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I Know Who Did It
Every year Detective David Groves receives a birthday card for his son . . . even though he buried him years ago. His son's murder took everything from him, apart from his belief in the law, even though the killers were never found. This year, though, the card bears a different message: I know who did it. A woman who died in a car accident is claiming to be back from the dead - with a terrifying account of what she's been through. The answer to both lies with the kind of people you want to run from - and
uncovering the truth means going through hell . . .
uncovering the truth means going through hell . . .
352 pages, Paperback
First published July 16, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
October 25, 2016
A young woman is found dazed and confused on a city street. She tells a unbelievable tale of what she has been through in the afterlife. You see, this particular young woman had been killed in a car accident three years before, an accident she vividly recalls. Mark, a detective, is called in to try to make sense of her outrageous story.
Some authors use excess gore and violence to ratchet up the fear and chill factor in their stories. Then there are the 873 thrillers that have been compared to, Girl on a train and who know how many to, Gone Girl. On principle I refuse to read anymore of those, enough is enough and they all started blending together. Mosby does neither of these things, he takes a unique situation, two good policemen and uses them as a way to portray good vs. Evil. There are chills aplenty, hard to figure where this book is going, many surprises and a fast paced plot. Can a good man turn to evil if the circumstances are horrendous, heartbreaking enough? Such is the dilemma another Detective, Dave is facing after his three year old son was kidnapped and found dead. Interesting and intriguing premise. Can good and evil live side by side? Mmmmm, you will have to read this and see for yourself. I personally found it very good and a page turner without all the graphic blood and gore.
Some authors use excess gore and violence to ratchet up the fear and chill factor in their stories. Then there are the 873 thrillers that have been compared to, Girl on a train and who know how many to, Gone Girl. On principle I refuse to read anymore of those, enough is enough and they all started blending together. Mosby does neither of these things, he takes a unique situation, two good policemen and uses them as a way to portray good vs. Evil. There are chills aplenty, hard to figure where this book is going, many surprises and a fast paced plot. Can a good man turn to evil if the circumstances are horrendous, heartbreaking enough? Such is the dilemma another Detective, Dave is facing after his three year old son was kidnapped and found dead. Interesting and intriguing premise. Can good and evil live side by side? Mmmmm, you will have to read this and see for yourself. I personally found it very good and a page turner without all the graphic blood and gore.
March 19, 2024
This needs to be said. If you've not yet read a Steve Mosby novel then you have a gap in your reading life.
Steve never fails to impress, excite and enslave me to his writing. I personally think he is an underrated author. I dream of being his Publicity Manager.
This book was one I couldn't put down. I devoured 3/4 in one night then couldn't keep my eyes open but back for the finale the next day. I think the world could have stoped and I would not have noticed.
Love your crime fiction? Steve is your guy. What I love is the dark, edgy tinge of horror, chills that Steve injects into his work. Don't get me wrong readers, this isn't a horror book but often what human beings DO is horror, horrific and inhuman.
In this novel the plot will sucker you in from early pages. It doesn't let you go for a moment. It is tense, edgy, dark, thrilling and completely stunning.
A detective I grew to love - surname Groves like mine!). Once a father, a husband and a good Detective. One day, something so heart-wrenching happens and things are never the same again. One moment you have your child, the next he's taken abducted and your mind bursts with the suffering. I felt his pain and grief so much.
The book switches timelines, smooth as silk, seamlessly. You don't even notice it. Two stories intertwine then connect like electricity. I got a shock when they did. I was doing the "oh...my...God!" reader facial expression, never attractive.
Oh I can't touch on any any more plot bits, it's intricate and clever. Just trust me. You'll love it. The writing is brilliant as always from Steve, mesmerisingly good. I got chills and reveals, curve-balls and shocks. I was hugely entertained.
One thing I will say is that if you haven't read The 50/50 Killer by Steve (which ironically I'm eager to read) there are some references to that book, the killer and the case in this book that are minor spoilers.. It runs like a sequel kind of. This can be read as a standalone totally but if like me, you plan to read all his books go with The 50/50 Killer First.
Utterly brilliant. I'm a massive fan of Steve Mosby. I do hope you'll give this book a whirl. I recommend every book of his I've read and I'm working through them. Do check out my other reviews of his novels.
5 stars. A dark crime novel that should go on your list of must read books.
I read the paperback version of this book that I own. All review options are my own and totally unbiased.
Thanks so much for reading my review! I hope you enjoyed it, if you did I’d be delighted if you leave me a “like” and I love to read your comments. If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.🐱.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
Steve never fails to impress, excite and enslave me to his writing. I personally think he is an underrated author. I dream of being his Publicity Manager.
This book was one I couldn't put down. I devoured 3/4 in one night then couldn't keep my eyes open but back for the finale the next day. I think the world could have stoped and I would not have noticed.
Love your crime fiction? Steve is your guy. What I love is the dark, edgy tinge of horror, chills that Steve injects into his work. Don't get me wrong readers, this isn't a horror book but often what human beings DO is horror, horrific and inhuman.
In this novel the plot will sucker you in from early pages. It doesn't let you go for a moment. It is tense, edgy, dark, thrilling and completely stunning.
A detective I grew to love - surname Groves like mine!). Once a father, a husband and a good Detective. One day, something so heart-wrenching happens and things are never the same again. One moment you have your child, the next he's taken abducted and your mind bursts with the suffering. I felt his pain and grief so much.
The book switches timelines, smooth as silk, seamlessly. You don't even notice it. Two stories intertwine then connect like electricity. I got a shock when they did. I was doing the "oh...my...God!" reader facial expression, never attractive.
Oh I can't touch on any any more plot bits, it's intricate and clever. Just trust me. You'll love it. The writing is brilliant as always from Steve, mesmerisingly good. I got chills and reveals, curve-balls and shocks. I was hugely entertained.
One thing I will say is that if you haven't read The 50/50 Killer by Steve (which ironically I'm eager to read) there are some references to that book, the killer and the case in this book that are minor spoilers.. It runs like a sequel kind of. This can be read as a standalone totally but if like me, you plan to read all his books go with The 50/50 Killer First.
Utterly brilliant. I'm a massive fan of Steve Mosby. I do hope you'll give this book a whirl. I recommend every book of his I've read and I'm working through them. Do check out my other reviews of his novels.
5 stars. A dark crime novel that should go on your list of must read books.
I read the paperback version of this book that I own. All review options are my own and totally unbiased.
Thanks so much for reading my review! I hope you enjoyed it, if you did I’d be delighted if you leave me a “like” and I love to read your comments. If you’d like to connect you can follow me or please send me a friend request.🐱.
If you are an Author and you’d like me to consider reading and reviewing your book please just message me.
May 21, 2017
I have read one other book by this author & to be honest, it fell firmly onto my “meh” shelf. So when this came my way, I was in no hurry to crack the cover. Boy, was I missing out.
The story revolves around 2 detectives working 2 separate cases. Both have lost loved ones & both will be tested by investigations that hit close to home.
David Groves is a dedicated & well respected cop who plays by the rules. He used to be a husband & a father. Then his 3 year old son was snatched & in the aftermath, he lost himself in his work while his ex-wife lost herself in a bottle.
