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No One I Knew
When Cleo Cooper’s daughter vanishes during a family barbecue, her perfect life begins to unravel.
Everyone thinks three-year-old Immy drowned in the river at the bottom of the garden.
Everyone except Cleo. Because all her instincts tell her someone took her daughter. Someone she knew.
With time running out, Cleo sets out to uncover the truth. But the deeper she probes, the more she realises everyone has a secret to hide. Especially her husband.
And as Cleo unpicks the lies, she discovers her carefully constructed life was just an illusion.
No One I Knew is the compulsive new psychological thriller by A J McDine.
Everyone thinks three-year-old Immy drowned in the river at the bottom of the garden.
Everyone except Cleo. Because all her instincts tell her someone took her daughter. Someone she knew.
With time running out, Cleo sets out to uncover the truth. But the deeper she probes, the more she realises everyone has a secret to hide. Especially her husband.
And as Cleo unpicks the lies, she discovers her carefully constructed life was just an illusion.
No One I Knew is the compulsive new psychological thriller by A J McDine.
320 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 13, 2021
1001 people are currently reading
1482 people want to read
About the author
A.J. McDine
12 books402 followersA J McDine is the author of twisty, character-driven psychological thrillers that explore secrets, lies and the dark side of relationships.
Before turning to fiction, she worked as a journalist and police press officer in Kent, where she lives with her husband, fellow thriller writer A J Wills, their two sons and three rescue cats.
When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book, attempting a 5K, or gazing out of the window thinking up new ways to get her characters into (and out of) trouble.
Her books are all standalone reads. They are (in no particular order):
The Baby
The Husband Before You
The Photo
Everyone Has Secrets
The Invite
Should Have Known Better
No One I Knew
The Promise You Made
When She Finds You
Before turning to fiction, she worked as a journalist and police press officer in Kent, where she lives with her husband, fellow thriller writer A J Wills, their two sons and three rescue cats.
When she’s not writing, she can usually be found with her nose in a book, attempting a 5K, or gazing out of the window thinking up new ways to get her characters into (and out of) trouble.
Her books are all standalone reads. They are (in no particular order):
The Baby
The Husband Before You
The Photo
Everyone Has Secrets
The Invite
Should Have Known Better
No One I Knew
The Promise You Made
When She Finds You
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews
November 6, 2024
In the blink of an eye.
It takes just a split-second, and three years old Imogen has vanished. The police believe she drowned in the nearby creek. Her mother Cleo believes she’s still alive and is determined to find her!
Cleo’s character was a bit difficult to get behind. On one hand, I loved her determination to find her daughter but she also came off extremely brash and unlikeable.
I listened to the audio and Fiona Mitchell did a fabulous job with the narration.
It takes just a split-second, and three years old Imogen has vanished. The police believe she drowned in the nearby creek. Her mother Cleo believes she’s still alive and is determined to find her!
Cleo’s character was a bit difficult to get behind. On one hand, I loved her determination to find her daughter but she also came off extremely brash and unlikeable.
I listened to the audio and Fiona Mitchell did a fabulous job with the narration.
October 29, 2021
Fast paced yes but so predictable and boring near the end....the last 20 pages were nonsense.
August 24, 2023
I really enjoyed this book. While the topic of a missing child is always traumatic, this book had many topics to keep your interest. I’m a retired CPA, and I thought the author did a pretty good job with her accounting discussions. And she seemed to be spot on in other areas as well. While a little long, it kept my interest throughout. I liked her style of writing. And, the ending was pretty much satisfying instead of adding that one final twist that ruins a book for me. Recommended!
May 10, 2021
This was an addictive read and I'm so glad I saw this one on IG. No One I Knew has got everything I'd want to read in a psychological thriller. Each page left me hanging from the edge of my seat with the perfect amount of tension and suspense.
The novel is written in a way that made me feel the same level of anxiety, stress and desperation as Cleo as she tries to figure out the truth behind her daughter's disappearance. Cleo's character, her actions and behaviour seemed so real.
All the suspense and twists left me desperate to want to get to the end to find out what happens to Immy (Cleo's daughter), but also left me not wanting to get to the end.
I'd happily have read this in one sitting if it wasn't for life's distractions. I had to force myself to pull away from this book. If this was a series, I'd be all over it!
I've never read any books by this author before but I'm so glad I did! I couldn't recommend this enough.
The novel is written in a way that made me feel the same level of anxiety, stress and desperation as Cleo as she tries to figure out the truth behind her daughter's disappearance. Cleo's character, her actions and behaviour seemed so real.
All the suspense and twists left me desperate to want to get to the end to find out what happens to Immy (Cleo's daughter), but also left me not wanting to get to the end.
I'd happily have read this in one sitting if it wasn't for life's distractions. I had to force myself to pull away from this book. If this was a series, I'd be all over it!
