hometown, Kyra can never let her guard down; but she is also learning how to stand up for herself, how to defend herself, and how to trust again. Author Eileen Goudge has gifted her readers an emotional story and a main character who is tender but gritty, a character readers will root for every step of the way! I was provided an advance reader copy of this book.

[Delaney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because my mom reads Eileen Goudge, and so I thought she was an OG like Kristin Hannah. I don’t think I’ve ever been so disappointed.

I AM STUNNED AT THE RATINGS FOR THIS BOOK. Like… are ya’ll okay?

The story was bad, the writing was bad. This book had an incredible opportunity to be a great story of a women overcoming domestic abuse, but it wasn’t.

The aspect of domestic abuse wasn’t painted well or accurately at all. It was more like the one-dimensional cliche aspect of it you see in TV and movies. It’s a very complicated, in depth dichotomy and this was touched on not at all.

It was also just so unrealistic. Within two months, Kyra goes to from homeless and broke to THREE jobs with a fake name, all of which she just effortlessly excels at. Oh and one of the jobs? A criminal sketch artist for the police. With a fake name. And her dog is allowed to come too. He’s also allowed in every store in town and no one has an issue with it. He also just is magically trained.

She also just happens to have all of these wonderful new friendships with these one dimensional women and they all have most pithy, cliche dialogue. Women don’t talk like this… and it was laughable.

The ending was what took this book from okay to just bad. If you’re a woman running from an unaccounted for ex who you know is in town… you’re not going to get into a car in the middle of a snow storm by yourself. Women running from abuse are hyper vigilant and hyper aware of their surroundings and no one would be this stupid. I loved how they explained this by her being “stubborn.” No. She’s an idiot.

OMG and when she sent her dog to go get help and then it did… please 😂

This book read like every shitty lifetime movie I’ve ever seen.

Cliche.
Dumb.
Unrealistic.

If you do read this book, the only good part about it is the dog, Ranger. She steals him in the beginning and that is the best part of the novel. You can stop reading after chapter 2.

The horribleness of this book made me irrationally angry… because I should have stopped reading it and I thought it was going to be good. It was not.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfectly told

This was an incredible story of a broken and battered woman who starts a new life away from her husband. Since he doesn't know where she is, she is safe for now but for how long? The friendships in this book were so endearing as well as Ranger the dog who lit up the pages. I just loved how much this story showed you how you could start again no matter what happens to you.

[Laura Wonderchick · Rating 4 out of 5]

For fans of the Virgin River series, this one is for you because I immediately felt that same draw! A strong and resilient main character who has life trouble but finds herself in a town with people to be on her side. And throw in a cute and adorable dog story! I find EG books to be comfort food for my soul! Many thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for this copy for read and review

[Brianna Hart · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a bit predictable. It followed a similar path of other books that I’ve read before so it just didn’t hold my interest like I wanted. I did appreciate the girl gang in this book though and feel like they were super relatable women. The main character’s strength was inspiring, too! Plus, the happiest feel good ending. Overall, a tad predictable but still cute.

[Vicky Lea]

No rating. No judgment. I was bored and decided to stop reading. This is mostly for my records.

[Nana · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Kyra Smith, wakes up in the hospital, after the surgery she had to have, from the beating her husband gave her, she learned her husband made her car look like it was a car accident. She left with the clothes she had on, the money in her account, and left for a destination unknown. When she stopped for gas, she discovered an abused dog tied up, and rescued him. Together they became a team.
When she arrived in Gold Creek, she decided to stay there. She was beaten down from years of abuse, but the people in Gold Creek, welcomed her, and she got two part-time jobs, and connected with a group of women called the Tattooed Ladies Club. Although she still lived in fear that her husband would find her, she started to open up some, and she started to change, have more confidence, This is her journey of who she was, the changes that take place, and she became a sketch artist for the police department. When she was on the job, she got the shock of her life, and she had many choices to make. Reading the book will take you through some more of her journey, the decisions she makes, where she comes out, and what she faced, and who she is now.
I received an ARC from Lake Union Publishing through NetGalley.

