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This Town Won't Tell: A Novel
A single mom finds herself mixed up with the wrong people in this twisting crime novel perfect for fans of C. J. Box and Ruth Ware.
Featuring a neurodivergent lead, this small-town thriller is a compelling story of tenacity and grit.
In the snowy mountain town of Suspicion, Montana, single mom Janey Hendee waits tables at the local roadhouse—and on the sly, she runs an underground card game. All to give her daughter a better life than the one she had.
When her sleazy ex fails to get their daughter to school, Janey takes matters into her own hands and breaks into his place to threaten him using her cousin’s gun. Unfortunately, Janey is caught, and a local crime boss is using the security footage as leverage against her, forcing her to make a shady drop under the town’s bridge.
But after finding out her cousin also got himself mixed up with the wrong people in town and ended up dead, Janey knows she’s in too deep. The only thing that matters now is keeping her daughter safe, but to do that she must stay alive.
With the twisted, thrilling edge of Ozark, Rhodi Hawk explores the lengths a mother will go through to keep her daughter safe.
Featuring a neurodivergent lead, this small-town thriller is a compelling story of tenacity and grit.
In the snowy mountain town of Suspicion, Montana, single mom Janey Hendee waits tables at the local roadhouse—and on the sly, she runs an underground card game. All to give her daughter a better life than the one she had.
When her sleazy ex fails to get their daughter to school, Janey takes matters into her own hands and breaks into his place to threaten him using her cousin’s gun. Unfortunately, Janey is caught, and a local crime boss is using the security footage as leverage against her, forcing her to make a shady drop under the town’s bridge.
But after finding out her cousin also got himself mixed up with the wrong people in town and ended up dead, Janey knows she’s in too deep. The only thing that matters now is keeping her daughter safe, but to do that she must stay alive.
With the twisted, thrilling edge of Ozark, Rhodi Hawk explores the lengths a mother will go through to keep her daughter safe.
333 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 12, 2026
About the author
Rhodi Hawk
10 books58 followersRhodi Hawk has been fascinated by storytelling since her earliest memory, when her grandmother read to her from Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens. Rhodi has been reading or writing ever since, and began her career as a transcription linguist in US Army intelligence. She later made a living as a technical writer during the Internet boom, working on her first novel in the early mornings and at night.
Rhodi Hawk won the International Thriller Writers Scholarship for her first work of fiction, A Twisted Ladder.
Rhodi Hawk won the International Thriller Writers Scholarship for her first work of fiction, A Twisted Ladder.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
If you love a "struggling single mom vs. the entire world" vibe, this book is basically your new personality. We’ve got Janey Hendee, who is out here waiting tables at a crusty roadhouse by day and running illegal underground card games by night. Honestly? Queen behavior. She’s just trying to get her daughter a life that doesn't involve Montana slush and sleazy exes.
But then because men in these books are allergic to being helpful, her ex-husband fails to take their kid to school. Janey goes full John Wick, breaks into his house, and threatens him with a gun she "borrowed" from her cousin. Naturally, she gets caught on camera, and now a local crime boss is using that footage to force her into doing "shady drops" under a bridge. The neurodivergent rep with Janey adds such a grounded, gritty layer to the "mom on the edge" trope that actually makes you care if she makes it out.
The pacing in the middle is a bit slow, but the last 50 pages are pure adrenaline.
It’s tense, it’s cold, and everyone in this town is a massive liar.
#ThisTownWontTell #NetGalley
But then because men in these books are allergic to being helpful, her ex-husband fails to take their kid to school. Janey goes full John Wick, breaks into his house, and threatens him with a gun she "borrowed" from her cousin. Naturally, she gets caught on camera, and now a local crime boss is using that footage to force her into doing "shady drops" under a bridge. The neurodivergent rep with Janey adds such a grounded, gritty layer to the "mom on the edge" trope that actually makes you care if she makes it out.
The pacing in the middle is a bit slow, but the last 50 pages are pure adrenaline.
It’s tense, it’s cold, and everyone in this town is a massive liar.
#ThisTownWontTell #NetGalley
April 28, 2026
This book is wild. If I didn’t already have trust issues, I certainly would after reading this! This story is 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗲, and no one can be trusted in the town of Suspicion, Montana. And it is probably named that for good reason too.
Janey is a single mom who hasn't been dealt the easiest hand in life. She works as a waitress at a roadhouse and as a dealer for illegal poker games. She is just trying to give her daughter a better life, but in the process, she gets herself tangled up with some shady people.
