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Back to topTrue Crime Story: A Novel (Paperback)
December 2021 Indie Next List
“True Crime Story is a riveting work of fiction that reads like a guilty pleasure tabloid. When a struggling writer delves into a mystery, she finds all involved have something to hide. A great twisty thriller where nothing is as it seems.”
— Mary O'Malley, Skylark Bookshop, Columbia, MO
Winter 2022 Reading Group Indie Next List
“A really fun whodunit set in northern UK. The structure is a manuscript of a true crime book, with emails between two authors piecing the story together. Absolutely every character—and even the author—is a suspect. What a winter treat!”
— Sissy Gardner, Parnassus Books, Nashville, TN
Description
"Cleverly blending the real and imagined worlds until the reader can't differentiate the two, Knox has created a twisty, turny thriller that cuts through the heart of the modern true crime fascination, all while keeping us enraptured by it."—BuzzFeed
THE #1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER!
For fans of true crime documentaries and Only Murders in the Building comes the chilling story of a university student's sudden disappearance, the woman who became obsessed with her case, and the crime writer who uncovered the truth about what happened…
What happens to all the girls who go missing?
In 2011, Zoe Nolan walked out of her dormitory in Manchester and was never seen or heard from again. Her case went cold. Her story was sad, certainly, but hardly sensational, crime writer Joseph Knox thought. He wouldn't have given her any more thought were it not for his friend, Evelyn Mitchell. Another writer struggling to come up with a new idea, Evelyn was wondering just what happens to all the girls who go missing. What happens to the Zoe Nolans of the world?
Evelyn began investigating herself, interviewing Zoe's family and friends, and emailing Joseph with chapters of the book she was writing with her findings. Uneasy with the corkscrew twists and turns, Joseph Knox embedded himself in the case, ultimately discovering a truth more tragic and shocking than he could have possibly imagined…
Just remember: Everything you read is fiction.
Praise for True Crime Story:
"Stunningly unique...For fans of stories with a little something extra, this book is set up like an oral history, complete with emails, newspaper clippings and photos that propel the story all the way to a shocking and satisfying conclusion."
—Newsweek
"Mr. Knox is a fantastic writer. His ambitious fourth novel satirises and celebrates the true-crime genre with glee. True Crime Story, by turns horrific and hilarious, is scandalously entertaining."
—The Times (UK)
"The gifted Joseph Knox continues his upwards trajectory with True Crime Story forging something original and innovative."
—Financial Times (UK)
"This is one of the most engaging cold-case novels I have read."
—Literary Review (UK)
About the Author
JOSEPH KNOX was born and raised in and around Manchester, England, where he worked in bars and bookshops before moving to London. His debut novel, Sirens, the first in the Aidan Waits trilogy, was a bestseller and has been translated into eighteen languages. True Crime Story is his first stand-alone novel, and was a #1 Sunday Times bestseller.
Praise For…
"[A] stunningly unique take on a thriller...For fans of stories with a little something extra, this book is set up like an oral history, complete with emails, newspaper clippings and photos that propel the story all the way to a shocking and satisfying conclusion." — Newsweek
"Cleverly blending the real and imagined worlds until the reader can't differentiate the two, Knox has created a twisty, turny thriller that cuts through the heart of the modern true crime fascination, all while keeping us enraptured by it." — BuzzFeed
"Knox the author pulls off a hybrid triumph: at once an old-fashioned whodunnit and a smart postmodern literary novel asking questions about the ethics of all editing, as well as the true-crime genre." — The Sunday Times
"Joseph Knox now offers an ingenious metafictional work about a cold case involving the disappearance of Zoe Nolan... This is one of the most engaging cold-case novels I have read." — Literary Review
"The gifted Joseph Knox continues his upwards trajectory with True Crime Story forging something original and innovative." — Financial Times
"Mr. Knox is a fantastic writer. His ambitious fourth novel satirises and celebrates the true-crime genre with glee. True Crime Story, by turns horrific and hilarious, is scandalously entertaining." — The Times
"The impressively twisty plot drops one bombshell revelation after another. Twin Peaks fans won’t want to miss this one." — Publishers Weekly, STARRED Review
"Each voice is distinctive and convincing, and each story within the central tale captures the youth culture of the time in unglamorous Manchester." — Kirkus Reviews
"Pure genius – all the things you want to a crime novel to be, also hilarious. I love it." — Jane Casey, author of the Maeve Kerrigan novels
"True Crime Story is phenomenal. One of the most original thrillers I’ve read in years, perhaps ever. A gritty, twisted murder mystery told in the unique style of a true crime account. I’ve rarely raced through a book so fast. I’m just gutted that it’s probably ruined me for thrillers for a good long while! Absolutely remarkable." — Erin Young, author of The Fields
"Riveting and relentless. A unique story, brilliantly told." — Terry Hayes, author of I Am Pilgrim
"Absolutely brilliant. I think it’s a game-changer." — Martyn Waites, author of The Woman in Black
"Highly original and mischievous novel – a complete triumph." — John Boyne, bestselling author of A Ladder to the Sky
"Reads like a cinematic true crime documentary. Brilliant, compelling and original." — Steve Cavanagh, award-winning author of the Eddie Flynn series