No One Needs To Know By Lindsay Cameron- Summary

No One Needs to Know By Lindsay Cameron, Goodreads Summary (review below): When an anonymous neighborhood forum gets hacked, the darkest secrets of New York’s wealthiest residents come to light—including some worth killing for—in this gripping suspense novel from the author of Just One Look.

It was all confidential, right up to the moment when it wasn’t.

UrbanMyth: It was lauded as an alternative to the performative, show-your-best-self platforms—an anonymous discussion board grouped by zip code. The residents of Manhattan’s exclusive Upper East Side disclosed it all, things they would never share with their friends or their spouses: secret bank accounts, steamy affairs, tidbits of juicy gossip. These are the same parents who would go to astonishing lengths to ensure their children gain admission to the most prestigious boarding schools and universities. So when a “hacktivist” group breaks into the forum and exposes the real identity behind each poster, the repercussions resound down Park Avenue with a force none could have anticipated.

And someone will end up dead.

Will it be Heather, the outsider who would do anything to get her daughter into the elite’s good graces and into even better schools? Norah, the high-powered suit failing to balance work and the emotional responsibilities of motherhood? Or Poppy, perfect on the outside but hiding more than her share of secrets?

Each of them has something to hide. Each of them will do anything to keep their secrets hidden. And each of them just might kill to protect their own.

Thank you to Bantam and Penguin Randomhouse Audio for an audio ARC of No One Needs to Know, which releases on May 9th.

 

No One Needs To Know By Lindsay Cameron- Review

Can I just say that I absolutely LOVED No One Needs To Know by Lindsay Cameron? End. Review. No, I can’t, I know. But if I could, I would. I want to talk about the characters, but that is the next section, so let me move on to the review.

No One Needs To Know is one of my favorite kinds of thrillers in that I could guess some of the more minor twists, but the big twist in the end? Whiplash, baby. Lindsay Cameron lays out the trap, sets you up, and then bam, you are caught like a mouse. From the prologue, the pace is quick, while the writing is intentional and efficient. Each of the marriages in the story faces its own individual journeys and twists. Many of the women have serious come to Jesus moments that shine a light on what can go on behind closed doors.

She felt the righteousness of her anger pulsing through her like heat. The fury coalescing  in the back of her throat. She already had one thing figured out, and her conviction was growing stronger with each step. Over her dead body was the Ryan family going to get away with this. Or someone’s dead body.

I was particularly impressed by the sexless marriage, which enlightened me to something that, well, is something. I had no idea. And we know how much I love female thriller authors that spotlight women’s issues that aren’t discussed. I’m not even the feminist in the room, but they do it with such grace and style, and if they don’t leave the thriller behind (which Cameron certainly doesn’t), well…

In the best of ways!

The entire premise of an urban, wealthy, but anonymous app is unique and well-played. All is well and good until the cat is out of the bad, and when the app is hacked? The shit flies. Families are destroyed, lives are ruined, and some are on the path to revenge (if they weren’t already).

Lastly, you may think you know the title’s meaning. But, man, I got slammed in the head by a brick when the title, No One Needs To Know, revealed itself.

No One Needs To Know By Lindsay Cameron- Characters

Look here. The characters in No One Needs to Know are delectably unlikeable in the best of ways. They range from well-intended hot messes that make bad choices to outright evil. All of them are well-written and executed. PLUS, get this. There are very few psychological dramas that involve rich women that also include men misbehaving. No One Needs To Know has them, and they are brilliant. Evil. But brilliant.

Let’s talk dialogue. Whether it is brutally honest, darkly humorous, or straight-up mean girls? Cameron nails it. The dialogue fleshes out the dynamics between different characters. In turn, this provides a path for the story to come together. Each individual, couple, and family are exercising their issues and exploding in each other’s faces.

‘I’ll need to keep an eye on you… because I don’t want to have to bail you out of jail’.

Final Thoughts

First, the production of the No One Needs To Know audiobook is phenomenal, and this is especially important because there are multiple points of view. By having a selection of main characters with their own point of view, we can get to know each character more intimately. And Lindsay Cameron does not put this to waste. If the audiobook weren’t correctly labeled and produced, this would detract from the characters and the story.

Lastly, Brittany Pressley, per usual, nails the assignment. She carries multiple characters’ points of view flawlessly, never allowing for confusion or characters to lose their voice.

Overall, No One Needs To Know is an exceptional thriller with social commentary on class, sex, and marriage. However, it never loses its track as a psychological thriller.