After her cousin is found dead and the case is deemed an accident, Janey knows otherwise and is determined to find out who killed him. However, in the process, she finds herself in a bind with her boss's wife, Freida, a somewhat powerful lawyer. Freida is capable of blackmailing Janey, and now Janey must do Freida's dirty work or risk losing her daughter.
♠️♥️♣️♦️♠️♥️♣️♦️♠️♥️♣️♦️♠️♥️♣️♦️
I never knew what to expect, which made the story even more engaging. It’s exceptionally well written, and despite its many characters and moving parts, it remains clear and easy to follow.
For Fans of:
✩ Strong female main character
✩ Uncovering secrets
✩ Isolated small towns
✩ Crime thrillers
Janey is a single mom who hasn't been dealt the easiest hand in life. She works as a waitress at a roadhouse and as a dealer for illegal poker games. She is just trying to give her daughter a better life, but in the process, she gets herself tangled up with some shady people.
After her cousin is found dead and the case is deemed an accident, Janey knows otherwise and is determined to find out who killed him. However, in the process, she finds herself in a bind with her boss's wife, Freida, a somewhat powerful lawyer. Freida is capable of blackmailing Janey, and now Janey must do Freida's dirty work or risk losing her daughter.
♠️♥️♣️♦️♠️♥️♣️♦️♠️♥️♣️♦️♠️♥️♣️♦️
I never knew what to expect, which made the story even more engaging. It’s exceptionally well written, and despite its many characters and moving parts, it remains clear and easy to follow.
For Fans of:
✩ Strong female main character
✩ Uncovering secrets
✩ Isolated small towns
✩ Crime thrillers
May 13, 2026
This book surprised me. It takes place in a snowy small town mountain with some sketchy characters. The main character, Janey, is a single mother who has lived a hard life and is blackmailed from the very beginning to do some sketchy hand offs for a local crime boss. Here’s the thing… as I got into the book, I really became invested in the story. I wasn’t too sure about it in the beginning because I found Janey to be frustrating. She has a nine year old, and that nine year old sees stuff and does stuff a nine year old shouldn’t even know about. That being said, I was invested and wanted to know how Janey was going to get out of the blackmail, and I wanted to know who was trustworthy as it seemed everyone was paid off in the town. There are rough characters, a little love interest (I actually thought something might happen with a different character, and it never did), bikers, suspense, dangerous encounters, and shootouts. This book really has a little bit of everything.
⭐️ 3.75
⭐️ 3.75
May 12, 2026
It's hard to review mystery-thrillers without giving up all the secrets.
In short, Rhodi Hawk's THIS TOWN WON'T TELL is a mystery-thriller worth reading.
Expanded a bit, without giving anything away, it is the story of a town called Suspicion in Montana. It is the story of a single mother in way over her head in all aspects of her life, even as she runs a high-stakes off-the-books poker game. It is the story of crooked authority figures each to take advantage of people in way of their heads, bending and manipulating them with promises of safety and fortune that are really threats about their safety and well-being. It's the story of a motley collection of people caught in the middle who band together to take down that which threatens them.
The characters are what you'd expect from all that. No surprises or deep-dives into complex personalities. The plot goes pretty much along the typical pacing and arc as any other mystery-thriller, using tropes when necessary. The real star is the setting -- the aptly named Suspicion is described vividly and in such a way that the story and characters come to life more than they would have in a different time and a different place.
(Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Rhodi Hawk for the chance to read an early digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own, fully created by me.)
In short, Rhodi Hawk's THIS TOWN WON'T TELL is a mystery-thriller worth reading.
Expanded a bit, without giving anything away, it is the story of a town called Suspicion in Montana. It is the story of a single mother in way over her head in all aspects of her life, even as she runs a high-stakes off-the-books poker game. It is the story of crooked authority figures each to take advantage of people in way of their heads, bending and manipulating them with promises of safety and fortune that are really threats about their safety and well-being. It's the story of a motley collection of people caught in the middle who band together to take down that which threatens them.
The characters are what you'd expect from all that. No surprises or deep-dives into complex personalities. The plot goes pretty much along the typical pacing and arc as any other mystery-thriller, using tropes when necessary. The real star is the setting -- the aptly named Suspicion is described vividly and in such a way that the story and characters come to life more than they would have in a different time and a different place.
(Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books, and Rhodi Hawk for the chance to read an early digital copy of this novel in exchange for an honest and original review. All thoughts are my own, fully created by me.)
May 24, 2026
Damn, this was soooo good! This was a twisty, gritty, slow-burn thriller that felt a bit like a mashup of S.A. Cosby and Rachel Caine, yet with its own unique power and an unforgettable main character.
