kristen_eden's review against another edition
4.0
Suspenseful and twisty (but honestly not too twisty... aka way less plot holes). Perfect beach read.
lindsayreads3747's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 rounded up. I had to give up on this one. I only made it about 50% through and it was becoming a chore to read. I tried picking it up a few times since the boredom took hold but there are just other books I’d rather be reading. The writing is OK, the premise seemed intriguing but the rest fell flat. It was not not at all exciting, well developed or what I expected. I kept expecting morsels of clues but there were none. I felt as if I was billed as mystery/thriller and somehow found myself reading about the dull lives of suburban housewives. I just couldn’t get into it. I did actually skip to the last chapter to skim it and it was very predictable. I’m glad I finally let this one go to the land of dnf graveyard.
bkmckown's review against another edition
3.0
The beginning and the end were good with plenty of twists. The middle was a little boring and odd with the romantic twist.
illidia316's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed Not That I Could Tell. It wis full of mystery and suspense. I thought the story was going one way, then suddenly it would switch and go in a different direction.
The characters are all great. My favorite character is Hallie. She is so smart and determined.
Fans of suspense and mysteries, give this book a read!
The characters are all great. My favorite character is Hallie. She is so smart and determined.
Fans of suspense and mysteries, give this book a read!
stephfsteph's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
rachelbrandwin's review against another edition
2.0
I thought the book was boring for the first 70% of it.
If you're looking for a mystery/thriller then look else where. There were no twists or turns or anything major keeping me interested in it. It was a struggle to get through at most times but overall not the worst thing I've read.
If you're looking for a mystery/thriller then look else where. There were no twists or turns or anything major keeping me interested in it. It was a struggle to get through at most times but overall not the worst thing I've read.
dee_elizabeth's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kbranfield's review against another edition
4.0
Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser is a tautly woven mystery about a woman and her twins' inexplicable, middle of the night disappearance. No one, including her estranged husband, the police or her neighbors can decipher whether they left of their own accord or they are the victims of foul play.
Yellow Springs, OH is a quiet community that falls under intense media attention when Kristin Kirkland and her twins vanish after spending the evening with her neighbors. Her closest friend, Clara Tiffin, is stunned by the news and after answering Detective Bryant's questions, she realizes she does not know Kristin as well as she originally thought. Following their police interviews, neighbors Izzy, Natalie, Randi and Rhoda reach the same conclusion. Detective Bryant and Detective Marks uncover damning information that casts suspicion on Kristin's estranged husband, popular OB/GYN Dr. Paul Kirkland. Did Kristin and the twins leave on their own? Or is there a much more sinister reason for their disappearance?
Clara is shocked to discover that she is unaware of so much about Kristin's life. They spent a great deal of time together and she greatly admired her outgoing neighbor. Clara did not know Paul very well since he worked long hours and following Kristin's disappearance, she is quick to assume he is somehow involved in what happened to her friend. Clara's husband Benny might not have had much in common with Paul, but he urges her to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Izzy is the only single woman on the block and she is younger than the her neighbors. She is nursing a broken heart and she is a little self absorbed. Unlike the other women, she is sympathetic to Paul's plight and Izzy is convinced that everyone is a little too quick to assume he did something wrong.
Randi , Rhoda and Natalie remain on the periphery of the unfolding drama. Natalie's husband is frequently gone due to military deployments and Clara helps out by letting her precocious twelve year old daughter Hallie stay with her most afternoons after school. Hallie is naturally curious and she is very interested in the current events occurring in their neighborhood. Randi and Rhoda are a new age-y couple who are parents to an infant and they own their own business so while they are well-liked they are not as involved with their neighbors.
Paul is not well known by the rest of the neighbors and the information that comes to light during the investigation into Kristin's disappearance does not exactly endear him to most of his neighbors. Clara is especially cautious when dealing with him and once she realizes Izzy is sympathetic to his plight, she is unable to ignore her instincts that something is not quite right about him. But will Izzy take her friend's warnings to heart?
Not That I Could Tell is an engrossing domestic mystery. The characters are well drawn and very relatable. The storyline is engaging with just enough drama and intrigue to keep the pages turning at a brisk pace. Jessica Strawser keeps readers on the edge of their as Kristin's fate remains shrouded in mystery until the novel's surprising conclusion.
Yellow Springs, OH is a quiet community that falls under intense media attention when Kristin Kirkland and her twins vanish after spending the evening with her neighbors. Her closest friend, Clara Tiffin, is stunned by the news and after answering Detective Bryant's questions, she realizes she does not know Kristin as well as she originally thought. Following their police interviews, neighbors Izzy, Natalie, Randi and Rhoda reach the same conclusion. Detective Bryant and Detective Marks uncover damning information that casts suspicion on Kristin's estranged husband, popular OB/GYN Dr. Paul Kirkland. Did Kristin and the twins leave on their own? Or is there a much more sinister reason for their disappearance?
Clara is shocked to discover that she is unaware of so much about Kristin's life. They spent a great deal of time together and she greatly admired her outgoing neighbor. Clara did not know Paul very well since he worked long hours and following Kristin's disappearance, she is quick to assume he is somehow involved in what happened to her friend. Clara's husband Benny might not have had much in common with Paul, but he urges her to give him the benefit of the doubt.
Izzy is the only single woman on the block and she is younger than the her neighbors. She is nursing a broken heart and she is a little self absorbed. Unlike the other women, she is sympathetic to Paul's plight and Izzy is convinced that everyone is a little too quick to assume he did something wrong.
Randi , Rhoda and Natalie remain on the periphery of the unfolding drama. Natalie's husband is frequently gone due to military deployments and Clara helps out by letting her precocious twelve year old daughter Hallie stay with her most afternoons after school. Hallie is naturally curious and she is very interested in the current events occurring in their neighborhood. Randi and Rhoda are a new age-y couple who are parents to an infant and they own their own business so while they are well-liked they are not as involved with their neighbors.
Paul is not well known by the rest of the neighbors and the information that comes to light during the investigation into Kristin's disappearance does not exactly endear him to most of his neighbors. Clara is especially cautious when dealing with him and once she realizes Izzy is sympathetic to his plight, she is unable to ignore her instincts that something is not quite right about him. But will Izzy take her friend's warnings to heart?
Not That I Could Tell is an engrossing domestic mystery. The characters are well drawn and very relatable. The storyline is engaging with just enough drama and intrigue to keep the pages turning at a brisk pace. Jessica Strawser keeps readers on the edge of their as Kristin's fate remains shrouded in mystery until the novel's surprising conclusion.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
4.0
Not That I Could Tell by Jessica Strawser was this month's selection for my in-person book club. This one is about a neighborhood woman who disappears. A few nights before she'd been chilling around a bonfire with her neighbors, and now, she's just vanished in the night with her kids. The neighbors knew she was going through a divorce, but they realize they knew little else. They each try to piece together what happened while also navigating through their own "stuff" that clouds their interpretation and reactions. In addition to focusing on the missing woman, this book walks through the secrets and stories of others in the neighborhood. It really makes you think about how much you really know the people you live next to. This is one that kept me reading as I had to know just what happened. I'm really glad I read it with a group, so I have some people to process through it with soon!