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You Will Never See Me
A secret affair leaves a woman entangled with a web of killers in this striking dark noir for fans of Peter Swanson and Alice Feeney.
No one knows that Alice Hardy is alone and walking the dark streets of Chicago after leaving her lover’s apartment. So when a man drags her into an alley at knifepoint, she knows nobody will come to her rescue. Forced into a fight for survival, Alice leaves the man desperately wounded by his own knife and flees with her life.
When Alice tells her lover and they rush back to the alley, the ground is bare. There is no wounded attacker. There is no body. There is no blood. There is no knife. There is nothing to report to the police.
But unbeknownst to Alice, one other person knows what happened in the Owen Pall, a private detective slumming it with unsavory divorce work. Hired to tail a possibly straying husband, Owen followed the man to the alley and witnessed the thwarted assault–and saved the man’s life.
Jake Hinkson weaves a noirish tale of desperate people, whose intertwining secrets and motives will lead to a web of lies, blackmail, and dead bodies in this suspenseful novel for fans of Harlan Coben.
No one knows that Alice Hardy is alone and walking the dark streets of Chicago after leaving her lover’s apartment. So when a man drags her into an alley at knifepoint, she knows nobody will come to her rescue. Forced into a fight for survival, Alice leaves the man desperately wounded by his own knife and flees with her life.
When Alice tells her lover and they rush back to the alley, the ground is bare. There is no wounded attacker. There is no body. There is no blood. There is no knife. There is nothing to report to the police.
But unbeknownst to Alice, one other person knows what happened in the Owen Pall, a private detective slumming it with unsavory divorce work. Hired to tail a possibly straying husband, Owen followed the man to the alley and witnessed the thwarted assault–and saved the man’s life.
Jake Hinkson weaves a noirish tale of desperate people, whose intertwining secrets and motives will lead to a web of lies, blackmail, and dead bodies in this suspenseful novel for fans of Harlan Coben.
336 pages, Paperback
Published October 14, 2025
9 people are currently reading
5059 people want to read
About the author
Jake Hinkson
20 books121 followersJake Hinkson, a native of the Arkansas Ozarks, is the author of HELL ON CHURCH STREET, THE POSTHUMOUS MAN, SAINT HOMICIDE, and THE BIG UGLY. His first two books are being translated into French by èditions Gallmeister and will be released in Europe in new hardcover editions in 2015. He lives in Chicago and blogs at http://thenighteditor.blogspot.com/
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
April 15, 2025
This book is a dark noir thriller. It is also full of mystery! Even though I could not relate to any of the characters, they did change and grow throughout the story. It had key elements that I liked, which were morally ambiguous characters in this story. It is about love, lust, deception, fear, cheating on a spouse and violence.
This book starts off strong! It begins with a woman named Alice Hardy who is cheating on her Husband. When she leaves her lovers house during the nighttime, she begins walking all alone. She realizes that she is walking in the complete opposite direction of where she had parked, so starts walking the correct way to her vehicle. All of a sudden, a man comes up to her with a knife and she is scared for her life. She takes his knife and uses it on him, drops it, and escapes the horror.
She then returns to her lover and explains everything to him. After that, both of them go to the place where this event occurred and nothing is there. The knife is missing, the guy is missing. There wasn’t even a trace of blood! As the mysterious story unfolds, the secrets start to come to light and everything makes sense. Be sure to read the content warnings of this book! Overall, I rate this a 3 out of 5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jake Hinkson and Crooked Lane Books publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This book is expected to be published on October 14, 2025!
This book starts off strong! It begins with a woman named Alice Hardy who is cheating on her Husband. When she leaves her lovers house during the nighttime, she begins walking all alone. She realizes that she is walking in the complete opposite direction of where she had parked, so starts walking the correct way to her vehicle. All of a sudden, a man comes up to her with a knife and she is scared for her life. She takes his knife and uses it on him, drops it, and escapes the horror.