Ever since Janey’s mom died when she was young, her life has been messier than most. She drifted from foster family to foster family and did a stint in juvie, where she gave birth to a daughter, Em. After her release she married the baby’s father but they eventually divorced and he was able to keep their house.
Now a recovering alcoholic, her ex has a restraining order against her, which makes sharing custody a challenge. She works as a waitress at a Montana roadhouse (which no longer has a road) and is determined to give Em a better life than she had.
One night she goes to confront her ex for not taking Em to school. She plans to break into his house and frighten him with her cousin’s gun. But she gets caught by a corrupt lawyer, who threatens to turn Janey in for violating the restraining order, which means she’ll lose custody of her daughter. She gets blackmailed into a “one and done,” making a drop under a bridge.
Of course, the blackmail continues far beyond just one time. When she finds out that her cousin used to do the drops and he got murdered, she realizes she’s in trouble. What follows is a tangled web of small-town corruption, violence, and enemies she can’t uncover. Will she survive and get her life back, however bleak it is?
Janey was such a terrific character—tough yet vulnerable, wanting a better life but feeling powerless to change things. I loved the small-town Montana setting and all of the twists Rhodi Hawk threw in. I’d love to see what’s next!
Check out my best reads of 2025 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2025.html .
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
Ever since Janey’s mom died when she was young, her life has been messier than most. She drifted from foster family to foster family and did a stint in juvie, where she gave birth to a daughter, Em. After her release she married the baby’s father but they eventually divorced and he was able to keep their house.
Now a recovering alcoholic, her ex has a restraining order against her, which makes sharing custody a challenge. She works as a waitress at a Montana roadhouse (which no longer has a road) and is determined to give Em a better life than she had.
One night she goes to confront her ex for not taking Em to school. She plans to break into his house and frighten him with her cousin’s gun. But she gets caught by a corrupt lawyer, who threatens to turn Janey in for violating the restraining order, which means she’ll lose custody of her daughter. She gets blackmailed into a “one and done,” making a drop under a bridge.
Of course, the blackmail continues far beyond just one time. When she finds out that her cousin used to do the drops and he got murdered, she realizes she’s in trouble. What follows is a tangled web of small-town corruption, violence, and enemies she can’t uncover. Will she survive and get her life back, however bleak it is?
Janey was such a terrific character—tough yet vulnerable, wanting a better life but feeling powerless to change things. I loved the small-town Montana setting and all of the twists Rhodi Hawk threw in. I’d love to see what’s next!
Check out my best reads of 2025 at https://itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com/2026/01/the-best-books-i-read-in-2025.html .
See all of my reviews at itseithersadnessoreuphoria.blogspot.com.
Follow me on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/getbookedwithlarry/.
May 21, 2026
I'm not usually a fan of thrillers, but I loved this story of a single mom, struggling with mental health, neurodivergence, and sobriety, who gets caught in a compromising position and has to figure out how to outsmart the blackmailing local crime boss and a sinister larger criminal syndicate in order to make a better life for herself and her daughter.
Janey Hendee is the book's lead, a single mother who becomes a roadhouse waitress to pay her bills, and gets drawn into a local crime conspiracy after her cousin's decision to leave his gun with her for "safekeeping" while Janey is off her meds leads her to make a bad decision. Janey is so compelling as the novel's resourceful yet flawed protagonist, whose poor judgements gets her into trouble at the beginning of the book, yet whose quick-thinking, resourcefulness, resilience and love of her daughter Emy makes her impossible to not root for. This book has plenty of twists and turns, and Janey has to relearn all over again who to trust and who to outwit as she is thrown curveball after curveball.
I loved how the plot was impossible to predict, and how much transformation and character development there was, not only for Janey and her daughter Emy, whose sweetness belies her own craftiness and resilience, but for the many finely-drawn supporting characters. I hope Rhodi Hawk writes a sequel, because I would love to return to Suspicion, Montana, to find out what happens to Janey, Emy, and the rest of this compelling community.
Janey Hendee is the book's lead, a single mother who becomes a roadhouse waitress to pay her bills, and gets drawn into a local crime conspiracy after her cousin's decision to leave his gun with her for "safekeeping" while Janey is off her meds leads her to make a bad decision. Janey is so compelling as the novel's resourceful yet flawed protagonist, whose poor judgements gets her into trouble at the beginning of the book, yet whose quick-thinking, resourcefulness, resilience and love of her daughter Emy makes her impossible to not root for. This book has plenty of twists and turns, and Janey has to relearn all over again who to trust and who to outwit as she is thrown curveball after curveball.
