Imposter Syndrome is a fast-moving , quirky and typically dark thriller from Joseph Knox.
Lynch is a man on the run from a con job in Paris that has gone badly wrong,how wrong is hinted at but only revealed later. Broke ,tired and desperate he bumps into Bobbie,an heiress on her way to rehab who mistakes him for the missing brother she hasn't seen for years. A hazy night spent with Bobbie leaves Lynch with a facial tattoo the same as her missing brother's and making an unwise promise to help her by posing as him.
As if that's not complicated enough,when the initial plot goes wrong Lynch finds himself also promising to help Bobbie's mother and sister in another ,equally ill-advised "cunning plan".

I did at first think this was going to be a Ripleyesque tale of a cunning chancer infiltrating a gullible group of rich people but that's very far from the case. Lynch finds himself entering a labyrinth of deception and danger against very dark forces who always seem to be one step ahead of him.

This is a fast-moving and complex tale,often confusing as well as the reader is thrown off track by sudden turns of events and new information that throws a different light on what they think they know.

I loved this.

It is such a twisty, clever story that will keep you on your toes as you navigate all the events and people.

The characters are intriguing, our main protagonist especially, it is also unpredictable and hugely addictive.

I won't give anything away but you'll.devour this, something a bit different and terrific writing.

Ok, disclaimer! I am a Joseph Knox fan. I really enjoyed the Aidan Waits Trilogy and the standalone True Crime Story and would always recommend his books to a friend.
I find he has a great knack of writing strangely relatable, albeit semi degenerate, self deprecating, lead characters that you envitably end up rooting for...So I was excited to receive approval for an advance copy of his new book Imposter Syndrome.

Anyone who has read my reviews, knows that I struggle with, what @nursefancypants calls the "ScoobyDooEnding"..... and to my horror Imposter Syndrome has an SfDB.... a Scooby feckin Doo Beginning! 🤯🤯

A con artist, Lynch, down on his luck and rushing away from his last "con"tract is mistaken by a rich heiress as her long time missing brother, Heydon, upon arrival to London.
Within a very short amount of time, the reader, is expected to buy that Lynch is so starved of options he is willing to pretend to be said brother to try unearth what caused his alleged doppelganger's houdini act. This involved him getting a face tattoo for authenticity which I might add happened without his consent and while he was asleep!

I mean come on! I acknowledge I am a light sleeper, but a tattoo! On the face! While sleeping! No, no, no!

So, if you can swallow all of that without an eye roll or two then this could be the perfect whodunnit, whosbehindit mystery thriller for you, it just is not for me.

Don't get me wrong, Knox can write and the dialogue is often times funny. But, I struggled to buy into the scenario Lynch found himself in, or warm to any of the main characters, himself included.
I found it jumped all over the place with lots of main dodgy characters who all seemed indistinguishable from t'other bad fella.
I genuinely couldn't have cared less if someone were to take the book from me at any point and I never found out what happened actually happened to the missing Heydon or Lynch himself.

I feel bad, JK is a lovely human, he is very generous with his spare proofs and replies frequently to twitter messages.But this one does him an injustice in comparison to his other work, so I hope to see some return to form in his next release. I am still a fan.

Many thanks to Randomhouse UK and Transworld Publishers for the @netgalley arc in return for an honest review.

Tense, exciting and dramatic, with some excellent characters. Couldn’t put it down!

A minor note to editors-please get rid of the Americanisms in a British book set in London. We don’t have cops.

An accidental encounter sees a con artist named Lynch meet Bobbie, a rich girl bound for a rehab clinic, in London. When she notes his resemblance to her missing (presumed dead) brother, Heydon, Lynch finds himself unable to perpetrate any type of con on her.

But after he meets Miranda, her formidable mother, he agrees to her offer to impersonate Bobbie's brother. Miranda's plan is to flush out her son Heydon's real killer. But what Lynch hasn't quite realised is that by doing this, he will put himself in the killer's cross hairs.

As he attempts to navigate an alien world of investors and influencers, Lynch becomes increasingly aware of the danger that he is in.

Soon, all bets are off. Because the rich, after all, ARE different...

This is an unusual take on a grifter's entry into the world of the wealthy. But the story is not only original, it is also quite suspenseful. All in all, a very enjoyable read!