Two years on he gets the call. Tiny human remains have been found in a wooded area. He may not be able to identify what’s left of his son but there’s no mistaking the well worn Winnie the Pooh bear that lies beside him.
Mark Nelson is fairly new to the area. After a personal tragedy, he packed up & moved across country in an attempt to start again. Now he’s engaged to Sasha, a cop with the SWAT team. He’s been handed a real head scratcher of a case. A confused young woman was found collapsed on the street & taken to hospital. Initially, all she can tell them is her name. Charlie Matheson. Which is great….except Charlie Matheson was killed in a car accident 2 years ago.
In alternate chapters, we follow the men as they become swept up in 2 separate & increasingly bizarre cases. As the investigations progress, you become engrossed by the characters you meet & events that seem to throw up more questions than answers.
As the pages turned, I became more & more uneasy but the effect is so subtle, I don’t even know when it began. There’s an undercurrent of menace, a feeling that something disturbing might be lurking in the next chapter & you fear for these characters that you’ve come to care about. Instead of graphic descriptions, the author achieves this by giving you just enough detail to allow your imagination to run amok & fill in the blanks. At about the 2/3 mark, there’s a what-the-hell moment that I never saw coming & I actually stopped reading & scrambled back a few pages to make sure I’d read it correctly. Well done, Mr. Mosby, you got me.
This is a fine example of a character driven thriller. The pace gradually ramps up with most action reserved for the final few chapters when the horrific big picture emerges. But equal time is devoted to character development so you’re well & truly invested in the fate of the 2 MC’s. There is a previous book entitled “The 50/50 Killer” that is connected to this one but enough info is provided so you get the gist of that story.
So…lesson learned. If this had come in a plain wrapper, I’d never have guessed it was written by the author of the other book. It’s a smart, intricately plotted & haunting story that might stick to you for awhile after you’re done.
The story revolves around 2 detectives working 2 separate cases. Both have lost loved ones & both will be tested by investigations that hit close to home.
David Groves is a dedicated & well respected cop who plays by the rules. He used to be a husband & a father. Then his 3 year old son was snatched & in the aftermath, he lost himself in his work while his ex-wife lost herself in a bottle.
Two years on he gets the call. Tiny human remains have been found in a wooded area. He may not be able to identify what’s left of his son but there’s no mistaking the well worn Winnie the Pooh bear that lies beside him.
Mark Nelson is fairly new to the area. After a personal tragedy, he packed up & moved across country in an attempt to start again. Now he’s engaged to Sasha, a cop with the SWAT team. He’s been handed a real head scratcher of a case. A confused young woman was found collapsed on the street & taken to hospital. Initially, all she can tell them is her name. Charlie Matheson. Which is great….except Charlie Matheson was killed in a car accident 2 years ago.
In alternate chapters, we follow the men as they become swept up in 2 separate & increasingly bizarre cases. As the investigations progress, you become engrossed by the characters you meet & events that seem to throw up more questions than answers.
As the pages turned, I became more & more uneasy but the effect is so subtle, I don’t even know when it began. There’s an undercurrent of menace, a feeling that something disturbing might be lurking in the next chapter & you fear for these characters that you’ve come to care about. Instead of graphic descriptions, the author achieves this by giving you just enough detail to allow your imagination to run amok & fill in the blanks. At about the 2/3 mark, there’s a what-the-hell moment that I never saw coming & I actually stopped reading & scrambled back a few pages to make sure I’d read it correctly. Well done, Mr. Mosby, you got me.
This is a fine example of a character driven thriller. The pace gradually ramps up with most action reserved for the final few chapters when the horrific big picture emerges. But equal time is devoted to character development so you’re well & truly invested in the fate of the 2 MC’s. There is a previous book entitled “The 50/50 Killer” that is connected to this one but enough info is provided so you get the gist of that story.
So…lesson learned. If this had come in a plain wrapper, I’d never have guessed it was written by the author of the other book. It’s a smart, intricately plotted & haunting story that might stick to you for awhile after you’re done.
December 5, 2015
This was a really satisfying read from Steve Mosby.
I have read some fast paced awesome books this year but this was well 'up there' in my list of Must reads
This book is like an ever ready battery, it just keeps on going and going and going, you just can't leave it alone until you have it finished.
I didn't realize this was a a move on from the first book 50/50 killer, it was fine me reading this as a stand alone but I really felt I would have been served better information if I had known this and read the previous book.
How can someone come back from the dead, looking exactly like that person who was involved in an accident. Have the same scares. But had been buried?
Is this person mad?
The detective handling the case lost his son in previous years, and each year he gets a card on his birthday from his son.....
But one year he gets a card which says I know who did it
These two mysteries are entwined and as we read along the suspense builds.
This is an awesome read as only this author can build.
*My thanks to Orion Publishing Group via Net Galley for my copy*
August 17, 2015
Well now I obviously DO know who did it having just turned the final page. But really, that doesn't matter because this novel, a sequel to the 50/50 killer (another top crime tale from this author which it's not absolutely necessary to read prior although I would if I were you)is not so much about that.
It is of course, a mystery, a conundrum to solve but this is so much more, although I'll struggle to tell you how without spoilers but I'll do my best.
For a start it's quite a conundrum. I mean what do you do with a woman who turns up, injured, claiming to have returned from the dead - especially when it turns out that she did in fact die in a fatal car accident years ago. You would most likely assume that she was traumatised and was actually somebody else. Well we all know what assume can do..
And that is just the start - Steve Mosby then leads you on a compelling and utterly gripping journey towards truth that is at turns poignant and moving as well as being downright addictive - when I said it was more this is what I was referring to. The pure emotional responses elicited throughout the book and incredibly so in the final moments just meant that I seriously couldnt care less "whodunnit" at that point I just wanted a happy ending dammit!!
I'm deliberately not giving away plot details but suffice to say our main characters are put through the wringer, there are strong themes of love, loss and redemption throughout the telling of this brilliantly constructed story and it is without doubt one of the top crime novels of the year for me so far. Possibly even one of the top novels in any genre.
And if that's not enough to get you reading, there is also a completely jaw dropping moment that had me throwing the kindle aside and letting out a yell - which woke up my 4 year old who was asleep beside me but seriously the child should know better than to nap in the vicinity of Mum reading a darn good yarn - he'll learn.
Did I get my happy ending? Well my lips are sealed but I will say that "I know Who Did It" is an emotionally resonant, multi-layered crime drama with some characters so full of depth and reality that they pop off the page and one that will stay with me for a long long time.
Don't miss this one.
Happy Reading Folks!
It is of course, a mystery, a conundrum to solve but this is so much more, although I'll struggle to tell you how without spoilers but I'll do my best.
For a start it's quite a conundrum. I mean what do you do with a woman who turns up, injured, claiming to have returned from the dead - especially when it turns out that she did in fact die in a fatal car accident years ago. You would most likely assume that she was traumatised and was actually somebody else. Well we all know what assume can do..
