As a college English professor, Elizabeth looks forward to the start of each new semester teaching her creative writing seminar. At least until she reads chapter one of The Reckoning, a tale about a high school senior who has an affair with her teacher. To anyone else it would be the beginning of a great page-turner, but to Elizabeth it is the beginning of the end.
She knows this story. It’s all familiar because she lived it. The girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows exactly how the story will end—with the professor dead. Because she was the one who killed him.
Someone knows what Elizabeth did twenty years ago and her secret is about to be exposed, but who is the mystery student submitting the chapters? In an effort to find out, Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown where it soon becomes clear that no matter how many years have gone by, she can’t escape her past
Someone Knows is a gripping psychological thriller intertwining buried secrets, unresolved trauma, and steamy romance. The novel is a darker, more suspenseful story than Keeland’s previous romances.
The story centers on Elizabeth, an English professor whose life unravels when a mysterious creative-writing student, Hannah, submits chapters of The Reckoning—a story that mirrors a secret Elizabeth thought she buried 20 years ago: the killing of her high school teacher, who was abusing her friend Jocelyn. Recognizing her own past in Hannah’s fictional story, Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown to unmask the writer and protect her secret but is forced to confront demons she fled from 20 years earlier.
The writing is top-notch, blending vivid, ominous suspense with raw, relatable, and engrossing dialogue. Although the story is marketed as a psychological thriller, it’s really so much more—it masterfully blends suspense, family drama, trauma, the cost of buried secrets, and heated romance into a wild ride of a tale!
The book has a slow-burn start but quickly picks up pace once Elizabeth first travels back to her hometown in Louisiana. From that point on, a number of suspicious characters are introduced that will keep readers guessing and immersed in the intricate mystery. The second half becomes even more intricate, as shocking revelations emerge that will throw readers’ predictions out the window. If you’re thinking you’ll be able to predict the outcome early—don’t be surprised if you’re blindsided. As the story climaxes, there are several clues that make solving the mystery feasible—but fear not, the story has more to say after that. Be prepared for a pleasing and emotional character resolution and a final shocking twist that may send you spiraling!
The characters are the most morally grey and suspicious. Elizabeth is a morally complex, flawed, multi-layered protagonist. Readers will get a sense of how much healing she needs through her impulsive, unhealthy decision-making and her toxic addictions. Her unpredictability adds excitement and suspense to the story—as she’s not one to shy away from danger, especially when pushed to her limits, expect the unexpected! Her unhealthy relationship with her ailing mother is a compelling part of the story, and although their dialogue is quite toxic, the mother-daughter bond is still present.
The steamy and morally fraught romantic subplot between Elizabeth and Noah, the son of the teacher she killed, is an intriguing twist to the plot—their immediate chemistry is electric and borderline twisted—and their heated romance scenes will definitely please fans of spicy romance. At the same time, some readers may find their romance to be ethically problematic, especially when Elizabeth has other admirable men who are pining for her. Despite all her bad decisions, secrets, and mistakes, Elizabeth remains someone who’s easy to care about and root for—especially at the end!
Overall, this book offers everything a reader would want in the perfect psychological thriller—vivid storytelling, compelling character development, tangible suspense throughout, shocking twists, satisfying resolution, and a last-minute twist that will solidify the five-star reviews! Fans of Colleen Hoover’s or Mary Kubica’s emotional suspense stories will find much to love in this book. If all of this sounds intriguing, don’t hesitate to immediately grab a copy of this book ASAP!!
