4.5/5 stars

This is a riveting thriller! I absolutely loved it!

Kelley Armstrong is my favorite author. So I had very high hopes for Known to the Victim. And I was not disappointed. From the first intense paragraph to the last sentence I was completely enthralled by this amazing read.

The narrator is Amy Gibson. The prologue is so powerful. And then the story moves forward eight years. Twenty-eight year old Amy is now a true crime podcaster, which is such an amazing job in a thriller.

This book was chilling and I could not put it down. There is a fascinating mystery. And I honestly could not wait to see how everything played out. And the hint of romance was perfection.

Known to the Victim is incredible thriller. If you enjoy true crime this book will be for you.

After Amy Gibsons mother is murdered she is left with no one, struggling with grief and depression she hits rock bottom. Until her estranged half- brother Oliver reaches out and asks her to stay with him until she gets back on her feet.
Now, 8 years later, Amy has turned her life around she has her own successful true crime podcast known to the victim, devoted to cases of women who were killed by those they knew.
And then Oliver is accused of the very crime Amy has devoted her podcast to. She now struggles to prove Olivers' innocence while trying to remain impartial on her podcast, reporting her brothers case. While investigating, she realises she may have ignored some red flags that she has been constantly warning her listeners about.
This book had me hooked from page one. It was brilliantly plotted with some brilliant twist and turns. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves a fast-paced suspenseful thriller.
Thank you, @netgalley and @penguinrandomhouse, for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'd like to thank K.L. Armstrong, NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I flew through this book. The second I was able to sit down and actually get into it, I ended up staying up until 5am to finish it. It was fast paced with well rounded, intriguing characters that were easy to attach to. I actually got so excited while reading it, I love podcast thrillers and consume a lot of true crime that way so I loved reading from the perspective of a podcaster.

Amy Gibson is a true crime podcaster that works with a PI to research crimes and report them. She began her podcast Known to the Victim after the murder of her mother by a man her mother had gone on one date with, and it was someone people never expected. Her podcast gained views for her advice to protect yourself and noticing red flags in a person, as well as covering a lot of violence against women.

When her mother died, though, she fell into a depression and was pulled out by her half-brother and taken into his home. Now, he's being accused of murder. Amy decides to cover it on her podcast, with the help of her brothers lawyer and her PI getting information other's couldn't access.

I really loved the interactions between Amy and her PI; Dean Castillo, there's a light flirtation and a hint that something could happen between them and I enjoy personal relationships in my crime thrillers. Ultimately this book was so fun, and such a fast read, I really enjoyed it.

Trigger Warnings I Gathered: stalking, gaslighting, suicide, parent death, grief, kidnapping, gun violence

The Prologue was soooo good , hooked me immediately I was in for the long haul .

Amy Gibson is a up and coming true crime podcaster and focuses on crimes against woman and she didn’t stumble into this career by accident…her mother was murdered 8 years ago .

Now with Amy’s Podcast Known to The Victim , life seems good. With the help from her step brother Oliver he brought her out of her depression and helped her get set up in a new place .

Then at about 30% things start to get interesting and Amy is caught in the middle of a potential crime and the accused is a family member.

Amy is faced with making decisions between what’s factual and false and is persuaded into adding this active crime case to her podcast , but will she get caught in the middle of the crossfires ??

How far would you go to protect the only family you have ?

My only wish is that there was actual podcast interviews for some more deeper discussions , instead of talk of Amy having a podcast and I felt at times the narrator lost us in her thoughts and had us all over the place , jumped around to much and threw the reader off .

I think fans of B.A. Paris , Shari Lapena, and Mary Kubica will enjoy this read !

Thank you NetGalley, Penguin Random House Canada and K.L . Armstrong for this ARC!

Respectfully Another Read by Angie

I enjoyed the storyline and was hooked from the beginning. The characters felt real and the writing made me question most of the characters. It was fast-paced and although I seen some twists, I did not see them all and still couldn’t put the book down. I found the portrayal of controlling, gaslighting and emotional abuse well written.

Amy Gibson is a podcaster who bases her show on violent crimes committed by people who were close to the victim. Losing her mother in her first year of college to the man her mother briefly dated gives her firsthand experience and knowledge of the monsters hiding in plain sight. While Amy is speaking at an event, a stranger interrupts, calling out Amy's own brother for being one of those predators her show is about. This sets off a chain reaction, leading Amy down a dangerous path and one she never would have imagined in her worst nightmares.