She then returns to her lover and explains everything to him. After that, both of them go to the place where this event occurred and nothing is there. The knife is missing, the guy is missing. There wasn’t even a trace of blood! As the mysterious story unfolds, the secrets start to come to light and everything makes sense. Be sure to read the content warnings of this book! Overall, I rate this a 3 out of 5 stars!
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jake Hinkson and Crooked Lane Books publishing for this digital advanced reader’s copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
This book is expected to be published on October 14, 2025!
February 5, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ — Dark, gritty, and wildly compulsive
This was one of those books where I kept telling myself “just one more chapter” and suddenly it was way past my bedtime.
You Will Never See Me follows Alice Hardy, a respected professor whose life quietly implodes after a violent alley attack she can’t report without exposing an affair. Instead of going to the police, she tries to make sense of what happened on her own — and that choice pulls her into a bleak, unsettling web of secrets, predators, and very bad men.
This isn’t a twisty, flashy thriller. It’s noir through and through: grim, tense, and deeply uncomfortable in the best way. The tension comes from watching the truth surface piece by piece, not from shock reveals.
Bleak? Yes. Addictive? Absolutely. 😬
This was one of those books where I kept telling myself “just one more chapter” and suddenly it was way past my bedtime.
You Will Never See Me follows Alice Hardy, a respected professor whose life quietly implodes after a violent alley attack she can’t report without exposing an affair. Instead of going to the police, she tries to make sense of what happened on her own — and that choice pulls her into a bleak, unsettling web of secrets, predators, and very bad men.
This isn’t a twisty, flashy thriller. It’s noir through and through: grim, tense, and deeply uncomfortable in the best way. The tension comes from watching the truth surface piece by piece, not from shock reveals.
Bleak? Yes. Addictive? Absolutely. 😬
October 23, 2025
Great page turner, really enjoyed this one and all books by Hinkson. He needs to write faster. Fast paced plot with well developed characters and i love books where you cannot predict what will happen next, the pages flew by. 4+ stars and one of my favourite quick reads of the year
June 17, 2025
A Gripping Dark Thriller
This thriller stands out for its dramatic cat-and-mouse game, delivering a tale full of suspense and danger. The story focuses on Alice, a woman wrestling with temptation, fear, and survival after a clandestine affair goes awry.
When Alice is attacked by a knife-wielding man upon leaving her lover’s apartment, a brutal struggle ensues. Alice successfully fends her attacker off and finds herself turning the tables by cutting her attacker across the throat. In a moment of panic and chaos, she rushes back to her lover for refuge and support.
Meanwhile, a private investigator, hired by the attacker's wife, is secretly following the attacker, Ronnie. The PI finds himself in a precarious moral quandary as he decides whether to aid or exploit the injured Ronnie — a decision that adds depth and texture to the plot. Later, Alice finds the injured man gone. She is the left with dread and fear that her secret affair and the attack will come to light.
This is a thriller that maintains its grip from start to finish — a testament to its expertly woven storyline. The author skillfully maintains tension while adding character depth and dramatic twists, making this a must-read for fans of the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Jake Hinkson for an advanced copy of this novel.
This thriller stands out for its dramatic cat-and-mouse game, delivering a tale full of suspense and danger. The story focuses on Alice, a woman wrestling with temptation, fear, and survival after a clandestine affair goes awry.
When Alice is attacked by a knife-wielding man upon leaving her lover’s apartment, a brutal struggle ensues. Alice successfully fends her attacker off and finds herself turning the tables by cutting her attacker across the throat. In a moment of panic and chaos, she rushes back to her lover for refuge and support.
Meanwhile, a private investigator, hired by the attacker's wife, is secretly following the attacker, Ronnie. The PI finds himself in a precarious moral quandary as he decides whether to aid or exploit the injured Ronnie — a decision that adds depth and texture to the plot. Later, Alice finds the injured man gone. She is the left with dread and fear that her secret affair and the attack will come to light.
This is a thriller that maintains its grip from start to finish — a testament to its expertly woven storyline. The author skillfully maintains tension while adding character depth and dramatic twists, making this a must-read for fans of the genre.
