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You Know Why
From New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison comes a suspenseful domestic thriller about identity, revenge, and the dangerous secrets kept hidden from the ones we love most.
It’s the holidays, and photographer Brooklyn Locke is bound for Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children. But when Trey vanishes from the airport, missing their connecting flight, their impromptu vacation—and life as she knows it—begins to unravel.
Desperate to find her husband, Brooklyn accepts help from a stranger on the same flight, Eden Barrow. But Eden soon makes a shocking claim. She is the sister of Trey’s first wife, and ten years ago he was the main suspect in her murder.
Struggling to comprehend these accusations, fate delivers one more a violent accident that leaves Brooklyn fighting for her life. With nowhere else to turn, Brooklyn leans on Eden for support. But each kindness feels too rehearsed, feeding her doubts about Eden’s motives and Trey’s true past.
Brooklyn has her own dark history she’d rather forget and confronts an unsettling possibility. Her life is not what it seems, and the truth is a trap—laid by someone waiting for the perfect time to strike.
It’s the holidays, and photographer Brooklyn Locke is bound for Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children. But when Trey vanishes from the airport, missing their connecting flight, their impromptu vacation—and life as she knows it—begins to unravel.
Desperate to find her husband, Brooklyn accepts help from a stranger on the same flight, Eden Barrow. But Eden soon makes a shocking claim. She is the sister of Trey’s first wife, and ten years ago he was the main suspect in her murder.
Struggling to comprehend these accusations, fate delivers one more a violent accident that leaves Brooklyn fighting for her life. With nowhere else to turn, Brooklyn leans on Eden for support. But each kindness feels too rehearsed, feeding her doubts about Eden’s motives and Trey’s true past.
Brooklyn has her own dark history she’d rather forget and confronts an unsettling possibility. Her life is not what it seems, and the truth is a trap—laid by someone waiting for the perfect time to strike.
479 pages, Paperback
First published August 25, 2026
About the author
J.T. Ellison
84 books7,271 followersJ.T. Ellison is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of more than 30 novels, and the EMMY® award winning co-host of the literary TV show A WORD ON WORDS. She also writes fantasy under the pen name Joss Walker.
With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards They have also been optioned for television, and published in 28 countries.
J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, one of whom is a ghost, where she is hard at work on her next novel.
With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim and prestigious awards They have also been optioned for television, and published in 28 countries.
J.T. lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens, one of whom is a ghost, where she is hard at work on her next novel.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 170 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
🎧 Pub Week Review & Tour 🎧
Hawt diggity, this audiobook was a 5 ⭐️ performance! This had an all-star cast including @macleodandrewsactor who was also in The Calamities. He’s amazing! I finished this in two days and the suspense had me hooked!!
A husband has surprised his family with a trip to Italy. While about to board their plane, he walks out and vanishes. Where did he go and why? Why would he abandon them?
Nothing is as it seems to the wife and soon, she learns she doesn’t even know who he is.
I loved it and I will forever be a JT fan for life! I highly recommend the audiobook or any format really.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to OTRPR, Amazon and Brilliance Publishing for the gifted copies.
Hawt diggity, this audiobook was a 5 ⭐️ performance! This had an all-star cast including @macleodandrewsactor who was also in The Calamities. He’s amazing! I finished this in two days and the suspense had me hooked!!
A husband has surprised his family with a trip to Italy. While about to board their plane, he walks out and vanishes. Where did he go and why? Why would he abandon them?
Nothing is as it seems to the wife and soon, she learns she doesn’t even know who he is.
I loved it and I will forever be a JT fan for life! I highly recommend the audiobook or any format really.
4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to OTRPR, Amazon and Brilliance Publishing for the gifted copies.
August 30, 2026
Brooklyn and Trey have been married for years, raising their two children and living what appears to be a fairly ordinary suburban life. They’re about to head off on a family holiday to Italy when Trey suddenly disappears from the airport, leaving Brooklyn with their kids, a lot of questions, and the growing suspicion that she may not know her husband nearly as well as she thought.
This one had me hooked pretty quickly, with a setup that gets straight to the point before sending you down a rabbit hole of lies, secrets and suspicious behaviour. Pretty much everyone except the kids seemed to reek of suspicion, and whenever I thought I might be onto something, there was always that niggling doubt that I was wrong, or at least missing a pretty big piece of the picture.
For me, this was such a fun take on the whole Who did I marry? and How well do you really know the people closest to you? kind of thriller. There are plenty of moving pieces at play, and I had a great time trying to figure out where everyone fit and what the hell was actually going on. Even the chapter titles added to the suspense, sometimes dropping subtle hints about what might be coming and making me all the more curious to find out.
With so much going on, I'll admit some of the subplots became a little overwhelming at times, particularly once the story started branching off in different directions. Surprisingly though, it all came together really well for me. I loved seeing just how carefully everything had been engineered, especially those Ohhh, so THAT'S why... moments when something I'd questioned earlier finally had an explanation.
There really is a little bit of everything thrown into the mix here, from messed-up sibling dynamics and marriage secrets to complicated pasts, unhinged characters and a much bigger crime angle. It crosses into domestic, psychological and crime thriller territory at different points, and somehow I was along for all of it.
By the time I reached the final stretch, I thought I knew where things were heading, but apparently not. Some reveals caught me more off guard than others, and there were still a few surprises waiting in those final pages. It was a wild way to wrap things up, but one that left me very satisfied.
4.5⭐
Someone needs to pick this up and turn it into a movie.
This one had me hooked pretty quickly, with a setup that gets straight to the point before sending you down a rabbit hole of lies, secrets and suspicious behaviour. Pretty much everyone except the kids seemed to reek of suspicion, and whenever I thought I might be onto something, there was always that niggling doubt that I was wrong, or at least missing a pretty big piece of the picture.
For me, this was such a fun take on the whole Who did I marry? and How well do you really know the people closest to you? kind of thriller. There are plenty of moving pieces at play, and I had a great time trying to figure out where everyone fit and what the hell was actually going on. Even the chapter titles added to the suspense, sometimes dropping subtle hints about what might be coming and making me all the more curious to find out.
With so much going on, I'll admit some of the subplots became a little overwhelming at times, particularly once the story started branching off in different directions. Surprisingly though, it all came together really well for me. I loved seeing just how carefully everything had been engineered, especially those Ohhh, so THAT'S why... moments when something I'd questioned earlier finally had an explanation.
There really is a little bit of everything thrown into the mix here, from messed-up sibling dynamics and marriage secrets to complicated pasts, unhinged characters and a much bigger crime angle. It crosses into domestic, psychological and crime thriller territory at different points, and somehow I was along for all of it.
By the time I reached the final stretch, I thought I knew where things were heading, but apparently not. Some reveals caught me more off guard than others, and there were still a few surprises waiting in those final pages. It was a wild way to wrap things up, but one that left me very satisfied.
4.5⭐
Someone needs to pick this up and turn it into a movie.
August 4, 2026
Yes JT, this was amazing!
I have been reading JT Ellison books for a very long time now and I am always excited when a new one comes out. You Know Why just blew me away! it is such a clever idea that branches out in so many directions. It is impossible to predict what was going to happen next, each revelation bringing with it more questions than answers. I just couldn’t get enough of it and binged it over 2 days.
Imagine this… you are heading off on a last minute holiday to Italy with your husband and 2 children when your husband suddenly disappears. This is what happens to Brooklyn Locke, when her husband Trey doesn’t board the plane. She cannot believe that he would do this to them and is convinced that something terrible has happened to him, until a stranger tells her some wild stories about his past. And then everything changes.
The suspense was killing me! What in earth was happening? What should have been a fun holiday has turned into a nightmare, and the shocks just keep coming. I love a story that keeps you guessing and has you questioning everything and everyone. The web of lies and secrets just kept growing and growing. It was clear that anyone connected to Trey was in danger and you just didn’t know who could be trusted.
This would make a brilliant Netflix series, so full of drama! I listened to the audiobook for this and it has a dream cast of narrators including the fabulous Brittany Pressley, Hillary Huber and Saskia Maarleveld. Anytime I see that these ladies are narrating I jump at the chance to listen. It was a great full cast production with each and every narrator doing an excellent job of keeping all the characters separated for the listener and bring this amazing story to life.
Thank you so much to Thomas and Mercer for the early copy of this book to read and Brilliance Publishing and JT herself for the audio book . Publishes on August 25th.
I have been reading JT Ellison books for a very long time now and I am always excited when a new one comes out. You Know Why just blew me away! it is such a clever idea that branches out in so many directions. It is impossible to predict what was going to happen next, each revelation bringing with it more questions than answers. I just couldn’t get enough of it and binged it over 2 days.
