A vicious small-town murder, two unusual suspects, one big lie…
Tina is terrified when mysterious hand-written notes appear in odd places around her home. She strives to uncover who is behind the notes, and why, but finds no answers. Until, one gloomy night, she catches a familiar face watching her through her bedroom window.
Maddison remains in her loveless marriage for the sake of her two young children. Still wearing the mental scars her husband inflicted after his years of betrayal, she uses alcohol and prescription drugs as a crutch. This starts her on a rapid ride to rock bottom.
Approaching forty, Isabelle marries for the first time. Life couldn’t be better, except her husband is still on good terms with his ex-wife. Isabelle doesn’t like his ex, especially when she starts making trouble for the newlyweds.
When a vicious murder is committed on a quiet street in this small, blue-collar town, the three women are caught in the riptide of an investigation. Two are suspects. One will lose everything. And someone is lying.
A tangled lattice of manipulation and deceit must be unravelled to discover who the true culprit is.
Jacquie Underdown is an Australian author celebrated for her gripping psychological thrillers and deeply emotive romance novels. Whether she’s exploring the darkest corners of the human mind or the tender vulnerabilities of the heart, Jacquie’s storytelling is immersive, visceral, and unforgettable.
Based in the steamy heart of Central Queensland—where the heat is relentless and the air hangs thick with humidity—Jacquie finds inspiration in the tension between extremes. Her thrillers delve into manipulation, power, and control, while her romances offer catharsis, healing, and the redemptive power of love.
Over a decade ago, Jacquie left behind her business career to pursue writing full time. Since then, she has published over a million words across novels, novellas, and short stories. Her novel Bittersweet was a finalist in the Romance Writers of Australia’s Romantic Book of the Year Awards.
Jacquie holds a Master of Letters in Creative Writing and brings literary precision to every book she writes—whether it’s a slow-burning psychological descent or an emotionally charged love story.
This book started off with a bit of keeping the characters straight , however, it came together well as I couldn't put this book down. Not sure if I like how the timeline skipped around but this author had a lot of thought put into this book with a bit of a surprise in the end.
Hoy di por concluida mi lectura de "All that was left Unsaid" de la autora australiana #jacquieunderdown me fascinó tremendo libro, una línea narrativa inteligente, unos giros inesperados con final redondo le doy 5 estrellas de 5. #Recomendado 🤓
Thank you Jacquie for sending us a copy to read and review. A twisted and knotted web of lies, secrets, deception and ultimately murder. Three women and a chaotic mess of untruths, mystery, pages of tension and misleading information until the intense reveal. Isabelle has married for the first time but her new husband continues to be involved with his ex wife. Tina is being stalked or she thinks she is, there’s taps on the glass and notes on the bench but she can’t explain why until a familiar face appears at the window. Maddison stays in an unhappy marriage, dulling the hurt with alcohol and prescription drugs and she is about to hit rock bottom. The threesome are about to be entangled and nothing will ever be the same again. Jacquie has given readers a psychological domestic drama that’s fast paced and very readable. One that keeps you guessing and keeps you up way past your bedtime. I love a story that gives you many different options for the truth but the one you don’t uncover is the one that makes you say “well I didn’t expect that outcome”. Giving you that moment of being completely surprised. A very well written twisty plot that will give you the right ambience like a great suspense filled book should. You will be racing to the finish line to unravel the revelation in this wickedly convincing book.
Setting: Queensland, Australia; modern day. As the book opens, Detective Inspector McKenzie and his partner Detective Jenkins are called to the scene of a road traffic collision where the driver of one of the cars has been beaten to death - and nearby a blood-stained and hysterical woman is found in her parked car... As the clock then winds back, initially a month before the incident, we are introduced to three women who live in or near the small town of Gladstone: Maddison is married to Ben and they have two young children but their marriage is not a happy one - for reasons that are gradually revealed; Tina is single and in mourning following the death of her daughter three years before; Isabelle is recently-married to Chris who has become stepfather to her teenage daughter Juliette - although she is concerned that Chris still helps out his ex-wife from time to time as he still has part ownership of their property.... As the links between the women and the events in their respective pasts gradually come to light, the shocks and revelations come thick and fast with several 'gasp' moments that really came out of nowhere. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone and am really pleased that I have other books by this author ready to read! - 10/10.
