What do you think?
Rate this book
You Don't Know Me
Miri Goldstein was a call girl with connections to powerful men. Now that she's dead, some can breathe more easily. But as the media dig into Miri's past, her old friend Denise worries that her own will rise to the surface. Meanwhile in Scotland, controversial forensic pathologist Harriet Hitchin is put in a bind when the body turns up on her patch. Police think they have their killer but Harriet is certain they made a mistake. If she's wrong, it will end her career. If she's right it could cost her life. The case will play games with all who come near and force them to ask - how many of us are living a lie?
Audio CD
First published July 13, 2017
11 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Brooke Magnanti
12 books75 followersBrooke Magnanti is a forensic scientist and writer, who, until her identity was revealed in November 2009, was known by the pen name Belle de Jour.
While completing her doctoral thesis, in 2003 and 2004, Magnanti worked as a call girl. Her diary, published as the anonymous blog Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl became popular, as speculation surrounded the identity of Belle de Jour. Magnanti went on to The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl in 2005 and The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl in 2006. These were followed by Playing the Game, Belle de Jour's Guide to Men, and Belle's Best Bits.
In 2007, the books were adapted for TV as Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring Billie Piper. In November 2009, fearing her real identity was about to come out, Magnanti revealed her real name and occupation as a scientist. Her first book published under her real name was the non-fiction The Sex Myth in 2012.
Magnanti's first crime novel, The Turning Tide, will be published by Orion in 2016.
While completing her doctoral thesis, in 2003 and 2004, Magnanti worked as a call girl. Her diary, published as the anonymous blog Belle de Jour: Diary of a London Call Girl became popular, as speculation surrounded the identity of Belle de Jour. Magnanti went on to The Intimate Adventures of a London Call Girl in 2005 and The Further Adventures of a London Call Girl in 2006. These were followed by Playing the Game, Belle de Jour's Guide to Men, and Belle's Best Bits.
In 2007, the books were adapted for TV as Secret Diary of a Call Girl, starring Billie Piper. In November 2009, fearing her real identity was about to come out, Magnanti revealed her real name and occupation as a scientist. Her first book published under her real name was the non-fiction The Sex Myth in 2012.
Magnanti's first crime novel, The Turning Tide, will be published by Orion in 2016.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 14, 2018
When a body is found in Cameron Bridge, Scotland it is revealed to be Miriam “Miri” Goldstein a high class call girl with connections to some very high powered men.
Slowly it is revealed that Denise who lives with her abusive partner Archie had been befriended by Miri whose larger than life character, swept her along into her decadent lifestyle, involving parties, Drugs and lots of men!!
At one of these legendary parties she met Archie. Miri tries to warn Denise that Archie is only with her for her money, but as the saying goes “love can make us blind” Denise doesn’t listen. Big mistake!!
This book was a slow burner to begin with , but I was hooked when reading about the friendship between Miri and Denise and the story soon heats up.
Thank you to netgalley for my book in exchange for a review.
Slowly it is revealed that Denise who lives with her abusive partner Archie had been befriended by Miri whose larger than life character, swept her along into her decadent lifestyle, involving parties, Drugs and lots of men!!
At one of these legendary parties she met Archie. Miri tries to warn Denise that Archie is only with her for her money, but as the saying goes “love can make us blind” Denise doesn’t listen. Big mistake!!
This book was a slow burner to begin with , but I was hooked when reading about the friendship between Miri and Denise and the story soon heats up.
Thank you to netgalley for my book in exchange for a review.
July 9, 2018
When two strangers, Miri and Denise meet, they are totally different in every way, an obsessive friendship is born.
When a mummified body is found hidden amongst rubbish, an autopsy reveals it belongs to Miri.
Denise wants answers after her abusive boyfriend is arrested and charged with Miri's death.
Will Denise get those answers or will it just get herself into a whole load of trouble?
When a mummified body is found hidden amongst rubbish, an autopsy reveals it belongs to Miri.
Denise wants answers after her abusive boyfriend is arrested and charged with Miri's death.
Will Denise get those answers or will it just get herself into a whole load of trouble?
June 27, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Orion Publishing Group for an advance copy of You Don't Know Me, a stand alone novel set in Cameron Bridge, a fictional town in the Highlands and Newcastle.
A mummified body is found among the rubbish in an alleyway in Cameron Bridge. It is finally identified as Miriam "Miri" Goldstein, a high class prostitute and soon the police have a suspect in custody.
