By: Yasmin Angoe
Narrator: Jordan Cobb
ISBN: 9781662508332
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: 08/01/2024
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars (ARC)
She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past—and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.
After years of self-exile, Jacinda “Jac” Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn’t been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death—and all the whispers said she was to blame.
That chief was Jac’s father.
Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.
Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac’s convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye’s perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad’s prized possessions in Faye’s office, she knows she has to be right.
But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family’s safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.
Praise
“Jac’s return to her hometown reveals lie after shocking lie. You’re going to want to help her dig up every dirty secret. Not What She Seems is a must-read for thriller lovers.”
—Melinda Leigh, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author
“In a small town, secrets collide with the grief and guilt of our fierce, feisty heroine, Jac Brodie. As her world is falling apart, Jac pieces together a mystery that could change her life as she knows it. With an expertly drawn setting, pulse-pounding pacing, and an explosive climax, Not What She Seems is a magnificent read. This twisty, high-octane thriller instantly hooked me and never let go. I’m now a forever fan of Yasmin Angoe’s stunning writing.”
—Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of A Friend in the Dark
“Anthony award–nominated author Yasmin Angoe is an expert at blending fast-paced action, jaw-dropping plot twists, and flawed but likable characters. Her first standalone, Not What She Seems, is a must-read for domestic suspense fans. An excellent tale of cat and mouse, or should I say spider versus fly.”
—Kellye Garrett, award-winning author of Missing White Woman
“Angoe not only creates believable characters, she crafts a layered mystery woven through with family secrets, sharp-edged revenge, and unexpected redemption. All that plus it has heart; the climactic scene brought tears to my eyes.”
—Jess Lourey, Edgar-nominated author of The Taken Ones
“Jacinda Brodie, you have my sword. Never have I fallen deeper in love with characters than I did the Brodies of beautiful, troubled, small-town South Carolina. Yasmin Angoe’s incredible blend of talents—her ability to deliver high-intensity blowups on par with the best action thrillers and her deep character work, which shines through her uniquely voicey prose—make Not What She Seems a total knockout. I laughed, I gasped, and—shockingly—I cried. In an astonishing feat, Angoe combines a dark-as-sin psychological suspense with a heartwarming tale of familial redemption, peppered with laugh-out-loud social commentary. Like me, readers will marvel at her virtuosity while eagerly awaiting her next.”
—Ashley Winstead, critically acclaimed author of Midnight Is the Darkest Hour
About the Author
Yasmin Angoe is the Anthony-nominated author of the critically acclaimed thriller Her Name Is Knight of the Nena Knight series. She is a first-generation Ghanaian American and, in 2020, received the Eleanor Taylor Bland Award for Emerging Writers of Color from Sisters in Crime.
Yasmin’s books were an Amazon Best Book of the Month for Mystery, Thriller & Suspense, and an Editor’s Pick. Her work has received numerous recognitions, was on a billboard in Times Square, Best Of lists, and a Library Journal Starred Review. The Nena Knight series was also optioned for a television series.
Her Name Is Knight has appeared in the New York Times Book Review, OprahDaily.com, POPSUGAR, Nerd Daily, the Washington Independent Review of Books, The Guardian, and other platforms.
Yasmin is a proud member of several prestigious organizations, such as Crime Writers of Color, Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and the Women’s National Book Association.
Yasmin is a former English teacher and instructional coach, and lives in South Carolina with her husband and their kids. WEBSITE