And that is just the start - Steve Mosby then leads you on a compelling and utterly gripping journey towards truth that is at turns poignant and moving as well as being downright addictive - when I said it was more this is what I was referring to. The pure emotional responses elicited throughout the book and incredibly so in the final moments just meant that I seriously couldnt care less "whodunnit" at that point I just wanted a happy ending dammit!!
I'm deliberately not giving away plot details but suffice to say our main characters are put through the wringer, there are strong themes of love, loss and redemption throughout the telling of this brilliantly constructed story and it is without doubt one of the top crime novels of the year for me so far. Possibly even one of the top novels in any genre.
And if that's not enough to get you reading, there is also a completely jaw dropping moment that had me throwing the kindle aside and letting out a yell - which woke up my 4 year old who was asleep beside me but seriously the child should know better than to nap in the vicinity of Mum reading a darn good yarn - he'll learn.
Did I get my happy ending? Well my lips are sealed but I will say that "I know Who Did It" is an emotionally resonant, multi-layered crime drama with some characters so full of depth and reality that they pop off the page and one that will stay with me for a long long time.
Don't miss this one.
Happy Reading Folks!
September 25, 2016
Well.... I have to say going into this book I had expectations that it wasn't going to be very good. But, man was I wrong!
I really enjoyed reading this book. Definitely disturbing and creepy in some aspects.
What I really enjoyed most about this book was how it told different stories of all the main characters but yet how it all had such a powerful twist/connection at the end.
I wasn't familiar with this author before but I am vey impressed with his writing style! :)
I really enjoyed reading this book. Definitely disturbing and creepy in some aspects.
What I really enjoyed most about this book was how it told different stories of all the main characters but yet how it all had such a powerful twist/connection at the end.
I wasn't familiar with this author before but I am vey impressed with his writing style! :)
January 1, 2016
I hadn’t read anything by Steve Mosby before but after this killer read, I certainly want to read more now, in particular, a previous novel, The 50/50 Killer, which is referred to in this book. I didn’t feel that I had missed out by not reading that one first as I Know Who Did It can easily be read as a standalone but the 50/50 story sounds so terrifyingly intriguing and menacing and features some of the same characters.
Anyway, back to I Know Who Did It. Two detectives, Mark Nelson and David Groves are investigating different cases – one involving a woman who claims to have returned from the dead following a fatal car crash two years before and the other a murdered child – the child of David Groves. With complex and sophisticated plotting, Steve Mosby has created a thrilling crime story that I raced through in just a day and a half. Whilst this is not a high speed action thriller, there is plenty of pace and tension with focus on the characters. Both Nelson and Groves have their own back story with issues and grief to deal with and their flaws and vulnerabilities are laid bare. The storyline is dark and disturbing. Cruel manipulation along with the concept of Heaven and Hell are explored here, and there certainly are some twisted and macabre minds at work.
To give a more rounded feel to the story, the chapters are told from the POV of different characters, however they are all clearly marked and there is no confusion as to whose voice is narrating.
The twist in this story was just incredible and made me rethink all that I had read. If you’re looking for something a little different in the crime fiction genre then this is a fabulous read and Steve Mosby is now on my list of authors to watch out for.
I received my copy via the Goodreads First Reads programme.
Anyway, back to I Know Who Did It. Two detectives, Mark Nelson and David Groves are investigating different cases – one involving a woman who claims to have returned from the dead following a fatal car crash two years before and the other a murdered child – the child of David Groves. With complex and sophisticated plotting, Steve Mosby has created a thrilling crime story that I raced through in just a day and a half. Whilst this is not a high speed action thriller, there is plenty of pace and tension with focus on the characters. Both Nelson and Groves have their own back story with issues and grief to deal with and their flaws and vulnerabilities are laid bare. The storyline is dark and disturbing. Cruel manipulation along with the concept of Heaven and Hell are explored here, and there certainly are some twisted and macabre minds at work.
To give a more rounded feel to the story, the chapters are told from the POV of different characters, however they are all clearly marked and there is no confusion as to whose voice is narrating.
The twist in this story was just incredible and made me rethink all that I had read. If you’re looking for something a little different in the crime fiction genre then this is a fabulous read and Steve Mosby is now on my list of authors to watch out for.
I received my copy via the Goodreads First Reads programme.
November 13, 2018
I'm having a hard time rating this book- 3 is too little and 4 is too much. First- I like to read books IN ORDER..... Even though you 'could' read this as a stand alone ( I did, anyway) the first book The 50/50 killer is mentioned in this book a lot- along with one of the main characters Mark Nelson. Sooooo to be honest- I wished I had read that book first. Having said that, this was a very good read- I enjoyed all the characters - I did get confused towards the end, and I was wondering if I had missed anything from the beginning of the book - I know, now I'm confusing you ----- it all came together , finally for me - I'm just not sure if it was me - or the way the book was written - either way- I would say read The 50/50 killer first, then this book - I hope I'm not confusing anyone ;-)
November 1, 2016
A rare dud from the usually great Steve Mosby. Perhaps I missed out on some of the gravitas of the main case in this book flashing back to the 50/50 Killer since I haven't read that one yet, but the inclusion of the great detective Mercer fell flat for me, the concurrent cases didn't mesh well, and honestly, I am so not into reading about .
October 8, 2016
Nice solid mystery. The author told the story through two points of view- for the most part- and it came together nicely at the end. Nice pacing and character development. I cared about what happened to the main characters and it was pretty believable too.
I'll read another one by Mosby.
I'll read another one by Mosby.
July 27, 2020
Ech, kaip aš mėgstu tokias knygas! Skaitėsi lengvai ir greitai, intriga išlaikyta iki pat pabaigos, o ir istorija ne eilinė. Nesu mistikos knygose mėgėja, bet čia užsiminimas apie prisikėlimą iš numirusių manęs netrikdė. Žinojau, kad už viso to turi slypėti logiškas paaiškinimas. Ir, žinoma, pačioje pabaigoje viskas gana aiškiai stoja į savo vietas. Patiko Marko personažas, jo asmenybei, charakteriui šioj daly skirta daugiau dėmesio, nei pirmojoje.
March 19, 2023
"Ir Jinai pavadino Jį Velniu, nes Jis buvo nedoras vaikas su blogiu širdyje. Ir Jis norėjo, kad Jinai Jį mylėtų, bet Jinai negalėjo. Ir Jinai pavadino Jo brolį Dievu, nes Jo dorybė ir gerumas buvo akivaizdūs. Ir kai Jis nuėjo pas Ją į rojų, Ji nežinodavo, kuris Jisai buvo, ir kai kuriomis dienomis Jinai spjaudydavo ant Jo, o kitomis labai mylėjo, kaip Jis visada troško, ir taip Jis tapo Jais".
Geras ir painus 50/50 žudikas knygos tęsinys. Daug įtampos, intrigos, greitai susiskaitė.
Geras ir painus 50/50 žudikas knygos tęsinys. Daug įtampos, intrigos, greitai susiskaitė.
August 20, 2016
In a word, wow!
My thanks to my contacts at Pegasus Books, Iris Blasi, Katie McGuire, and Maia Larson, for my advance reading copy of this book. You ladies rock!