Imagine this… you are heading off on a last minute holiday to Italy with your husband and 2 children when your husband suddenly disappears. This is what happens to Brooklyn Locke, when her husband Trey doesn’t board the plane. She cannot believe that he would do this to them and is convinced that something terrible has happened to him, until a stranger tells her some wild stories about his past. And then everything changes.
The suspense was killing me! What in earth was happening? What should have been a fun holiday has turned into a nightmare, and the shocks just keep coming. I love a story that keeps you guessing and has you questioning everything and everyone. The web of lies and secrets just kept growing and growing. It was clear that anyone connected to Trey was in danger and you just didn’t know who could be trusted.
This would make a brilliant Netflix series, so full of drama! I listened to the audiobook for this and it has a dream cast of narrators including the fabulous Brittany Pressley, Hillary Huber and Saskia Maarleveld. Anytime I see that these ladies are narrating I jump at the chance to listen. It was a great full cast production with each and every narrator doing an excellent job of keeping all the characters separated for the listener and bring this amazing story to life.
Thank you so much to Thomas and Mercer for the early copy of this book to read and Brilliance Publishing and JT herself for the audio book . Publishes on August 25th.
August 26, 2026
Readers will find themselves utterly addicted to this domestic suspense on steroids! Brooklyn, her husband Trey, and their two small children are about to board a plane when Trey suddenly disappears. Then, a woman who was supposed to be on the same flight claims Trey is someone else—and he killed her sister years ago. Where did Trey vanish to, and was it because of this woman?
Sure, some story aspects may be predictable if you're paying attention, but others are completely unexpected with shocking, over-the-top moments—which I live for. I even audibly gasped. There are multiple uniquely distinct players involved, so it's easy to discern whose perspective it is at any given point—especially with the all-star cast of the audiobook!
Let's get real for a minute: with performances by Brittany Pressley, Samara Naeymi, MacLeod Andrews, Saskia Maarleveld, and Hillary Huber, if you're an audiobook fan and don't listen to this, what are you even doing with your life?! I can't begin to go into detail about why each of these phenomenal voice actors shines because I'd need an entire page for each of them. Just do yourself a favor and get the audiobook!
Several storylines converge in a gratifying conclusion, with a specific scene that, while not surprising (to this reader), was still chilling! If you're a fan of intrigue, drama, psychological thrillers, police procedurals, hidden secrets, unhinged characters (oooh yes, we have a "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" one), and twisty layers—you need to add YOU KNOW WHY to your TBR immediately. J.T. Ellison takes us down a dark and twisted road, both past and present, and holds us hostage with elements that entwine together in spectacular fashion. Don't miss it!
____
Thank you to J.T. Ellison, Amazon Publishing and Over The River PR for my free copies. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.
Sure, some story aspects may be predictable if you're paying attention, but others are completely unexpected with shocking, over-the-top moments—which I live for. I even audibly gasped. There are multiple uniquely distinct players involved, so it's easy to discern whose perspective it is at any given point—especially with the all-star cast of the audiobook!
Let's get real for a minute: with performances by Brittany Pressley, Samara Naeymi, MacLeod Andrews, Saskia Maarleveld, and Hillary Huber, if you're an audiobook fan and don't listen to this, what are you even doing with your life?! I can't begin to go into detail about why each of these phenomenal voice actors shines because I'd need an entire page for each of them. Just do yourself a favor and get the audiobook!
Several storylines converge in a gratifying conclusion, with a specific scene that, while not surprising (to this reader), was still chilling! If you're a fan of intrigue, drama, psychological thrillers, police procedurals, hidden secrets, unhinged characters (oooh yes, we have a "cuckoo for cocoa puffs" one), and twisty layers—you need to add YOU KNOW WHY to your TBR immediately. J.T. Ellison takes us down a dark and twisted road, both past and present, and holds us hostage with elements that entwine together in spectacular fashion. Don't miss it!
____
Thank you to J.T. Ellison, Amazon Publishing and Over The River PR for my free copies. All opinions are my own and given voluntarily.
August 28, 2026
the setup…
Brooklyn Locke writes articles for a food magazine and is married to Trey, an investment manger. They live outside of Nashville with their two children, 9-year old son “Four” and 7-year old daughter Neve. It’s two weeks before Christmas and Trey suddenly decides they’re going to Italy the next day for business and a family vacation. Brooklyn pulls it off and gets them all to the airport on time but find they’ve been bumped, diverted to Atlanta but upgraded to first class on the connecting flight. Trey is upset with the changes, has them board while he goes to the restroom…but fails to return before takeoff. Brooklyn manages to deplane but Trey has vanished. A woman who was on the same flight, Eden Barrow, offers help to the stranded family. It’s the same woman who thought she knew Trey earlier and…turns out her sister Chloe was married to him ten years ago and he was the suspect in her murder. Where is Trey and who exactly is he?
the heart of the story…
I smelled a rat as soon as Trey made a fuss about the diversion to Atlanta and when he denied knowing Eden. Brooklyn is smart and it becomes clear early on that nothing and no one was as they first seemed. I wasn’t trusting anyone as a labyrinth of secrets, lies and subterfuge unfolded.
the narration…
Talk about an all star cast and performance! Brittany Pressley, Samara Naeymi, MacLeod Andrews, Saskia Maarleveld & Hillary Huber are all favorites and made this the best listening experience.
the bottom line…
This was a great mind bender with so many layers of mystique and complexity. I was confounded through the end with a host of twisty turns. The ending blew me away even thought my instincts were dead on about a few of them. If you like edge of your seat mystery and suspense, this is that book and do yourself a favor and listen to the wonderful cast tell the story. 4.5 stars
(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
Brooklyn Locke writes articles for a food magazine and is married to Trey, an investment manger. They live outside of Nashville with their two children, 9-year old son “Four” and 7-year old daughter Neve. It’s two weeks before Christmas and Trey suddenly decides they’re going to Italy the next day for business and a family vacation. Brooklyn pulls it off and gets them all to the airport on time but find they’ve been bumped, diverted to Atlanta but upgraded to first class on the connecting flight. Trey is upset with the changes, has them board while he goes to the restroom…but fails to return before takeoff. Brooklyn manages to deplane but Trey has vanished. A woman who was on the same flight, Eden Barrow, offers help to the stranded family. It’s the same woman who thought she knew Trey earlier and…turns out her sister Chloe was married to him ten years ago and he was the suspect in her murder. Where is Trey and who exactly is he?
the heart of the story…
I smelled a rat as soon as Trey made a fuss about the diversion to Atlanta and when he denied knowing Eden. Brooklyn is smart and it becomes clear early on that nothing and no one was as they first seemed. I wasn’t trusting anyone as a labyrinth of secrets, lies and subterfuge unfolded.
the narration…
Talk about an all star cast and performance! Brittany Pressley, Samara Naeymi, MacLeod Andrews, Saskia Maarleveld & Hillary Huber are all favorites and made this the best listening experience.
the bottom line…
This was a great mind bender with so many layers of mystique and complexity. I was confounded through the end with a host of twisty turns. The ending blew me away even thought my instincts were dead on about a few of them. If you like edge of your seat mystery and suspense, this is that book and do yourself a favor and listen to the wonderful cast tell the story. 4.5 stars
(Thanks to Brilliance Audio and NetGalley for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.)
May 7, 2026
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This story follows Brooklyn, a retired traveler turned photographer and mother, whose husband Trey surprises the family with a last-minute trip to Italy. However, things quickly take a strange turn when Trey is recognized by a random woman while getting off their first flight. Shaken by the encounter, he excuses himself to the restroom and then disappears completely. Suddenly, Brooklyn is left stranded in the Atlanta airport with her two children, trying to figure out why her husband vanished without a trace. The story is told through multiple perspectives, including Brooklyn, Trey, Eden, and Detective Lee, which added depth and kept the mystery moving.
This book is packed with action right from the start and rarely slows down. The pacing kept me engaged, and there was always something happening to keep the suspense building. While some plot developments became a bit far-fetched for my personal taste as the story progressed, I still felt that everything came together nicely in the end. Overall, this was a solid thriller with plenty of twists, fast pacing, and an intriguing mystery at its core.
Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
This story follows Brooklyn, a retired traveler turned photographer and mother, whose husband Trey surprises the family with a last-minute trip to Italy. However, things quickly take a strange turn when Trey is recognized by a random woman while getting off their first flight. Shaken by the encounter, he excuses himself to the restroom and then disappears completely. Suddenly, Brooklyn is left stranded in the Atlanta airport with her two children, trying to figure out why her husband vanished without a trace. The story is told through multiple perspectives, including Brooklyn, Trey, Eden, and Detective Lee, which added depth and kept the mystery moving.
