A compelling and thought-provoking read, Only We Knowbinds a childhood secret into a tight knot of anguish and heartache. The story is told in two different time frames, 1982 and 2013, steps are retraced and understanding grows as the traumatic secret whispers its way ever closer. If you've read the authors previous collaboration The Boy That Never Was (published outside the UK and Ireland as The Innocent Sleep so don't buy it twice) then you will expect the intrigue and uncertainty that may well become their trademark. This time there is a difference, if you can catch them, there are a number of references as to what is to come, this in no way spoils the story, in fact it somehow adds to the tension and yet there is still a sting in the tale. Karen Perry, pen name of Karen Gillece and Paul Perry, have a seamlessly balanced writing style, they write with a wisdom and understanding of the human spirit which has a refreshing honesty about it. Although the stunning descriptions of the surroundings, in particular Kenya, add an intensity to this story, it's the secrets kept and secrets told that hold the key to awareness and forgiveness in this particular tale.
From the bestselling author of The Boy That Never Was and Girl Unknown, Only We Know is a gripping novel that shows just how dangerous our childhood secrets can be. In 1982, on a once-in-a-lifetime holiday beneath the stifling heat of the midday sun, three children start a game that ends in tragedy. Now, thirty years later, Nick, Luke and Katie are estranged, yet still bound together by the dark truth of what happened at the river that day. Except some secrets won't stay buried. And when Luke suddenly vanishes and the threatening messages begin, it seems that the strings of the past are tightening around them all. Because someone else knows what they did and is intent on seeking justice, at any cost . . . Praise for Only We Know: 'Only We Know builds handsomely on the promise of The Boy That Never Was, plausibly and hauntingly exploring the extent to which guilt, shame and secrecy can shape, define and eventually destroy lives' Declan Burke, The Irish Times 'This is an intense and subtle story with some wonderfully poetic passages and a character driven plot which becomes more compelling as the sense of momentum gathers and the true version of events is slowly revealed. Gripping stuff' Sunday Mirror 'The power of Only We Know lies in the slow illumination of how, under their flimsy cloaks of adulthood, Katie and Nick and Luke are still the traumatised children of a long-ago day by a river, frozen in time by one event. It raises fascinating questions about who we are at heart, about the degree to which damage and guilt can shape our natures, and about whether - and how - we can be redeemed' Tana French 'Don't be surprised if you devour Only We Know in one sitting' Crime Fiction Lovers