My review will be less detailed than usual, because I don’t wish to spoil the experience that any reader will have while reading this brilliant mystery/thriller. What I do mention should not spoil anything, but in case I let more loose than I intend, this serves as a WARNING…
Detective Mark Nelson is haunted by his past. His girlfriend Lise was drowned when the two were caught by tidal currents while swimming in the ocean. The image of that day plays over and over in his thoughts and in his dreams. But the dead cannot return—
Only now he is being asked to investigate a woman who has apparently done just that. Two years ago, Charlie Matheson died in a car crash, ejected through the windshield as the car hit a tree. Those facts are recorded by the police and firefighters who worked the accident and the coroner who did the autopsy.
Now a woman claiming to be Charlie Matheson surfaces, her face a pattern of scars she says represents her sins. When asked where she has been, she says she was dead and in hell…
Detective David Groves is also haunted by his past. His son was kidnapped, murdered, and buried in the woods. But every year on his son’s birthday he gets a card from some mysterious person. This year the card is worse than usual. There is writing inside that says, “I know who did it…”
This novel may well be the best mystery/thriller I have read all year. The two separate cases are presented alternately throughout, and by the time they come together the resulting tidal wave of emotion and excitement will sweep the reader away! This author is almost magical in his ability to immerse the reader in the story as if you were there watching and experiencing the action take place!
I will give this excellent novel five stars plus!
Quoth the Raven…
My thanks to my contacts at Pegasus Books, Iris Blasi, Katie McGuire, and Maia Larson, for my advance reading copy of this book. You ladies rock!
My review will be less detailed than usual, because I don’t wish to spoil the experience that any reader will have while reading this brilliant mystery/thriller. What I do mention should not spoil anything, but in case I let more loose than I intend, this serves as a WARNING…
Detective Mark Nelson is haunted by his past. His girlfriend Lise was drowned when the two were caught by tidal currents while swimming in the ocean. The image of that day plays over and over in his thoughts and in his dreams. But the dead cannot return—
Only now he is being asked to investigate a woman who has apparently done just that. Two years ago, Charlie Matheson died in a car crash, ejected through the windshield as the car hit a tree. Those facts are recorded by the police and firefighters who worked the accident and the coroner who did the autopsy.
Now a woman claiming to be Charlie Matheson surfaces, her face a pattern of scars she says represents her sins. When asked where she has been, she says she was dead and in hell…
Detective David Groves is also haunted by his past. His son was kidnapped, murdered, and buried in the woods. But every year on his son’s birthday he gets a card from some mysterious person. This year the card is worse than usual. There is writing inside that says, “I know who did it…”
This novel may well be the best mystery/thriller I have read all year. The two separate cases are presented alternately throughout, and by the time they come together the resulting tidal wave of emotion and excitement will sweep the reader away! This author is almost magical in his ability to immerse the reader in the story as if you were there watching and experiencing the action take place!
I will give this excellent novel five stars plus!
Quoth the Raven…
February 20, 2017
Two crimes dominate this novel. The three year old son of Detective David Groves goes missing and the detective is later called upon to identify a skeleton. Also, Detective Mark Nelson is sent to question a woman calling herself Charlie Matheson who claims she died in a car accident two years ago and has been in Hell. Charlie's face is marred by intricate scars and she says the Devil carved up her face because she was a sinner.
The stories are told by different characters and the author clearly labels each chapter with the person's name so it's easy to keep up with who's telling the tale. However, until I'd read 85% of the novel, I had no indication that Detective Groves had been missing for three years. The book read like these crimes occurred concurrently. I think I would have been less confused as to what was happening if I'd known this fact. But I guess that was part of the intent of the story. I might have missed something in a previous book, The 50/50 Killer, because I saw a lot of references to this dead killer.
The stories are told by different characters and the author clearly labels each chapter with the person's name so it's easy to keep up with who's telling the tale. However, until I'd read 85% of the novel, I had no indication that Detective Groves had been missing for three years. The book read like these crimes occurred concurrently. I think I would have been less confused as to what was happening if I'd known this fact. But I guess that was part of the intent of the story. I might have missed something in a previous book, The 50/50 Killer, because I saw a lot of references to this dead killer.
August 4, 2021
Jau ne pirmą šio autoriaus knyga, tačiau jeigu ne skaičius jo knygos apie 50/50 žudiką, kai kurios knygos dalys tikrai būtų nesuprantamos, tad pirmiausia rekomendacija būtų perskaityti "50/50" žudikas: ar mirtum dėl meilės? ". Šį knyga taip pat gerai įtraukianti, verčianti mąstyti, gebanti klaidinti skaitytoją taip kad dar labiau įsitrauktum į knygos turinį. Knygoje paliečiama pedofilijos problema, ateities ir praeities veiksmas taip sudėliotas, kad iš pradžių galima susiklaidinti. Knygos pabaiga visai netikėta, įtempta. 5⭐
February 9, 2020
I don't usually like crime novels all that much, but this one hooked me from the start. Excellent!
October 7, 2016
Mosby puts both his characters and readers through the emotional wringer in this disturbing but utterly compelling tale that serves as a belated sequel to THE 50/50 KILLER (2007).
This is British crime writing of the absolute highest calibre - superb, twisting plot, engaging characters who are nuanced and layered, smooth and stylish prose, and packing an emotional punch.
Two years after Charlie Matheson died in a car crash, a scarred woman using that name is sitting in a hospital bed drip-feeding her story to a disbelieving Detective Mark Nelson. She claims to have died and gone to hell for her sins, before returning from the dead. She’s crazy, right? Nelson knows people don’t come back from the dead. His first love Lise didn’t after she drowned on vacation, and neither did Detective David Grove’s three-year-old son, wrenched from his life, killed by a paedophile ring.
Both detectives have moved on (well, somewhat, kind of...), but as they each separately investigate mysterious incidents, a malevolent shadow starts coming to light. Could Charlie really be telling the truth? If so, what hell has she been through for two years? If not, just what game is being played?
As Nelson delves into Charlie's story, and pulls at the threads it reveals, there seem to be some eerie connections to the renowned case of the 50/50 Killer - but that was solved years ago. Just what is going on? In I KNOW WHO DID IT, Mosby's storytelling is like a dirty fingernail scratching your forearm in the dark. There's a constant, unsettling sense of menace, of lurking evil.
Mosby isn't afraid to wade deep into the darker end of the crime pool: child abduction, torture, good versus evil on a grand scale. But he tackles such issues authentically and in such a manner that it never feels schlock or 'torture porn'. Everything fits, and is necessary. His characters are complex and conflicted, drawing us in as readers as much as the plotline, which is intricately thatched.
Creepy and masterful, I KNOW WHO DID IT will spin your head, tug at your heart, and punch you in the gut. When you recover, you'll be scrabbling to grab another Steve Mosby tale.
This is British crime writing of the absolute highest calibre - superb, twisting plot, engaging characters who are nuanced and layered, smooth and stylish prose, and packing an emotional punch.
Two years after Charlie Matheson died in a car crash, a scarred woman using that name is sitting in a hospital bed drip-feeding her story to a disbelieving Detective Mark Nelson. She claims to have died and gone to hell for her sins, before returning from the dead. She’s crazy, right? Nelson knows people don’t come back from the dead. His first love Lise didn’t after she drowned on vacation, and neither did Detective David Grove’s three-year-old son, wrenched from his life, killed by a paedophile ring.
Both detectives have moved on (well, somewhat, kind of...), but as they each separately investigate mysterious incidents, a malevolent shadow starts coming to light. Could Charlie really be telling the truth? If so, what hell has she been through for two years? If not, just what game is being played?
As Nelson delves into Charlie's story, and pulls at the threads it reveals, there seem to be some eerie connections to the renowned case of the 50/50 Killer - but that was solved years ago. Just what is going on? In I KNOW WHO DID IT, Mosby's storytelling is like a dirty fingernail scratching your forearm in the dark. There's a constant, unsettling sense of menace, of lurking evil.
Mosby isn't afraid to wade deep into the darker end of the crime pool: child abduction, torture, good versus evil on a grand scale. But he tackles such issues authentically and in such a manner that it never feels schlock or 'torture porn'. Everything fits, and is necessary. His characters are complex and conflicted, drawing us in as readers as much as the plotline, which is intricately thatched.
Creepy and masterful, I KNOW WHO DID IT will spin your head, tug at your heart, and punch you in the gut. When you recover, you'll be scrabbling to grab another Steve Mosby tale.
October 23, 2015
Review by www.snazzybooks.com
I can’t believe how great this novel is! I wasn’t expecting anything in particular when I started it; I thought it would be another standard crime novel- hopefully a good one!- but more of what I’ve read before. I was wrong- this really stands out amongst the crowd as an excellent, fast-paced novel that keeps you guessing until the end.
I didn’t realise when I started this that it’s actually a sequel to a previous novel by Steve Mosby: The 50/50 Killer. I certainly think I would have probably picked up on more clues or hints if I’d read the first novel, but I feel like I understood it all just fine without having done so.
This novel, although fitting perfectly into the crime/thriller genre, is somehow different to all the others out there. It is more complex, more exciting and more clever than many crime novels I’ve read. It doesn’t try to create a whirlwind of activity and action for the reader but instead moves at a good pace that isn’t too quick. It gives just enough information for the reader to slowly understand what is/ was happening, whilst keeping you hooked into the story and invested in the characters.
I don’t want to say too much about I Know Who Did It, as it’s better to just get stuck in and enjoy Steve Mosby’s great writing and characters. Though its storyline is, at times, quite dark and disturbing, it’s certainly an enjoyable and intriguing read that I’ll be strongly recommending to any crime lovers!
I can’t believe how great this novel is! I wasn’t expecting anything in particular when I started it; I thought it would be another standard crime novel- hopefully a good one!- but more of what I’ve read before. I was wrong- this really stands out amongst the crowd as an excellent, fast-paced novel that keeps you guessing until the end.
I didn’t realise when I started this that it’s actually a sequel to a previous novel by Steve Mosby: The 50/50 Killer. I certainly think I would have probably picked up on more clues or hints if I’d read the first novel, but I feel like I understood it all just fine without having done so.
This novel, although fitting perfectly into the crime/thriller genre, is somehow different to all the others out there. It is more complex, more exciting and more clever than many crime novels I’ve read. It doesn’t try to create a whirlwind of activity and action for the reader but instead moves at a good pace that isn’t too quick. It gives just enough information for the reader to slowly understand what is/ was happening, whilst keeping you hooked into the story and invested in the characters.
I don’t want to say too much about I Know Who Did It, as it’s better to just get stuck in and enjoy Steve Mosby’s great writing and characters. Though its storyline is, at times, quite dark and disturbing, it’s certainly an enjoyable and intriguing read that I’ll be strongly recommending to any crime lovers!
January 15, 2016
I do know who did it now... A fantastic, well written novel which had me glued to the pages until I finished it. There were red herrings and shocks galore but the strangest thing was feeling as if I'd read the entire book before. Literally, it felt like this was something I read years ago... One of life's great mysteries.
February 13, 2023
Gerai supinta/susukta istorija, o gal net kelios 🤔 ir taip, t.y. 50/50 zudikas tesinys... dalinasi, nes cia keli ivykiai yr supinti, labai svarbu chronologija...
April 25, 2020
Įdomus ir įtemptas trileris. Pabaigą nuspėjama, bet pats siužetas kompensavo. Įdomu ir tai, kad buvo tęsiama ir 50/50 žudiko istorija. Patiko, rekomenduoju.
February 12, 2017
This book, a follow up to Mosby's The 50/50 Killer , was excellent. While it is probably readable as a stand alone, it's much more nuanced if you've read the earlier book first. Despite my attempt to avoid books that are about bad things happening to children, this is another one; yet, the book is still so good that I can't help but recommend it highly.
I've read lots and lots of thrillers, but this had a very unique plot: a woman shows up, dazed, at the site of a fatal accident that took place two years ago. But she insists that was HER accident and she has been dead--in Hell--since the accident and has just now returned to the living. There is a parallel plot with a detective whose son had been kidnapped years ago, too, and these stories come together with some additional parallels from the 50/50 killer case.
I don't know if we'll see these characters and maybe even more on this story line again (there could be further possibilities for both), but I sure hope so. I plan to start reading Mosby's other work while I hope and wait. This two-book series is top-notch.
I've read lots and lots of thrillers, but this had a very unique plot: a woman shows up, dazed, at the site of a fatal accident that took place two years ago. But she insists that was HER accident and she has been dead--in Hell--since the accident and has just now returned to the living. There is a parallel plot with a detective whose son had been kidnapped years ago, too, and these stories come together with some additional parallels from the 50/50 killer case.
I don't know if we'll see these characters and maybe even more on this story line again (there could be further possibilities for both), but I sure hope so. I plan to start reading Mosby's other work while I hope and wait. This two-book series is top-notch.
September 1, 2020
Mosby's books are marketed as crime, and look, they are: I'm sure he'd hate it if I said anything tacky like they "transcend the genre". I Know Who Did It is rooted in the genre, a police procedural full of twists and turns and whatnot, but... well, it sure as hell scratched my horror itch as well. There's a real sense of dread, of foreboding as this one progresses, a feeling that the characters are caught up in something bleak and devastating with no escape, no backtracking... they can only move forward toward their fate. Like everything I've read of Mosby's, it's a page-turner that makes you feel by turning the pages you're pressing forward into that darkness too. Absolutely brilliant.
January 3, 2018
This is an outstanding novel - extremely clever but also with an emotional punch. I read the final two-thirds in one sitting - I had no desire at all to put it down unfinished.
March 16, 2017
Good writing and good plotting, not super connected to the characters. Almost 200 pages of "these two stories are very nice but when will they intersect - OH!"
December 14, 2018
Rezension von Melanie zu Hölle auf Erden: Thriller von @Steve Mosby
4 von 5 🌟 ein Buch, welches noch lange nahhhallt
Klappentext
"rillant, verstörend, hoch spannend - der neue Psycho-Thriller von Steve Mosby, Englands Meister des Genres.
