When your mother is killed by someone she knows, who do you ever trust again? Maybe the half brother you haven't seen in many, many years. Maybe your mother's best friend and business partner. Maybe your producer or investigator for your podcast. Do you ever really know? Armstrong almost always has a strong female lead. Someone who has been through a lot and doesn't take anything from anyone. So, that was what I expected. A strong male secondary? Check.

Amy has been through it. Her mother became a statistic and Amy was left alone. Her brother, Oliver, comes and saves her from her depression and they become close. It's great but should it raise any concern? Amy has dedicated her life to her blog and podcast showing women how to spot all of the red flags from their close partners. Amy seems to be prepared and vigilant but she lets a lot of things get past her defenses, which leave us, the reader, unsure who to trust.

This was a quick read that I think is leading to a series. Armstrong is known for that. If these characters can be developed (they are not fully fleshed out yet) then I would love to see them again.

Known to the Victim by K L Armstrong
Psychological mystery / thriller.
Amy Gibson’s mother is brutally murdered by her new boyfriend. Amy is overcome with grief and basically withdraws from life until her estranged step-brother OlUber helps her return to normal.
Eight years later, Amy has worked hard to help victims with a true crime podcast that focuses on crimes against women, committed by their partners. She’s finding purpose in helping women in ways she couldn’t help her mother.
Suddenly Oliver is being accused of murdering his wife when witnesses at the time testified he wasn’t responsible. Then question arise about his girlfriend from college.
Amy does a podcast advising women about crimes and hidden agendas. She’s positive Oliver is a good guy. So what else can be going on?

You think you know who your friends are and who you can trust. You think, my accounts are safe. You think you’re protected from the darker elements. Until something happens. Then who do you listen to? Who do you trust to tell you the truth?
This thriller will asks those questions and takes you along for the ride of discovery and awareness.

I wanted to believe in the good.
Compelling thriller. More twists than expected through the very end. Who has your back?

I received a copy of this from NetGalley.

https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/77ec8565-5ab7-4081-8b4e-2bfeae5805cb

This is a good book, the author also writes two other series that I enjoy, the Rocktown one and the historical time travel, both series are very good. Amy Gibson is a true crime podcaster, her podcast focuses on crimes where the person that was killed knew their attacker. She was inspired to after how own mother was killed by a man she had previously dated then broke up with. Amy had gone into a deep depression after the death of her mom, and her brother Oliver stepped in to help her get back on her feet. She's attending college, renting an apartment and generally happy in her life. Oliver is accused of trying to kill his girlfriend, he's been arrested and the girlfriend is in the hospital and Amy rushes to support him. Around this part of the book things start to get interesting and Amy starts to do some actions that you would not think someone as smart as her would. Amy gets kidnapped and is held for a period of time in a small room, she's drugged and she come comes to she's covered in blood and there's a dead body in the room. She's quickly cleared of the murder and finds a supportive partner in a fellow she's always found to be standoffish, Oliver is also released from jail and hospitalized after an attack. The ending really makes up for the middle part of the book and I would recommend. Thanks to #Netgalley and #Penguinrandomhousecanada for the ARC.

Amy’s mom is murdered by her boyfriend, throwing her life into turmoil, and she withdraws from life. Until her half brother Oliver reappears. Suddenly everything looks like it might be ok.
But then Oliver is accused of a crime that puts everything Amy knows into question.

Known to the Victim by K.L. Armstrong is a heart-pounding mystery.
I could not put this book down. It was fast paced with so much happening. Full of so many surprises.
This was a thrilling, shocking and captivating read. And I loved it!
It was amazing! Loved every second of it, she kept me guessing, and I was hooked from the start.

Thank You NetGalley and Doubleday Canada for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Although Known to the Victim is a work of fiction I'm quite sure many women (and even men) around the world have faced some kind of gaslighting or mental/financial/physical abuse, and it's really frightening to understand how it happens and why people submit to it. This story besides being well-written and having a gripping plot it raises awareness for the problem and provides food for thought. Highly recommended!
I thank the author, her publisher, and Net Galley for this ARC.

This book gives all the feels, the beginning is super sad with the murder of Amy's mother, and the dark pit she falls into afterward. Thankfully, her half-brother reaches out, takes her under his wing, and gives her all the support she needs. Fast forward to today and Amy is running a really successful podcast about women killed by people they know. During one of her in-person talks, a woman gives Amy some info on her brother that shocks her.
This book took me on a wild ride, first the emotional beginning, then following Amy as she investigates the accusations against her brother, the only family she has left. Plenty of twists and turns had me going back and forth to whether I thought Amy's brother actually did what he was accused of. I was glued to the pages from the beginning, some pretty big reveals completely changed the way I thought the story was going to go and kept me guessing as to what was going to happen next.

