I Know You

DI Emma Locke #1

by Louise Mullins

London.

A mother's world falls apart the day the police come knocking to tell her that her son is dead. Murdered, apparently without motive, outside a fast food restaurant. But when a witness comes forward, Honour realises her beloved son had a secret life beyond anything she imagined...

Newport.

When a hit and run incident nearly kills Sinead and her children, she is forced to face the truth. Someone wants her dead. She knows exactly what he looks like. But he seems to know her too. All her secrets. All her lies. Everything she tried to leave behind.

Something connects these two cases. And as the stakes rise, DI Locke must untangle the web of deceit – before someone else dies.

I Know You is the first in a gripping new crime thriller series featuring DI Emma Locke, perfect for fans of Cara Hunter and Carol Wyer.

248 pages, ebook

First published August 20, 2020

About the author

Published by Fortress & Aria Fiction (HoZ).

Dubbed the Queen of Domestic Noir, Louise Mullins' titles often delve into the darker aspects of the human psyche where more often than not somebody a little close to home knows more than they're willing to admit. So far her novels involve the murky world of addiction, child abuse, serial killers, missing women, rape, kidnapping, murder, domestic violence, drug smuggling, human trafficking, and arms dealing.

Louise Mullins is a critically acclaimed, international best-selling author of psychological crime and procedural thrillers.

Louise Mullins writes full-time using the experience she gained in a prior life working in the field of forensic mental health and psychological therapy, working with offenders and survivors of serious crimes.

Keep up to date on Louise Mullins' latest releases via GoodReads, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram using the following links:

Websites:
https://www.louisemullinsauthor@wix.com/

Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/mullinsauthor/

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/MullinsAuthor/

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MullinsAuthor

Reviews

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are 2 storylines running parallel throughout this book but they do not at first appear o be connected.

A stabbing of a young man outside of a fast food restaurant, his mother is desperate to find out what happened to him and find out who killed her son.

A young mother Sinead is driving her car in Newport when another car tries to drive her off the road, she soon realises that this wasn’t an accident and that someone is trying to kill her. How can these 2 separate incidents be connected?

This is the first book in the D.I Emma Locke series so I am looking forward to discovering more about her.

A book that will keep you gripped and will keep you guessing until the ending!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

In London: a mother cries over her son.. who was brutally murdered in broad daylight, outside a fast food restaurant. A witness comes forward and the boy's mother learns things she never knew about her son.

In Newport: A mother and her children are nearly killed with a car rams them. She knows who it is .. he's done this to her before. He seems to know all her secrets .. and lies. She's left her life before ... is she going to have to do it again?

DI Emma Locke and her team are called in to investigate. At first glance, nothing ties these cases together. But there are other deaths .. other attempts to murder. Locke will need to either tie these cases together ... or find two culprits .. before anyone else dies. Locke has another problem ... there may be corruption within her team.

This is an interesting, well-written novel with an intricate plot and featuring deftly drawn characters. Action packed, this is a riveting page turner leading to an unexpected conclusion.

Many thanks to the author / Aria & Aries / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[Vanessa Menezes · Rating 2 out of 5]

The premise of the book was great and exciting but sadly I did not enjoy this one as much as I would have like too.

There were two different plots going on at the same time in this book. While all the characters were well written and the ending were the two plots came together was good. I felt that the narration was slow and could have been better.

Thank You to NetGalley and Aria & Aries for this ARC!

[Elaine Tomasso · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would like to thank Netgalley and Aria & Aries for an advance copy of I Know You, the first novel to feature DI Emma Locke.

Honour’s son Steven is knifed to death in Croydon. Sinead is almost killed when her car is deliberately run off the road in Newport. What connects these two cases?

I Know You has an interesting premise, two completely different attacks set in different countries, ok Wales and England so that’s a matter of interpretation, and two different outcomes. The hook is compelling, are they linked, initially we only have the author’s word for that, and if so what links them? Unfortunately the execution of the novel lets this exciting start fade away rapidly. Personally, I got lost in trying to keep up with the detail to the extent that I found other things to do than pick it up to continue reading. It took me days rather than my habitual hours to finish it and that’s a shame as there are some good things in it.