This novel is slow to get started and doesn't really go anywhere until the second half. The first half comprises of scene setting from 2 points of view, Harriet Hitchin the pathologist and Denise Ang, Miri's former friend. We learn much about both these women's troubled lives and much about free spirited Miri through Denise's eyes but while they are good character studies they add very little to the novel as crime fiction. The second half has much more action involving expensive call girls, hitmen and gunrunning. It's not very plausible and is in marked contrast to the first half but I think it is slightly tongue in cheek although it's not obvious.
The problem with You Don't Know Me is that it tries to cover too much ground and ends up being a bit of everything. The obvious theme running through it is Harriet and Denise's independent decisions to overcome the past and become stronger women. I really like Denise and the decisions she takes - karma - but I think Harriet is not as strong or likeable so her story is less convincing.
There is a subplot about the connivings of politicians and the sleazier side of journalism. Ms Magnanti has obviously let her imagination run riot in some of it although sadly none of it is beyond the realms of possibility. She does, however, have some valid points of view and her pen does not miss its targets. What I fail to see, however, is a more than tangential link to the crime and as such they are largely superfluous.
I think the crime is more a hook to hang these other interests on than the main focus of the novel and I think the fact that Ian, the mortuary assistant with a black, trenchant humour, is my favourite character says it all.
A mummified body is found among the rubbish in an alleyway in Cameron Bridge. It is finally identified as Miriam "Miri" Goldstein, a high class prostitute and soon the police have a suspect in custody.
This novel is slow to get started and doesn't really go anywhere until the second half. The first half comprises of scene setting from 2 points of view, Harriet Hitchin the pathologist and Denise Ang, Miri's former friend. We learn much about both these women's troubled lives and much about free spirited Miri through Denise's eyes but while they are good character studies they add very little to the novel as crime fiction. The second half has much more action involving expensive call girls, hitmen and gunrunning. It's not very plausible and is in marked contrast to the first half but I think it is slightly tongue in cheek although it's not obvious.
The problem with You Don't Know Me is that it tries to cover too much ground and ends up being a bit of everything. The obvious theme running through it is Harriet and Denise's independent decisions to overcome the past and become stronger women. I really like Denise and the decisions she takes - karma - but I think Harriet is not as strong or likeable so her story is less convincing.
There is a subplot about the connivings of politicians and the sleazier side of journalism. Ms Magnanti has obviously let her imagination run riot in some of it although sadly none of it is beyond the realms of possibility. She does, however, have some valid points of view and her pen does not miss its targets. What I fail to see, however, is a more than tangential link to the crime and as such they are largely superfluous.
I think the crime is more a hook to hang these other interests on than the main focus of the novel and I think the fact that Ian, the mortuary assistant with a black, trenchant humour, is my favourite character says it all.
September 21, 2017
A body is found and questions must be answered – the conspiracy runs right to the top . . .
CONSPIRACIES, MURDER, SECRETS AND LIES.
The body of Miri Goldstein, a high-class call girl is found mummified in an alleyway admits all the rubbish but it doesn’t take police long to make an arrest.
Miri had connections to some very powerful men and with her death she takes her secrets to the grave with her. Or has she?
In Scotland a body is discovered wrapped in a bag, decomposing in a loch.
Harriet Hitchin the pathologist is called in to examine the body or what is left of it.
The police believe they already have the killer but Harriet believes they have got it all wrong. If she is wrong it will mean the end of her career but if she is correct she might have just put herself in danger. Is the fact that she is fighting alcohol addiction impairing her judgment?
The book is from 2 points of view, Harriet Hitchin the pathologist and Denise Ang, Miri’s friend.
The descriptions of the morgue scenes are very detailed and gruesome and it is that that make’s it a bit different from other books in this stacked genre and in my opinion the best bits of the book!
There is a hell of a lot going on in this book covering a multitude of topics such as Call girls, Hitmen, Gun running, Sex, Abuse, Murder, Crooked politicians and sleazy journalists as well as the lives of the 2 main characters. As the book comes to a close the 2 storylines come together in a rather unexpected way!
The author Brooke Magnanti is a forensic scientist in real life which explains the detail she puts into those parts of the book and whilst she was working on her doctoral thesis she worked as a call girl, which again gives this book a slight edge over other similar books.
It was her diaries and published blogs about working as a call girl that were adapted for the hit tv show “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”
CONSPIRACIES, MURDER, SECRETS AND LIES.
The body of Miri Goldstein, a high-class call girl is found mummified in an alleyway admits all the rubbish but it doesn’t take police long to make an arrest.
Miri had connections to some very powerful men and with her death she takes her secrets to the grave with her. Or has she?
In Scotland a body is discovered wrapped in a bag, decomposing in a loch.
Harriet Hitchin the pathologist is called in to examine the body or what is left of it.
The police believe they already have the killer but Harriet believes they have got it all wrong. If she is wrong it will mean the end of her career but if she is correct she might have just put herself in danger. Is the fact that she is fighting alcohol addiction impairing her judgment?