This book is packed with action right from the start and rarely slows down. The pacing kept me engaged, and there was always something happening to keep the suspense building. While some plot developments became a bit far-fetched for my personal taste as the story progressed, I still felt that everything came together nicely in the end. Overall, this was a solid thriller with plenty of twists, fast pacing, and an intriguing mystery at its core.
Read
April 12, 2026NetGalley Review
4/5 ⭐️
Picture this, it’s the holiday season and your husband comes home one day to tell you that he has to be at a conference in Italy in 24 hours and the whole family is coming with. Fast forward it’s the day of and what’s a travel day without a few bumps in the road. Trey our MMC is really uptight which Brooklyn FMC doesn’t find weird at first because he doesn’t enjoy flying so his grumpiness is to be expected. That is until things take a turn. On their first flight a woman recognizes Trey but calls him Andrew and says that they went to high school together. Trey pretends he doesn’t know this woman but starts acting very weird after this encounter. Fast forward it’s time to board their connecting flight and Trey is nowhere to be found. Brooklyn is worried some thing has happened to him, that is until she sees video footage of Trey getting into a rideshare leaving her and the kids behind.
Within the first 5-6 chapters my jaw was on the FLOOR! So much happens which is my kind of book, something that grabs my attention right away and is fast paced.
I loved the multiple POVs and constantly guessing what was going to happen! Defintiely kept me on my toes with each page.
4/5 ⭐️
Picture this, it’s the holiday season and your husband comes home one day to tell you that he has to be at a conference in Italy in 24 hours and the whole family is coming with. Fast forward it’s the day of and what’s a travel day without a few bumps in the road. Trey our MMC is really uptight which Brooklyn FMC doesn’t find weird at first because he doesn’t enjoy flying so his grumpiness is to be expected. That is until things take a turn. On their first flight a woman recognizes Trey but calls him Andrew and says that they went to high school together. Trey pretends he doesn’t know this woman but starts acting very weird after this encounter. Fast forward it’s time to board their connecting flight and Trey is nowhere to be found. Brooklyn is worried some thing has happened to him, that is until she sees video footage of Trey getting into a rideshare leaving her and the kids behind.
Within the first 5-6 chapters my jaw was on the FLOOR! So much happens which is my kind of book, something that grabs my attention right away and is fast paced.
I loved the multiple POVs and constantly guessing what was going to happen! Defintiely kept me on my toes with each page.
August 26, 2026
It’s Crime Fiction, a psychological thriller that will keep you turning the pages. It’s Pub Day for J.T. Ellison’s “You Know Why”.
The story follows Brooklyn Locke whose life is turned upside down when her husband, Trey, vanishes at the airport. They had just arrived on their way on a surprise vacation to Italy, when he sees her, Eden, from his past, a past Brooklyn didn’t know about. He excuses himself to the restroom and as Brooklyn and the kids board the plane, he leaves the airport throwing his phone in the trash!
Brooklyn demands to get off the plane and is then approached by Eden who then befriends her offering to help with the kids. Eden knows Trey’s past and the fact that his first wife was murdered.
I loved Brooklyn, she was a fierce protagonist. Despite all she encountered I still questioned her motives. Brooklyn was being told Trey killed his first wife and he was wanted by the FBI. Their investigation turns up the pressure as she fights to clear her husband and his allegations. It was frantic, disturbing and definitely a “just one more chapter “ book.
Despite what the kids had to endure I appreciated the family dynamic. It was a web of tangled lies, paranoia and secrets.
I appreciated the intense storyline and happy to see SAC John Baldwin making an appearance!
If you enjoy Crime Fiction with Psychological Twists, this is IT!
It’s a pulse pounding novel with intertwined family dynamics with twists keeping you deep in thought.
Thanks @JT Ellison @thrillerchick @otrpr @amazonpublishing for the physical copy, all opinions are my own.
#JTEllison #thomasandmercer #books #crimefiction #books2026
The story follows Brooklyn Locke whose life is turned upside down when her husband, Trey, vanishes at the airport. They had just arrived on their way on a surprise vacation to Italy, when he sees her, Eden, from his past, a past Brooklyn didn’t know about. He excuses himself to the restroom and as Brooklyn and the kids board the plane, he leaves the airport throwing his phone in the trash!
Brooklyn demands to get off the plane and is then approached by Eden who then befriends her offering to help with the kids. Eden knows Trey’s past and the fact that his first wife was murdered.
I loved Brooklyn, she was a fierce protagonist. Despite all she encountered I still questioned her motives. Brooklyn was being told Trey killed his first wife and he was wanted by the FBI. Their investigation turns up the pressure as she fights to clear her husband and his allegations. It was frantic, disturbing and definitely a “just one more chapter “ book.
Despite what the kids had to endure I appreciated the family dynamic. It was a web of tangled lies, paranoia and secrets.
I appreciated the intense storyline and happy to see SAC John Baldwin making an appearance!
If you enjoy Crime Fiction with Psychological Twists, this is IT!
It’s a pulse pounding novel with intertwined family dynamics with twists keeping you deep in thought.
Thanks @JT Ellison @thrillerchick @otrpr @amazonpublishing for the physical copy, all opinions are my own.
#JTEllison #thomasandmercer #books #crimefiction #books2026
April 27, 2026
In what should be a surprise to no one JT Ellison wrote another incredible thriller! This book gripped me from the first page and had me questioning everything. Short chapters, an alternating timeline and POV makes this move quickly. This is the type of book that you become obsessed with trying to figure out what is going on.
Brooklyn’s husband (who hates to fly) booked a surprise trip to Italy. On the plane a woman recognizes Trey but calls him a different name. While waiting for their connection he goes to the restroom and never comes back. Stranded with 2 kids Brook has no choice but to accept help from the woman on the plane.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a fun ride!
Brooklyn’s husband (who hates to fly) booked a surprise trip to Italy. On the plane a woman recognizes Trey but calls him a different name. While waiting for their connection he goes to the restroom and never comes back. Stranded with 2 kids Brook has no choice but to accept help from the woman on the plane.
Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. This was a fun ride!
May 24, 2026
I’m a fan of Ellison, but this one was just too fantastical for me. Too many weird connections and the story kept going different places, which I guess kept it surprising, but also just felt scattered. The fact both spouses had previous marriages the other didn’t know about and they end up connected somehow? Just a bit too convenient for me.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
August 17, 2026
I had such mixed feelings about this one because the first half was far stronger than the second half for me.
The setup immediately pulled me in. Brooklyn is at the airport with her husband and children, ready to leave for a family vacation, when her husband suddenly disappears. Then she discovers that the man she has been married to for years may not be exactly who she thought he was.
That alone was enough to hook me.
From there, the questions kept piling up. Who is Trey really? Why did he leave? What has he been hiding? Who can Brooklyn trust? There are threats, secrets, suspicious people circling the family, and enough strange behavior that I was constantly questioning everyone’s motives.
I especially enjoyed the domestic suspense elements. There is one character in particular who made my warning bells go off almost immediately, and watching that storyline develop was easily my favorite part of the book. It was creepy in a very personal, invasive way, and I wish the book had leaned much harder into that side of the story.
Unfortunately, somewhere around the second half, the plot became way too complicated for me.
More characters, organizations, criminal connections, past events, secret motives and complicated relationships kept getting added. Instead of each reveal making everything click into place, I found myself trying to remember who was connected to whom, what happened when, and how one piece of the past related to another.
There is a point where complicated stops being intriguing and starts becoming work, and unfortunately I crossed that line.
The second half actually has more happening, with plenty of reveals and some genuinely surprising twists. But rather than becoming more invested as everything came together, I found myself caring less because I was spending too much energy trying to keep the increasingly convoluted plot straight.
I also had an issue with the way some information was withheld earlier in the story. I can’t explain that without wandering directly into spoiler territory, but one later revelation made me look back at a character’s earlier behavior and question whether it completely made sense.
I really think there was a fantastic thriller buried inside this book. If the more elaborate conspiracy elements had been greatly reduced and the story had stayed focused on the disappearance, family secrets, psychological manipulation and domestic suspense, this could have been so much more effective for me.
The biggest indicator of how I ultimately felt came when I finished. My overwhelming emotion wasn’t shock or excitement.
It was relief that I was done.
The first half had me theorizing and genuinely curious. By the end, there were simply too many moving pieces, and the story had lost me somewhere inside its own tangled web.
3 stars. A strong premise with some excellent twists and one particularly compelling storyline, but ultimately far too convoluted for me to stay emotionally invested
The setup immediately pulled me in. Brooklyn is at the airport with her husband and children, ready to leave for a family vacation, when her husband suddenly disappears. Then she discovers that the man she has been married to for years may not be exactly who she thought he was.