Thank you to NetGalley and Jake Hinkson for an advanced copy of this novel.
Read
March 21, 2025Suite au fiasco que fut ma dernière lecture, un changement de genre (littéraire, je précise) s’imposait ! J’ai laissé mes yeux vagabonder sur mes livres attendant (im)patiemment d’être lus et j’ai jeté mon dévolu sur celui-ci : une couverture aux couleurs et au graphisme alléchants et un résumé l’étant tout autant. Je vous laisse le soin de juger : Alice claque la porte de l’appartement de son amant (purée de petits pois écossés, on dirait que j’ai relevé le défi de n’écrire que des mots se terminant en -ant ou -ent !) après un différend (et bim, ça me reprend !). Tandis qu’elle essaye tant bien que mal de se rappeler où elle a bien pu garer sa voiture, un inconnu, qui se cachait dans une ruelle, se jette sur elle. Alors qu’elle se débat, elle parvient à se saisir du couteau de son agresseur et, en se défendant, lui porte un coup. L’homme s’écroule. Sous le choc et ne sachant que faire, elle se réfugie chez son amant. Ils retournent ensemble sur les lieux de l’agression afin de savoir si elle l’a tué ou s’il est encore vivant mais, arrivés sur place, ils découvrent que le corps et le couteau ont disparu.
N’ayant lu aucun autre livre de cet auteur, je me suis dit que cette histoire pourrait être drôle… Eh bien, je peux désormais vous dire que ce roman est tout ce que vous voulez, sauf drôle ! Christian Grey peut aller se rhabiller et aller faire mumuse tout seul avec ses jouets car là, nous sommes vraiment sur 50 nuances de 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 (sans la romance ! surtout vu comment les choses se sont passées entre Alice et son amant… sans parler que tôt ou tard elle devra bien avouer à son mari qu’elle l’a trompé).
L’intrigue est prenante, la narration nous plonge dans le quotidien (post-agression) d’Alice et, plus précisément, au sein de son foyer (un mari, donc, mathématicien de surcroît, qui va avoir bien du mal à résoudre le problème de sa vie de couple, et un fils adolescent, je répète, A-DO-LES-CENT), dans celui d’un détective privé (à l’éthique en berne) et dans la tête d’un sociopathe (apprenti boucher, si vous voyez ce que je veux dire, dont les accessoires donneraient grise mise à Christian le Tourmenté).
Bref, un roman noir, à l’humour tout aussi noir, impossible à lâcher avant le dénouement ! Et quel dénouement…
https://www.instagram.com/aliceintheo...
N’ayant lu aucun autre livre de cet auteur, je me suis dit que cette histoire pourrait être drôle… Eh bien, je peux désormais vous dire que ce roman est tout ce que vous voulez, sauf drôle ! Christian Grey peut aller se rhabiller et aller faire mumuse tout seul avec ses jouets car là, nous sommes vraiment sur 50 nuances de 𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗸 (sans la romance ! surtout vu comment les choses se sont passées entre Alice et son amant… sans parler que tôt ou tard elle devra bien avouer à son mari qu’elle l’a trompé).
L’intrigue est prenante, la narration nous plonge dans le quotidien (post-agression) d’Alice et, plus précisément, au sein de son foyer (un mari, donc, mathématicien de surcroît, qui va avoir bien du mal à résoudre le problème de sa vie de couple, et un fils adolescent, je répète, A-DO-LES-CENT), dans celui d’un détective privé (à l’éthique en berne) et dans la tête d’un sociopathe (apprenti boucher, si vous voyez ce que je veux dire, dont les accessoires donneraient grise mise à Christian le Tourmenté).
Bref, un roman noir, à l’humour tout aussi noir, impossible à lâcher avant le dénouement ! Et quel dénouement…
https://www.instagram.com/aliceintheo...
June 28, 2025
My 6P review: Premise, Plot, People, Place, Prose/Pace, Praise
An affair, an attack in an alley way and a knife fight starts this story. When Alice returns to the scene, there is no evidence of this every occurring.