I loved how the plot was impossible to predict, and how much transformation and character development there was, not only for Janey and her daughter Emy, whose sweetness belies her own craftiness and resilience, but for the many finely-drawn supporting characters. I hope Rhodi Hawk writes a sequel, because I would love to return to Suspicion, Montana, to find out what happens to Janey, Emy, and the rest of this compelling community.
Review of advance copy received from Author
If you're a thriller reader this one needs to be added to your TBR ASAP! It was SO good! I absolutely loved it!
Janey Hendee is a single mom just trying to make ends meet to give her daughter a better life than she had. She's a waitress at the local roadhouse and runs an underground card game. One night while at work, she finds a gun in the ladies' room, which ends up belonging to her cousin. He asks her to hold on to it for just a little while. But when she's caught breaking into her ex's house by a local crime boss and her cousin ends up dead, things take a turn. It seems something sinister is going on in the small mountain town of Suspicion, MT, and Janey has gotten caught up in it. All she wants to do is keep her daughter safe, but who can she trust? Is everyone in town involved and who killed her cousin?
This was such a wild, thrilling ride and totally unputdownable! There was action, suspense, and even a little romance! The mystery was intriguing, and Janey was such a great FMC. There were also 1%ers, the cartel, and shady townspeople. This book was dark, gritty, and SO atmospheric! We all know how much I love books set in MT and the small, isolated mountain town was everything! I seriously didn't want the book to end! If you're looking for a twisty, bingeable, extremely addictive crime thriller, look no further! I HIGHLY recommend this one!🩷
Janey Hendee is a single mom just trying to make ends meet to give her daughter a better life than she had. She's a waitress at the local roadhouse and runs an underground card game. One night while at work, she finds a gun in the ladies' room, which ends up belonging to her cousin. He asks her to hold on to it for just a little while. But when she's caught breaking into her ex's house by a local crime boss and her cousin ends up dead, things take a turn. It seems something sinister is going on in the small mountain town of Suspicion, MT, and Janey has gotten caught up in it. All she wants to do is keep her daughter safe, but who can she trust? Is everyone in town involved and who killed her cousin?
This was such a wild, thrilling ride and totally unputdownable! There was action, suspense, and even a little romance! The mystery was intriguing, and Janey was such a great FMC. There were also 1%ers, the cartel, and shady townspeople. This book was dark, gritty, and SO atmospheric! We all know how much I love books set in MT and the small, isolated mountain town was everything! I seriously didn't want the book to end! If you're looking for a twisty, bingeable, extremely addictive crime thriller, look no further! I HIGHLY recommend this one!🩷
Review of advance copy received from Author
LOVED this fast-paced, small town, twisty thriller!
Janey, a single mother, finds herself in a perilous situation after an attempt at threatening her ex husband in the hopes of scaring him into being a responsible parent to their daughter.
However, her plan backfires when surveillance camera footage is used by her ex’s unscrupulous neighbor to blackmail her. Janey is thrust into the dark underbelly of the snowy mountain town of Suspicious, Montana.
With vibes reminiscent of the hit series Ozark, Janey and her precocious daughter endeavor to stay one step ahead of criminal masterminds.
Rhodi Hawk is a masterful storyteller and This Town Won’t Tell does not disappoint.
Janey, a single mother, finds herself in a perilous situation after an attempt at threatening her ex husband in the hopes of scaring him into being a responsible parent to their daughter.
However, her plan backfires when surveillance camera footage is used by her ex’s unscrupulous neighbor to blackmail her. Janey is thrust into the dark underbelly of the snowy mountain town of Suspicious, Montana.
With vibes reminiscent of the hit series Ozark, Janey and her precocious daughter endeavor to stay one step ahead of criminal masterminds.
Rhodi Hawk is a masterful storyteller and This Town Won’t Tell does not disappoint.
May 18, 2026
I'm not normally a "thriller" reader, but I enjoyed this book. It has all the suspense a reader can want and the extra element of a neurodivergent protagonist with determination and a strong maternal instinct.
May 16, 2026
The narrator completely ruined any interest I originally had in this book. Maybe it would have been fine to read, but listening was terrible.
Review of advance copy received from Author
“I was supposed to see a shrink as part of my release, but I got a job at a roadhouse instead.”
Janey is a single mom, a waitress and a dealer at illegal poker games. She is also one tough cookie. When her cousin Logan dies, and Janey gets caught in an awkward position by a dangerous person, she is swept up in the very dark side of Suspicion, Montana.