The prologue made me cry, actually I was sobbing, which is embarrassing because I was reading this sneakily at work. I can tell you this would make the perfect audiobook!
I am a huge fan of this one.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #PenguinRandomHouseCanada for the book #KnownToTheVictim by #KLArmstrong. Amy’s mother was murdered by a man she went on three dates with. This crushed Amy’s world but her half brother gets in touch with her and picks up the pieces. Now, Amy runs a successful crime podcast about dangerous men and it helps with the pain of losing her mother. Her brother gets arrested for shooting his girlfriend and Amy is right by his side to help him. But is there more to her brother that she didn’t see? This book hits home for me as I am sure it does with so many other women. Highly recommend.

Firstly, thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this book.

This is my first time reading work written by K.L. Armstrong and I can honestly say I was hooked from the very first chapter. Even when I thought I knew where the storyline was headed, I second guessed everything. Such an amazing read.

This is a suspenseful read that kept me guessing. The characters are complex. The mystery is full of twists and tension. I couldn't read fast enough. I had to know how it would all play out. And wow was I surprised. Excellent read!

Great gripping thriller with lots of twists and mystery. Amy is a strong character despite her struggles after her mother's murder. Mostly, it's the person known to the victim. It was the main theme, which is depicted throughout the plot. I was guessing and second-guessing all-around. Oliver's suspicious circumstances changed my mind so many times. Twists and revelations gradually became shocking, and then it’s a race to solve. The climax is justified with every single mystery solved. Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley publisher and the author for providing the eARC.

First, thank you to NetGalley, author KL Armstrong and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC and opportunity to review this book.

This was a first for me by this author and I loved it. It was a fast paced gripping read. While I thought I had it figured out, I was wrong…but then I was right and then wrong again! I loved the twists that kept me turning pages until well past my bedtime.

The plot was very well done and the way the author took one domestic violence, gaslighting and other trauma related issues was so well done. I actually wished there was a real podcast this book was done after.

I loved that it was set in Canada. Being from Canada I knew the places the author was describing which made it easy to actually visualize the characters and places.

The character development was well done. The female main character was very realistic and it was easy to emphasize with her through the whole book. The male main character was…well I absolutely had a love/hate view for him.

The author wrapped the storyline up nicely and there wasn’t a huge amount of characters to try to keep track of.

4.5 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

K L Armstrong, aka Kelley Armstrong, is one of my favorite authors. She's a prolific writer who regularly crosses or even mixes genre to keep her stories new amd unique. She has several series, OTHERWORLD, ROCKTON/ HAVEN'S ROCK, NADIA STAFFORD, RIP THROUGH TIME, CAINESVILLE, DARKEST POWERS....well, you get the picture. She also has many stand alone novels, of which KNOWN TO THE VICTIM is one. Her characters are three dimensional and their communities realistic. I've read all of her books and have yet to find one I'd rate anything but 5 stars.

Known to the Victim is the name of a podcast where domestic violence is not just a topic. The moderator, Amy Gibson, lost her mother when her mother's casual date turned into murder. Everyone who knew this man said....there must be some mistake, he'd never harm anyone. So Amy's podcast is centered on teaching the signs of controlling behavior through discussion and investigation of past violence. The story takes some serious twists when Amy must look closely at the actions of someone close to her. Is she over reacting because of her history or is she blind to the truth because she does not want it to be true? Armstrong handles an explosive subject with skill, leaving clues that could fit either situation and letting the reader make their own conclusions before the ending forces the truth into the open. A great read, but I'd not expect anything else from this author.

I love a thriller that is relevant in its horror, and what's more common than crimes towards women from men they know? It's a tragically high statistic, and a scary one at that.

The twists are plentiful, and well paced. While some of the plot is more easily guessed than others, my first prediction of what was going to happen was very wrong. The characters are well fleshed for a novel of this pace and length. Side note that K.Armstrong is great at writing protective teddy bears and I love it dearly, every single time. So that's a bonus little treat.

Overall, a solid thriller. I'll be recommending it for sure!

