This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Three ruined lives, police officers gaining fame through capturing an infamous serial killer and then it all just moved on. Years later murders start again and imitating the killer’s MO but he is behind bars.
This was one of them books that’s sat on my kindle for some time and I wish I had read it sooner. Thank you to netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

What you don't know by JoAnn Chaney.
Catching the killer is just the beginning in the outstandingly dark debut, What You Don't Know, from rising grip-lit star, JoAnn Chaney.
Do you really know your neighbours?
Jacky Seever was a beloved local businessman and pillar of the Denver community. Until thirty-one bodies were discovered in the crawlspace of his house.
Detective Paul Hoskins was lauded for bringing down one of the most ruthless serial-killers of the decade.
Sammie Peterson, the lead reporter on the case, finally obtained the success she craved. And Seever's wife, Gloria? Well, she claimed to be as surprised as everyone else. But when you get that close to a killer, can you really just move on?
I really enjoyed this book. Great story and characters. 4*.

This is a debut novel by Ms Chaney, and I can see her taking it far with her writing. The book focuses on the investigation of a serial killer and how the detectives try to find the bad guy.
The book was well written and I hope to see more from her in future.

"Seever was like the chorus of a terrible song, set on infinite replay. He was the awful taste caught in the back of your mouth, the one that can't be rinsed away. The bloodstain in the carpet that won't ever come out."

This book has a new way of looking at a serial killer thriller; focusing on the aftermath and how the people caught up in the investigation cope years later. Of course, more murders then start that seem to be linked with the previous killings. Points for originality and the story is good in What You Don't Know but the writing lets it down and there's a general trying to hard feel to the whole thing.

I didn't particularly like Chaney's writing style; there were flashes of brilliance but it reads like it's trying too hard to be dark and imbue the characters with grit and flaws. But it's already a dark read, it doesn't need more added with questionable dialogue and inner thoughts.

What You Don't Know is written mainly in the present tense which drives me nuts. Sometimes it works as a stream of consciousness sort of thing but it's unnecessary in this book and just makes every sentence jar. Plus, it jumps around in time a lot, not just to look back at the previous murders but within paragraphs and there's a lot of repetition. Really it needs to be edited well.

The characters are interesting, none of them are particularly likable but that adds to the story. I liked Gloria, the serial killer's wife, and Hoskins, the lead investigator tormented with rage, they were well drawn. A few fell flat, like the journalist's husband and Loren, who is supposed to be an off the wall detective but again tries too hard and doesn't hit the mark.

Jacky Seever is the best character, Chaney does well creating a truly creepy serial killer. Obviously based on John Wayne Gacy, the respected pillar of the community who loves to be the center of attention is a convincing if very disturbing killer.

The story in itself flows well until the very end where I feel its a bit rushed and the reveal is a let down and something I guessed. But the journey itself is fun. Just suspend belief and try and ignore some questionable writing and this is a twisty read that's ideal for binge reading in one setting.

My rating: 2.5/5 (rounded up to 3 for NetGalley and Goodreads)

I received a copy of What You Don't Know via NetGalley in return for an honest review. My thanks to the author and publisher.

I would estimate that 75% of what I read is crime fiction which sometimes means that certain books can feel familiar, I sometimes get the feeling that I've read it all before. Then suddenly along comes "another serial killer" novel that manages to be completely different and What you don't know is it.
For a start we already know who the killer is. Jacky Seever murdered 31 people and buried them in the crawl space under his house. Now, seven years later, the people who were closely involved in his capture are falling apart and another killer is preparing to remind everyone that Jacky Seever will not go quietly. Hoskins, Loren and Sammie are deeply flawed and all their behaviour is highly questionable at times but I never disliked any of them (even Loren whose line of enquiry involves inhabiting the character of the killer).This is a truly original crime novel that I devoured and I strongly suggest you do the same.

The situation with the two policeman was very unrealistic. Unless America has more policemen than criminals thus just would not happen. Add to that the girlfriend journalist hanging around and the whole thing just doesn't convince on any level.

great read and easy to follow story line. look forward to reading more from this author.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

A brilliant debut novel. A gripping gory thriller that is action packed. The characters are all believable and the book being written from different perspectives and jumping backwards and forwards in time adds ro the suspense. This has obviously been a well thought out and well researched book and I would definitely recommend it.

