This is quite a creepy novel ,involving a serial killer ,a burnt out cop and a ruthless reporter and told from a number of perspectives .I found it very gripping and full of suspense.The characters were very believable though sometimes not very nice but nearly all were damaged .A brilliant read .

Detectives Loren and Hoskins arrest a restaurant owner after dead bodies from years ago turn up under his house. Journalist Sammie covers the story. Having had an affair with Loren she gets special coverage. But it's not over. Several years later more victims are found connected to the case. But who is killing them? Chaney makes you think you know the answers but soon you find out you don't. Suspenseful.

It will never be over.....

What You Don't Know isn't so much a story about a serial killer, it's more a story about the effect of his actions on those left in his path of murderous destruction. His wife, left to take the flack whilst he paints in prison, the detectives haunted by what they discovered in his house, the journalist who sold the story and in some ways herself to get the story, and the city he stalked, stunned that the man they thought they knew was what they feared the most. And just when they think it's over, years down the line the murders begin again...

This novel doesn't shy away from its subject matter. Whilst it's not overly descriptive it's not a story for the faint hearted. It studies how the killer, Seever, has polluted the minds of those he has left behind. And because it's more about the aftermath than the investigation of the current murders it does set itself apart from the usual crop of serial killer thrillers. Mixed with that though is an old fashioned whodunit element as the author drops clues and red herrings sparingly through the narrative. What's strange for me is I'm not usually a fan of books where pretty much everyone is unlikeable. And with the exception of Hoskins dad Joe there wasn't one person I would normally root or care for in this book. But somehow I did care what happened to the slightly pathetic Hoskins, the frankly slightly scary Lorens and the self obsessed Sammie. And the fact I can remember their names without checking speaks volumes - I normally have to check as I have the memory of a brick. But I'll remember these characters for awhile.
Another thing I loved was how unashamedly cinematic this was. Several chapters begin "If this was a movie...." and set up a sweeping visual that takes you straight into Denver......"If this was a movie" will most likely end up as "This is a movie".

Thank you to Netgalley, author and publisher for this ARC.

Wow. This book made me lose a whole evening because I was so engrossed in the writing. The strange thing about the plot was that I did guess the ending, and I spotted the red herrings too, and yet this didn't lessen the experience for me at all because the writing was so well executed. The characters weren't all likeable but they felt real. They felt three-dimensional, doing all the sometimes ugly but very human things that we all do/see in our own daily lives. The only reason I haven't given it 5 stars is simply because there really wasn't anything I didn't see coming, however I really do want to reiterate that this doesn't take away from this fantastic book. As soon as I finished it I wanted to come straight online to leave this review, which is unlike me as sometimes it can take me a while to get round to that task!! I would encourage everyone to give this book a chance, you won't be disappointed.

I was kindly sent a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

What You Don’t Know is a gorgeously atmospheric character driven tale about what happens to a small eclectic bunch of people in the aftermath of the capture of a serial killer…and what happens when they get sucked back in.

I loved it, a serial killer chiller with a real difference – we come into it knowing who and what, then follow along with one of the detectives responsible for the capture of Jacky Seever, the reporter who was his lover and the wife who claims to have known nothing. The fallout on all of them is emotionally resonant and when more murders occur all of them will have to deal with their past demons.

This is both mystery and character study – who is following in the footsteps of a monster v what has happened to those caught up in the trauma – the story is engaging and often very creepy and includes some beautiful twists and turns not necessarily connected to the killings. I was fascinated by Gloria, married to a killer for so many years and some light relief (and also some disturbing scenes) were brought with Hoskins relationship with his police partner. JoAnn Chaney writes beautifully, an off kilter vibe with a touch of noir, I was hooked all the way.

Clever, very clever – and highly recommended from me.

This debut novel begins in 2008, when Detective Ralph Loren and Detective Paul Hoskins, arrest a man named Jacky Seever. Seever runs a string of restaurants, is a volunteer at the local hospital, a respected businessman and member of the community, a man who likes to dress up as a clown and amuse local children, a husband to wife Gloria and a man who has over thirty bodies buried below the crawl space of his house… Of course, the murderer is based upon John Wayne Gacy, but this novel then moves on from this initial arrest and looks at the aftermath and how those involved were affected.

The story moves on to seven years after these events. Seever is in prison, just over a year from having his death sentence carried out. During his incarceration, he paints pictures to pass the time and Gloria sells them, to help supplement her meagre income. Meanwhile, although the arrest of Seever brought Loren and Hoskins commendation, life has changed for them too. Loren is unable to keep a partner, while Hoskins has been shunted downstairs to a basement office, after an altercation which would have seen him sacked if it had not been for the Seever case. Lastly, we have the story of Sammie Peterson; a pretty, and ambitious, young journalist, who had an affair with Hoskins, largely in order to get a scoop on the story, but whose career has since floundered.

Seven years later though, there is suddenly murders which bear hallmarks of Seever. With him still safely behind bars, who is targeting people related to the case? Suddenly, Hoskins finds himself back in the hunt, while Sammie sees the chance to get back her career. This is a fast paced, exciting debut, with a good premise and lots of twists and turns. The author is careful to give us lots of possible suspects and the writing is assured and extremely impressive for a debut novel. I really enjoyed the scenario of how the arrest of a serial killer affects those involved; including the character of Gloria, and the question of how much she really knew about what went on in her own home. A creepy, intriguing crime novel and I look forward to reading more from this author. I received a copy of this book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.