Thank you to Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for early access. My thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for the advanced copy. This was my first book by K.L Armstrong, which is another name for Kelley Armstrong. Known to the Victim follows Amy, a podcaster who has made her career on crimes against women committed by their partners. Her brother Oliver is her only family after her mother was murdered. When Oliver is accused of an unthinkable crime, Amy has to figure out what is going on with the help of Dean Castillo, a private investigator. I enjoyed Known to the Victim. It was a fast-paced thriller with many twists and turns. I found myself questioning what I thought was going on.

This book is Armstrong's first adult fiction book, and this one was an easy and quick psychological thriller! The story had a few twists within, but overall, the ending was pretty predictable considering all the clues and actions were laid out succinctly to point the readers in the right direction. But, even though the overall storyline wasn't as winding as most thriller books I read, I still really enjoyed experiencing the events. I loved the call-out on the Southern Ontario towns, and I had no idea that Armstrong is a fellow Ontarian.

My only critique was that the podcast elements throughout weren't as prominent as I expected. I think if the podcast elements were incorporated as a mixed media format it would really emphasize the importance of the crimes against women theme that was highlighted. Fans of Shari Lapena, and Mary Kubica will enjoy this read!

This is now the second thriller that this author has written and just like the first one and every other book she has written I was hooked instantly. It is almost crazy how as soon as I get super into something it seems Kelley Armstrong writes about it, and this book was no exception. This book had the right amount of suspense but enough information given to the reader to keep you questioning everything. One of the things I love about this book and a lot of her previous books is her strong female characters. Armstrong does not shy away from writing powerful females plot lines that will leave you questioning everything. I knew instantly that this book would be one that I would devour and I found myself desperate to find out the end. I loved this story and the characters trying to decifer the lies from the truth was very fun to read about. This story focuses on our main character, Amy, who is the main speaker in a podcast about domestic violence, after her mother was murdered by a romantic partner. Her podcast is thriving and she is shedding light on a topic near and dear to her heart, when her brother is suddenly accused of everything that she stands against. I couldn't get enough of this story and every attempt to put it down was met by one more chapter. I loved our main character Amy. Watching her struggle with her inner turmoil as she tries to get to the bottom of what was going on with her brother was very fascinating. I liked how it shows Amy's struggle trying to be there for her family but also stand up for the women she defends in her podcast. Great read unlike anything I have ever read before by this author. Right when I thought that fantasy was Kelley Armstrong's calling she pulls out all the stops and takes on the thriller community with force. Not only does she write this story with a flair that made her well known to begin with but she managed to make it seem like that is all she has been writing from day one. I'm so glad that I was able to check out this book and I can't wait to add this to my collection as soon as it is released.

I enjoyed Known to the Victim. I have been really into thrillers that have podcasts as part of the plot lately, and this one was a great addition to the others I have read with the same inclusion.

It was an easy and quick read with a few twists, but overall, the ending was pretty predictable considering everything was laid out to point to the way it ended...and then that's exactly what it was.

The twists in the middle made me feel like maybe the ending was going in a different direction, but it got back on the path it was already headed down quickly after.

It was a good read though and I liked it. I do wish there was more of the podcast included instead of just mentioning she had one. Maybe a script or letting us 'listen' to it a little.

It was a good insight into how the people closest to us can not be who we thought they were, as well as a look into gaslighting and control.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this ARC.

I really, really enjoyed reading this. At first I found the writing style a bit wordy and heavy on exposition, but once I got into it, I was hooked. The plot is quite bonkers – there’s a lot of twists and turns and it gets quite complicated but it was very exhilarating.

So much was going on – a lot happens, but it’s well-plotted and well-paced. The plot itself doesn’t always hold up to scrutiny – there were some plot threads I felt were under-explained – but as a first-time read, I barely noticed. It was exactly what I want from a thriller of this kind – exciting and full of twists, with a cute romance on the side. The relationship between Amy and Dean was a lot of fun – the dynamic between them is really entertaining with his grumpiness and her stubbornness, and was a really nice edition to the book (it’s barely there though – don’t get into this thinking it’s a romance because it really isn’t!)

Overall, it was a real thrill of a read. I read most of the last half of the book with a big grin on my face as the mystery unfolded, and it kept me surprised even at the end. It’s a very entertaining thriller – very pacy and so, so fun to read. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy of this book.

Content Notes: Murder, violence, knife violence, gun violence, blood, violent death of a parent (in past), references to strangulation, intimate partner violence, controlling behaviour, financial control, blood, suicide bombing (in past), references to war, references to pedophilia and child sexual abuse, stalking, hospital scenes, incarceration, death of a parent, drugging / use of sedatives, suicide, grief.