The Devil She Didn't Know

by Laura Drake

How could I have been married to a serial killer for fifteen years—and not know it?
I know what women think. I’ve seen it in their eyes, split second flickers of horror.
I can’t blame them, it is horrifying. But then there’s a voyeuristic accusation, a smug, ‘That could never happen to me,’ confidence. Then, the fastest flicker before their stare darts away. Fear.

What don’t they know about the man they’ve let into their beds—into their lives?
Remy Jackson is a housewife and mother, happily ensconced in a middle-class neighborhood in Big Spring, Texas.

Until the day the FBI shows up hunting a serial killer—her husband. The media dubs him ‘The Poser,’ due to the bodies being staged in suggestive poses.

Reporters litter the yard, John Jr. is bullied at school and Remy has exactly zero money coming in.

After the trial, her ex begins his life sentence. But then there is another murder on her block.

And the FBI thinks Remy did it.

292 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 1, 2025

About the author

Laura Drake is a city girl who never grew out of her tomboy ways or a serious cowboy crush. She writes Women’s Fiction, Romance and Thrillers.

Her pro bull riding series, Sweet on a Cowboy is published by Grand Central. The Sweet Spot, Nothing Sweeter, and Sweet on You. The Sweet Spot won the 2014 RITA award for Best First Book.

Her Widow's Grove small town series is published by Harlequin's Superromance line. Her Road Home, Reasons to Stay, Twice in a Blue Moon, and Against the Odds.

The Chestnut Creek Series was published with Grand Central - The Last True Cowboy, December 2018. Home at Chestnut Creek, July 2019, and Cowboy for Keeps, December 2019.

Laura has since branched out into Women's Fiction with Days Made of Glass, The Road to Me, Amazing Gracie and For Roger.

In 2025, Laura released her first domestic suspense/thriller, The Devil She Didn't Know.

Laura finally realized a long time dream of moving to Texas, and is currently working on her accent. She gave up a Corporate CFO gig to write full time. She's wife, grandmother and motorcycle chick in the remaining waking hours.

Reviews

[Kristi Guthrie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like a freight train flying off the tracks!
A loving mother and loyal wife that stands on her doorstep as the FBI introduce themselves into her home and her life bringing horror and picture perfect poses of death! The beautiful life she has created is now shattered into a million pieces and how could she not have known or seen what lay in bed beside her making love to her body and manipulating her mind!!??
Betrayal and deception weave together into a web of tangled lies and one Picture her eyes light upon and the TRUTH HITS LIKE a bullet straight to the head!
🩸🩸🩸 Two sons and an ongoing nightmare, reporters and The Real News sabotaging every moment of 15 years as she realizes HAPPILY EVER AFTER is a CRUEL JOKE!!

Accusations spiral 🌀 around her family, as broken necks and bodies are staged across different states And not only is the hunting for a serial killer the madness spreading BUT…..

Four doors down her best friend with a glass of wine 🍷 meets her match at midnight!

Anger, lust, broken bones and broken vows meet sweat blood and tears as a family is shredded to pieces but a mothers love and hope, her spirit pulls into a force that sweeps her into unknowing territory, questions and little answers. 😱💄🩸🔥

The DEVIL is The Love of your life!
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Stars and could read again!

This Book brought me to my knees because the twists will have you questioning your own husband and children, family and friends!

The Turn in this book had me drowning in suspense and 😳😳😳 are YOU serious??

The ENDING? I never got it right!! I was pulled into the darkness and NOTHING IS EVER WHAT IT SEEMS!

Astounding and brilliant, boldly and brutal in the climax, and full of emotional distress!!!

The Devil She didn’t know

[Jeff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent And Atypical Examination Of Serial Killers And Their Relationships. When I first met Drake, several years ago now, she was a cowboy romance author. Seriously, that was the first several books of hers I read, and they were all excellent. More recently, she started turning in a more women's fiction direction, and here she proved that she really has a knack for making rooms quite dusty whenever she wants to execute on such a scene.

With this book, she pivots slightly to create a women's fiction tale... centered on a serial killer, given the recent fad of books involving that topic. (Even as I've just in the last couple of days seen data that serial killer activity apparently peaked in the 1980s and has dramatically declined since then in the real world, fwiw.)