The book is from 2 points of view, Harriet Hitchin the pathologist and Denise Ang, Miri’s friend.
The descriptions of the morgue scenes are very detailed and gruesome and it is that that make’s it a bit different from other books in this stacked genre and in my opinion the best bits of the book!
There is a hell of a lot going on in this book covering a multitude of topics such as Call girls, Hitmen, Gun running, Sex, Abuse, Murder, Crooked politicians and sleazy journalists as well as the lives of the 2 main characters. As the book comes to a close the 2 storylines come together in a rather unexpected way!
The author Brooke Magnanti is a forensic scientist in real life which explains the detail she puts into those parts of the book and whilst she was working on her doctoral thesis she worked as a call girl, which again gives this book a slight edge over other similar books.
It was her diaries and published blogs about working as a call girl that were adapted for the hit tv show “Secret Diary of a Call Girl”
August 31, 2017
This book was different than I am use to reading, it took a little bit to really begin to understand what all was going on. This book was almost like it was more than one story inside of another, and eventually the stories start to interconnect. Hannah is important to one part of the story and her life is full of self doubt and dissatisfaction that leads to having life difficulties. While the other part of the story includes Denise and Miri; their lives and full of twists and turns that connect eventually with Hannah. This is twisting and turning until the very end. Thank you NetGalley and Brooke Magnanti for allowing me to read and give an honest review of this book.
June 19, 2022
Unfortunately this book was a very disappointing read.
The plot sounded interesting but it actually ended up being incredibly boring and uninteresting to read.
The characters were unlikeable and the story as a whole lacked any kind of surprise or wow factor.
I ended up getting bored very quickly. There were little twists or turns.
The plot ended up being nothing special that I hadn't read before.
The writing style wasn't good. I thought this book was actually poorly written and there were plenty of parts which weren't that easy to read.
Overall, this wasn't an enjoyable read. I don't recommend it nor will I be reading anything else by this author in the future
The plot sounded interesting but it actually ended up being incredibly boring and uninteresting to read.
The characters were unlikeable and the story as a whole lacked any kind of surprise or wow factor.
I ended up getting bored very quickly. There were little twists or turns.
The plot ended up being nothing special that I hadn't read before.
The writing style wasn't good. I thought this book was actually poorly written and there were plenty of parts which weren't that easy to read.
Overall, this wasn't an enjoyable read. I don't recommend it nor will I be reading anything else by this author in the future
June 21, 2020
The cover says "You don't know me" and in quite large letters - "but your husband does". Couldn't see where this came from. The primary husband character is a nasty piece of work but both the main protagonists did know each other.
I found the whole novel tedious but I did finish it which may say more about me and Covid 19 boredom.
I found the whole novel tedious but I did finish it which may say more about me and Covid 19 boredom.
July 10, 2017
I've always enjoyed Brooke Magnanti's fresh take on reality- her experiences in sex work put her in a prime position to write a book that crosses into a world that isn't well understood. As a result, this piece of narrative fiction is a take on sex work that maybe isn't too frequent, drawing attention to the poor treatment by law enforcement of sex workers who attempt to work together to remain safe. The narrative also focuses in on the systematic abuse of women online through men's rights activists and pick up artists, as well as shedding some light on the political news cycle.
On the whole, the book receives 3 stars from me because the 'twist' ending was easily discernible and the character of Miri, so well built over so many pages, was non sustained well in the bigger picture. Denise is an interesting character, torn between her past and her future, her choices driven by the loss of a friend and her own distressing relationship. In order to keep the narrative pushing forward, Denise's choices are barely examined, when they may be the most interesting thing about the book.
This is worth a read for a few reasons, but mostly because it shows sex work without the usual clichéd bias, which is long overdue in fiction.
On the whole, the book receives 3 stars from me because the 'twist' ending was easily discernible and the character of Miri, so well built over so many pages, was non sustained well in the bigger picture. Denise is an interesting character, torn between her past and her future, her choices driven by the loss of a friend and her own distressing relationship. In order to keep the narrative pushing forward, Denise's choices are barely examined, when they may be the most interesting thing about the book.
This is worth a read for a few reasons, but mostly because it shows sex work without the usual clichéd bias, which is long overdue in fiction.
May 19, 2018
One of the smartest people I’ve ever had the privilege of listening to speak, and a very intelligent and human writer, Brooke Magnanti could probably have reinvented herself however she wanted to and made it work. Instead, her second crime novel – which is even stronger than the first – goes hard on all the topics Magnanti knows better than anybody else (sex work, double lives, media shaming), while introducing (in some cases re-introducing) us to some really wonderfully-drawn, memorable and nuanced characters along the way.