The main problem with the novel is that it has four narrators, Honour and DS Maguire in Croydon and Sinead and DI Locke in Newport, all of whom tell their story in the first person. There is no one to identify with as they all get equal billing and just as you settle in to one narrator it changes again. The Croydon story is so complicated, involving a host of characters, drugs and knife crime, that I gave up trying to sort it out and fit it in to the narrative. With so many competing voices all this detail gets lost in the time devoted to it. I don’t think the format and the complicated plot of interlinking relationships are a good fit. Less detail or fewer voices would have worked better. By the end I couldn’t have cared less who did what. The Newport story is more a case of trying to understand Sinead as she is obviously keeping secrets.

All the women are strong characters with the detectives being fairly interchangeable or so it seems to me. That leaves Honour and Sinead who are totally different. Honour, as her name suggests, is a decent woman who just wants to know who killed her son and why. She gets some shocks along the way but never deviates from her course. Sinead is secretive and has a tumultuous personal life. I couldn’t be bothered with her attitude so I didn’t find her likeable.

There are good things in this novel, like the characterisation and the writing which has moments of tension and sadness, but they’re hidden by the lack of central focus.

[Julie Lacey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great crime thriller.
It alternates between two stories to start with - the first being a teenage boy being stabbed to death on the street in Croydon and his Mum trying to cope afterwards.
The second is Sinead being hit several times in her car, and someone trying to force her off the road in Wales.
It takes a while for the link to become apparent and I had no idea what it was as I was quite enjoying the separate stories.
When it does come together there’s so many names in the mix that I admit to becoming a bit confused who was who. I think I got there in the end though!
A great crime thriller that had me hooked throughout the book.
Thanks to Aria and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

[Nila (digitalcreativepages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two parallel stories running together, this was intriguing in its concept.
My second book by this author was a fast read. I didn't know how Emma was going to solve the two. The link between them was not apparent.
But with multiple POVs and different timelines, I was not sure of where the plot was going. With many characters pulled in, I was utterly confused at times. This required a high level of concentration.
Overall, an okay read

[Johnna Whetstone · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent story, but a bit confusing, so I would give 3-4 stars. I think maybe too much was going on within this story, to make it on you could really emerge within and get lost. I did get a few thrills, chills, and shocks; but felt like I was reading multiple books at times and would get confused. It was good writing, a bit slow paced, maybe due to confusion, but not entirely sure. Overall, I think it’s one you’ll definitely need to pay very close attention to what you’re reading and who you’re reading about or you likely will not enjoy as much. I would recommend though, if people do not mind multiple stories within one!

[Aida Alberto · Rating 4 out of 5]

A roller coaster ride of a book. Flawless plot and a strong story will keep you engrossed from beginning to end. Check it out. Will keep you guessing until the end. Happy reading! #IKnowYou #NetGalley

[Tristan Robin Blakeman · Rating 1 out of 5]

It had to happen. I've been on a lucky streak of really good books and sooner or later it had to come to an end. It did. I Know You by Louise Mullins has to be one of the most confusing, irritating and, ultimately, least suspenseful mystery thrillers I've had the displeasure of beginning. I'm not even sure what the plot was; something to do with the murders of some teenagers that were tied up in some murders from years ago with some drug dealers in London and the leading character (I only know she's the leading character because the book is subtitled DI Emma Locke Book 1). It's written for four - five? - no, four, I think points of view. All of them confusing. Some of them written in dialect - always an irritant for me. The author can't seem to decide if two of the mothers of the murdered teens are anguished mothers in sorrowed stupor or Haitian wonderwomen on a vengeance crusade. It doesn't matter because the other 'voices' in the book don't really matter to them much.
This convoluted, bewildering, annoying and exasperating book actually took me three days to get through it because I kept putting it down. This novel could single-handedly bring back late-night television. I believe it's the only time I've given a book one star. Heck, I think somebody deserves one star just for completing a book. This one, I'm not really sure of that, though.