That alone was enough to hook me.
From there, the questions kept piling up. Who is Trey really? Why did he leave? What has he been hiding? Who can Brooklyn trust? There are threats, secrets, suspicious people circling the family, and enough strange behavior that I was constantly questioning everyone’s motives.
I especially enjoyed the domestic suspense elements. There is one character in particular who made my warning bells go off almost immediately, and watching that storyline develop was easily my favorite part of the book. It was creepy in a very personal, invasive way, and I wish the book had leaned much harder into that side of the story.
Unfortunately, somewhere around the second half, the plot became way too complicated for me.
More characters, organizations, criminal connections, past events, secret motives and complicated relationships kept getting added. Instead of each reveal making everything click into place, I found myself trying to remember who was connected to whom, what happened when, and how one piece of the past related to another.
There is a point where complicated stops being intriguing and starts becoming work, and unfortunately I crossed that line.
The second half actually has more happening, with plenty of reveals and some genuinely surprising twists. But rather than becoming more invested as everything came together, I found myself caring less because I was spending too much energy trying to keep the increasingly convoluted plot straight.
I also had an issue with the way some information was withheld earlier in the story. I can’t explain that without wandering directly into spoiler territory, but one later revelation made me look back at a character’s earlier behavior and question whether it completely made sense.
I really think there was a fantastic thriller buried inside this book. If the more elaborate conspiracy elements had been greatly reduced and the story had stayed focused on the disappearance, family secrets, psychological manipulation and domestic suspense, this could have been so much more effective for me.
The biggest indicator of how I ultimately felt came when I finished. My overwhelming emotion wasn’t shock or excitement.
It was relief that I was done.
The first half had me theorizing and genuinely curious. By the end, there were simply too many moving pieces, and the story had lost me somewhere inside its own tangled web.
3 stars. A strong premise with some excellent twists and one particularly compelling storyline, but ultimately far too convoluted for me to stay emotionally invested
August 7, 2026
First things first... thank you so much to Brilliance Publishing & NetGalley for the ALC!
Holy. Crap. This book was STRESSFUL.
Can we also take a second to appreciate this audio production? There are different narrators for each POV, and for me, that's such a huge win. It makes it so much easier to settle into the story without ever getting lost, and every narrator absolutely delivered.
Now... let's talk about Brooklyn's nightmare.
I kept trying to put myself in her shoes, and absolutely not. A last-minute Christmas trip to Italy with your husband and two kids sounds dreamy... until your husband disappears at the airport before your connecting flight. From that moment on, this story never lets you catch your breath.
I was completely glued to this audiobook. Every time I thought I had something figured out, J.T. Ellison pulled the rug right out from under me. I had theories. I had confidence in those theories. I was wrong. Again. And again.
What impressed me most was how much was happening without ever feeling chaotic. There are so many moving pieces, twists, reveals, and shifting suspicions, but everything felt intentional and incredibly well paced.
By the time I finally started putting some of the puzzle together, I was completely invested. This is one of those thrillers that keeps you guessing while making you question everyone, and it's definitely going to stick with me for a while.
If you're looking for a twisty, fast-paced thriller that will have your stress level through the roof in the best possible way, put this one on your list.
📚 Out August 25, 2026.
Holy. Crap. This book was STRESSFUL.
Can we also take a second to appreciate this audio production? There are different narrators for each POV, and for me, that's such a huge win. It makes it so much easier to settle into the story without ever getting lost, and every narrator absolutely delivered.
Now... let's talk about Brooklyn's nightmare.
I kept trying to put myself in her shoes, and absolutely not. A last-minute Christmas trip to Italy with your husband and two kids sounds dreamy... until your husband disappears at the airport before your connecting flight. From that moment on, this story never lets you catch your breath.
I was completely glued to this audiobook. Every time I thought I had something figured out, J.T. Ellison pulled the rug right out from under me. I had theories. I had confidence in those theories. I was wrong. Again. And again.
What impressed me most was how much was happening without ever feeling chaotic. There are so many moving pieces, twists, reveals, and shifting suspicions, but everything felt intentional and incredibly well paced.
By the time I finally started putting some of the puzzle together, I was completely invested. This is one of those thrillers that keeps you guessing while making you question everyone, and it's definitely going to stick with me for a while.
If you're looking for a twisty, fast-paced thriller that will have your stress level through the roof in the best possible way, put this one on your list.
📚 Out August 25, 2026.
August 2, 2026
I devoured this! JT never misses 🙌🏼
April 17, 2026
Take every cliche of a trashy thriller, and this book has it: twins, amnesia, mental illness, and a woman who sticks by her husband when common sense says she shouldn’t. Perhaps these tropes work if used in clever or unexpected ways. For me, though, this book fell completely flat.
The plot was convoluted, with improbable choices made by characters at almost every turn. Some revelations come out of the blue while others aren’t even fully explained. In the last few chapters, one character asks another about getting a weapon through a checkpoint, and he responds only by asking her why she cares so much about that. We never even get an answer.
It didn’t help that the book jumped between characters and that each character’s voice was indistinguishable from each other. The only feature that set apart the main character was that she called everyone in her family “baby” every time she spoke. The writing felt amateurish and cliched.
If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect that the publisher fed a library of thrillers to AI, and this is the result.
ARC from Net Galley
The plot was convoluted, with improbable choices made by characters at almost every turn. Some revelations come out of the blue while others aren’t even fully explained. In the last few chapters, one character asks another about getting a weapon through a checkpoint, and he responds only by asking her why she cares so much about that. We never even get an answer.
It didn’t help that the book jumped between characters and that each character’s voice was indistinguishable from each other. The only feature that set apart the main character was that she called everyone in her family “baby” every time she spoke. The writing felt amateurish and cliched.
If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect that the publisher fed a library of thrillers to AI, and this is the result.
ARC from Net Galley
June 12, 2026
JT Ellison delivered for me again. There was no way to trust any of these characters and I loved that. I loved the bonus secret at the end. No spoilers, I promise. It made Brooklyn and Margot’s sisterhood even tighter, which was nice to see.
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
Thank you to NetGalley for this arc!
August 25, 2026
**Thank you to Thomas & Mercer for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own**
This book has a lot going on. A lot of POVs and a lot of moving pieces and complicated plot points. For me, it was too much. I was really drawn in by the initial mystery but once certain information was revealed I felt like this was less a domestic thriller and more something else. I did enjoy reading it but I felt like the closer we got the end the more convoluted everything got and unfortunately the part of the mystery I was most interested in was incredibly obvious from the start.
This book has a lot going on. A lot of POVs and a lot of moving pieces and complicated plot points. For me, it was too much. I was really drawn in by the initial mystery but once certain information was revealed I felt like this was less a domestic thriller and more something else. I did enjoy reading it but I felt like the closer we got the end the more convoluted everything got and unfortunately the part of the mystery I was most interested in was incredibly obvious from the start.
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August 21, 2026WOW! This book was so twisty and I could NOT put it down!!!!
Brooklyn’s husband surprises her with a trip to Italy and then as they are boarding the plane, he disappears. And from here, buckle up!
It amazes me how an author can weave a story together like this. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil it but if you like thrillers and trying to figure the story out, read it!
Thank you J. T. Ellison, Net Galley, & Thomas & Mercer Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
Brooklyn’s husband surprises her with a trip to Italy and then as they are boarding the plane, he disappears. And from here, buckle up!
It amazes me how an author can weave a story together like this. I don’t want to say too much because I don’t want to spoil it but if you like thrillers and trying to figure the story out, read it!
Thank you J. T. Ellison, Net Galley, & Thomas & Mercer Publishing for the advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion!
July 27, 2026
There was a lot of story to follow in this book, but it kept me invested from beginning to end. This was very suspenseful and a great thriller, overall. I did find all of the connections at the end to be a bit excessive, bordering unbelievable, but the journey to get there makes it well worth the read.