I loved this book! It twisted and turned all over so it had me wondering who killed Juliet. The truth is not always what it seems to be in this book. Something you see is not always what it actually is. I loved how this had me guessing and changing my mind about the women throughout the book Three women whose lives weave together, tell their stories and why they dislike each other. Their reasons are valid until you hear the other side of the story. If you like twists and turns in events you will love this book.
Wow! I had never read anything by this author and now after reading this book I cannot wait to read another by her. The plot immediately had me hooked. I felt like I knew the characters. The twists and turns lasted until the very last page. This was a great read!
I love when I don’t see a twist coming. This book captured my interest from start to finish. The chapters alternate between various characters and I knew they had to be connected somehow, but I wasn’t sure how. It opens with a murder and then goes back to the month before the murder. I loved how the author was so purposeful in how everything came together. Great read!
Just when you think you've got it all figured out............another twist changes everything. Extremely thought provoking with love, hate, marriage, trust, deceit - this has it all.
This book's fast-moving plot and character development kept me interested, even though I kept getting confused about the characters. It seemed that there were too many characters and I had to remind myself who was who. Sometimes the chapters jump back and forth in time, which is well-noted at the start of the chapters. However, in the subsequent chapters I wasn't really sure which timeline we were on if it wasn't noted. Despite a few confusing moments, the plot was well-planned and included several twists that I wasn't expecting. The ending was a little unsatisfying for a couple reasons.
[BEGIN SPOILERS HERE] The wrong woman ended up in jail, separated from her kids. Maddison's character was deeply disturbed, and I'm thankful she got some help in the end, but wow was she set up. And Tina and Chris living happily ever after, both knowing about Tina's long-term psycho game, with a dog named after Chris' estranged daughter? No one bothering to report the rape and allowing Ben to continue doing whatever? Isabelle losing everything, begging to just be left alone, was heart-wrenching. I closed the book like, wow, that's all sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
A stunner. This one will keep you transfixed right to the end. Hopefully you won't relate to any of the characters but will be so caught up in the narrative you will want to find out what happens to each of them and how their lives are affected. Very well written, the occasional typo can be overlooked in the excitement of the story, fast paced and a refreshing change to the usual mass produced crime stories doing the rounds with the same boring script. Loved the book and although it was only the second book I had read by this author, I am looking forward to reading many more of her work.
Anyone near me when I was reading this book was witness to my outbursts of disbelief. This story is woven together to intricately it is a work of art. The characters are incredibly well developed and the true motivation kept me guessing until the end. Freaking amazing!
I had to give this 5 stars for the most deliciously twisted characters I've met in a long time. That author has done a fantastic job of peeling the layers from everyone we meet and introducing us two new aspects of each persons personality. The twists don't stop until the very last page. Fantastic
The author created characters that pulled you into their twisted lives immediately. The intricate way she wove the story of each character together was excellent. It was one of those books you think about after you have finished the last page. I look forward to reading more of her work.
This was mediocre at best. I’m usually a big fan of flitting through characters and timelines in chapters but this lacked the skill I’ve come to expect in the books I read.
This lacked any oomph. It was all a bit flat. Even the twists weren’t exciting. It felt very bleurgh.
Read this for book club. Not something I would normally gravitate to. However, it’s not a bad read if you just want something quick and easy.
Kept on the edge of my seat, I could not stop reading what was clearly a train wreck of human frailties. Nothing can prepare you for the end and just when you think it can’t be anything more shocking… there is the final blow. Excellent and disturbing.
OMG this is full of twists and turns. I never expected half of what happened and it was so hard to put this book down. A great book with an excellent ending.
Very well written. I was surprised and rather upset at the ending. What a callous woman and her ex was not much better than her. I felt sad for the murder victim, she had done nothing wrong and was almost forgotten about at the end of the story. A good read however and I certainly recommend it.
This is a story of fanatical situations that a human being can work themselves into. The way it is written with the back and forth time sequence can get confusing if you don't keep track of where the author has you at the time.other than that it is a very tense surprising sequence of events with a surprise ending. Thanks for all the entertainment..
I did enjoy this book but found it to be a little confusing at first trying to keep track of the characters and the timeline. I found the ending to have a nice twist to it. Though I did enjoy this story, I don't think that I will be reading any more books from this author in the future just because it was so hard to follow.