For so many podcast stories out there lately, this is one of the few that stands out and excelled at its originality and ends up on a higher tier. Written in a way that pulls its reader in within the first few pages and keeps you craving more. There were several mysteries to solve throughout this, and although I figured out the main one, there were many more to keep me guessing and invested. What really made this was the interactions and dialogue between the protagonist and another character, investigator Dean Castillo, and I can honestly see this becoming a series with them alone. All in all, this was a good one, and I give it four stars.

Thank you, Netgalley, and Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC.

Amy became a podcaster and advocate for women after her mother was murdered. Now though, she's got a difficult issue on her hands because her half brother Oliver has been arrested for the murder of his ex-wife. These two weren't close until recently but Amy's trusted him and she thought she knew the warning signs. But did she? This hits some familiar themes (true crime podcasting for example) but it's nicely twisty and the characters are good. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

This is such a relevant and poignant thriller that delves into female victims of crimes suffered at the hands of their partners. The main character, Amy Gibson, comes across as so real with her experiences and how she reacts to the events happening around her. As a criminology graduate, the character's behaviours struck me as believable as did the issues like gaslighting and financial control that are addressed. All in all, a fantastic read that thriller and women's fiction fans will love.

Quite a complex, page turning novel, that keeps you reading! Podcaster Amy, with her investigator dig deep to uncover the truth about her brother. Very interesting, relative topic makes it a must read!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGallery for the advanced copy in return for an honest review!

Kelley girl! You did it again! You had me absolutely in a chokehold with this book! I loved it! And that ending!! Omfg!! I didn’t think you were gonna do it, but you did!!! It was the ending I was praying for and more!

Right from the start, I was captivated by the story. Amy has found purpose and a small income in her true crime podcasts after her mother's death eight years ago. When her brother Oliver is being accused of being the same type of predator that she warns women about, it throws her for the loop. Amy can't believe the accusations against Oliver, but she must remain impartial while reporting on her brother in her podcast. Amy plans to investigate and work to clear her brother. I received a free copy of this ebook from the publisher through Netgalley This is my honest and voluntarily given review. I love how the story is told exclusively from Amy's point of view in first person. This is the perfect format for this book. It made the story more personal for me. I was fascinated by the story and the mystery.

I am a sucker for thrillers and mysteries. This one is full of twists and turns and keeps you guessing. The characters do seem a bit stiff or un-relatable, but that might just be me. Overall, the story held my interest and I wasn't dreading to pick it up - which I feel like sometimes happens with this genre! But overall, I think it was pretty satisfying and I'm looking forward to picking up more books by this author. Thanks NetGalley & publisher for this ARC.

My first book by the author under this name…and it probably won’t be the last. Thanks to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this prior to publication.
Amy Gibson runs a true crime podcast. She began it as a way of coming to terms with the murder of her lawyer mother at the hands of a partner. However, it soon becomes suggested that someone close to Amy might be hiding their own secrets.
Amy has always looked up to her half-brother, Owen, once they’d reconnected following her mother’s murder. When he is questioned by the police about the suspicious death of his ex wife, and then implicated in an attack on his current girlfriend it’s hard to know who to believe.
Amy continues to investigate, even at risk to her own safety. As things continue Amy herself is placed in an incredibly difficult situation, and I could not wait to get to the end and work out exactly what was going on.

While there are some fairly large plot holes, Known to the Victim by KL Armstrong is a fun thriller for this summer.

Amy, a podcast host, started her career after her Mother was murdered by a romantic partner. Amy was taken in by her estranged half-brother and was able to create her life and her podcast to help educate women about toxic relationships.

Now, Oliver, her half-brother, is accused of a heinous crime and Amy must dig around to find out what is and what isn't the truth.

This is a PRIME example of a twisted thriller. It kept me guessing until the very end. I think anyone who loves a good twist will enjoy this one.

Thank you to Netgalley, and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

I expected this to be an easy, engrossing read - Kelley Armstrong generally doesn't disappoint and I figured this thriller would be a perfect beach read.

Amy Gibson's half-brother helps her pick up the pieces after her mother is brutally murdered. Years later, she's the host of an up and coming true crime podcast when her life is thrown for another loop - the brother that helped her get through her biggest tragedy is now accused of something that could make him a subject of her podcast.

After reading this book I don't think calling it a thriller is an adequate description... I would consider it more of a psychological mystery. The story held my interest the entire time and really made me think about behaviors and manipulation and how perception can really change your opinion in different situations. I really couldn't decide who to believe or figure out how the story was going to go and that's what I loved most about the book - but I did feel like the ending wasn't as exciting as it could've been. It wrapped up with a satisfying conclusion and I'd give it 3.5 stars.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for the chance to read an early copy!