Charlotte Matheson ist vor zwei Jahren bei einem Autounfall ums Leben gekommen. Doch plötzlich taucht eine Frau mit einem Netz von Schnittnarben im Gesicht auf, die ihr verblüffend ähnlich sieht und behauptet, sie sei Charlie, auferstanden von den Toten. Detective Mark Nelson soll den rätselhaften Fall untersuchen und erfährt von der völlig verstörten Frau schreckliche Dinge aus ihrem Leben nach dem Tod.
Jedes Jahr, pünktlich zum Geburtstag seines Sohnes, bekommt Detective David Groves von einem Unbekannten eine Karte. Obwohl sein Sohn schon lange tot ist. Der Mörder wurde nie gefasst. Doch diesmal gibt es keine Glückwünschkarte, sondern eine seltsame Nachricht: Ich weiß, wer es getan hat.
Ihre Nachforschungen werden für beide Ermittler zu einer Reise in die Finsternis, an einen Ort der Schrecken und skrupelloser Willkür. Wollen sie bis zur Wahrheit vordringen, müssen sie zuerst durch die Hölle gehen und sich ihren tiefsten Ängsten stellen ...
Für Fans von Mark Billingham, Stuart MacBride, Michael Robotham und Val McDermid"
Quelle Amazon Verlag
Meinung
Dies ist mein zweiter Thriller des Autors, der 50/50Killer habe ich verschlungen, denn der Autor packt einen, dreht rechts auf links und spuckt einen wieder aus; und lässt einen sprachlos zurück.
Das Cover ist ansprechend, die Schrift sowohl vom Titel als auch der Name des Autors ist erhaben,und gefällt mir sehr gut!
Zwei Detectives, mit einer Ähnlichen Vergangenheit, der eine David Groves verlor seinen Sohn bei einem Verbrechen, der andere Dektektive Matheson seine Frau bei einem Unfall.
Auf einmal steht eine Frau,die der Toten zum verwechseln ähnlich sieht vor ihm total zufrieden vor ihm und meint sie ist seine Frau und von den Toten auferstanden. Der hinzugerufene Detektive Mark Nelson stellt sofort Ermittlungen an Charlie ist davon überzeugt,das sie ein Leben nach dem Tod hatte und erzählt Düsteres.
David Groves, kann den Tod seines Kindes nicht vergessen, aber wer kann soetwas schon. Bei ihm kommt aber noch eine zusätzliche Komponente hinzu, warum er nicht vergessen kann, denn jedes Jahr zum Todestages erhält er eine blank Postkarte; auch dieses Jahr, aber mit dem Unterschied, das diesmal eine Nachricht auf der Karte steht:" Ich weiß, wer es getan hat!
Bei ihren Ermittlungen kreuzen sich ihre Wege. Es ist schon lange her das ich den 50/50 Killer gelesen habe , vielleicht liegt es daran, denn dies soll eine Art Fortsetzung sein, allerdings kann ich dies deswegen nicht nachvollziehen.
Aber an manchen Stellen der Ermittlungen stoßen die beiden Detektivgeschichten immer wieder auf die Zeichen von dem Toten Killer. Wobei natürlich auch dieser Faktoren nicht sicher ist! Zu sehr ähneln sich die Indizien. Bei den Ermittlern kommen Zweifel auf!
Ein eigenartiger Fall, aber durchaus spannend und gelungen! Dadurch das es zwei Handlungsstränge gibt die sich gegenseitig bis zum spannenden Finale steigern. Ist die Spannung dauerhaft auf einem hohen Level.
Aber manchmal war es auch teils ein bissel verwirrend, welche Storyline gerade beschrieben wurde, und ich musste etwas zurückblättern um es zu verstehen
Fesselnder Schreibstil und eine durchaus ergreifende Geschichte vereint gleich Spannung pur
Eine echte Leseempfehlung!
Fakten
432 Seiten
TB 14,99 €
Kindle 13,99 €
Erschienen im @Verlagsgruppe Droemer Knaur
Kaufen kann man das Buch direkt beim Verlag bei allen Plattformen, welche Bücher und Ebooks anbieten.
Ich möchte mich beim Verlag für die Verfügung Stellung des Rezensionsexemplares bedanken.
Dies hat keinerlei Einfluss auf meine persönliche Meinung!
Ihr findet diese Rezension auch wie immer auf unserem Blog:
http://ourfavorbooks.blogspot.de/?m=1
4 von 5 🌟 ein Buch, welches noch lange nahhhallt
Klappentext
"rillant, verstörend, hoch spannend - der neue Psycho-Thriller von Steve Mosby, Englands Meister des Genres.
Charlotte Matheson ist vor zwei Jahren bei einem Autounfall ums Leben gekommen. Doch plötzlich taucht eine Frau mit einem Netz von Schnittnarben im Gesicht auf, die ihr verblüffend ähnlich sieht und behauptet, sie sei Charlie, auferstanden von den Toten. Detective Mark Nelson soll den rätselhaften Fall untersuchen und erfährt von der völlig verstörten Frau schreckliche Dinge aus ihrem Leben nach dem Tod.
Jedes Jahr, pünktlich zum Geburtstag seines Sohnes, bekommt Detective David Groves von einem Unbekannten eine Karte. Obwohl sein Sohn schon lange tot ist. Der Mörder wurde nie gefasst. Doch diesmal gibt es keine Glückwünschkarte, sondern eine seltsame Nachricht: Ich weiß, wer es getan hat.
Ihre Nachforschungen werden für beide Ermittler zu einer Reise in die Finsternis, an einen Ort der Schrecken und skrupelloser Willkür. Wollen sie bis zur Wahrheit vordringen, müssen sie zuerst durch die Hölle gehen und sich ihren tiefsten Ängsten stellen ...
Für Fans von Mark Billingham, Stuart MacBride, Michael Robotham und Val McDermid"
Quelle Amazon Verlag
Meinung
Dies ist mein zweiter Thriller des Autors, der 50/50Killer habe ich verschlungen, denn der Autor packt einen, dreht rechts auf links und spuckt einen wieder aus; und lässt einen sprachlos zurück.
Das Cover ist ansprechend, die Schrift sowohl vom Titel als auch der Name des Autors ist erhaben,und gefällt mir sehr gut!
Zwei Detectives, mit einer Ähnlichen Vergangenheit, der eine David Groves verlor seinen Sohn bei einem Verbrechen, der andere Dektektive Matheson seine Frau bei einem Unfall.
Auf einmal steht eine Frau,die der Toten zum verwechseln ähnlich sieht vor ihm total zufrieden vor ihm und meint sie ist seine Frau und von den Toten auferstanden. Der hinzugerufene Detektive Mark Nelson stellt sofort Ermittlungen an Charlie ist davon überzeugt,das sie ein Leben nach dem Tod hatte und erzählt Düsteres.
David Groves, kann den Tod seines Kindes nicht vergessen, aber wer kann soetwas schon. Bei ihm kommt aber noch eine zusätzliche Komponente hinzu, warum er nicht vergessen kann, denn jedes Jahr zum Todestages erhält er eine blank Postkarte; auch dieses Jahr, aber mit dem Unterschied, das diesmal eine Nachricht auf der Karte steht:" Ich weiß, wer es getan hat!
