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If You Tell: A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood Kindle Edition

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 135,386 ratings

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“This riveting account will leave readers questioning every odd relative they’ve known.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Olsen presents the story chronologically and in a simple, straightforward style, which works well: it is chilling enough as is.” Booklist

“An unsettling stunner about sibling love, courage, and resilience.” People Magazine (book of the week)

If You Tell accomplishes what it sets out to do. The result is a compelling portrait of terror and a powerfully honest, yet still sensitive, look at survival.” —Bookreporter

“This disturbing book recounts the unimaginable abuse and torture three sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek endured from their own mother, Shelly…the strong bond they form to survive and defy their mother’s sadistic tendencies is inspiring.” BuzzFeed

“A true-crime tour de force.” —Steve Jackson, New York Times bestselling author of No Stone Unturned

“Even the most devoted true-crime reader will be shocked by the maddening and mind-boggling acts of horror that Gregg Olsen chronicles in this book. Olsen has done it again, giving readers a glimpse into a murderous duo that’s so chilling, it will have your head spinning. I could not put this book down!” —Aphrodite Jones, New York Times bestselling author

“A suspenseful, horrific, and yet fascinating character study of an incredibly dysfunctional and dangerous family by Gregg Olsen, one of today’s true-crime masters.” —Caitlin Rother, New York Times bestselling author

“There’s only one writer who can tell such an intensely horrifying, psychotic tale of unspeakable abuse, grotesque torture, and horrendous serial murder with grace, sensitivity and class…A riveting, taut, real-life psychological suspense thrill ride…All at once compelling and original, Gregg Olsen’s If You Tell is an instant true-crime classic.” —M. William Phelps, New York Times bestselling author

“We all start life with immense promise, but in our first minute, we cannot know who’ll ultimately have the greatest impact on our lives, for better or worse. Here, Gregg Olsen—the heir apparent to legendary crime writers Jack Olsen and Ann Rule—explores the dark side of that question in his usual chilling, heartbreaking prose. Superb and creepy storytelling from a true-crime master.” —Ron Franscell, author of Alice & Gerald: A Homicidal Love Story

“A master of true crime returns with a vengeance. After a decade detour into novels, Gregg Olsen is back with a dark tale of nonfiction from the Pacific Northwest that will keep you awake long after the lights have gone out. The monster at the heart of If You Tell is not your typical boogeyman, not some wandering drifter or man in a van. No. In fact, they called her…mother. And yet this story is about hope and renewal in the face of evil and how three sisters can find the goodness in the world after surviving the worst it has to offer. Classic true crime in the tradition of In Cold Blood and The Stranger Beside Me.” —James Renner, author of True Crime Addict

“This nightmare walked on two legs and some of her victims called her mom. In If You Tell, Gregg Olsen documents the horrific mental and physical torture Shelly Knotek inflicted on everyone in her household. A powerful story of cruelty that will haunt you for a long time.” —Diane Fanning, author of Treason in the Secret City

“Bristling with tension, gripping from the first pages, Gregg Olsen’s masterful portrait of children caught in the web of a coldly calculating killer fascinates. A read so compelling it kept me up late into the night, If You Tell exposes incredible evil that lived quietly in small-town America. That the book is fact, not fiction, terrifies.” —Kathryn Casey, bestselling author of In Plain Sight

From the Publisher

If You Tell is an astonishing story of survival of three sisters who were raised by a sadistic mother, Michelle “Shelly” Knotek. Much of what happened in the Knotek house will be nearly incomprehensible for those of us raised by nurturing mothers—those who made favorite meals on birthdays or sat beside us when we were sick. No, the opposite is true of Shelly. She was a monster.

Despite their childhood, the women survive, even flourish, after their mother is incarcerated. But the PTSD and triggers abound to this day. For one, a morning shower can be a trigger; for another, it’s the smell of bleach that brings on the bad memories.

New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen is a master of both true crime and domestic suspense, and with If You Tell he has brilliantly combined his talents. The riveting true story told by the three sisters who survived their brutal childhood in the tiny coastal logging town of Raymond, Washington, reads like a fast-paced thriller. But unfortunately, it is all true. Every single excruciating detail.

- Liz Pearsons, Editor

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B07Q5TL9SQ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer (December 1, 2019)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 1, 2019
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 4464 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 431 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 135,386 ratings

About the author

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I live in rural Washington State (about a mile as the crow flies from Dr. Linda Burfield Hazzard's infamous Starvation Heights sanatarium). My thriller, THE LAST THING SHE EVER DID was an Amazon Charts bestseller. LYING NEXT TO ME was a reader favorite, charting at No. 1 in the Kindle store and the bestseller's list at the Washington Post. My true crime book, IF YOU TELL, found a home on Amazon Charts for more than 140 weeks. In fact, it was the bestselling Kindle ebook of 2020 (and the second-bestselling of 2021). I've been a guest on Dateline NBC, NPR, Good Morning America, The Early Show, FOX News, CNN, Anderson Cooper, Entertainment Tonight, Inside Edition, Extra, Access Hollywood, 20/20, Snapped, Deadly Women, William Shatner's Aftermath, and A&E's Biography. You can find out more about me at www.NotoriousUSA.com.

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
135,386 global ratings

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Top reviews from other countries

Sharla Offenhammer
4.0 out of 5 stars Great book, terrible events
Reviewed in Canada on October 30, 2023
April Cenciose
5.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth the read
Reviewed in Canada on November 18, 2023
Sarah H.
4.0 out of 5 stars A very interesting but heart-breaking read.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2020
6 people found this helpful
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Zelin M.
5.0 out of 5 stars If you tell...
Reviewed in India on August 3, 2023
Donna C
3.0 out of 5 stars Get to the point!!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 11, 2023
One person found this helpful
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