3,5 stars

„What you don’t know“ starts at a point where other books are ending. The killer is arrested and is in prison for 7 years now. We learn in flashbacks how this happened.

This book tells its crime story from a new perspective. It’s a character study of the people Seever left behind.
Jacky Seever killed 31 people and buried them in his crawl space. He seemed to be a nice and normal guy but he was capable of unbelievable cruelness.

The two detectives who caught Seever and questioned him afterwards are still haunted by Seever. Hoskins has some anger issues and almost lost his job. His former partner Loren has his own way to deal with emotional distress in a very creepy way. He really is the weirdest character. The author does a very good job in showing the mental strain of the men who have to deal with horrible things every day. What happens to you when you meet a monster like Seever and be in a room with him for days and listen to his confession? How do you live on when the hunt is over and the memories won’t fade?

Then there is Gloria, Seever’s wife. She claims that she knew nothing about her husband’s doing. She still visits him every week in prison. Is it really possible to life in a house where your husband tortured and killed people and even buried them and you hear and see nothing? Gloria just wants and always wanted to live her quiet and comfortable life.

What do you do as a reporter when the best story you ever had is now old news. Sammie was the main reporter in Seever’s case. She even wrote a book about it. But everything is told now and new things happen. Somehow her career is bound to Seever. When a copycat killer shows up and begins to murder people who were connected to Seever she sees her chance to get successful again. And she is literally willing to do everything to get a good story.

The characters are all very unlikable and flawed. They are all victims of Seever’s. When the new murders happen the hunt for a killer starts again. Hoskins got his job back and works again with his partner Loren. Sammie also gets a call from her former boss and begins to write again. All their lives revolve around Seever again.

This character driven story is very unique. It has a lot of interesting characters, even if none of them is likable. The copycat killer was a surprise for me, I had some ideas but there were a lot of red herrings. But it was a bit slow going. I really liked the unusual approach and the character studies. Seever is a very impressive killer, whose greasy presence lingers throughout the whole book. It was a solid read, unusual, but also very dark, depressing and vulgar.

I loved this book! Being an avid reader of crime / thriller novels it can be quite hard to find something original and which genuinely keeps you guessing right to the end. This is cleverly written and is not the usual crime novel. The story focuses on the aftermath of the capture of a prolific serial killer and how the lives of all those involved are affected - his wife; the journalist; the detectives, and so on - with flashbacks to some of the original crimes. But when a new string of murders start happening, very similar in style to that of the imprisoned serial killer - the race is on to work out who is responsible, especially as those linked in some way to the original crimes appear to be being targeted by the copycat. I was still shortlisting potential suspects right until the very end and thoroughly enjoyed the thrill of the big reveal as a result. Highly recommended!!

“What You Don’t Know” is a pretty good debut novel written by JoAnn Chaney. The writing is good, the characters might have needed some more development and the story line was really interesting. There a lot gory details and f-bombs in this book that makes reading a bit uncomfortable at times. I felt the story dragging on in the middle of the book but with about 100 pages left, the pace picked up and it was impossible to put the book down.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley and Pan Macmillan!

Thoroughly enjoyable and will keep you gripped, until the very end! Highly recommended!

The book is apparently archived without me having the opportunity to download. Is it possible to have the book???

I received notification that I had been approved for this title and attempted to download it within 10 minutes of approval but it has been archived.....

An intriguing read and well constructed original in content concentrating on the aftermass of the crime which made for a very enjoyable read. Although some of the characters weren't particularly likeable they are well credible.

When you think this book is almost over it starts up again. Told by different narrators and across a few years, you have to pay attention. It's thrilling and has many twists. The characters are all superbly written; there are no real 'good guys', everyone is a mix of light and shade.

This novel by Joann channy,is absolutely brilliant,I downloaded it to my kindle,and read it in two sittings.
Absolute page turner with brilliant characters and a amazing story,highly recommended this to everyone.