This book is so freakin cinematic and I am so excited that it got optioned because I NEED to see this on the screen. There is a scene at the end where Janey is standing in the snowy woods, talking about the scent in the air and I realized that I was straining to smell it too—the writing is so vivid and descriptive.
If you like crime thrillers, if you like an isolated small town setting and a kick ass fmc (but who you also want to hug because she’s truly such a hot mess), this is 100% your book. I can’t wait to see what Rhodi Hawk has in store for me next. And honestly, I’d be perfectly happy to stay in Suspicion with Janey and Em to read the next part of their story.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for a free review copy.
This story follows Janey in the small town of Suspicion, Montana. Janey shares custody of her nine-year-old daughter Em with her ex Trent who lives in her house and has a restraining order against her for…reasons. Janey works at a local roadhouse and assists the owner with an exclusive but illegal poker game. She ends up under the thumb of a local criminal lawyer who forces her to be a go between with some shady characters. When Janey discovers that her cousin has been killed, she suspects that he was also mixed up with these shady characters. Can she figure out what happened to Logan and extricate herself from the situation before her daughter becomes endangered?
Janey is a bit erratic and makes more than a few poor decisions. Normally, I tend to avoid these types of characters, but I quickly found myself eagerly turning the page to see what Janey would find out next. The story is quick paced and filled with good characters, some are kind, others are just nefarious, and plenty are in between. Janey’s precarious situation and the way she chose to handle it intrigued me. She was clever and much savvier than I initially gave her credit for especially with her back up against the wall. Her journey to figuring out what happened to her cousin and turning the tables on those who hold leverage over her had plenty of complicated twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Recommended to mystery/thriller lovers that enjoy small towns filled with shady characters and a desperate mama bear with her hackles up.
This story follows Janey in the small town of Suspicion, Montana. Janey shares custody of her nine-year-old daughter Em with her ex Trent who lives in her house and has a restraining order against her for…reasons. Janey works at a local roadhouse and assists the owner with an exclusive but illegal poker game. She ends up under the thumb of a local criminal lawyer who forces her to be a go between with some shady characters. When Janey discovers that her cousin has been killed, she suspects that he was also mixed up with these shady characters. Can she figure out what happened to Logan and extricate herself from the situation before her daughter becomes endangered?
Janey is a bit erratic and makes more than a few poor decisions. Normally, I tend to avoid these types of characters, but I quickly found myself eagerly turning the page to see what Janey would find out next. The story is quick paced and filled with good characters, some are kind, others are just nefarious, and plenty are in between. Janey’s precarious situation and the way she chose to handle it intrigued me. She was clever and much savvier than I initially gave her credit for especially with her back up against the wall. Her journey to figuring out what happened to her cousin and turning the tables on those who hold leverage over her had plenty of complicated twists and turns. I thoroughly enjoyed the ride.
Recommended to mystery/thriller lovers that enjoy small towns filled with shady characters and a desperate mama bear with her hackles up.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Janey Hendee is a single mother who lives in Suspicion, Montana and shares custody of her daughter with her ex-husband. Janey hasn't had an easy life, and now works as a waitress during the day and a card dealer by night for illegal card games. Janey struggles to manage her resentment towards her ex, who has managed to steal her house and primary custody of their child out from under her nose. She ends up under the thumb of a dirty lawyer in the town who forces her to courier "drops" of cash to an unknown criminal entity. When the dead body of Janey's cousin Logan is pulled out of the creek, she is on high alert and knows she needs to get herself and her daughter out of town. But Suspicion is full of schemers playing a dirty game, and they have other plans for Janey.
A mountain town that feels like the wild west, with a cast of rough and tumble characters that always have an ulterior motive. Janey is playing a game in which she doesn't know or understand the rules, while power players in the town manipulate people like her. She is never certain about who to trust, and for good reason. It feels like everyone is carrying a gun and has their own agenda.
Fortunately for Janey, she has a whip-smart daughter, along with some real friends that stick with her and help her to navigate all the snakes around her. This is a tense and fast-paced read with some twists and a satisfying conclusion. Readers that enjoy an edgy read with hard-nosed characters will enjoy.
A mountain town that feels like the wild west, with a cast of rough and tumble characters that always have an ulterior motive. Janey is playing a game in which she doesn't know or understand the rules, while power players in the town manipulate people like her. She is never certain about who to trust, and for good reason. It feels like everyone is carrying a gun and has their own agenda.
Fortunately for Janey, she has a whip-smart daughter, along with some real friends that stick with her and help her to navigate all the snakes around her. This is a tense and fast-paced read with some twists and a satisfying conclusion. Readers that enjoy an edgy read with hard-nosed characters will enjoy.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews