I Know You Know
Page 30
I also noticed how each podcast has a distinct identity, or brand. This led me to think about how Cody would have created an identity for his podcast. I felt it would probably be closely tied to the story of his friends’ murders. As the bodies of his friends were discovered near a greyhound racing track, this felt like a good starting point for a logo. I enlisted the help of my family (many of whom can draw, whereas I cannot!) to sketch a greyhound. The design team at HarperCollins improved on this.
The name of Cody’s production company needed careful consideration. I thought it should be distinct and memorable, but not too formal. Sticking with my theme, I researched alternative words for greyhound and came across dishlicker. It stood out immediately because it was fun, descriptive in a slangy way, unusual, and had a bit of a cool factor that might appeal to Cody.
When deciding on the name of Cody’s podcast, once again I was inspired by something I had heard in a real podcast: a detective saying that often the only way a cold case can be solved after a long period of time is for somebody to come forward with information they’d been holding back. It’s Time to Tell sprang to mind.
As I began writing the podcast, I thought carefully about how to write what is effectively a transcript of something that is intended to be listened to, and how to make it feel true to that format but also readable within a novel. I couldn’t use any of the bells and whistles podcasts typically include—such as atmospheric sound effects or music—so everything compelling about It’s Time to Tell has to come from the page. I had to cut down on the level of detail you might expect in some podcasts. For example, a transcript of one episode of Serial runs around ten thousand words (one-tenth of a novel), so I knew episodes of It’s Time to Tell had to be short and sweet by comparison, or I would have either no room for my other characters or an epic six-hundred-page novel on my hands.
Creating It’s Time to Tell was a challenge, but a fun one. I hope you enjoyed reading it. If you’re interested and you’ve got the stomach for it, I cannot recommend true crime podcasts enough. Here are a few of my favorites:
Serial
Australian True Crime
Someone Knows Something
A Killing On the Cape
Missing & Murdered
Questions for Discussion
I Know You Know shifts perspectives between multiple characters. How did the changing points of view shape your experience reading the novel?
How is motherhood defined throughout the book? What kind of mother was Jessica Paige? Do you think it is a parent’s role to give a child freedom or shelter them?
Think about the friendship between Charlie, Scott, and Cody. Why do you suppose they became so close? Do you believe the boys brought out the best or worst aspects in one another?
Sidney Noyce was used as a scapegoat for a crime he didn’t commit. Did his fate give you a new perspective on the challenges mentally ill people face during criminal trials?
We see only Cody Swift’s point of view through his podcasts. How did this affect your ability to anticipate the ending?
What do you think is the novel’s message about the binds of family, friendship, and community? Why do you think the community rallied to support some characters and not others?
Did you feel any sympathy for Jessica Paige when she said she felt some relief after Charlie’s death?
What do you make of Fletcher’s understanding with Felix? Do you think his willingness to bend the rules made him a better or worse cop? Do you think Fletcher got what he deserved in the end?
Why do you think Cody Swift decided to dig into the murders of his childhood friends if he had something to hide about that night as well?
Do you think there is ever an objective truth, or is a story always framed by its narrator? By the end of the novel, did you feel you’d discovered the real truth?
Read On
More from Gilly Macmillan
ODD CHILD OUT
“Subtle, nuanced writing and a compelling, timely story taut with tension—Odd Child Out is a hugely satisfying and thrilling read. Highly recommended!”
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
How well do you know the people you love . . . ?
Best friends Noah Sadler and Abdi Mahad have always been inseparable. But when Noah is found floating unconscious in Bristol’s Feeder Canal, Abdi can’t—or won’t—tell anyone what happened.
Just back from mandatory leave following his last case, Detective Jim Clemo is now assigned to look into this unfortunate accident. But tragedy strikes, and what looked like a simple case of a prank gone wrong soon ignites into a public battle. Noah is British. Abdi is a Somali refugee. And social tensions have been rising rapidly in Bristol. Against this background of fear and fury, two families fight for their sons and for the truth. Neither of them know how far they will have to go, what demons they will have to face, what pain they will have to suffer.
Because the truth hurts.
THE PERFECT GIRL
“Literary suspense at its finest.”
—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Baby
“A wonderfully addictive book with virtuoso plotting and characters—for anyone who loved Girl on the Train, it’s a must-read.”
—Rosamund Lupton
Zoe Maisey is a seventeen-year-old musical prodigy with a genius IQ. Three years ago, she was involved in a tragic incident that left three classmates dead. She served her time, and now her mother, Maria, is resolved to keep that devastating fact tucked far away from their new beginning, hiding the past from even her new husband, and demanding Zoe do the same.
Tonight Zoe is giving a recital that Maria has been planning for months. It needs to be the performance of her life. But instead, by the end of the evening, Maria is dead.
In the aftermath, everyone—police, family, Zoe’s former solicitor, and Zoe herself—tries to piece together what happened. But as Zoe knows all too well, the truth is rarely straightforward, and the closer we are to someone, the less we may see.
WHAT SHE KNEW
“A nuanced, completely addictive debut.”
—People
In a heartbeat, everything changes . . .
Rachel Jenner is walking in a Bristol park with her eight-year-old son, Ben, when he asks if he can run ahead. It’s an ordinary request on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, and Rachel has no reason to worry—until Ben vanishes.
