Pub 17/6
3*
Author Evelyn Mitchell is investigating the disappearance of Zoe Nolan 7 yrs after the event. She turns to friend and crime writer Joesph Knox to help her unravel the mystery.
It has a theme of journalistic investigation with retrospective interviews with friends and family.
The presentation is different and has you thinking it’s real.
We see the unfolding story in emails and transcribed recordings framed into book chapters from a bunch of friends who don’t seem to like each other, are either drunk, stoned or both. Talk about a bunch of unreliable narrators.
It took me awhile to get into the format, the pace is slow. it’s very character driven. It is well written and articulate managing to avoid too much duplication with the overlapping interviews. Joesph Knox is undoubtedly a story teller, but it didn’t grab my interest.
Non of the characters are likeable or seem trustworthy. Flawed characters are in abundance. Not all characters in books are likeable, I just find it easier to engage if I find one that is.
For me it was too drawn out

This was a really unusual thriller regarding the unsolved disappearance of Zoe, a Manchester student which is being investigated by a struggling author who feels compelled to try to unravel the mystery. I loved the way this was told through emails and interview transcripts with so many viewpoints telling the many events and the way different opinions and memories compare and contrast. Zoe herself was revealed to be an increasingly complex character which only added to the mystery. The interviews really showed up the different characters flaws, I thought the dad was despicable however I didn’t really dislike any characters as I enjoyed their complexity. The ending was a fabulous twist and quite scary how it was missed!

After making his name with his wonderful Aidan Waits series, Joseph Knox moves in a surprisingly different and original direction with this, done in the style of a disturbing, dark and chilling true crime documentary in which Knox himself features. In 2011, a Manchester University student, 19 year old Zoe Nolan goes missing from her student flat after a party, never to be seen again. Her twin sister, Kim, is at the same university, she had lived under the shadow of Zoe in her life. Evelyn Mitchell has been looking into Zoe's disappearance, discussing the case with Joseph Knox, seeking advice and support from him through emails. In a fragmented and chaotic narrative, there are interview transcripts from the relevant characters, friends and family, memories and accounts of the night Zoe went missing. Barely any of the characters are likeable, everyone is a suspect, as inconsistencies emerge.

There are twists and turns aplenty as secrets, lies, deceptions, and obsessions emerge in this complex and complicated mystery, keeping the reader off kilter right up to the unexpected conclusion. This novel became more and more compulsive the more I read, with an increasingly menacing feel to this intriguing read, definitely a fruitful and riveting new direction for the author to take. I can see this particularly appealing to true crime fans, as well as other crime and mystery readers. Many thanks to Random House Transworld for an ARC.

The presentation of this story is a perfect cross between Night Film and Daisy Jones and the Six, both books which I loved. The short snippets are easily digestible and completely compelling; the secrets and lies woven through every page are delicious and poisonous. Really enjoyed this.

True Crime Story is written in a very unique way and is unlike anything I’ve read before. A few chapters in I found myself searching online for the case as I couldn’t work out if it was fictional or not! The inclusion of the author as a character, and of “publisher's notes” added to my confusion (it is fiction, to clarify!).

The start of the book was a bit slow moving, but it picked up pace towards the middle of the story and I was gripped, needing to know what could have happened. Due to the way the story is told (through interviews with those close to the victim), as the reader you are never quite sure who to trust and who may have an ulterior motive.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author via NetGalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This is an original take on an unravelling disappearance story. Think 'found footage film' or 'Netflix true crime' series - told largely in transcripts by a number of unreliable witnesses, who's stories contradict each other and change constantly - everyone's a suspect - even the author himself!

This is so different and a refreshing change from usual crime genre and it's testament to Knox's writing that while all characters are a little loathsome at times and so many voices vie for attention each is clear and distinct so while the style of this book may be very different it's fast paced and keeps you hooked.

While the ending did leave me scratching my head in terms of it's plausibility it was such a fun ride to get there it's forgivable - I raced through this, changing my opinion of characters as the story unfolded, trying to second guess what would happen next - this is a great book!

True Crime Story is a very addiction read. It feels somewhat chaotic at times, confusing, even misleading at points, but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of the novel. (I should add that I did have to check several times that it was actually a novel that I was reading - the 'Publisher's Note' certainly threw me at first."