[Jodi Fahrman · Rating 2 out of 5]

Several things I struggled with in this book:
1) I think it’s rather farfetched that a newcomer to a small town would be welcomed into a well established friend group day one
2) Everything fell into place for Kyra with little to no effort of her own—jobs, housing, friendships
3) Kyra was depicted as someone who could do no wrong. She was great at every job she did, and they were all jobs she had never done before
4) The ending was awful. She was terrified of her ex, but she’s going to escape the security of Coop’s home to brave a snowstorm and stay alone? That was an idiotic decision.
5) The neglected dog that she rescued ends up being well trained AND a rescue dog in a snowstorm. Hmm. Not to mention, everyone loves her dog.

[Ally Weber · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn't for me. Kyra, the fmc, is on the run from her abusive husband and settles in a small town. She ends up making friends with "The Tattooed Ladies" and an ex-cop, Coop, the mmc. The love story between Kyra and Coop didn't feel convincing. It felt more forced, or maybe it was just not well flushed out as a subplot. I didn't love the FMC either. She was very 2-dimensional for me. A lot about this story seemed very textbook. I think maybe if this is the type of book you are looking for, it would be good, but I didn't enjoy it and would not recommend it. I really appreciate netgalley for giving me an arc read of this book. Unfortunately, I am not the target audience for this book.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.0 stars. Women's fiction with a side of suspense and the hint of a likely romance. But the star of this story for me was the dog, Ranger. All this from an author new to me. Interesting beginning, the main character, Kyra, is on the run from an abusive husband. That and the friendships that begin with the group of women she meets while hiding out in a small town is the focus of the story. I got a little antsy with how the story dragged in parts. The suspense was predictable and the ending nice but I wanted a bit more.

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

The best thing about this book was the strength and bonds of female friendship.

[Di · Rating 4 out of 5]

I initially chose this book because I remember reading one by this author (many years ago!) and thoroughly enjoying it, reading far into the night. It was Garden of Lies. Since most authors improve their storylines and writing styles over time, I was excited to read this one.

The premise sounded promising. But, it didn't take long to get bogged down with unnecessary details. Example: a detailed description of the layout of a coffee corner in a hair salon. It was not relevant to the story, and, I didn't need to know about it. There were more. Detailed descriptions of outfits worn by other characters. Totally a waste of words which had no bearing on the plot.

But, I read on…….and, despite my negative comments above, I got pulled into the story. Kyra, the main character has run away, across the country, to escape a bad situation. She stops in a small town and makes a life for herself. There is a wonderful rescue dog involved, named Ranger. And a wonderful circle of supportive friends.

This story is about friendship, new beginnings, resilience, learning to trust.

After the rough start to the book, I enjoyed it. It was good to watch Kyra evolve into the strong woman, which was hiding within all along. I love Ranger, he could be called Super Dog. And, I especially loved the strong bond of the group of women. There are a few tense moments towards the end.

I'm rating this 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4 stars.

I did not realize that it is Book 1 of a series. I'm glad that it is a stand alone book. I'm not a fan of series. Usually, by the time the follow-up comes out, I have forgotten too much of the previous one to enjoy the next one.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.

[Margie Shaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m quite positive that this was my first time reading a book by Eileen Goudge. All They Need To Know was a very enjoyable story that grabbed my attention right from the start and kept me captivated the whole way through. I loved the authors writing style, it was smooth and seamless and easy to read. This is a story about Krystal Stanhope who is on the run and hiding out from her abusive husband. She changes her name to Kyra Smith, swaps her BMW in for a clunker and has the courage and strength to travel cross country. Along the way, on a pit stop to use the bathroom at a little gas station, she steels herself a dog that she found chained out in the hot sun with nothing to eat or drink and looking like it had been starved for quite some time. These two become fast friends and partners throughout the story. They end up settling down in the small town of Gold Creek where they meet the nicest people. A group of women known as The Tattooed Ladies become her best friends. This is a story of a woman’s strength, courage and ability to change when needed when it comes to survival. It’s also about finding friendship, trust and learning to have faith in love again after being horribly mistreated. I really liked this story, I loved all the characters and I’d really be interested in reading more about them if the author was to write another book including them. I’d like to thank NetGalley for the arc that I obtained off the Read Now section. This book was a great read in my opinion and I’m giving it a 5 star rating!

[Ashley Mahoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway. 4.5/5 stars. I really enjoyed this book. The ending was predictable but was refreshing, who doesn’t love a happy ending?

I loved that this book was about female empowerment, friendship, strength and also love. You saw the main character grow through out the book. Unfortunately a lot of people can relate to what Kyra went through but hopefully this book will give hope to some.

I do wish we got another POV maybe either Coop or Rory? I think that would’ve been really interesting.