Here though, Drake does a truly excellent job taking a tack I've never seen before: What happens when you've been married to a guy for decades, borne his children, and *then* find out he not only *is* a serial killer, but that he has actively been killing people throughout your marriage? How does this affect you both in practical terms and mentally, relationally, and socially? How does it affect your kids, particularly your teenage son who is old enough to both be cognizant of what is going on and be affected in his own relationships and social structures?

Drake applies her usual skill and remarkable storytelling abilities to craft a truly intriguing and insightful look at just how someone could really work through exactly these things, and in making it all too real, allows the rest of us to safely examine one nightmare we hope we never have to actually live out.

Very much recommended.

[Beverly Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've enjoyed all of Laura Drake's books from her romance novels to her women's fiction novels. And now, she has created a women's fiction novel with a mystery/suspense twist to it. She has given us the story of a serial killer from the point of view of the serial killer's wife. Remy is the wife who had no clue she was married to a monster. And we are with her as she blames herself for not seeing/sensing something was wrong, then as she tries to navigate the aftermath of a life she never asked to live. Thumbs up for characterization and plot.

There were some small details that nagged at me such as when she is being interviewed again by the FBI agent and the Big Spring detective about April's death. They question why her fingerprints and her children's were all over April's house. That kinda stopped me because I couldn't figure out how there would be any record of her children's fingerprints or why they would be on file. But that was a small blip and I soon dived back into the story.

And I have to admit I loved the ending. Bravo, Remy!

[Ann Swann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow. What a quick read. In other words, don't start this book unless you plan to finish it in one or two sittings. It kept me glued to the page. The premise of the novel seems to be ripped from the headlines so I know this can happen. Just imgine being married to someone who is so evil they are put away for life and yet you never knew what they were doing. It begs the question, can we ever truly know someone else's mind? Maybe not, especially if we come from a background in which we are never allowed to question anything. I thought the author did a great job in that respect. In fact, Remy's character was completely real to me. And I loved how she found her strength in order to care for and protect her children. Needless to say, the twist at the end, and the resolution of the twist, made me finally release that pent up breath I'd been holding. I think I even cheered a bit. Thank you for another great read, Laura Drake. Keep 'em coming.

[Siobhan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Laura Drake’s The Devil She Didn’t Know was a book that instantly grabbed my attention. A mix of women’s fiction and thriller, there were many things about the book that had me curious. Thus, I went into the story with high hopes.

I will be honest and say I had mixed feelings about The Devil She Didn’t Know. The book had a lot of interesting elements throughout, many of which I was eager to watch unfold. However, in many of the cases they felt like they were ticking boxes and were not as fully explored as they could have been. Due to this, the intensity of my interest was constantly changing. There were some aspects of the story that had me hooked, yet there were other elements that left me wishing they had either been explored more or had not been included. I feel this is very much a reflection of my reading preferences, though.

All in all, while not quite what I had expected, The Devil She Didn’t Know was an easy read that kept me turning the pages.

[Eileen Keane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Remy Jackson walked a path from complacency in her happy life to a mother lion protecting her cubs. Finding out everything she "knew" about her husband was an illusion, a camouflage for his secret life that shattered her. The public outcry that surrounded her family led them to basically barricade themselves in their home.
As her world turned against her, Remy still had one friend-Alice. Alice believed in her innocence, that she never knew what her husband was doing. Then Alice made a mistake which, for her, turned fatal. Remy was in the center of a murder investigation once again, only this time as a suspect.
How she found the killer with the help of reporter David Payne (nice touch) brings her story to a climax that wasn't expected. In the end, family was everything.
I finished this book in two days-I couldn't stop reading! I recommend it to everyone!

[Sarah Norton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved Laura Drakes writing style and as she moved into women’s fiction , I found the stories compelling, unforgettable and at times due to the reality of the writing , hard to read , impossible to put down! I thought she had peaked in her game until this latest, The Devil She Didn’t Know. Warning, do not start if you think you will be able to put it down, a sleepless night of page turning and an ending I totally did not see coming. I highly recommend especially for you mystery readers who love a twist. Laura Drake, hats off to you, you earned every kudo available on this one!! Grab your copy and enjoy

[Rebecca Hodge · Rating 5 out of 5]

We know not to trust a stranger—but what about the man you’ve married, the father of your children? THE DEVIL SHE DIDN’T KNOW is the story of Remy Jackson, who returns home one morning to find the FBI camped on her doorstep and her husband arrested as a serial killer. As she struggles to support her children, pay her bills, and separate truth from lies, Remy must dig deep to discover who she is and what she’s capable of. Laura Drake specializes in characters you’ll love, and here, she spins a tale that will keep you entranced to the very last page. Grab this book for a great read.