The story started off strong, with a great blurb. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. The first third of the book had me wanting to read it but after that I struggled to turn the page and was inclined to DNF it.
The writing style felt as though the author was telling me a time-line – this happened and then this happened. It didn’t flow for me and I yawned a lot throughout the story.
The writing style meant that there wasn’t much of a mystery either but it certainly fit the dark noir theme.
I did like the old lady upstairs. She was my favourite character.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
An affair, an attack in an alley way and a knife fight starts this story. When Alice returns to the scene, there is no evidence of this every occurring.
The story started off strong, with a great blurb. Unfortunately, it did not deliver. The first third of the book had me wanting to read it but after that I struggled to turn the page and was inclined to DNF it.
The writing style felt as though the author was telling me a time-line – this happened and then this happened. It didn’t flow for me and I yawned a lot throughout the story.
The writing style meant that there wasn’t much of a mystery either but it certainly fit the dark noir theme.
I did like the old lady upstairs. She was my favourite character.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced readers copy in exchange for an honest review.
November 1, 2025
📚You Will Never See Me
✍🏻Jake Hinkson
Blurb:
A secret affair leaves a woman entangled with a web of killers in this striking dark noir for fans of Peter Swanson and Alice Feeney.
No one knows that Alice Hardy is alone and walking the dark streets of Chicago after leaving her lover’s apartment. So when a man drags her into an alley at knifepoint, she knows nobody will come to her rescue. Forced into a fight for survival, Alice leaves the man desperately wounded by his own knife and flees with her life.
When Alice tells her lover and they rush back to the alley, the ground is bare. There is no wounded attacker. There is no body. There is no blood. There is no knife. There is nothing to report to the police.
But unbeknownst to Alice, one other person knows what happened in the alley: Owen Pall, a private detective slumming it with unsavory divorce work. Hired to tail a possibly straying husband, Owen followed the man to the alley and witnessed the thwarted assault—and saved the man’s life.
Jake Hinkson weaves a noirish tale of desperate people whose intertwining secrets and motives will lead to a web of lies, blackmail, and dead bodies in this suspenseful novel for fans of Harlan Coben.
My Thoughts:
This is a very dark thriller with twisted motives, deception, buried secrets and a trail of blood that leads deeper than anyone dares to follow. Every clue unravels sinister facts, and every ally may be their next enemy. This was quite a dark read and was extremely gripping from the start. We follow Alice who was attacked on her way home from her lover’s apartment - she thinks she killed him but when she returns to the crime scene he’s nowhere to be found. We’re led on a cat and mouse chase introducing some incredibly dangerous characters.
Thanks NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Author Jake Hinkson for the complimentary copy of "You Will Never See Me" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#CrookedLaneBooks
#JakeHinkson
#YouWillNeverSeeMe
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
✍🏻Jake Hinkson
Blurb:
A secret affair leaves a woman entangled with a web of killers in this striking dark noir for fans of Peter Swanson and Alice Feeney.
No one knows that Alice Hardy is alone and walking the dark streets of Chicago after leaving her lover’s apartment. So when a man drags her into an alley at knifepoint, she knows nobody will come to her rescue. Forced into a fight for survival, Alice leaves the man desperately wounded by his own knife and flees with her life.
When Alice tells her lover and they rush back to the alley, the ground is bare. There is no wounded attacker. There is no body. There is no blood. There is no knife. There is nothing to report to the police.
But unbeknownst to Alice, one other person knows what happened in the alley: Owen Pall, a private detective slumming it with unsavory divorce work. Hired to tail a possibly straying husband, Owen followed the man to the alley and witnessed the thwarted assault—and saved the man’s life.
Jake Hinkson weaves a noirish tale of desperate people whose intertwining secrets and motives will lead to a web of lies, blackmail, and dead bodies in this suspenseful novel for fans of Harlan Coben.
My Thoughts:
This is a very dark thriller with twisted motives, deception, buried secrets and a trail of blood that leads deeper than anyone dares to follow. Every clue unravels sinister facts, and every ally may be their next enemy. This was quite a dark read and was extremely gripping from the start. We follow Alice who was attacked on her way home from her lover’s apartment - she thinks she killed him but when she returns to the crime scene he’s nowhere to be found. We’re led on a cat and mouse chase introducing some incredibly dangerous characters.
Thanks NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Author Jake Hinkson for the complimentary copy of "You Will Never See Me" I am leaving my voluntary review in appreciation.
#NetGalley
#CrookedLaneBooks
#JakeHinkson
#YouWillNeverSeeMe
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
October 6, 2025
*You Will Never See Me* by Jake Hinkson is one of the most gripping and disturbing crime novels I’ve read in years. The level of detail in Ronnie’s plan to kidnap Alice was chilling — every step was written so vividly that I could almost see it happening in front of me. The way Hinkson explores the dark psychology of his characters made the story both terrifying and unforgettable. I loved the structure: each chapter begins with the character’s name and timeline, which makes the shifting perspectives easy to follow. Instead of focusing on one protagonist, the story moves in a wide circle, connecting multiple characters and showing how every death and decision had real impact. It gave the novel a scope and uniqueness I haven’t found in other crime books. Erik is an especially haunting character. His violent descent, his disturbing basement, and his hatred of women were portrayed with such intensity that I couldn’t look away. While I wished there had been a bit more exploration of his motives, that ambiguity actually made him even scarier. Alice’s emotional weight in the story, from her trauma to her role in the conclusion, tied everything together powerfully. The prose itself is flawless — I didn’t notice a single grammatical slip. Combined with the vivid descriptions, it felt like I was watching a movie in my head rather than reading a book. It’s easy to see why Jake Hinkson received the French Prize for Literary Crime Fiction in 2016. This book deserves every bit of praise, and I’ll definitely be seeking out more of his work. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (and honestly, it feels like 6/5)
January 9, 2026
This is my first book by Jake Hinson but will definitely not be the last!
The Story:
Alice Hardy is just leaving her illicit lover's house in the dark of the night when someone attacks her with an intent to kill. She manages to injure him and escape but when she brings her lover back to the spot to investigate, there is no sign of anyone. Everything has just disappeared.
Unknown to Alice, Owen Pall has seen the entire encounter. He takes certain steps...which might change the course of everyone's lives, including his own...
What I Liked:
1) The plot: The plotting was tight and absolutely captivating. I loved how the reader was never able to guess what would come next. The ending also tied up all ends neatly - something I love in thrillers.
2) The characters: Alice was a wonderful character. True, I am extremely critical of infidelity in books (it is one of the foremost dealbreakers for me), but here we are able to see what Alice thinks. This lends her character a beautiful edge. Yes, she cheats but we also see why and what happens next through her viewpoint. She, therefore, remains human, just like us.
Another character I absolutely adored was Owen Pall. I usually do not go into thrillers with the hope of making a book boyfriend (that would be only for romance books, so far), but Owen made me question my own preferences. He is so well-written that I cried at times. He is memorable.
4 stars and completely well-deserved!
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.
The Story:
Alice Hardy is just leaving her illicit lover's house in the dark of the night when someone attacks her with an intent to kill. She manages to injure him and escape but when she brings her lover back to the spot to investigate, there is no sign of anyone. Everything has just disappeared.
Unknown to Alice, Owen Pall has seen the entire encounter. He takes certain steps...which might change the course of everyone's lives, including his own...
What I Liked:
1) The plot: The plotting was tight and absolutely captivating. I loved how the reader was never able to guess what would come next. The ending also tied up all ends neatly - something I love in thrillers.
2) The characters: Alice was a wonderful character. True, I am extremely critical of infidelity in books (it is one of the foremost dealbreakers for me), but here we are able to see what Alice thinks. This lends her character a beautiful edge. Yes, she cheats but we also see why and what happens next through her viewpoint. She, therefore, remains human, just like us.
Another character I absolutely adored was Owen Pall. I usually do not go into thrillers with the hope of making a book boyfriend (that would be only for romance books, so far), but Owen made me question my own preferences. He is so well-written that I cried at times. He is memorable.
4 stars and completely well-deserved!
Thanks to Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC.
September 30, 2025
Alice Hardy is having an affair and after leaving her lovers apartment one night to go back her car, is then dragged into an alley and attacked. The attacker has a knife but Alice struggles with him and gets hold of the knife slicing him and leaving herself covered in blood. She walks back to her lover’s apartment in a daze and tells him what has happened. Together they then walk back to the alley, but the man is gone and there is absolutely no trace of him. She then returns home telling her husband she had a fall to cover up what has happened, but she is incredibly shaken up. Alice also has a son and fears what will happen if he also finds out about what she has been up to.
What Alice is unaware of is that that someone else has witnessed what has happened. A private investigator was sitting in his car on a stake out following Ronnie whose wife is having him followed. But Ronnie is also tied up in other heinous activities and so begins the game.
This is a very dark thriller with twisted motives, deception, buried secrets and a trail of blood that leads deeper than anyone dares to follow. Every clue unravels sinister facts, and every ally may be their next enemy. A great read if you enjoy these genres of books.
Thank you to Negalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book, all opinions expressed are my own.
What Alice is unaware of is that that someone else has witnessed what has happened. A private investigator was sitting in his car on a stake out following Ronnie whose wife is having him followed. But Ronnie is also tied up in other heinous activities and so begins the game.
This is a very dark thriller with twisted motives, deception, buried secrets and a trail of blood that leads deeper than anyone dares to follow. Every clue unravels sinister facts, and every ally may be their next enemy. A great read if you enjoy these genres of books.
Thank you to Negalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book, all opinions expressed are my own.
January 17, 2025
De l’auteur, j’avais aimé L’enfer de Church Street, mais sans plus.
Son dernier roman propose un univers toujours aussi sombre mais avec des rebondissements inattendus.
J’ai eu de la peine pour Alice qui vient de se faire agresser dans une ruelle sombre, mais qui a trouvé le courage de s’emparer du couteau de son assaillant pour le blesser à la gorge.
Pauvre Ronnie qui s’est fait monter le bourrichon par un vrai méchant.
Le problème est qu’Alice ne va pas porter plainte car elle sortait de chez son amant.
J’ai aimé le mari d’Alice qui sent bien que sa femme n’est pas comme d’habitude mais qui ne parvient pas à savoir pourquoi.
J’ai eu de la peine pour le détective qui filme la scène la nuit. Le roman s’ouvre sur ce personnage qui se fait tabasser par un mafieux. Morale de son histoire : il ne faut pas se mêler d’adultères.
Mention spéciale à la vieille dame qui héberge le vrai méchant de l’histoire.
Des histoires et des personnages qui vont là où on ne les attend pas, et c’est un régal.
L’image que je retiendrai :
Celle de la vieille dame pas si inoffensive au fond de son lit.
https://www.alexmotamots.fr/ainsi-va-...
June 6, 2025
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was really excited to dive into this one—the description sounded like exactly the kind of suspense I enjoy. The beginning definitely delivered, with a lot of intensity and a strong setup. The storyline between Alice and Owen pulled me in right away, and I was curious to see where it would all lead.
But around the 35% mark, the pacing started to feel off. Some chapters were fast and gripping, while others dragged and lost my attention. It made the reading experience a bit uneven for me.
That said, I loved the twist at the end. It was unexpected and well executed. I just wish a few plot points had been clearer. For example—how did the detective know Reid and Dunlap were involved in Alice’s attack? Did the police ever talk to Jason? And if so, what did he say?
Still, this book had some solid moments and is worth checking out if you're into twisty suspense with complicated characters.
I was really excited to dive into this one—the description sounded like exactly the kind of suspense I enjoy. The beginning definitely delivered, with a lot of intensity and a strong setup. The storyline between Alice and Owen pulled me in right away, and I was curious to see where it would all lead.
But around the 35% mark, the pacing started to feel off. Some chapters were fast and gripping, while others dragged and lost my attention. It made the reading experience a bit uneven for me.
That said, I loved the twist at the end. It was unexpected and well executed. I just wish a few plot points had been clearer. For example—how did the detective know Reid and Dunlap were involved in Alice’s attack? Did the police ever talk to Jason? And if so, what did he say?
Still, this book had some solid moments and is worth checking out if you're into twisty suspense with complicated characters.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 10, 2025
Many books in this genre have twists, but oftentimes they're not supported by what preceded the twist. Well settle in, because You Will Never See Me has twists. I didn't see them coming, but when they hit they were completely keeping with what happened before. And these aren't the normal twists - Hinkson goes (several times) where I haven't seen an author go before. I'm still thinking about what happened - because it was so unusual, but in a based-in-reality way.
The rest of the novel is somewhat standard stuff for a mystery / thriller. But stay for the ending(s). Well worth the journey (which is about 4 stars).
Note: I almost stopped reading, because in the beginning every character is just awful. And if I want that, I'll just read the news. But several characters have redemptive story arcs.
The rest of the novel is somewhat standard stuff for a mystery / thriller. But stay for the ending(s). Well worth the journey (which is about 4 stars).
Note: I almost stopped reading, because in the beginning every character is just awful. And if I want that, I'll just read the news. But several characters have redemptive story arcs.
September 29, 2025
This was quite a dark read and was extremely gripping from the start. We follow Alice who was attacked on her way home from her lover’s apartment - she thinks she killed him but when she returns to the crime scene he’s nowhere to be found. We’re led on a cat and mouse chase introducing some incredibly dangerous characters.
This story had me guessing the whole way through and I would definitely recommend. The part I didn’t like was the pacing: some parts were so well done and had me needing to know more but then parts were far too slow. Overall a strong 3.5 star rating
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jake Hinkson and Crooked Lane Books publishing for this digital advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is expected to be published on October 14, 2025
This story had me guessing the whole way through and I would definitely recommend. The part I didn’t like was the pacing: some parts were so well done and had me needing to know more but then parts were far too slow. Overall a strong 3.5 star rating
Thank you to NetGalley, author Jake Hinkson and Crooked Lane Books publishing for this digital advanced reader's copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
This book is expected to be published on October 14, 2025
October 9, 2025
You will never see me is a dark, racy thriller about love, betrayal, leading double lives, and the treachery one must endure while staying one step ahead, while looking back over one's shoulders.
I've not read Jake Hinkson before, but I saw on GoodReads that he has written quite a few books previously, so I decided to read his first book as an ARC from NetGalley.
The plot development seemed patchy at best, and despite the tension at many places, I realized that it was testing my own sense of morality. I got palpitations trying to defend immoral co-conspirators from being exposed. I'm having a laugh as I type this.
I came back with mixed feelings and decided at the end that this book might not be for me.
I've not read Jake Hinkson before, but I saw on GoodReads that he has written quite a few books previously, so I decided to read his first book as an ARC from NetGalley.
The plot development seemed patchy at best, and despite the tension at many places, I realized that it was testing my own sense of morality. I got palpitations trying to defend immoral co-conspirators from being exposed. I'm having a laugh as I type this.
I came back with mixed feelings and decided at the end that this book might not be for me.
July 3, 2025
Thanks Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Wow, what a book! It starts with a woman cheating on her husband. Someone attacks her she fights back and somehow slits the attackers throat. She goes back to her lovers apartment. When they return to the same place the attacker and the kife is gone.
What happened? She is clueless and shaken and traumatized. The book just keeps getting better and better. We keep getting introduced with great characters who take dubious actions and have something to hide.
The book is brilliant.
Wow, what a book! It starts with a woman cheating on her husband. Someone attacks her she fights back and somehow slits the attackers throat. She goes back to her lovers apartment. When they return to the same place the attacker and the kife is gone.