Police are called, search parties go out, and Rachel, already insecure after her recent divorce, feels herself coming undone. As hours and then days pass without a sign of Ben, everyone who knew him is called into question: from Rachel’s newly married ex-husband to her mother-of-the-year sister. Inevitably, media attention focuses on Rachel too, and the public’s attitude toward her begins to shift from sympathy to suspicion.
As she desperately pieces together the threadbare clues, Rachel realizes that nothing is quite as she imagined it to be, not even her own judgment. And the greatest dangers may lie not in the anonymous strangers of every parent’s nightmares, but behind the familiar smiles of those she trusts the most.
Where is Ben? The clock is ticking . . .
Praise
Praise for Odd Child Out
“Subtle, nuanced writing and a compelling, timely story taut with tension—Odd Child Out is a hugely satisfying and thrilling read. Highly recommended!”
—Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door
“In this engrossing novel . . . the action builds to a shattering conclusion.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Macmillan excels at getting into the minds of terrified, brokenhearted parents . . . this mix of police procedural and thriller will satisfy fans of the author’s previous work as well as those looking for something after Tana French.”
—Booklist
“With characters who are sympathetic and believable, Macmillan’s latest will keep readers in suspense to the very
end. Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“The story is emotionally compelling and Macmillan nails the complexity of adolescent friendship.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“This is a fascinating book focusing on the aftermath of the Somalian concentration camps and the effect it held on those who were involved. . . . Macmillan changes the course of direction of the story several times, which makes for interesting reading. The characterizations are vivid and come alive on the page.”
—RT Book Reviews
“Hard to put down the book. . . . The storyline is intriguing, full of twists and turns, and readers will become fully invested in these characters, all of whom are interesting in their own right.”
—Bookreporter.com
“[A] taut psychological thriller.”
—Birmingham Magazine
“Intricately worked out and impossible to put down.”
—Sullivan County Democrat
Praise for The Perfect Girl
“Gilly Macmillan deftly explores the intricacies of relationships and the bonds that tie families all while ratcheting up the suspense in this page-turning thriller.”
—Real Simple magazine
“With tightly drawn characters, a fascinating storyline, and absolutely exquisite narration, The Perfect Girl is sure to keep readers up all night. Gilly Macmillan proves once again to be a master of the written word and is quickly becoming one of my go-to authors.”
—Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author of Pretty Baby
“A wonderfully addictive book with virtuoso plotting and characters—for anyone who loved Girl on the Train, it’s a must-read.”
—Rosamund Lupton
“As the suspenseful, serpentine tale unreels from the alternating perspectives of several key players, readers will be rooting for the resilient, resourceful Zoe all the way to the perfectly executed final twists.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A compelling read for fans of psychological suspense.”
—Library Journal
“I DEVOURED The Perfect Girl. An incredible page-turner with awesome characters and suspense. Bravo.”
—Kate White, New York Times bestselling author
“Macmillan captivates readers with a story just as addictive as her first . . . [and] shines when exploring the intricacies of relationships. . . . Fans of Tana French, Ruth Ware, and Gillian Flynn will become completely entrenched in the unfolding details.”
—BookPage
“With lovely prose, depth of character and an intelligent narrative, Macmillan lifts the level of suspense with stiletto-like precision: a tiny graze here, a shallow cut there and, eventually, a thrust into the heart. At once profoundly unsettling and richly rewarding.”
—Richmond Times-Dispatch
Praise for What She Knew
“A clever, tautly plotted page-turner from a terrific new writer.”
—Good Housekeeping
“Heart-in-the-mouth excitement from the start of this electrifyingly good debut . . . an absolute firecracker of a thriller that convinces and captivates from the word go. A must-read.”
—Sunday Mirror
“Macmillan peppers her debut with subtle red herrings and a variety of potential suspects, ratcheting up the tension slowly but oh so deliciously.”
—Booklist
“Gilly Macmillan introduces some smart variations on the [missing child] theme in her debut mystery . . . Macmillan enlivens the narrative with emails, newspaper headlines, passages from professional journals, even transcripts from Inspector Clemo’s sessions with a psychotherapist. But her best move is to include vicious blog posts that go viral.”
—New York Times Book Review
“Tightly focused and fast-paced. You won’t rest until you really know what happened.”
—Lisa Ballantyne, author of The Guilty One
“One of the brightest debuts I have read this year—a visceral, emotionally charged story . . . heart-wrenchingly well told and expertly constructed, this deserves to stay on the bestseller list until Christmas.”
—Daily Mail
“This accomplished, intelligent debut should come with a warning—it’s completely addictive. A nail-biting, sleep-depriving, brilliant read.”
—Saskia Sarginson, author of The Twins
“An engaging debut.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will have a tough time putting this one down.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A terrific debut.”
—Reader’s Digest
“What an amazing, gripping, beautifully written debut. What She Knew kept me up late into the night (and scared the life out of me).”
—Liane Moriarty, New York Times bestselling author
“A nuanced, completely addictive debut.”
—People
Also by Gilly Macmillan
Odd Child Out
The Perfect Girl
What She Knew
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
P.S.™ is a trademark of HarperCollins Publishers.
I KNOW YOU KNOW. Copyright © 2018 by Gilly Macmillan. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs © Irene Lamprako/Arcangel (woman); © Gordan/Shutterstock (texture)
FIRST EDITION
Digital Edition SEPTEMBER 2018 ISBN: 978-0-06-269861-2
Version 07292018
Print ISBN: 978-0-06-269860-5
ISBN 978-0-06-286919-7 (library edition)
ISBN 978-0-06-287014-8 (international edition)
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