July 25, 2017
I am not too sure what to say about this book. It is a bit of everything: psychological thriller, police procedural, subplots, sleazy politicians, prostitution....but it just did not work for me. I could not find any likeable characters and the book was slow to start. The writer did not shy away from discussing domestic abuse and corrupt politicians but I found this all a bit unbelievable. My thanks to Net Galley for my copy.
August 15, 2022
I really didn’t like this book. This has been in my collection for a couple of years and every time I’ve picked it up, I’ve struggled to get into it. This time, I forced myself to carry on but honestly speaking, I just found it to be really boring and I only carried on reading for the sake of finally finishing this book.
The plot as a whole was pretty disjointed, and there was a lot going on that it all just felt really messy. It felt like the author wanted to add as many elements as she could and none of it was done any justice.
The only reason why this book even got a 1 star rating was because of the plot twist at the end because I didn’t see it coming. But even then it didn’t leaving me gasping or feeing shocked. It was all just pretty underwhelming.
The plot as a whole was pretty disjointed, and there was a lot going on that it all just felt really messy. It felt like the author wanted to add as many elements as she could and none of it was done any justice.
The only reason why this book even got a 1 star rating was because of the plot twist at the end because I didn’t see it coming. But even then it didn’t leaving me gasping or feeing shocked. It was all just pretty underwhelming.
August 12, 2017
Part of why I liked Brooke's both novels is that it's hard to "black-and-white" love or hate the main characters. Denise and Miri are both annoying and irresistible, broken and strong, all at the same time. Except for Archie - it's very easy to hate Archie, especially after you meet his mother.
The background setting (location, time, secondary characters) is the same as in Brooke's first novel, "The Turning Tide", and finding out more about some of those recurring characters makes for an entertaining exploration. The story is anchored in reality through recent events such as Brexit or the Boxing Day tsunami and again that spices things up.
The background setting (location, time, secondary characters) is the same as in Brooke's first novel, "The Turning Tide", and finding out more about some of those recurring characters makes for an entertaining exploration. The story is anchored in reality through recent events such as Brexit or the Boxing Day tsunami and again that spices things up.
July 9, 2020
Once you get past the spelling mistakes, missing words and bad grammar it’s an ok book, I was a bit confused about what nationality Denise was as from the initial description I pictured her in my head as African, however after looking up where macau is I realised she was Chinese, so perhaps she should be described as oriental at the beginning or perhaps some people don’t picture the characters or care what they look like!
November 10, 2018
I enjoyed parts of this book and not others - I think a fair rating would be 3.5. It was an easy read mostly but it felt a bit disjointed to me. I really didn’t enjoy the politics side of the story either. Thanks to Orion, Netgalley and the author for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
March 3, 2019
2.5* Sadly this book didn't live up to expectations. It felt disjointed and the crime plot line seemed to become more diminished as the book progressed. The plot lost it for me in the middle where undercurrents in the political world came to the forefront and I became disinterested. Sorry not for me
June 5, 2025
I'm not sure where to start with this. It is a good book, but a little confusing. While there is a real twist, the ending left me wanting something more. Perhaps the ending was a bit abrupt given the whole setup. I also question the blurb 'you don't know me - but your husband does' - didn't really become relevant?
October 11, 2017
Thank you Netgally for the ARC of this book. What a page turner. Would def recommend
July 6, 2019
Okay I will say this now do not read this if adult content is not your thing! Because my god there’s a lot, but there was deeper meaning to most of it which makes a change from your standard erotic novels (admittedly this isn’t aimed at erotic novel fans but it’s hard to ignore the content). I didn’t want to stop reading because I wanted to figure out what had happened, when I did have to place it down I was left thinking about what I had just read which I haven’t had for a while. I also found that Brooke really didn’t shy away from certain topics that can be difficult to write/read about. And as per all good crime novel there was a few twists you don’t expect. It was quite bizarre reading something that was based where I currently live as you always expect novels based in the UK to be London but it was interesting as I knew all the places they talked about and could understand it more.
July 14, 2019
My first read by this author. It is not the most comfortable reading with some of the main characters being quite unsavoury and Denise happy to be abused within her relationship. Having said that the plot was quite involved and I did want to keep reading despite it being out of my comfort zone.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Brooke Magnanti/Orion Publishing Group for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Brooke Magnanti/Orion Publishing Group for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.
February 16, 2019
Just couldn't get into this book (sorry). Didn't gel with the characters at all. Found storyline too stretched put and difficult to follow.
August 13, 2019
Excellent book with a clear cut depiction of characters. The storyline is fluid and constant, and my concentration never waived. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews