An innocent night of fun takes a shocking turn in Not That I Could Tell, the next page-turner from Jessica Strawser.

When a group of neighborhood women gathers, wine in hand, around a fire pit where their backyards meet one Saturday night, most of them are just ecstatic to have discovered that their baby monitors reach that far. It’s a rare kid-free night, and they’re giddy with it. They drink too much, and the conversation turns personal.

By Monday morning, one of them is gone.

Everyone knows something about everyone else in the quirky small Ohio town of Yellow Springs, but no one can make sense of the disappearance. Kristin was a sociable twin mom, college administrator, and doctor’s wife who didn’t seem all that bothered by her impending divorce―and the investigation turns up more questions than answers, with her husband, Paul, at the center. For her closest neighbor, Clara, the incident triggers memories she thought she’d put behind her―and when she’s unable to extract herself from the widening circle of scrutiny, her own suspicions quickly grow. But the neighborhood’s newest addition, Izzy, is determined not to jump to any conclusions―especially since she’s dealing with a crisis of her own.

As the police investigation goes from a media circus to a cold case, the neighbors are forced to reexamine what’s going on behind their own closed doors―and to ask how well anyone really knows anyone else.

One tight knit community of neighbors, one girls night around a fire pit, some wine and great convo (not that anyone could remember the convo well enough) = one night that will change the lives of 6 woman forever.

We learn very early on in the story that Kristin, mother of twins, is divorcing Paul. She seems unaffected by this life change and spoke rather nonchalantly about the whole thing while chatting with the girls around the fire.

But the next day, she’s gone. Her kids are gone. Her mother’s china is gone from the cabinet, and a million dollars from her account…all gone. Right away, we thought Paul had something to do with this disappearance especially based on some evidence the police found. But as we read on, Paul doesn’t seem at all capable of having anything to do with this horrible situation. He’s way to nice, down to earth, and is highly respected in his job as an OBGYN.

The story begins to unravel as more people have secrets that come to light. Many different possible scenarios ran through our minds as we began rationalizing who else could be involved. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it) we were kept in suspense until the end when we learn what really happened to Kristin, who was responsible, what their ultimate fates will depend on, and how they are all connected! (I say fortunately since I love a book that keeps you guessing until the end.)

Anyway, we became big fans of Jessica Strawser after we read “Almost Missed You” so we knew we would love “Not that I Could Tell”! We highly recommend her books!

Read our Review of Almost Missed You

A big thank you to Jessica Strawser, Katie Bassel, and St. Martin’s Press for providing us with an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for our honest review! Now, what are you waiting for… go get it!!! The link is below… 📚❤️

Jessica Strawser is the Editor-at-Large for Writer’s Digest magazine, North America’s leading publication for aspiring and working writers since 1920. Her debut novel, ALMOST MISSED YOU (St. Martin’s Press), was a Barnes & Noble Best New Fiction Selection upon its March 2017 release, as well as a She Reads Book Club Selection and a PopSugar Best Spring Read. The book garnered accolades from such wide-ranging bestsellers as Chris Bohjalian, Adriana Trigiani, Lisa Scottoline, Jacquelyn Mitchard, and Garth Stein. Her second, NOT THAT I COULD TELL, is forthcoming from St. Martin’s Press in March 2018, and a third is under contract for 2019.

Her diverse career in the publishing industry spans more than 15 years and includes stints in book editing, marketing and public relations, and freelance writing and editing. A Pittsburgh native and “Outstanding Senior” graduate of Ohio University’s E.W. Scripps School of Journalism, she counts her New York Times Modern Love essay and her Writer’s Digest cover interviews with such luminaries as Alice Walker, Anne Tyler and David Sedaris among her career highlights. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, with her husband and two children.

She blogs at the WritersDigest.com “There Are No Rules” blog and elsewhere, tweets @jessicastrawser, enjoys connecting at Facebook.com/jessicastrawserauthor, and speaks at writing conferences and events that are kind enough to invite her.

Visit jessicastrawser.com to learn more, read some of her work and sign up for her email list to receive occasional updates and hellos.

Check out our Q&A with Jessica Strawser

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