[The Endless Unread · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid storyline that will keep you entertained. Will be looking out for more works from this author in the future.

[Margaret Duke-Wyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an introduction to the DI Locke series: she is called upon to investigate the death of a young man who has been stabbed to death outside a fast food restaurant. His distraught mother is forced to confront questions surrounding what and who he had been involved with. Suspecting both friends and neighbours and questioning everyone and everything, her own son included.

In Newport Sinead, a young mother, and her children are involved in a collision and she is forced to realise that this is no accident – somebody is out to kill her – but why? How can these two cases, in Newport and in London be tied together?

In this ultra-competitive market/genre it is hard to compete. In my opinion this is more than credible but not quite there. On reflection I was more interested in what was happening with Sinead that DI Locke – so I will look forward to discovering more about her as the series develops.

That said, well-worth a read, I couldn’t wait to find the ending – though I had my suspicions.

Thank you to the author, publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.

[Claire Bailey · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really struggled to stay engaged with this book. The concept of the storyline was great and I liked that the book was split between the individual characters but I felt it lacked pace and rhythm.

You can’t fault Mullins for her character detail. You can truly buy into each character and understand their point of view. This, coupled with the way the characters are split gives you a birds eye view of each event and it’s repercussions.

I think the reason it struggled to hold my interest was that it just didn’t feel tense enough. There was no real urgency about the plot. I found it a little predictable in places and some of the script needed a bit of editing. For example the police jump to the conclusion that a car is an automatic because apparently manuals wouldn’t idle on the roadside.

In a very competitive market of crime fiction this book, for me, isn’t quite ‘polished’ enough. This book is the first of a series and so perhaps they will improve over time but for me it was just okay.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

[Myreadbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would like to thank Aria Editions and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.

I was immediately attracted by the pretty cover of this book where we see a woman looking behind curtains.

It all starts in London where Hounour is told that her son has just been murdered for no reason near a fast-food restaurant. Her life is turned upside down when a witness shows up and she learns that her son had a secret life far from what she had imagined until then.

In Newport after a hit and run accident, Sinead and her children narrowly escape death. She has to face that, someone wants her dead. She knows who knows and thinks about the many lies she left behind.

For Detective Locke the two cases seem to have something in common. He will have to do everything to prevent this from happening again.

A book read in one sitting so I was hooked on the story so gripping, captivating, addictive, full of intrigue, suspense and twists and turns with endearing characters. I can't wait to discover the sequel, I love the author's writing so much.

[Kim Melbourne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers 2 different story lines in 2 very different towns

A boy is murdered whilst out one night. As the investigation gets underway it becomes apparent that he may be involved with a gang. His father is currently being held in prison for heavy drug offences.

Sinead, a mother of 2 young children, is nearly run of the road by a stranger. Not only do we learn that she had previously had a friendship with another man, but that she is a detective, no longer working, and having moved away from the met in London.

Both of these storylines are pulled together with corruption within the police force exposed.

I found this book quite slow to read, it lacked pace and at times was predictable. Worth a read but not the best.

[M T · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thanks to Netgalley for my copy.

There are two concurrent plot lines in this story, one set in Wales and one in England. These stories are obviously connected but how.

Although the idea for this story is clever I personally found there were too many characters and it became rather confusing especially towards the end when the stories come together. There was so many details to keep up with and it became muddled as to which character's voice I was reading.

[Donna Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too many characters, plotlines and sub plots for this book to flow well. Set in two locations, with two police teams and two groups of victims I struggled to keep track of who was who and to be honest I'm still not sure why half of the characters were included.
Some elements went into great detail while others were quickly brushed aside.
I hoped this book would come together towards the conclusion and while it kind of did my lasting impression is confusion, sorry!

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was so excited to read this and hopefully find the beginning to a new 'can't miss' series. The idea behind this book is fantastic but I felt like it lacked the ability to just keep reading. Unfortunately it didn't keep me hooked and it's really hard to read when you aren't invested.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.