Bei ihren Ermittlungen kreuzen sich ihre Wege. Es ist schon lange her das ich den 50/50 Killer gelesen habe , vielleicht liegt es daran, denn dies soll eine Art Fortsetzung sein, allerdings kann ich dies deswegen nicht nachvollziehen.
Aber an manchen Stellen der Ermittlungen stoßen die beiden Detektivgeschichten immer wieder auf die Zeichen von dem Toten Killer. Wobei natürlich auch dieser Faktoren nicht sicher ist! Zu sehr ähneln sich die Indizien. Bei den Ermittlern kommen Zweifel auf!
Ein eigenartiger Fall, aber durchaus spannend und gelungen! Dadurch das es zwei Handlungsstränge gibt die sich gegenseitig bis zum spannenden Finale steigern. Ist die Spannung dauerhaft auf einem hohen Level.
Aber manchmal war es auch teils ein bissel verwirrend, welche Storyline gerade beschrieben wurde, und ich musste etwas zurückblättern um es zu verstehen
Fesselnder Schreibstil und eine durchaus ergreifende Geschichte vereint gleich Spannung pur
Eine echte Leseempfehlung!
Fakten
432 Seiten
TB 14,99 €
Kindle 13,99 €
Erschienen im @Verlagsgruppe Droemer Knaur
Kaufen kann man das Buch direkt beim Verlag bei allen Plattformen, welche Bücher und Ebooks anbieten.
Ich möchte mich beim Verlag für die Verfügung Stellung des Rezensionsexemplares bedanken.
Dies hat keinerlei Einfluss auf meine persönliche Meinung!
Ihr findet diese Rezension auch wie immer auf unserem Blog:
http://ourfavorbooks.blogspot.de/?m=1
June 4, 2017
Eine Frau taucht völlig geschunden in einer belebten Fußgängerzone auf. Ihr Gesicht ist von Narben übersät. Sie weiß nur eins: sie ist Charlie Matheson. Problem an der Sache ist nur: Charlie Matheson ist vor 2 Jahren tödlich verunglückt. Während Detective Nelson mit der rätselhaften Frau spricht, erhält Detective Groves unsägliche Nachrichten zum Tode seines kleinen Sohnes. Wer ihm diese schickt, weiß er nicht, aber das Grauen kommt immer näher...
"Hölle auf Erden" war mein dritter Thriller von Steve Mosby und konnte mich leider nicht überzeugen. Sein Debüt "50/50 Killer" habe ich geliebt, "Tote Stimmen" hingegen fand ich langweilig. Und auch das neuste Werk war eine Gratwanderung zwischen toller Story und kaugummiartigem Erzählstil.
Die Geschichte wird abwechselnd von Nelson in der Ich-Perspektive und einem auktorialen Erzähler berichtet. Schon zu Beginn des Thrillers spart Steve Mosby nicht mit grausamen Taten und lässt den Leser direkt spüren, wohin die Reise gehen wird. Das fand ich großartig. Auch die Ermittlungen, die die beiden Detectives anstellen, versprechen sehr viele Wendungen, Hindernisse und Sackgassen. Nelson ist bewandert in Psychologie und so konnte ich die Befragung der unbekannten Frau aus einem psychologischen Blickwinkel verfolgen. Toll!
So spannend die Story auch angelegt ist und so sehr ich auch wollte, eines hinderte mich ab der Hälfte am Weiterlesen: die Erzählweise Steve Mosbys. Dachte ich zu Beginn, er lässt es halt erzählerisch ruhig angehen, merkte ich schnell, dass er sprachlich nicht mit dem Tempo seines Thrillers mithalten konnte. Sowohl der auktoriale Erzähler als auch Detective Nelson hätten mir genauso gut über den berühmten Sack Reis berichten können, es wäre nicht weniger spannender gewesen.
Und so konnte mich nicht mal mehr die wirklich sehr gut angelegte Story bei Laune halten.
Fazit: die Hölle auf Erden starb in einem Sog aus Langatmigkeit. Schade!
"Hölle auf Erden" war mein dritter Thriller von Steve Mosby und konnte mich leider nicht überzeugen. Sein Debüt "50/50 Killer" habe ich geliebt, "Tote Stimmen" hingegen fand ich langweilig. Und auch das neuste Werk war eine Gratwanderung zwischen toller Story und kaugummiartigem Erzählstil.
Die Geschichte wird abwechselnd von Nelson in der Ich-Perspektive und einem auktorialen Erzähler berichtet. Schon zu Beginn des Thrillers spart Steve Mosby nicht mit grausamen Taten und lässt den Leser direkt spüren, wohin die Reise gehen wird. Das fand ich großartig. Auch die Ermittlungen, die die beiden Detectives anstellen, versprechen sehr viele Wendungen, Hindernisse und Sackgassen. Nelson ist bewandert in Psychologie und so konnte ich die Befragung der unbekannten Frau aus einem psychologischen Blickwinkel verfolgen. Toll!
So spannend die Story auch angelegt ist und so sehr ich auch wollte, eines hinderte mich ab der Hälfte am Weiterlesen: die Erzählweise Steve Mosbys. Dachte ich zu Beginn, er lässt es halt erzählerisch ruhig angehen, merkte ich schnell, dass er sprachlich nicht mit dem Tempo seines Thrillers mithalten konnte. Sowohl der auktoriale Erzähler als auch Detective Nelson hätten mir genauso gut über den berühmten Sack Reis berichten können, es wäre nicht weniger spannender gewesen.
Und so konnte mich nicht mal mehr die wirklich sehr gut angelegte Story bei Laune halten.
Fazit: die Hölle auf Erden starb in einem Sog aus Langatmigkeit. Schade!
September 20, 2015
So far this year I have four favourite books. I Know Who Did It is one of them. What I like and admire about Steve Mosby’s writing is that I am continually checking what I think I know about the characters and plot. He is highly adept at giving the impression that one thing is happening when it is something completely different. Naughty. Or, giving few clues at all as to what is happening. I love books like this as they keep me on my toes by adding misdirection to the various mysteries to be solved. And what an unusual collection of mysteries I Know Who Did It presents.
The book starts with a man named David Groves being driven into the woods. The atmosphere shudders with menace and intrigue. I had no idea what to expect but I was on complete tenterhooks, much as one is with a good horror film. Through his son’s clothes and favourite toy, Groves identifies the remains of his son in a pit. Fast forward, and, every year, Groves receives a birthday card for his dead son. This year, however, the card bears the message, ‘I know who did it’. Well, that really sends the birds into the air.
The story then switches to Charlie Matheson who died in a car accident. When a woman is found, who looks like identical to her, and claims to be her, Detective Mark Nelson is called in to investigate. Her account of her death and afterlife are unusual, to say the least. And there you have it. In a few brief chapters you know what you’re dealing with. Or, rather, you don’t: a woman who has come back from the dead and a man who’s receiving cards for his dead son.