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc
Thank you to the publisher for the gifted arc
August 29, 2026
3.5 rounding up. This is fast read because you’re desperate to put the pieces together. Unfortunately there is such a thing as too many twists. It gets overly complicated and wildly coincidental and a bit too tropey by the end and the initial drama is diluted
Brooklyn is convinced by her husband Trey to go on a last minute trip to Italy with their kids but at a connecting stop he simply disappears. Alone with her kids and no money, Brooklyn has to figure out where her husband went and why he’s on the run leaving her behind
The ending is wild. Entertaining but fantastical and nowhere based on reality. There’s also so many moving pieces from Brooklyn’s past, Trey’s past, and even the third wheel, Eden’s past. Trying to figure out how all of them came together and why is a lot and the last minute twists really just annoyed me because it took away from the motive for everything else. However I read this in one sitting because it is wild and totally enjoyable
Brooklyn is convinced by her husband Trey to go on a last minute trip to Italy with their kids but at a connecting stop he simply disappears. Alone with her kids and no money, Brooklyn has to figure out where her husband went and why he’s on the run leaving her behind
The ending is wild. Entertaining but fantastical and nowhere based on reality. There’s also so many moving pieces from Brooklyn’s past, Trey’s past, and even the third wheel, Eden’s past. Trying to figure out how all of them came together and why is a lot and the last minute twists really just annoyed me because it took away from the motive for everything else. However I read this in one sitting because it is wild and totally enjoyable
August 28, 2026
My interest was immediately piqued by the premise of this book and when I saw the narration cast I just had to pick up the audio! When I say this was a wild ride, I mean WILD. Multiple POV and timelines kept this moving quickly and I was constantly on the edge of my seat to see what would happen next. This audio was 10+ hours but I listened to it in under 2 days because I was hooked from the start!
I loved how the story unfolded and made me realize that nothing I believed was accurate. There were some real surprises in this book! It has twists, deception, misdirection, murder, manipulation. What else could you ask for?
The audio was narrated by some of my favorites and the whole cast was amazing. It was so easy to distinguish between different characters and to fully immerse myself in the experience.
I loved how the story unfolded and made me realize that nothing I believed was accurate. There were some real surprises in this book! It has twists, deception, misdirection, murder, manipulation. What else could you ask for?
The audio was narrated by some of my favorites and the whole cast was amazing. It was so easy to distinguish between different characters and to fully immerse myself in the experience.
August 22, 2026
This one was great! It was a fun twisty, fast faced thriller that kept me on my toes.
It starts with a man who walks out on his family in an airport, as they’re boarding for a trip overseas. No explanation, just gone. As the wife unravels what’s going on, his past comes to light.
Oh my gosh, the twists in this one came on full force and were so well done! I had my suspicions about some of them, but as the story fully unfolded, it was not what I was expecting.
It all wrapped up so well, and in a good way. Sometimes I don’t like when things wrap up too coincidently, but this was more of an everything revealed kind of wrap up.
It’s a great one to add to your fall thriller reading list!
It starts with a man who walks out on his family in an airport, as they’re boarding for a trip overseas. No explanation, just gone. As the wife unravels what’s going on, his past comes to light.
Oh my gosh, the twists in this one came on full force and were so well done! I had my suspicions about some of them, but as the story fully unfolded, it was not what I was expecting.
It all wrapped up so well, and in a good way. Sometimes I don’t like when things wrap up too coincidently, but this was more of an everything revealed kind of wrap up.
It’s a great one to add to your fall thriller reading list!
August 29, 2026
You Know Why by J.T. Ellison is a gripping story of obsession, betrayal, and revenge.
It begins with a love you believe is genuine, only to discover that you were nothing more than the target of a childhood joke—a selfish dare. From that moment on, an intense attachment turns into an all-consuming desire for revenge. And with the character’s state of mind, anyone who crosses their path could become a victim, with no second thoughts about getting blood on their hands.
Adding even more layers to the story is a web of conspiracy, drugs, and money laundering, all of which come together to give the plot some unexpected and compelling twists.
This was a fabulous read. J.T. Ellison had me completely hooked from the very beginning and kept me turning the pages right through to the end.
It begins with a love you believe is genuine, only to discover that you were nothing more than the target of a childhood joke—a selfish dare. From that moment on, an intense attachment turns into an all-consuming desire for revenge. And with the character’s state of mind, anyone who crosses their path could become a victim, with no second thoughts about getting blood on their hands.
Adding even more layers to the story is a web of conspiracy, drugs, and money laundering, all of which come together to give the plot some unexpected and compelling twists.
This was a fabulous read. J.T. Ellison had me completely hooked from the very beginning and kept me turning the pages right through to the end.
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August 22, 2026I just described You Know Why to my newsletter readers; subscribe here! as a female-forward Harlan Coben.
It's breathlessly paced, twisty, completely far-fetched, yet also compelling.
It features three strong main female characters: Brooklyn, former food photographer and now devoted wife and mom; Theresa, a dogged police investigator, and Eden, an enigmatic woman grieving the loss of her sister. All these women are drawn together when Brook's husband vanishes in the airport on the way to a family trip to Italy.
The plot is COMPLICATED but everything does tie together in the end. It's a wild ride but you'll enjoy it if you like books where you suspend your disbelief and just enjoy it all.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
It's breathlessly paced, twisty, completely far-fetched, yet also compelling.
It features three strong main female characters: Brooklyn, former food photographer and now devoted wife and mom; Theresa, a dogged police investigator, and Eden, an enigmatic woman grieving the loss of her sister. All these women are drawn together when Brook's husband vanishes in the airport on the way to a family trip to Italy.
The plot is COMPLICATED but everything does tie together in the end. It's a wild ride but you'll enjoy it if you like books where you suspend your disbelief and just enjoy it all.
Thanks to the publisher for providing an advance copy for review!
August 28, 2026
4.75, I don’t know if it would make a difference but I did listen to the audiobook.
April 15, 2026
read if you like:
📚 lots of subplots
🤷♀️ missing people
🙄 messy backstories
summary:
I love a good thriller set in an airport, and this one is no exception! It follows Brooklyn Locke, whose husband, Trey, plans a spontaneous and last minute trip for them to Italy for the holidays. When their travel plans change and they end up on a layover in Atlanta, Trey disappears, leaving Brooklyn and their two kids stranded and confused. A stranger offers to help, and it quickly becomes clear that she knows Trey from a past life. When an accident leaves Brooklyn fighting for her life, suddenly it turns into a tense unraveling of marriage, relationships and the secrets people keep buried.
This book is tense from the first chapter and keeps going until the very end. There are a lot of characters, but most of them are unreliable, so it forces you to question everyone. With every reveal, the story changes, and you ask yourself again — what are people hiding? The book itself hits on some of my favorite thriller elements — a missing husband, a messy past, an unreliable stranger with her own secrets, and a main character who has her whole life in question. It’s unsettling, wild and builds up the emotional tension on every page.
It’s a perfect blend of a marriage thriller, a missing person mystery and a story where a dark past comes haunting to change the future. If you like a dark mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is a perfect book. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy, and check this out when it releases on August 25!
📚 lots of subplots
🤷♀️ missing people
🙄 messy backstories
summary:
I love a good thriller set in an airport, and this one is no exception! It follows Brooklyn Locke, whose husband, Trey, plans a spontaneous and last minute trip for them to Italy for the holidays. When their travel plans change and they end up on a layover in Atlanta, Trey disappears, leaving Brooklyn and their two kids stranded and confused. A stranger offers to help, and it quickly becomes clear that she knows Trey from a past life. When an accident leaves Brooklyn fighting for her life, suddenly it turns into a tense unraveling of marriage, relationships and the secrets people keep buried.
This book is tense from the first chapter and keeps going until the very end. There are a lot of characters, but most of them are unreliable, so it forces you to question everyone. With every reveal, the story changes, and you ask yourself again — what are people hiding? The book itself hits on some of my favorite thriller elements — a missing husband, a messy past, an unreliable stranger with her own secrets, and a main character who has her whole life in question. It’s unsettling, wild and builds up the emotional tension on every page.
It’s a perfect blend of a marriage thriller, a missing person mystery and a story where a dark past comes haunting to change the future. If you like a dark mystery that will keep you on the edge of your seat, this is a perfect book. Thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the advanced copy, and check this out when it releases on August 25!
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
The thing about You Know Why is that it starts with a husband abandoning his family at the airport and somehow spends the next four hundred pages proving that was not even close to the weirdest thing he had going on.
Brooklyn Locke thinks she's headed to Italy with her husband Trey and their two kids for a surprise Christmas vacation. Which sounds romantic until you learn Trey hates flying with the intensity of a man who believes airplanes were invented specifically to ruin his day. This is not a guy who casually suggests an international trip. This is a guy who would probably rather walk to Italy.
So when he suddenly announces that they're leaving for Europe tomorrow, I immediately started asking questions Brooklyn was apparently too happily married to ask. Then the airport enters the chat.
A woman recognizes Trey. She calls him by a different name. Trey reacts like someone just opened a closet full of skeletons and turned on the lights. The vibes immediately go from "family vacation" to "witness protection program." And before Brooklyn can even process any of it, Trey disappears.
Not lost. Not delayed. Not stuck in a bathroom line behind seventeen people who all chose the same moment to have a crisis. Gone.
What follows is Brooklyn trying to figure out why her husband abandoned her and their children in an airport while a stranger named Eden casually reveals that she is connected to his dead first wife and, by the way, he was once the prime suspect in her murder. Imagine being forty-five minutes into what was supposed to be a Christmas trip and suddenly finding yourself in the middle of a true crime documentary.