I've never read any books by this author before but I'm so glad I did! I couldn't recommend this enough.
August 20, 2025
Just got boring 🥱
March 9, 2025
Rounding up from 4.5 stars
I love A.J. McDine's books and this domestic thriller was no different. Action right from the beginning kept me reading past my bedtime to finish the book. The characters are well written and nearly everyone is hiding something. It's just that most of the secrets weren't what I thought they were! A.J. incorporated some great twists!
I love A.J. McDine's books and this domestic thriller was no different. Action right from the beginning kept me reading past my bedtime to finish the book. The characters are well written and nearly everyone is hiding something. It's just that most of the secrets weren't what I thought they were! A.J. incorporated some great twists!
July 18, 2024
Another really enjoyable read/listen by A J McDine. Not perfect, and by no means the best of the authors work, but still a really riveting novel.
A missing child has to be every parent’s worst nightmare. I lost my daughter for approximately 3 minutes under a clothing rail in primark approximately 14 years ago and I’ve never forgotten the absolute terror. It’s amazing what goes through your mind in a matter of minutes, for a child to be legitimately missing is unimaginable. That’s exactly what’s happened here. Immi has gone missing in the middle of a family bbq! The story that plays out is harrowing, and gripping, I can’t decide if the references to actual missing children cases that we know from the news was a clever way to build tension and fear, or if it was a little crass. There are easy answers if you look hard enough, and while I knew the who from around midway I didn’t know the why of the how and essentially that kept me invested.
Great narration by Fiona Mitchell.
Currently included in audible 🎧
A missing child has to be every parent’s worst nightmare. I lost my daughter for approximately 3 minutes under a clothing rail in primark approximately 14 years ago and I’ve never forgotten the absolute terror. It’s amazing what goes through your mind in a matter of minutes, for a child to be legitimately missing is unimaginable. That’s exactly what’s happened here. Immi has gone missing in the middle of a family bbq! The story that plays out is harrowing, and gripping, I can’t decide if the references to actual missing children cases that we know from the news was a clever way to build tension and fear, or if it was a little crass. There are easy answers if you look hard enough, and while I knew the who from around midway I didn’t know the why of the how and essentially that kept me invested.
Great narration by Fiona Mitchell.
Currently included in audible 🎧
January 31, 2024
This one kept me reading. It's always suspenseful when a child disappears, especially in this case when there seemed to be a very good possibility that she might have drowned in the river behind their house. All in all, a good thriller that I would recommend, with the caveat that it is a little longer than it needs to be. That didn't stop me from giving it four stars.
March 20, 2021
This was amazing!!!!! My favourite author has only gone and done it again... I was on edge for the whole book and finished it in about 2/3 hours without stopping
May 28, 2021
Ok
It was alright. Not surprising The domestic violence where a husband slaps his wife and it’s barely acknowledged and she even says sorry. Not it.
It was alright. Not surprising The domestic violence where a husband slaps his wife and it’s barely acknowledged and she even says sorry. Not it.
July 21, 2022
Cleo is such an idiot and all of the characters were pretty dumb but this was fun. The last 20 minutes lost it a star though, it really could've ended when they found out who took Immy.
September 28, 2024
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This is my personal 5 star rating system because I’m too lazy to write a review for every book.
5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.
4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.
3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.
2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.
1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.
5 stars -> OMFG. I couldn’t stop listening. I was engaged from beginning to end. The story & narrator was amazing. I 100% recommend this book & author. I was able to clearly follow each and every character.
4 stars -> It was pretty good. I would’ve rated 5 stars, But either the ending was lacking, I struggled to keep up with characters, or the story didn’t keep me fully engaged. The narrator was pretty good as well. I’m on the fence about recommending this book, It could go either way.
3 Stars -> It was boring at times & I missed chunks of the story. I most likely struggled to keep up with character developments. The only way I would recommend this book is if it was part of a series. The narrator was most likely average or just couldn’t fix a mediocre book.
2 Stars -> It was pretty horrible. I used it as background noise because I hadn’t had a chance to search for another book. The book either had a bad narrator, The character development was non existent, or the story was hot garbage. I would not recommend this book.
1 Star -> The absolute only reason I listened to this book was because i had no time to search for another one & I needed background noise. It was 1 step up from listening to the radio. I wouldn’t recommend this book to my worst enemy. Everything about this book was terrible. This is only recommended for people on death row and have absolutely nothing else to read.
May 18, 2024
3.5 ⭐️
We’ve all done it, haven’t we? Taken our eyes off our children for a minute or two and think it’d be okay. A parent’s worst (beyond worst) nightmare when their child is missing and cannot be found.