Kelley Armstrong keeps stepping up her game, and you need to look no further than her latest book Known to the Victim, written under the name K.L. Armstrong.
This book is a non-stop thrill ride, with twists and turns and plenty of suspense to keep you anxiously turning the pages. The characters are engaging and relatable in their depth, and the situations in which the main character Amy Gibson finds herself are almost uncomfortably familiar to most women, if not in first-hand experience then in all-to-real theory. The underlying themes of violence against women and gaslighting is handled with sensitivity and never comes across as preachy, and the doubts that women experience these things have about what is happening to them, and about their reactions, are dealt with in the skillful manner one has come to expect of Armstrong.
Overall, this book takes a serious theme and wraps a highly entertaining and well-written storyline around it.
As always, you simply cannot go wrong with a book written by this author!

Thank you to Doubleday Canada, NetGalley and author K.L. Armstong for this eARC

When I got approved for an ARC of this book I was beyond excited! I‘ve been reading and loving Armstrong‘s books since I was 14 years old, which is to say for over half my life, and her new book, Known to the Victim, did not disappoint!

I absoultely loved this book! The characters were great, the plot well thought out and I was on the edge of my seat, wondering if my predictions were correct, right until the very end. Everything made sense and there where no characters being unbelievably stupid/lacking common sense just to further the plot - which is a huge pet peeve of mine in mystery/thrillers.
5/5 stars, highly recommend!

This was not my first book by this Author I’ve read and it will definitely not be my last! This book was exactly what I needed and the perfect fast paced, page turning thriller I couldn’t put down!!

Amy who now has her own podcast about educating women about the signs that sometimes are glanced over that show they are in a toxic controlling relationship. She started this podcast and career after her Mother was murdered by an obsessed partner. Little did she know how this podcast and the events of the murder would lead to unraveling her current situation….. did her half brother, Oliver, really attempt to kill his girlfriend?? The same Oliver who when her Mom died was the only person there for her and drug her out of her depression and helped her not only start her life again, but continue to be a strong and supportive sibling. Was this some kind of sick joke? Was her brother being framed? Or was he truly one of the incredibly toxic and dangerous men she talked about on her podcast and she missed ALL the signs ??

I read this book in one day!! This was the definition of a compulsive, suspenseful, twisted thriller that kept me guessing.. and guessing. Suddenly the all the characters seem unreliable, suspicious, and I didn’t know who to believe or what direction to look. It was full of misdirection that kept me immersed from beginning to end. Just jump into this book and enjoy the ride!!

Thank you to the Author, Netgalley, and Penguin Random House Canada for the ARC!!

Amy Gibson is finally getting her life back on track. After the brutal murder of her mother 8 years before by an ex boyfriend, Amy went to a very dark place. It was only the intervention of her older half brother, Oliver, whom she hadn’t seen for years, that brought her back from the abyss she had fallen into. Now, at 28, Amy is a woman with a purpose. As well as studying for her PHD, Amy is broadcasting a successful podcast dealing with murders committed by those who are know to their victim. Her mantra to those who listen is that predators rarely look like predators. Amy’s podcast draws some unwanted attention that causes her to realise that the mantra is true. Who can she trust?

A fast paced, compelling thriller that certainly kept my interest. One or two ‘as if’s’ but not enough to spoil the plot.

A first for me from this author but will certainly seek out more. Well written with great characters. A very good read.

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada.

This standalone psychological thriller will have you question the motives and trustworthiness of every single character involved.

Eight years ago, Amy Gibson's mother was murdered by a man she dated. Afterwards, Amy fell into a deep depression until her estranged half-brother, Oliver, reached out and pulled her out of it. Now, Amy has a successful, up-and-coming true crime podcast, Known to the Victim, dealing with violence against women committed by close relations. But her life is turned upside down when Oliver, her closest family and the person she trusts most, is implicated in an attack on his girlfriend.

Despite having made it her life's work to educate other women about red flags in relationships, could she have missed the warning signs with Oliver? Amy has to balance supporting her brother, whom she can't imagine being guilty, without blindly supporting him the way friends and family of the predators from the cases she covered on her podcast did. But the longer the investigation continues, the more Amy - and the reader - has to start questioning how deserving of her loyalty Oliver really is.

The tone of this book is serious, and at times uncomfortable, as it deals with gaslighting, controlling behavior, and emotional abuse in a relationship. I found Amy to be a relatable and likeable main character. Her struggles were believable and compelling. The plot moves quickly, without any lulls in the action. I definitely recommend this book if you like psychological thrillers. I couldn't put it down and finished it in one evening.

Thank you Penguin Random House Canada for providing a review copy via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.