The thing I loved is that nobody in this book feels trustworthy for more than about six minutes. Every time I decided someone was probably telling the truth, the book would immediately hand me new information and I'd have to start the entire investigation over again. Trey is suspicious. Eden is suspicious. Random side characters are suspicious. At one point I was suspicious of people who weren't even in the scene.
And Eden...listen. Eden walks into this family's life with the kind of helpful energy that would have me locking every door and checking every window. She's bringing support. She's bringing information. She's bringing meals. She's bringing an absolutely alarming amount of involvement. Every nice thing she did somehow made me trust her less. That's actually kind of impressive.
Brooklyn ended up working for me because she's not some thriller superwoman who instantly knows what's happening. She's scared, overwhelmed, making mistakes, trying to protect her kids, and realizing in real time that the man she's spent years building a life with may have omitted a few extremely important details. And by "a few extremely important details," I mean the sort of secrets that would make most couples immediately schedule a very intense conversation.
This book absolutely subscribes to the philosophy that if one twist is good, seventeen twists are better. There is a point where the plot becomes so layered that it starts feeling like everyone has secretly wandered in from a different thriller. And honestly? I kind of respected the commitment. J.T. Ellison looked at subtlety and said, "Not today."
What kept me reading wasn't even figuring out who was lying. It was figuring out why. That's where the story really works. Underneath all the chaos, hidden identities, old crimes, betrayals, and increasingly stressful airport memories, there's this running question about how well we ever really know the people we love. Sometimes the answer is apparently, "not nearly as well as you thought."
By the end, I felt like I'd spent several days conducting background checks on everyone involved. You Know Why is twisty, dramatic, messy in the most entertaining way, and completely committed to making your trust issues worse. Four stars from me.
Whodunity Award: For Making an Airport Layover Feel More Dangerous Than Most Crime Scenes
Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for a missing husband thriller and left with a renewed appreciation for knowing where my spouse is at all times.
Brooklyn Locke thinks she's headed to Italy with her husband Trey and their two kids for a surprise Christmas vacation. Which sounds romantic until you learn Trey hates flying with the intensity of a man who believes airplanes were invented specifically to ruin his day. This is not a guy who casually suggests an international trip. This is a guy who would probably rather walk to Italy.
So when he suddenly announces that they're leaving for Europe tomorrow, I immediately started asking questions Brooklyn was apparently too happily married to ask. Then the airport enters the chat.
A woman recognizes Trey. She calls him by a different name. Trey reacts like someone just opened a closet full of skeletons and turned on the lights. The vibes immediately go from "family vacation" to "witness protection program." And before Brooklyn can even process any of it, Trey disappears.
Not lost. Not delayed. Not stuck in a bathroom line behind seventeen people who all chose the same moment to have a crisis. Gone.
What follows is Brooklyn trying to figure out why her husband abandoned her and their children in an airport while a stranger named Eden casually reveals that she is connected to his dead first wife and, by the way, he was once the prime suspect in her murder. Imagine being forty-five minutes into what was supposed to be a Christmas trip and suddenly finding yourself in the middle of a true crime documentary.
The thing I loved is that nobody in this book feels trustworthy for more than about six minutes. Every time I decided someone was probably telling the truth, the book would immediately hand me new information and I'd have to start the entire investigation over again. Trey is suspicious. Eden is suspicious. Random side characters are suspicious. At one point I was suspicious of people who weren't even in the scene.
And Eden...listen. Eden walks into this family's life with the kind of helpful energy that would have me locking every door and checking every window. She's bringing support. She's bringing information. She's bringing meals. She's bringing an absolutely alarming amount of involvement. Every nice thing she did somehow made me trust her less. That's actually kind of impressive.
Brooklyn ended up working for me because she's not some thriller superwoman who instantly knows what's happening. She's scared, overwhelmed, making mistakes, trying to protect her kids, and realizing in real time that the man she's spent years building a life with may have omitted a few extremely important details. And by "a few extremely important details," I mean the sort of secrets that would make most couples immediately schedule a very intense conversation.
This book absolutely subscribes to the philosophy that if one twist is good, seventeen twists are better. There is a point where the plot becomes so layered that it starts feeling like everyone has secretly wandered in from a different thriller. And honestly? I kind of respected the commitment. J.T. Ellison looked at subtlety and said, "Not today."
What kept me reading wasn't even figuring out who was lying. It was figuring out why. That's where the story really works. Underneath all the chaos, hidden identities, old crimes, betrayals, and increasingly stressful airport memories, there's this running question about how well we ever really know the people we love. Sometimes the answer is apparently, "not nearly as well as you thought."
By the end, I felt like I'd spent several days conducting background checks on everyone involved. You Know Why is twisty, dramatic, messy in the most entertaining way, and completely committed to making your trust issues worse. Four stars from me.
Whodunity Award: For Making an Airport Layover Feel More Dangerous Than Most Crime Scenes
Huge thanks to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for the ARC. I came for a missing husband thriller and left with a renewed appreciation for knowing where my spouse is at all times.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
I received a free eARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I enjoy JT Ellison’s thrillers, so I was excited to find this one. There is a LOT going on here, to the point that I’m not quite sure how to write a coherent review! The basic premise is that Brooklyn and Trey have a picture perfect life, although they’re both hiding dark pasts they haven’t been totally up front about. But they’ve been together for 10 years, and it’s sort of understood that this marriage represented a reset for both of them. Brook is a food photographer and Trey works for a venture capitalist firm run by Brook’s aunt and uncle. So lucky, so money, so happy, etc. Then one day he tells Brook that he has to go to Italy for some conference, so he’s taking the whole family on a monthlong vacation. Brook is first shocked because it’s such short notice (they literally leave the next day), but also because Trey HATES to fly. Like, pathologically afraid to get on a plane. This is the first thing that sets off alarm bells. When they get to the airport, they’re rerouted at the last second - instead of flying from Nashville to London to Milan, they’re flying from Nashville to Atlanta, and then direct to Milan from there. But they’ve been upgraded to first class yay!
First of all, it seems wild to me that it’s even an option to fly from Nashville to Atlanta, since it’s like a 30 minute flight (I was putting it down to a regional airport thing, but they were originally supposed to fly to London from Nashville, so shrug).
Anyway, Trey freaks out about the rerouting, to a degree that shocks Brooklyn, even taking his fear of flying into account. And as they’re getting off the plane, a woman comes up to Trey, claiming to know him, calling him Andrew (his real name - he’s Andrew Locke III). It shakes him to the point that he’s even MORE freaked out. He insists Brook and the kids get on the flight to Milan, goes to the bathroom and just…doesn’t come back. Brook freaks out and basically grounds the flight (it’s like a less funny version of “This plane doesn’t even have a phalange!”). As she’s talking to TSA and the airline, who should helpfully appear out of nowhere but Eden? The woman from the flight who claimed to know Trey. She sets off all of Brook’s internal alarm bells, but she’s in dire straits - all of her accounts have been overdrawn or locked, she’s four hours from home, and even though her sister booked them a hotel, the hotel needs a card on file and can’t use Mallory’s over the phone. So against her better judgement, Brook and the kids end up staying with Eden. And when Eden shares her connection with Brook - Trey was married to Eden’s sister, and was also the sole suspect in her murder ten years earlier, Brook tries to run and is immediately hit by a car. It’s clear this whole thing goes deeper than just a guy wanting to bail on his family, but it’s impossible to know who to trust or who is telling the truth - including Brooklyn herself.
I can’t say much more without risk of spoilers, but again - a LOT going on here. We have perspectives from a whole host of characters - Brooklyn, Eden, Theresa the detective, Trey himself, even his first wife Chloe in flashback. It manages to give the full perspective of what’s going on, but ultimately I think there may have been one too many balls to juggle. No spoilers, but there’s a whole thing with Brooklyn’s own tragic past that I don’t think was strictly necessary? It was just one more contortion and it felt rushed - there’s probably a novel’s worth of plot in that particular development, and it’s given short shrift here. But it’s a fun, wild ride that I had a hard time putting down.
First of all, it seems wild to me that it’s even an option to fly from Nashville to Atlanta, since it’s like a 30 minute flight (I was putting it down to a regional airport thing, but they were originally supposed to fly to London from Nashville, so shrug).
