Emily Koch

what-july-knew

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A moving and suspenseful mystery that you won’t be able to put down

Keep Him Close

If you loved The Watcher, then you will love this unforgettable thriller

If I Die Before I Wake

What July Knew

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Touchingly effective in conveying a childhood lived in fear

If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this

Big-hearted novel. By turns charming and shocking, it's both a deftly-woven mystery and a redemptive family drama - and I was cheering July on all the way

July Hooper is such a brilliant creation - smart, inquisitive and determined - that you'll be rooting for her every step of the way as she unravels the mystery of her own life in this captivating story.

Tenderly told and utterly compelling, this coming-of-age mystery is as full of twists and surprises as it is of heart. July is an unforgettable lead - I loved following her back to the 90s!

Stick What July Knew by Emily Koch on your TBR pile - it's a beautiful coming of age story that will break you then make you as July navigates her quest to find out the truth about her mother. Outstanding. One for Joanna Cannon fans

What July Knew is a quirky, original, and immersive read. I was rooting for July on her quest to uncover what happened to her mother. A gloriously nostalgic and affecting read

This book broke my heart. I adored July's voice throughout. Heart-wrenching, deeply moving and so compelling, July and Sylvie's story will stay with me for a long, long time

Sara Nisha Adams, author of The Reading List

Hugely enjoyed this story of a brave 10-year-old girl seeking the truth about her mother's death. Beautifully written and full of warmth, nostalgia and the complex, unsettling emotions of family life.

A moving and heartfelt mystery. Funny, thrilling, nostalgic and deeply affecting. Emily Koch is such a wonderful storyteller.

A heartstopping, heartbreaking, heartwarming drama. I was with brave and funny July down every alley, wrong turn and misstep until she finally found out the shocking truth. She'll live on in my imagination for a long time

A compelling, dark tale ... an enthralling central character. What July Knew is a seamless canvas of how secrets affect a family dynamic and the powerful consequences when they are revealed. A coming-of-age story quite unlike any other. Brilliant!

Intriguing, with an unravelling mystery that really kept me guessing. The story is a rollercoaster which increases in intensity as the pace ramps up towards the denouement, and I was bereft when I finished as I wanted to still be reading it!

What July Knew is a compelling story about growing up and grief told in the fresh and innocent voice of a child. I was gripped.

Come for the 90s nostalgia and stay for the warm and unforgettable protagonist. I rooted so hard for July and will always remember her.

What July Knew is a winning blend of sweet, nostalgic, compelling, shocking and heartbreaking. I defy readers not to root for July as she searches for the truth about her mother

What a wonderful story. Full of vivid characters, but mostly of course, July.

Heartbreaking, joyous and deeply compelling, What July Knew is a beautifully-told tale of great loss and great hope. I loved it.

The plot is full of extremely satisfying twists and turns. Koch has written other thrillers, but this is destined to be her big breakout.

[What July Knew is] touchingly effective in conveying the oppressiveness of a childhood lived in fear

Compelling plot, this is an emotional read

Fans of Joanna Cannon's The Trouble with Goats and Sheep will devour this

Totally heartbreaking, but also uplifting, this is a real gem of a read

Will you discover the truth in this summer’s most heart-breaking mystery?

'July is such a brilliant creation - smart, inquisitive and determined' T.M. LOGAN author of The Holiday 
_______________________________________ 
 
One death. Eighteen facts. What's the truth? 
 
How do you solve the mystery of your mother's death if no one wants to talk about her? Not even your family. Especially not them. 
 
July knows a lot about her mother. She knows that she loved dancing on tables. That she was covered in freckles. She also knows that she misses her. Her mother died in a car crash when July was little. Or so she's been told. 
 
July is determined to find out the truth. But it might be more painful than the lies she's been told all these years. 
 
A compelling and moving mystery about family, community and the secrets people keep to protect those they love. Perfect for fans of Joanna Cannon, Janice Hallett and Elizabeth is Missing.

Emily Koch is an award-winning journalist and author of two novels, If I Die Before I Wake and Keep Him Close. Her books have been shortlisted for the Crime Writers' Association Ian Fleming Steel Dagger award, won France's Prix du Bureau des Lecteurs Folio Policier, longlisted for the Authors' Club Best First Novel Award, and been selected as a Waterstones Thriller of the Month. Waterstones said her second novel 'cements Koch's place as one of the most exciting new crime writers of our day.' She lives in Bristol.

Summer, 1995. July Hooper knows eighteen things about her mother. 
 
Like number thirteen: she loved dancing on the kitchen table. And number eight: she was covered in freckles. 
 
And then there's number two: she died after being hit by a car when July was small. 
 
She keeps this list hidden in a drawer away from her father. Because they're not allowed to talk about her mother. Ever. 
 
But an anonymous note slipped into July's bag on her tenth birthday is about to change everything she thinks she knows about her mum... 
 
'If you liked Elizabeth is Missing, you'll love this' CARA HUNTER, author of Close to Home 
 
'July is such a brilliant creation - smart, inquisitive and determined' T.M. LOGAN, author of The Catch 
 
'A moving and heartfelt mystery. Funny, thrilling, nostalgic and deeply affecting' CHRIS WHITAKER, author of We Begin at the End

What July Knew

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