[Liz Flaherty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have given this book five stars because of just how well Laura Drake tells a story. The story itself is one I've always wondered about--I've felt sorry for people in Remy Jackson's position and wondered how they've borne it. In this story, we see the mistakes, the meltdowns, the desperation, the boundless love of a mom. We see them and feel them and feel them some more. I remember telling Pamela Morsi once that I thought I'd die when I read a certain scene in a book she wrote, but some things were worth dying for so I read it again. I feel that way now, too.

[Jody · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Devil She Didn’t know is the latest novel by Laura Drake. Remy Jackson’s husband of fifteen years is arrested and charged with multiple murders. A copycat murder is committed while he is incarcerated, making Remy a suspect. What follows is the story of the aftermath for Remy and her sons. Told from Remy’s point of view, the novel follows how everyone deals with having a serial killer in the family, being a suspect, and wondering who was responsible for the copycat murder. Quite an enjoyable book with a nice little twist at the end.

[Katy Askeland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely plowed through this book by Indie author Lara Drake. Unable to put it down, it kept me up way too late, two nights in a row! This is a suspense novel with a well developed plot full of moral dilemmas. I would have given it 5 stars had it not been for the numerous editing misses. Despite that, I really enjoyed the story and look forward to reading more from this author. Recommended!

**A special thank you to Kimberly Belle and Laura Drake for my signed copy of this book!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Devil She Didn't Know is a gripping, unflinching look at what happens after the secret is revealed...often the "day two" that so many thrillers skip past. It not only delivers outer suspense, but also masterfully layers the inner stakes: identity, trust, survival. Laura Drake has an uncanny way of tapping into our universal thoughts and fears - how well do we really know the people closest to us? A raw and riveting read.

[Marianne McGinnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

How Can She?

Remy is a wife, a mother, and loves her family. She and her best friend tell each other everything, until one fateful day. Remy's husband doesn't come back on time from a business trip, and a terrible truth comes out.
This book had me on the edge of my seat, and the ending was even more astounding!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book by Laura Drake that I have read, and it was immensely readable. I sped through it and enjoyed the story and the characters. It’s a good reminder that you never know what you will do when faced with a critical decision! Get this book if you’re looking for an engaging read that will make you wonder what you would do!

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unusual premise that immediately made me want to read the story. I enjoyed it immensely. Lots of questions and surprises. I really can't comment on the ending without a reveal, so I'll withhold those comments. I liked how it wrapped up, though.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A nail biter with a twist I did suspect. This was an engaging read that kept me reading until the wee hours the day I started it!!
Would you ever suspect your husband was a serial killer if you never suspected it?? Crazy question, right?! If so, who else may not be who they say they are. I couldn’t stop reading this one! Well done, Laura Drake!

[Dina Eagles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first suspense/thriller that I’ve read from Laura Drake. The forward pulled me in I was hooked. I thought I had the “who” and the “why” figured out but I was wrong! Did not expect the who, the why or how the book ended!
Was not disappointed!

[Barbara Austin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. Laura did it again. Captivating, entertaining, and made the reader think..."What would I do?"

[chris faull · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful read

I really enjoyed the book. It told the story of the devastation of the family of a murder, too. A good read.

[Patricia Harris · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Had a very interesting plot line.

[Diane Soares · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe Laura Drake can write anything? I first starting reading and enjoying her stories about cowboys. Then I loved her women's fiction. Now Drake writes a thriller? This is my favorite genre and I couldn't wait to read it! I wasn't disappointed, it was twisty and delicious!

[Kari Bowman · Rating 5 out of 5]

When Remy Jackson finds out her husband of 15 years is a serial killer, it launches her family into turmoil. When another murder happens after his arrest, it threatens to tear her family apart completely.

This book was fast-paced and well-written. It kept me interested and guessing right up to the end!

I highly recommend this book!

[Janice Ulrich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grips you from the first page!

A tale of a wife's journey through the most horrific news a woman could ever hear. Her husband is a serial killer. Laura Drake pulls you along through the days and weeks following the arrest. A woman, finding the strength to support her family and discovering her strengths in the aftermath, with twists and turns along the way. Loved it!