Anyway, Trey freaks out about the rerouting, to a degree that shocks Brooklyn, even taking his fear of flying into account. And as they’re getting off the plane, a woman comes up to Trey, claiming to know him, calling him Andrew (his real name - he’s Andrew Locke III). It shakes him to the point that he’s even MORE freaked out. He insists Brook and the kids get on the flight to Milan, goes to the bathroom and just…doesn’t come back. Brook freaks out and basically grounds the flight (it’s like a less funny version of “This plane doesn’t even have a phalange!”). As she’s talking to TSA and the airline, who should helpfully appear out of nowhere but Eden? The woman from the flight who claimed to know Trey. She sets off all of Brook’s internal alarm bells, but she’s in dire straits - all of her accounts have been overdrawn or locked, she’s four hours from home, and even though her sister booked them a hotel, the hotel needs a card on file and can’t use Mallory’s over the phone. So against her better judgement, Brook and the kids end up staying with Eden. And when Eden shares her connection with Brook - Trey was married to Eden’s sister, and was also the sole suspect in her murder ten years earlier, Brook tries to run and is immediately hit by a car. It’s clear this whole thing goes deeper than just a guy wanting to bail on his family, but it’s impossible to know who to trust or who is telling the truth - including Brooklyn herself.
I can’t say much more without risk of spoilers, but again - a LOT going on here. We have perspectives from a whole host of characters - Brooklyn, Eden, Theresa the detective, Trey himself, even his first wife Chloe in flashback. It manages to give the full perspective of what’s going on, but ultimately I think there may have been one too many balls to juggle. No spoilers, but there’s a whole thing with Brooklyn’s own tragic past that I don’t think was strictly necessary? It was just one more contortion and it felt rushed - there’s probably a novel’s worth of plot in that particular development, and it’s given short shrift here. But it’s a fun, wild ride that I had a hard time putting down.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
OH. MY. GOD! BANGER ALERT! BANGER ALERT! A sublime action-packed thrill ride of perfectly executed twists and jaw-dropping turns, You Know Why was Ellison turning her insanely talented brain up to a mind-blowing eleven with the flick of her pen. You see, she somehow managed to master every single aspect of the thriller genre. From the smooth transitions of the untrustworthy narrators to the whiplash-inducing cat-and-mouse games, it was the epitome of a flawlessly laid trap of relentless, sprint-like pacing and twisty, onion-like plotting. Put together with a scheme that shocked me to my core, and this book was perfect for fans of Harlan Coben while also being mildly reminiscent of The Firm. Don’t get me wrong, even Grisham would’ve been blown away by this multilayered storyline, complete with complex characters, cinematic vibes, and nonstop “WTF?!” revelations that shifting the plot—and my many theories—again and again.
So what else did I love about this taut, one-sitting read? Well, not only were the narrators both deliciously unreliable and morally gray, but the short, cliffhanger chapters made this book into an impossible-to-put-down novel thanks to the increasingly high stakes. Yup. In spite of the fact that this book was almost 500 pages long, I finished it in one single session of desperate, starry-eyed reading. Interweaving high-tension thrills with the intimate feeling of expertly played domestic suspense, I didn’t know who to trust as various identifies were questioned, loyalties shifted, and a dark web of deception was revealed. Nothing, however, could’ve prepared me for that one-two punch of a climax and conclusion. So if you’re a fan of action-movie-like vibes amid layers of long-buried secrets and half-truths, give this one a go. It had everything I love in a binge-worthy read—plus that extra special something that Ellison always delivers. Rating of 5+++ stars.
Read if you’re a fan of:
- An adrenaline-fueled climax
- Unreliable narrators
- Satisfying conclusions
- Complex plots
- Well-written multiple POVs
- Über-high stakes
- Games of cat-and-mouse
- A cinematic feel
- Cliffhanger chapters
- Family drama
- Morally gray characters
- Hidden identities
- Long-buried secrets
- Shifting loyalties
- Action-movie-like vibes
EDITED SYNOPSIS:
Please oh please go into this one at least mostly blind. All you need to know is in the edited synopsis that I’ve included below...
It’s the holidays, and photographer Brooklyn Locke is bound for Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children. But when Trey vanishes from the airport, missing their connecting flight, their impromptu vacation―and life as she knows it―begins to unravel.
Desperate to find her husband, Brooklyn accepts help from a stranger on the same flight, Eden Barrow. But Eden soon makes a shocking claim. She is the sister of Trey’s first wife, and ten years ago he was the main suspect in her murder.
Suddenly, Brooklyn is faced with the unimaginable. Did her husband really kill his first wife? Is he running away for a second time? And will she ever see him again? She knows all too well that life isn’t always what it seems. After all, Brooklyn has a dark history of her own that she’d rather forget. Suddenly, she must confront an unsettling possibility that the truth is a trap―laid by someone waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Thank you J.T. Ellison, Thomas & Mercer, and Over the River PR for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: August 25, 2026
Content warning: murder, pedestrian-versus-car accident, drug use, blackmail, gun and knife violence, stalking, medical content, financial crimes, attempted suicide, violence, kidnapping, gaslighting, emotional and physical abuse, toxic friendship, mental illness, mention of: drug abuse, drug overdose, drug trafficking
So what else did I love about this taut, one-sitting read? Well, not only were the narrators both deliciously unreliable and morally gray, but the short, cliffhanger chapters made this book into an impossible-to-put-down novel thanks to the increasingly high stakes. Yup. In spite of the fact that this book was almost 500 pages long, I finished it in one single session of desperate, starry-eyed reading. Interweaving high-tension thrills with the intimate feeling of expertly played domestic suspense, I didn’t know who to trust as various identifies were questioned, loyalties shifted, and a dark web of deception was revealed. Nothing, however, could’ve prepared me for that one-two punch of a climax and conclusion. So if you’re a fan of action-movie-like vibes amid layers of long-buried secrets and half-truths, give this one a go. It had everything I love in a binge-worthy read—plus that extra special something that Ellison always delivers. Rating of 5+++ stars.
Read if you’re a fan of:
- An adrenaline-fueled climax
- Unreliable narrators
- Satisfying conclusions
- Complex plots
- Well-written multiple POVs
- Über-high stakes
- Games of cat-and-mouse
- A cinematic feel
- Cliffhanger chapters
- Family drama
- Morally gray characters
- Hidden identities
- Long-buried secrets
- Shifting loyalties
- Action-movie-like vibes
EDITED SYNOPSIS:
Please oh please go into this one at least mostly blind. All you need to know is in the edited synopsis that I’ve included below...
It’s the holidays, and photographer Brooklyn Locke is bound for Italy with her husband, Trey, and their two children. But when Trey vanishes from the airport, missing their connecting flight, their impromptu vacation―and life as she knows it―begins to unravel.
Desperate to find her husband, Brooklyn accepts help from a stranger on the same flight, Eden Barrow. But Eden soon makes a shocking claim. She is the sister of Trey’s first wife, and ten years ago he was the main suspect in her murder.
Suddenly, Brooklyn is faced with the unimaginable. Did her husband really kill his first wife? Is he running away for a second time? And will she ever see him again? She knows all too well that life isn’t always what it seems. After all, Brooklyn has a dark history of her own that she’d rather forget. Suddenly, she must confront an unsettling possibility that the truth is a trap―laid by someone waiting for the perfect time to strike.
Thank you J.T. Ellison, Thomas & Mercer, and Over the River PR for my complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
PUB DATE: August 25, 2026
Content warning: murder, pedestrian-versus-car accident, drug use, blackmail, gun and knife violence, stalking, medical content, financial crimes, attempted suicide, violence, kidnapping, gaslighting, emotional and physical abuse, toxic friendship, mental illness, mention of: drug abuse, drug overdose, drug trafficking
August 29, 2026
4 1/2 Stars
Author J.T. Ellison has made a long career out of producing first-rate domestic psychological thrillers and her latest, YOU KNOW WHY, may be one of the twistiest and most surprising yet.
In short, this novel will question everything the reader believes they know about what is actually going on with this plot and the eye-opening revelations just keep beating you over your head until you are uncertain about what to believe any more. These are the kind of psychological thrillers I enjoy most, involving misdirection and clever wordplay filled with character who appear to be accessible at first glance, only to later reveal their true selves and catch you completely unawares.
It opens with a Christmas scene, where we hear about a pregnant woman brutally killed by her husband who later disappeared without a trace. The deceased woman’s sister, Eden, vows to one day make this right. The action jumps forward eleven years where a woman in Nashville named Brooklyn is preparing to head on the very first European vacation with her husband Trey and their two young children. This trip to Italy is a first as Trey had previously been dead set about ever flying in a plane.
Unfortunately, the family vacation of their dreams will never happen for a handful of different reasons. Their flight gets bumped and they are rerouted through Atlanta. It is an ironic turn, as a woman claiming to work for the airlines claims to know Trey, but is referring to him as Andrew. The woman’s name was Eden, and when Brooklyn confronts Trey he denies having any knowledge of who he is. Not long after, he heads off to the restroom and is not seen again by his family. Brooklyn has to argue her way off the plane bound for Italy as she has no intention of being separated from her husband.