What a great read this was! Fast-paced cleverly plotted and addictive. The characters weren’t likable but it worked in this story. I loved the short chapters and so glad I didn’t miss out on this gripping psychological thriller by an author I hadn’t heard of before reading No One I Knew. I’ll be reading more of her books soon! (Audio)
We’ve all done it, haven’t we? Taken our eyes off our children for a minute or two and think it’d be okay. A parent’s worst (beyond worst) nightmare when their child is missing and cannot be found.
What a great read this was! Fast-paced cleverly plotted and addictive. The characters weren’t likable but it worked in this story. I loved the short chapters and so glad I didn’t miss out on this gripping psychological thriller by an author I hadn’t heard of before reading No One I Knew. I’ll be reading more of her books soon! (Audio)
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March 9, 2023Labs trilleris. Diezgan paredzams, bet never the less ievelk un nav iespējas nolikt malā līdz pēdējai lappusei.
3.8⭐️
3.8⭐️
April 4, 2023
Wonderful
April 8, 2023
Really fast paced and addictive to read but unfortunately we could see the story the whole way through and the ending dragged out far too long. But I still really enjoyed it.
June 2, 2022
I actually enjoyed this book more then I expected.
To begin with it just seemed a regular kid goes missing, who took her situation. It was the complexity of the circumstances surrounding it & the secrets intwined in the lives of so many the lead up to the events that really made the book a good read.
To begin with it just seemed a regular kid goes missing, who took her situation. It was the complexity of the circumstances surrounding it & the secrets intwined in the lives of so many the lead up to the events that really made the book a good read.
March 27, 2021
Good Book
This book kept you guessing from the 1st chapter read. I thought Stuart would be named the babies father not Bill. I was sure Sheila would turn up on the last page. I highly recommend this book. Keep up the good story lines.
This book kept you guessing from the 1st chapter read. I thought Stuart would be named the babies father not Bill. I was sure Sheila would turn up on the last page. I highly recommend this book. Keep up the good story lines.
February 6, 2022
Decent read
While it wasn't a GREAT story it definitely drew me in. It was pretty easy to suspect what was going on while reading, a couple of turns along the way. Easy to read in a couple of lazy hours. I would recommend this book to friends.
While it wasn't a GREAT story it definitely drew me in. It was pretty easy to suspect what was going on while reading, a couple of turns along the way. Easy to read in a couple of lazy hours. I would recommend this book to friends.
February 22, 2022
Awful..badly written. Stupid story that made no sense.
January 31, 2025
Had a great time reading this one! Very easy to read, character development was great and kept me hooked the whole time.
This is set in Fordwich a small Kent village not far from where I live - I’ve been there, so loved being able to picture it! I really empathised with the main character Cleo and was with her the whole way. Was fully invested in this story and needed to know how it turned out.
Whilst I enjoyed the twists, the ending and how everything wrapped up I did expect something else near the end that didn’t come - but overall it didn’t matter to how I felt about the book as a whole. Would definitely recommend and I’m going to be trying many more by this author now.
This is set in Fordwich a small Kent village not far from where I live - I’ve been there, so loved being able to picture it! I really empathised with the main character Cleo and was with her the whole way. Was fully invested in this story and needed to know how it turned out.
Whilst I enjoyed the twists, the ending and how everything wrapped up I did expect something else near the end that didn’t come - but overall it didn’t matter to how I felt about the book as a whole. Would definitely recommend and I’m going to be trying many more by this author now.
August 18, 2025
Plot was obvious, but there were still a few moments where I gasped in shock.
It annoyed me that the FMC couldn’t see what was right in front of her. It felt like she was deliberately not connecting the dots and going all around the houses instead of a straight line. This was made even more annoying by the fact that she (and everyone else) kept saying how she could see through people.
It annoyed me that the FMC couldn’t see what was right in front of her. It felt like she was deliberately not connecting the dots and going all around the houses instead of a straight line. This was made even more annoying by the fact that she (and everyone else) kept saying how she could see through people.
January 19, 2025
Wow I really enjoyed this book. So many red herrings and things to keep you interested. I was impressed by the writing, but I also listened on audiobook and was really taken aback by how great the performance was. The character development was amazing. I look forward to the next book by McDine!
April 27, 2021
Where is Immy? Did she die in the river, or was she kidnapped
January 10, 2025
Fast paced read. Really enjoyed this book, well written and always suspenseful. Good thriller that I would recommend.
May 18, 2025
A mystery full of drama and suspense. Looking for your next read, I recommend giving this a try.
May 20, 2025
This was a fab fast read, but the last 3 chapters were like pulling teeth, dragged out unbelievable rubbish. Had they not been there it would have got 4 stars
June 2, 2025
Propulsive, compelling, complex.
October 29, 2023
I listened to this as an audio book, it gripped me from the start and kept me engaged throughout. I enjoyed the revealing of the family and friends that surrounded Cleo's secrets unravelling as the story went on in the hunt to find Immy. The dramatics of the conversation was authentic and I appreciated the high amount of dialogue and low amount of description fluff.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 277 reviews