This book ticked all the main boxes for me. There are historical crimes and contemporary ones. There are characters who are struggling to come to terms with loss. Furthermore, Mosby is a writer with an extraordinary understanding of the complexities of psychological processes and how morality adds additional considerations to already complicated emotions. When these are combined with notions of heaven and hell, God and the Devil, right and wrong, good and bad, and what constitutes sin, it makes for a heady mix. He weaves these themes into a plot which, trust me, will blow your mind. More than this I can’t say without spoilers.
The structure of the book works well and the reader hears various points of view, with Mark in first person. I warmed to his character and sympathised with his difficulties and conflicted feelings. The shifts between viewpoints are clearly indicated.
I could see thriller and horror elements and influences running through the book in addition to the crime set-up (although don’t want to say too much about these). There was a sense of time running out and this gave the novel a tense pace throughout. I never knew when someone was going to do something awful either to themselves or to another person. I was curious to know how Mosby was going to explain the various crimes and whether they might be linked. There were a number of game-changing plot twists, several of which literally had me grunt, OMG, through a clenched jaw, once I had returned to earth from their three sixty degree spin. And then immediately read on to find out what was going to happen.
Something else which I liked about the book is the way in which some of Mosby’s characters reflect on their lives, and on how motivation and actions converge. Integrity is an important theme, along with the conflicts that can arise when being true to one’s own feelings can result in feelings of disloyalty. It is a story about how difficult it can often be to do ‘the right thing’, or even to know what that is sometimes. It’s also a story about how difficult it can be to forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. Mosby’s writing speaks to the human condition with sophistication, subtlety and insight. There is no moralising or preaching: just a lot of questions which will worm their way into your wondering brain.
I hope we see more of Mark and Sasha. Mercer’s role was a little vague for me but this book has made me want to read the 50/50 Killer now (not necessary – I Know Who Did It is self-contained) to find out what happened on that case and what the deal is with him.
I wasn’t sure where this novel is set as, unless I missed it, no actual place names are mentioned. There is reference to towns and woods, and description of both, but I wasn’t sure if we were in London or the North of England. I then started to wonder if this bothered me. It didn’t. This raises an interesting question about whether stories need to be anchored in an identifiable location or whether imagination is sufficient. Towards the end of the book a place is mentioned which I know well – a fictionalised version in the book – and I found it hard then not to map events onto my knowledge of that place and its history. I then realised that was pointless as it’s a bit like readers mentioning in reviews that a particular bus doesn’t go up a particular street. It’s fiction!
In sum, I highly recommend I Know Who Did It. It crackles with menace, there’s plenty at stake, and the plot is unlike any other I have read. I seriously challenge you to guess its resolution! I think Mosby is one of the best male crime writers around. More, please.
My review copy was obtained from NetGalley. With thanks to the author and publisher for this. Publication date is 24th September. Originally posted here: http://vickynewhamwriter.com/2015/09/...
The book starts with a man named David Groves being driven into the woods. The atmosphere shudders with menace and intrigue. I had no idea what to expect but I was on complete tenterhooks, much as one is with a good horror film. Through his son’s clothes and favourite toy, Groves identifies the remains of his son in a pit. Fast forward, and, every year, Groves receives a birthday card for his dead son. This year, however, the card bears the message, ‘I know who did it’. Well, that really sends the birds into the air.
The story then switches to Charlie Matheson who died in a car accident. When a woman is found, who looks like identical to her, and claims to be her, Detective Mark Nelson is called in to investigate. Her account of her death and afterlife are unusual, to say the least. And there you have it. In a few brief chapters you know what you’re dealing with. Or, rather, you don’t: a woman who has come back from the dead and a man who’s receiving cards for his dead son.
This book ticked all the main boxes for me. There are historical crimes and contemporary ones. There are characters who are struggling to come to terms with loss. Furthermore, Mosby is a writer with an extraordinary understanding of the complexities of psychological processes and how morality adds additional considerations to already complicated emotions. When these are combined with notions of heaven and hell, God and the Devil, right and wrong, good and bad, and what constitutes sin, it makes for a heady mix. He weaves these themes into a plot which, trust me, will blow your mind. More than this I can’t say without spoilers.
The structure of the book works well and the reader hears various points of view, with Mark in first person. I warmed to his character and sympathised with his difficulties and conflicted feelings. The shifts between viewpoints are clearly indicated.
I could see thriller and horror elements and influences running through the book in addition to the crime set-up (although don’t want to say too much about these). There was a sense of time running out and this gave the novel a tense pace throughout. I never knew when someone was going to do something awful either to themselves or to another person. I was curious to know how Mosby was going to explain the various crimes and whether they might be linked. There were a number of game-changing plot twists, several of which literally had me grunt, OMG, through a clenched jaw, once I had returned to earth from their three sixty degree spin. And then immediately read on to find out what was going to happen.
Something else which I liked about the book is the way in which some of Mosby’s characters reflect on their lives, and on how motivation and actions converge. Integrity is an important theme, along with the conflicts that can arise when being true to one’s own feelings can result in feelings of disloyalty. It is a story about how difficult it can often be to do ‘the right thing’, or even to know what that is sometimes. It’s also a story about how difficult it can be to forgive ourselves when we make mistakes. Mosby’s writing speaks to the human condition with sophistication, subtlety and insight. There is no moralising or preaching: just a lot of questions which will worm their way into your wondering brain.
I hope we see more of Mark and Sasha. Mercer’s role was a little vague for me but this book has made me want to read the 50/50 Killer now (not necessary – I Know Who Did It is self-contained) to find out what happened on that case and what the deal is with him.
I wasn’t sure where this novel is set as, unless I missed it, no actual place names are mentioned. There is reference to towns and woods, and description of both, but I wasn’t sure if we were in London or the North of England. I then started to wonder if this bothered me. It didn’t. This raises an interesting question about whether stories need to be anchored in an identifiable location or whether imagination is sufficient. Towards the end of the book a place is mentioned which I know well – a fictionalised version in the book – and I found it hard then not to map events onto my knowledge of that place and its history. I then realised that was pointless as it’s a bit like readers mentioning in reviews that a particular bus doesn’t go up a particular street. It’s fiction!
In sum, I highly recommend I Know Who Did It. It crackles with menace, there’s plenty at stake, and the plot is unlike any other I have read. I seriously challenge you to guess its resolution! I think Mosby is one of the best male crime writers around. More, please.
My review copy was obtained from NetGalley. With thanks to the author and publisher for this. Publication date is 24th September. Originally posted here: http://vickynewhamwriter.com/2015/09/...
December 3, 2017
A thriller/horror novel. Intricately plotted and gripping. I found the beginning so all-over-the-place it was difficult to see how the disparate strands could be connected in any manner, but of course they were connected. Mosby skillfully joined the dots as the novel progressed and at the end, all was revealed. I don't enjoy horror, so much of the novel didn't appeal to me, but it was very engrossing and I kept turning the pages until the bitter end. Not really my cup of tea, but well-written and plotted.
January 2, 2022
Absolutely outstanding! So creepy but definitely a thriller. My first 5 star review! I had my jaw dropped for at least 70% of the book. If you’re looking for a good mystery/thriller and can think of this not as “real life”, this book is for you. I’ll be looking for more from this author
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