Lynch is a con-artist. He arrives in London broke, with only the clothes on this back, running from his past. Then he bumps into Bobbie, a heiress bound for rehab. She has mistaken him for her missing brother and forms a bond of sorts. Lynch is lured into her family home, only to be drawn into the mystery of the missing brother - Heydon. As the story goes along, it is clear that there are more secrets hidden within this family and you just can't guess who can be trusted.

This was wild and twisted! Lynch impersonating Heydon to try and help the family get to the bottom of the mystery, all the while, the secrets bubbling to the surface make it clear no one can be trusted here. Another fabulous novel by the author. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Random House UK for this gifted review copy.

Starting ‘Imposter Syndrome’ the week Netflix’s new take on ‘Ripley’ arrived, I began the book with the smallest amount of trepidation - was this going to be another take on a con artist trying to wheedle their way into a rich family and we follow the long drawn out ‘will he be found out or won’t he’. And that’s what it was – for all of half a chapter. Then? Then it drives forward as a gloriously twisted take on a modern day outsider investigator, a complex web of mystery and some very shady operators where our protagonist is far from the worst in terms of morals and motives.
Lynch, the protagonist of Joseph Knox’s new novel, arrives, penniless, in London as the nation mourns the Queen’s death and he laments ‘something’ in his recent past. Initially mistaken by Bobbie, a wealthy young woman on her way to rehab, as her brother Heydon, who disappeared under mysterious circumstances, he is encouraged by her to try and infiltrate her family for a quick money grab at their London home.
That’s the ‘opening pitch’ – to him, and to us, as readers. But on arrival at the home everything changes as Miranda, Bobbie and Heydon’s mother, sees an opportunity to use his likeness to try to find out who was responsible for her son’s disappearance that night five years ago.
From there we’re into an ever spiralling world of duplicity as Lynch finds himself more and more embroiled in something much bigger than he could have expected where he’s dependent more on his skills as a con artist than Reacher style muscle.
This was a two-sitting reading where I had no idea where the story was going (in the best possible way), pulled along in the same confusion, scalation and gradual reveals the protagonist himself goes through among a vividly drawn cast of characters.
A common theme I see in a lot of novels is the author’s determination to ‘show their workings out’: to put the research on every page to prove their ‘authenticity’. One of the things I thought worked so well here was the restraint in this: the protagonist is having to figure things out in a world he does not know: be it influencers/ investments, the super-rich or even the more luxurious establishments in London: and we as the reader join him in this: no info dumps, just economically revealed detail dripped out in a completely authentic voice: detail that establishes the circumstances but never once lets up in the breakneck action. And this certainly has ‘action’: clever, intelligently written without ‘superhero’ antics. It’s an ordinary joe (albeit one with a very shady past and questionable morals) in extraordinary circumstances where no-one, including himself, are what they seem.
There have been some really strong releases already in 2024 and this one is right up there with the best of them in terms of what I’ll be recommending to friends and family: published in July, I think this one will thrill the author’s fans and new readers alike.

My thoughts about Joseph Knox’s Imposter Syndrome is a Riveting Tale of Deception, Identity, and Deadly Secret. Joseph Knox delivers a gripping narrative in Imposter Syndrome, weaving together elements of suspense, deception, and psychological intrigue. The story follows Lynch, a burned-out con-artist who stumbles upon a fateful encounter with Bobbie, a rehab-bound heiress, mistaking him momentarily for her missing brother, Heydon. What begins as a chance encounter quickly escalates into a tangled web of lies and danger as Lynch is drawn into impersonating Heydon at the behest of Bobbie's formidable mother, Miranda. Joseph Knox’s Imposter Syndrome sets the stage for a thrilling ride, but Joseph Knox's masterful execution takes the story to greater heights. One of the strengths of Joseph Knox’s thriller lies in its portrayal of the dynamics between the characters. Lynch's interactions with Bobbie, Miranda, and other key players are fraught with tension, mistrust, and hidden agendas. Each character is meticulously crafted, adding layers of depth to the narrative and keeping readers guessing about their true motivations. Overall Joseph Knox’s Imposter Syndrome is a riveting thriller that captivates from beginning to end. Joseph Knox's skillful storytelling, complex characters, and deft handling of suspense make it a must-read for fans of the genre. And with the blend of heart-pounding action, Joseph Knox’s thriller is sure to leave a lasting impression on readers long after the final page is turned. I would like to say a big thank you to author Joseph Knox and publishers Transworld books and Doubleday books, for kindly letting me read and review this breathtaking thriller on netgalley. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