She is questioned by airport security as well as the Atlanta P.D. who even announce Trey’s name over the loudspeaker to no avail. Ironically, the woman they ran into earlier, Eden, is also present. Brooklyn does not know what to do and is several hours from her home with a missing husband the Atlanta police do not seem interested in finding. She accepts an invitation to crash at Eden’s place, which comes in handy as she finds all of her accounts and assets have been wiped out.
Much to her surprise, Brooklyn receives a text from Trey telling her to trust no one. He is also alarmed that she and the kids were not on their way to Italy. In the interim, Brooklyn will hear a story from Eden, along with her law enforcement friend Theresa, who present a different story about Trey/Andrew who allegedly murdered his first wife, Eden’s sister. Brooklyn also learns from her Uncle Bob, Trey’s boss at a prominent hedge fund, that Trey was not off to Europe on any type of work function and may have been embezzling company funds.
Remembering what Trey had texted her, Brooklyn plans to escape from Atlanta with her sister Margot. That is, until an SUV runs her over outside Eden’s home leaving her for dead. The police believe the driver may have been her husband Trey, but contrary clues begin to surface revealing that Trey may not necessarily be the boogie man Eden and Theresa made him out to be and there may be something completely different at play. It is here where the beauty of Ellison’s plotting with YOU KNOW WHY takes over and will keep readers guessing right up until the dynamic conclusion.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
Author J.T. Ellison has made a long career out of producing first-rate domestic psychological thrillers and her latest, YOU KNOW WHY, may be one of the twistiest and most surprising yet.
In short, this novel will question everything the reader believes they know about what is actually going on with this plot and the eye-opening revelations just keep beating you over your head until you are uncertain about what to believe any more. These are the kind of psychological thrillers I enjoy most, involving misdirection and clever wordplay filled with character who appear to be accessible at first glance, only to later reveal their true selves and catch you completely unawares.
It opens with a Christmas scene, where we hear about a pregnant woman brutally killed by her husband who later disappeared without a trace. The deceased woman’s sister, Eden, vows to one day make this right. The action jumps forward eleven years where a woman in Nashville named Brooklyn is preparing to head on the very first European vacation with her husband Trey and their two young children. This trip to Italy is a first as Trey had previously been dead set about ever flying in a plane.
Unfortunately, the family vacation of their dreams will never happen for a handful of different reasons. Their flight gets bumped and they are rerouted through Atlanta. It is an ironic turn, as a woman claiming to work for the airlines claims to know Trey, but is referring to him as Andrew. The woman’s name was Eden, and when Brooklyn confronts Trey he denies having any knowledge of who he is. Not long after, he heads off to the restroom and is not seen again by his family. Brooklyn has to argue her way off the plane bound for Italy as she has no intention of being separated from her husband.
She is questioned by airport security as well as the Atlanta P.D. who even announce Trey’s name over the loudspeaker to no avail. Ironically, the woman they ran into earlier, Eden, is also present. Brooklyn does not know what to do and is several hours from her home with a missing husband the Atlanta police do not seem interested in finding. She accepts an invitation to crash at Eden’s place, which comes in handy as she finds all of her accounts and assets have been wiped out.
Much to her surprise, Brooklyn receives a text from Trey telling her to trust no one. He is also alarmed that she and the kids were not on their way to Italy. In the interim, Brooklyn will hear a story from Eden, along with her law enforcement friend Theresa, who present a different story about Trey/Andrew who allegedly murdered his first wife, Eden’s sister. Brooklyn also learns from her Uncle Bob, Trey’s boss at a prominent hedge fund, that Trey was not off to Europe on any type of work function and may have been embezzling company funds.
Remembering what Trey had texted her, Brooklyn plans to escape from Atlanta with her sister Margot. That is, until an SUV runs her over outside Eden’s home leaving her for dead. The police believe the driver may have been her husband Trey, but contrary clues begin to surface revealing that Trey may not necessarily be the boogie man Eden and Theresa made him out to be and there may be something completely different at play. It is here where the beauty of Ellison’s plotting with YOU KNOW WHY takes over and will keep readers guessing right up until the dynamic conclusion.
Reviewed by Ray Palen for Book Reporter
June 20, 2026
Recently I’ve been reading JT Ellison’s re-released Taylor Jackson series, cementing why I love her writing style. It’s action packed and thrilling; the people trying to solve mysteries are generally good guys (and stay that way); and the stories are complicated, layered, and twisty, but not totally unbelievable or confusing.
“You Know Why” is adjacent to the Detective Taylor Jackson universe, although no Taylor is in this book, John Baldwin appears near the very end.
“You Know Why” also has a lot of similarities to “The Last Thing He Told Me” although the good person primarily looking for the missing husband is not initially the wife, but the sister of his previous murdered wife (that he failed to mention that to the current one) since the living wife was also almost murdered and injured severely enough to have missing memories. Plus his wife’s twin is there as well.
The existing wife, Brooklyn, is a food blogger for a gluten-free magazine now, but once was a globe trotting photographer. She is surprised by Trey, her husband of ten years (who supposedly has aerophobia, a fear of flying), with plane tickets for them and their two kids to immediately go to Italy from Nashville for Christmas. But their flights are rerouted and they journey to Atlanta as the stopover, not London, and Trey freaks out. As the family departs the plane, a woman recognizes Trey and calls him by the first name he doesn’t use (Andrew). That woman is Eden, his sister-in-law, the sister of Chloe who was murdered eleven years ago. Trey/Andrew had an airtight alibi (he was flying — ha!) and he disappeared after the police failed to indict him. He disappears again, stranding Brooklyn and the kids at the airport. Eden still declares that he’s guilty but she swiftly ingratiates herself into his new family.
Two other women get quickly involved: Margot, Brooklyn’s twin sister, who arrives after her sister is hit by a fleeing SUV, and Theresa Lee, the Georgia detective who investigated Chloe’s murder 10 years ago, hometown friends with Eden.
As Brooklyn slowly heals and learns of Trey’s past, she is still certain that he could never murder anyone, let alone try to kill her as well. The story is well-paced, I couldn’t guess the ending, and although I liked Detective Lee and FBI agent Drake as law enforcement officers, they weren’t a replacement for Taylor and Baldwin. There might be an opening for them to appear in the future. I was totally engaged until the last page, when yet another twist is revealed. 4.5 stars!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES If John Baldwin is in the novel, then of course there are green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The hydrangeas described are white, so I’m not going to point out that blue or pink hydrangeas can never grow next to each other.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!
“You Know Why” is adjacent to the Detective Taylor Jackson universe, although no Taylor is in this book, John Baldwin appears near the very end.
“You Know Why” also has a lot of similarities to “The Last Thing He Told Me” although the good person primarily looking for the missing husband is not initially the wife, but the sister of his previous murdered wife (that he failed to mention that to the current one) since the living wife was also almost murdered and injured severely enough to have missing memories. Plus his wife’s twin is there as well.
The existing wife, Brooklyn, is a food blogger for a gluten-free magazine now, but once was a globe trotting photographer. She is surprised by Trey, her husband of ten years (who supposedly has aerophobia, a fear of flying), with plane tickets for them and their two kids to immediately go to Italy from Nashville for Christmas. But their flights are rerouted and they journey to Atlanta as the stopover, not London, and Trey freaks out. As the family departs the plane, a woman recognizes Trey and calls him by the first name he doesn’t use (Andrew). That woman is Eden, his sister-in-law, the sister of Chloe who was murdered eleven years ago. Trey/Andrew had an airtight alibi (he was flying — ha!) and he disappeared after the police failed to indict him. He disappears again, stranding Brooklyn and the kids at the airport. Eden still declares that he’s guilty but she swiftly ingratiates herself into his new family.
Two other women get quickly involved: Margot, Brooklyn’s twin sister, who arrives after her sister is hit by a fleeing SUV, and Theresa Lee, the Georgia detective who investigated Chloe’s murder 10 years ago, hometown friends with Eden.
As Brooklyn slowly heals and learns of Trey’s past, she is still certain that he could never murder anyone, let alone try to kill her as well. The story is well-paced, I couldn’t guess the ending, and although I liked Detective Lee and FBI agent Drake as law enforcement officers, they weren’t a replacement for Taylor and Baldwin. There might be an opening for them to appear in the future. I was totally engaged until the last page, when yet another twist is revealed. 4.5 stars!
Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES If John Baldwin is in the novel, then of course there are green eyes.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The hydrangeas described are white, so I’m not going to point out that blue or pink hydrangeas can never grow next to each other.
Thank you to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy!
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