I noticed this is “book 1” of the gold creek series. I can’t wait to see what book 2 will be about. I’ll definitely be reading more by this author.

Overall a great read, highly recommend

[Tena Edlin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just wasn't for me. I loved the parts with Kyra and her new friends. This group of women was amazing, and I wanted to be friends them, too. The book also has a great dog. Ranger is almost too good to be true, but when a dog is such a good boy and overcomes an abusive beginning to have his own happy ending, I'll forgive it. I just felt like the story was pretty predictable, and I didn't love the voice actor. She made the melodramatic parts even more over the top. I found myself rolling my eyes on occasion... never a good sign. I could be happy with a 2.5 rating just because just when I was afraid the boy was going to be the one to save the day, Kyra dug deep and helped herself.

[Maryann Forbes · Rating 4 out of 5]

All They Need to Know by Eileen Goudge is a lovely book about the strength of women and the bonds of friendship. The main character Kyra Smith, also known as Krystal Stanhope has left her extremely abusive husband Rory Stanhope, the powerful District Attorney of Rochester, NY, after another extremely brutal beating which necessitated the removal of her spleen. Kyra took her savings and ran, hoping to stay under the radar of her husband. She ultimately landed in Gold Creek, CA, a quaint tourist town where she met an eclectic group of women who immediately welcomed her into their community as well as The Tattooed Ladies Club; the members Frannie, Suzy, Marisol and Jo soon became very special to Kyra. I enjoyed the characters very much as they seemed to come alive through the pages. I did find the book to be a bit predictable, yet so we'll written that it didn't impede my reading pleasure. I am not a big fan of women's fiction, yet thoroughly enjoyed All They Need to Know. Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author for the opportunity to read an ARC; this review reflects my honest opinion. 4 Stars.

[Karen Wahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book about strong female characters and a welcoming community. I had read books by this author a long time ago and was excited when I realized she written a new one. I’m looking forward to the next one in this series!

[Charity Hefner · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so eager to stay up and finish a book! I could not put this one down! The plot is not original, but the friendships are unique and so genuine! 5.5 ⭐️

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good one, triggering, but really good.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel bad for giving this 3 stars but it was sooo slow in the beginning took me way too long to read

[April Chukwurah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping to get drawn into the suspense of this story - a woman flees her abusive husband, who happens to be the DA. She assumes a new identity and lands in a small town in California, with a newly rescued dog in tow. Pretty quickly she connects with a group of women and things just conveniently start falling into place - a job, classes, a place to live, a new love interest. It was all too convenient for me and the author's attempt to create some suspense and drama at the end fell flat, in my opinion. This was very meh.

[Ami Dewille · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. The plot had great potential, but it was so predictable and unrealistic. She escapes an abusive husband and then has zero challenges. She gets three jobs in a new town that welcomes her with open arms. She doesn’t need to provide a SSN or DL for any of the jobs. She decides to learn to become a Forensic Artist with no mention or thought to how she would ever get hired by law enforcement with a fake idenitity or without a background check. I gave up just after a woman rents her an airstream on a property owned by “her son” who is out of town at the moment I didn’t even have to continue to know that son would be the hot, mysterious cop she met on one of her first nights in town….ugh. Maybe I’ve just read so many books that I can’t be surprised, but this was flat and blah. I quit with 7 hours of Audible to go.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the beginning of this book. I thought it started off very powerful. However, I felt like the main character only had one struggle to get over and so I thought her character fell flat. I also thought the love interest felt very forced. The climax felt anti climatic to me and it felt like the main character got off with very little struggle. I wish the author dove more into the subplot, instead we got a few paragraphs summing it up at the end. That said, I did enjoy this book. The dog, Ranger, was the best character in my opinion. The writting was very good. I just wish the plot did more. I wouldn't go out of my way to read this book but it was enjoyable.

[Carolyn Lange · Rating 1 out of 5]

Book was ok until the last few chapters. Kyra stayed with an abusive husband for 5 years even though she could have left him. Finally leaves him, but gets talked into confronting him which fails. Husband tracks her down. She knows he's found her and she decides, against everyone's advice to hide out and not tell anyone where she's going, all because she thinks if she stays with the cop she loves, her sex drive is so out of control that she'll end up in bed with him. She leaves in the middle of a major snow storm and at that point I was wishing she wouldn't make it, but she did and everyone thought she was a hero. I thought she was stupid.