True Crime Story is an investigation into the mission person, Zoe Nolan, who was last seen in Manchester in 2011. It is formed through transcripts taken from interviews with Zoe's various associates. These interviews have been undertaken by author Evelyn Mitchell, who aims to solve the mysterious case and publish her transcripts and findings as a book. She entrusts her (fictional I assume) author friend Joseph Knox with her work, as shown by the emails between the two writers. When Evelyn is unable to completely the book herself, Knox takes it upon himself to see it through to its conclusion.

I must admit that it took me some time to get this case of characters straight in my head. At no point did that put me off this book though, in fact I just wanted to uncover more of the investigation! It felt a bit like some of the true crime podcasts I listen to - I just wanted more info!

Knox (as in the actual, real-life author) has worked this book masterfully. Each of his characters has its own distinct voice. He weaves details in such a way that I thought I'd figured out 'whodunnit' at least twice!

I actually now want to go back and reread it just so I can pick up on those details as missed - and ignore the red herrings along the way.

A very creative way of telling a story , and one that had me hooked!

Thank you to the publishes and Net Galley for giving me a free e-copy of this book for an honest review.

I would class this book as a ' whodunnit' kind of book. We know from pretty early on that something bad has happened and I really couldn't wait to find out why and who.

The book follows two sisters after one of them seemingly disappears after a student party. The book is full of juicy secrets and unsavory characters,

The writing style reminds me very much of Daisy Jones & the Six , in the sense, it doesn't follow a conventional book but instead is made up of transcripts of interviews and newspaper stories throughout. Y are drip fed bits of story information as and when Evelyn - the writer - discovers it herself.

I actually had to google within the first couple of pages to see if this was really based on a true crime story, and I knew very early on, within less than 10 pages that I was instantly going to love the book and it did not disappoint!

The book had me gripped and I loved the writing style especially.
I really couldn't put it down, such a good story and it really did have me racing to the end to find out 'who did it'

WOW WOW WOW
On Saturday 19th December 2011 in the early hours 19 year old Zoe Nolan a student at Manchester University walked out of a party at the shared accommodation where she'd lived for 3 months.
She was never seen again.
We are led through events leading to her disappearance by emails and accounts from her twin sister Kim,her parents and friends as well as the police covering the missing person case.
Everyone is a suspect I felt totally involved in the investigation and it gripped me from start to finish.
Excellency written I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK for this ARC.

Imaginatively, Joseph Knox, in his fourth novel and his first standalone one, "True Crime Story," has seized upon our passion for true crime podcasts and the like. A Manchester girl goes missing without resolution, a podcast investigator conducts an investigation years later, and then an author (named Joseph Knox, of course) needs to mop up the interlaced stories and evidence to finally seek justice. Comprising interview snippets with all the various suspects and acquaintances, and memos between podcaster and Knox, the plot is a maze inviting the alert crime fiction reader to piece together the vital clues. Knox is an energetic, talented stylist who nails all the various characters and maintains high tension throughout. I greatly enjoyed the antics of True Crime Story until … until the race homeward in the final ten percent of the novel. The trouble was, such episodic narrative construction stymies genuine character identification; in particular, "author Joseph Knox" eluded this reader. All up, True Crime Story is a stylish hoot of an experiment that many genre readers will lap up, but its experimental limitations can leave one flat after the final revelatory climax.

This book is pure genius. It is totally unlike anything I've read before and I love "true crime/crime thrillers". Using formats of emails/interviews/podcast hosting it is fast paced read and the inclusion of the author himself as a character was a masterstroke.
Delving into the disappearance of Zoe Nolan a student from Manchester University the book begins with the reader wondering of this is indeed a true story being covered by investigative journalists. As layers of Zoes life and her secret life are revealed the story becomes deeper and more complex.
I predict this book will be a hit!!

This book had me googling whether it, not this was a true story.

This book follows the disappearance of a Manchester University student Zoe and the events after and surrounding this. The key players in this disappearance are revealed at the beginning, including her twin sister Kimberly. Told through a series of interviews that are cut together after the fact, you get a picture of Zoe's life and the complicated people surrounding her.

The strongest part of this book was probably the style, it was the thing that drew me to it in the first place. The book is told through a series of interviews that are cut together as well as emails between the author and the original author. The style was unique and did keep things interesting.

Despite this, I did have an issue with the pacing, while there were massive reveals and things that didn't make sense, I felt like at times these large things were brushed to the side in favour of snide comments other none interesting information. It made me want to put the book down quite a few times but I stuck through to see how it would end.