What happened? She is clueless and shaken and traumatized. The book just keeps getting better and better. We keep getting introduced with great characters who take dubious actions and have something to hide.
The book is brilliant.
October 7, 2025
Une fois le décor posé, je ne l’ai pas lâché ! J’ai eu des palpitations pendant plusieurs chapitres… Que dire d’autre ?
C’est un polar actuel, fort et tordu qui vous emmène de rebondissement en rebondissement !
« Ainsi va le monde » ou « You will never see me » en V.O.. Que veut dire l’auteur ?
Vivre c’est tuer et être tué ? Que, parfois, on en réchappe de justesse ? Qu’on finit toujours par être rattrapé par ses fantômes ? Que la vie ne tient finalement à pas grand-chose ? Je pense qu’il y a un peu de tout ça.
C’est un polar actuel, fort et tordu qui vous emmène de rebondissement en rebondissement !
« Ainsi va le monde » ou « You will never see me » en V.O.. Que veut dire l’auteur ?
Vivre c’est tuer et être tué ? Que, parfois, on en réchappe de justesse ? Qu’on finit toujours par être rattrapé par ses fantômes ? Que la vie ne tient finalement à pas grand-chose ? Je pense qu’il y a un peu de tout ça.
February 15, 2026
This book starts strong, with a knife fight in a Chicago alley. Alice is leaving her lover's apt and is attacked on the way home; she wins the attack, but when she goes back to the alley, the body is gone. The characters here are generally morally ambiguous (at best), and the book gets dark pretty quickly. But it's a quick, compelling read with a lot of twists - you really won't see where it's going. A very solid debut.
July 6, 2025
Hard to know how i feel about this book. I like the beginning, and the moral dilemmas that Alice and Owen were dealing with. The middle of the book was a disturbing look inside the heads of two sociopath, women haters, violent and that was harder to read about. There was an interesting twist but overall it was disturbing but not in a good way.
October 2, 2025
Alice leaves her lover one night and is dragged into a dark alley but she fights him off leaving him injured but she returns to the alley with her lover and no sign of him, but someone did see what happened a PI, does her tell her what happened or investigate why she was attacked and by who.
Keeps you in suspense.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review
Keeps you in suspense.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC and I give my honest review
October 18, 2025
You WIll Never See Me is a dark story which is told from several points of view and with so many twists and turns that you'll be guessing who has done what till the end of the book. It's well-written, it has flawed characters with whom it's difficult to relate but sometimes you can understand what moves them. Good entertainment!
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
I thank the author, his publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC.
October 30, 2025
This was a surprisingly good thriller with lots of twists and turns! The characters were all pretty horrible people, but that just made it all the more suspenseful. There were a couple parts where I had felt like I had read this book before, but all in all, it was a unique story.
Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you, NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books, for this eARC for review. All opinions are my own.
July 15, 2025
le début était un peu longuet mais une fois le décor posé j’ai adoré l’intrigue et les personnages. Ce roman policier est différent de ce qu’on peut lire d’habitude et ça fait du bien de changer un peu.
October 17, 2024
Premier livre de l’auteur qui se passe à Chicago!
Absolument fan du super méchant, Erik.
Absolument fan du super méchant, Erik.
April 1, 2025
Un Polar où les choses ne tournent pas comme prévues, ni pour le détective, ni pour la victime, ni pour le tueur, avec une bonne dose de cynisme et de mordant
September 1, 2025
A good story with a lot of suspense.
Pacing felt a little slow for me. But overall a decent story.
Pacing felt a little slow for me. But overall a decent story.
November 15, 2025
Well, I’ll try to stay positive (despite really enjoying Dry County and Find Him) tho was fast paced but really really did not enjoy how it played out
January 13, 2026
trop glauque pour moi...
January 24, 2026
wow! I really loved this book. I was blown away by the ending!
February 9, 2026
Very dark. I liked the ending.
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