The characters themselves started off feeling a little bit like caricatures, there were also a few things said at the beginning regarding race that was a bit iffy and didn't come up later. It did make me want to stop.

You understand at the beginning that everyone has their personal version of events and thus everyone seems to be an unreliable narrator which I think was a massive pro for the story.

The ending left a lot of questions which would be fair if it were a true story but since this is fiction it made me pretty frustrated. There are a few elements that seem to have been completely dropped but then why bring these things up if they're going to be dropped.

Overall, despite what it may seem at times I was drawn into the story. I wasn't expecting the ending but I'm unsure about how I feel about it at the current time. This was solid especially love the style it was written in.

I picked up True Crime Story purely because Jane Casey, whose opinion on crime fiction o I trust, recommended it on Twitter and I’m glad that I did. It’s an unsettling tightrope walk between fact and fiction, although admittedly I felt better once I’d had a search online and was reassured that the “true” crime of the story wasn’t so. It’s an interesting concept, and one which definitely held my attention until the very last reveal. However, some of the characterisation felt a little bit facile, like Liu Wai is shallow and pretentious, so she casually mentions that she eats supermarket premium sandwiches for lunch every day. But there’s lots to admire in Knox’s writing, and True Crime Story really does present the genre in a new way, so I would recommend it.

Very interesting, high concept book written in an unusual way. I really enjoyed this book and it is hard to believe this is NOT fiction. Very sad story and I thought it was handled sensitively.

I would definitely recommend.

Wow. Just wow.
True Crime Story was so good I gave up a Saturday to read it all in one.
This is such an original book and cleverly constructed. I love the playing around with narratives. Bringing the actual author in as an author and character is genius.
I enjoyed the interview format with its revealing of biases, conflicting stories, and character.
I've been looking for something different and new in the crime genre. Here it is.

Unusual and unique, this is a fictional account of an unsolved mystery of a Manchester University student’s disappearance written in the style of a true crime book. The account of the disappearance is told from multiple viewpoints presented as transcripts of interviews with those involved and framed by emails between the author, Joseph Knox, who is a character in his own novel and another writer, Evelyn Mitchell, who is investigating the story. It is clear from the start that many of the witnesses being interviewed are unreliable and have their own stories and motivations which may or may explain the reasons behind Zoe’s disappearance and what actually happened to her. The story is gripping and has many twists and turns to keep the reader guessing. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read the book pre publication in exchange for an honest review.

Excellent. High concept in the way the author is a character in the book. Doesn't completely come off but still a great read.

How I love it when I find a book that does something different and exciting within the confines of its genre! This was twisty, fiendishly plotted, and beautifully written, with the "true" story and the transcripts adding a unique and interesting element. "True Crime Story" is not just the tale of Zoe Nolan, 19, who disappears from her student flat in Manchester, seemingly into thin air, but also of those she leaves behind, her grieving friends and family, and of how they learn to navigate a world without her in it. Told through transcripts curated by budding crime reporter Evelyn, we are essentially told the same story in several different ways, depending on who the 'narrator' is at any given moment. Each of them has their set of memories and recollections and their own set of prejudices and secrets, which makes each of them unreliable in their own way, and I loved that we found out more about each character through what others said about them than we did from their own accounts. There were clues throughout, but they were so subtly planted that I only realised at the very end how everything drew together, which is no mean feat given that I read a TON of thrillers/crime novels, and my brain is basically programmed now to look for breadcrumbs. I loved that we'll never the know the real story behind some of the 'reveals', and I feel like the novel ended perfectly, with questions left unanswered as well as some sense of resolution.

I will be recommending this one to everyone I know. Pacey, engaging, twisty, and clever - my only complaint is that the story had to end.

Thank you to NetGalley, and to the publisher, who granted me a free ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an interesting concept - a fictional true crime story. I really liked that the story was told through interview transcripts with the people involved in Zoe's life. Every one of them was unlikable at times (or all the time), which made for a great story. I had my suspicions on who the killer was, which changed at multiple times, but I was completely wrong!

A solid convincing novel that will have you googling whether or not this is based on a true story. I think Knox has very cleverly taken the genre and given it a little shake up, so convinced that this was a true story.

I particularly liked the way it was constructed, interviews and transcripts, wading through the information as if I myself were trying to solve the disappearance of Zoe Nolan. And the emails between the writers is a great touch in upping the ante. I enjoyed the fact that all the characters were well developed and no one was above suspicion.

This will leave you scratching your head.

Thank you for the ARC.