Book Review: The Only One Who Knows by Lisa M. Matlin

 

From the publisher:

A disgraced TV news reporter returns to her violent hometown to investigate a series of deadly shark attacks in this nail-biting suspense novel from the author of The Stranger Upstairs.

“A gothic coastal noir about generational violence and the cyclical nature of predation, The Only One Who Knows is visceral, haunting, and impossible to look away from.”—Carter Wilson, USA Today bestselling author of Tell Me What You Did

Something is lurking below the surface . . . and it’s hungry.

With her polished persona as a morning show co-host, Minnow Greenwood seems to have it all. But behind the camera, something’s about to break. When a public meltdown shatters her facade, Minnow flees back to Kangaroo Bay—a grimy fishing town on Australia’s southern coast, where locals vanish and something deadly hunts in the water.

On her first night back, a horrifying shark attack rocks the town, adding another body to the unsettling list of deaths and disappearances. Then a former colleague arrives to investigate, so she reluctantly teams up with him to find answers for herself and keep her own dark secrets buried.

But with danger closing in, Minnow must unearth her town’s deadly past—and face the darkness festering inside her—before she becomes the next to disappear.

The Only One Who Knows by Lisa M. Matlin was released March 3, 2026 from Bantam.

My Thoughts:

This is my first time reading something that is dubbed gothic coastal noir. And I would have to say it met the criteria on all three adjectives as well as thriller. The description intrigued me. All of that, plus shark attacks. I have a love/hate relationship with sharks. Would hate to meet one, but love to know more about them. This does definitely not fall into the knowledge based fiction, but more sensationalist with the deaths by shark attack. And yet the sharks seem to add to some of both the gothic mood and the noir.

Minnow is a flawed character and narrator. We see most of what's happening, past and present, through her eyes. The beginning of the novel serves to show the difference from where she came to where she was currently before she travels home. Home is such a comforting word usually, but for Minnow, it has mixed emotions. She has memories both good and bad, and more violent than peaceful. I would have to say she is the only really well developed character. All the others are supporting characters in some way, shape, or form.

The story itself generally moves forward at a decent rate. There are some flashbacks that can be a little jarring. It is definitely a mystery/thriller as well. 

i gave the story 4 out of 5 stars. It kept my attention and kept me guessing. If you enjoy thrillers with an unreliable narrator and sharks, you will probably enjoy this book. Just a note, it does get a little gruesome at some points. And there is a fair amount of different kinds of violence.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. This did not affect my opinions. 

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #594: The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

This week I'm waiting on The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore.

From the publisher: "Quirky and hilarious but also with depth and heart, The Henchperson’s Guide To Unionizing is an unforgettable and fantastic story about being human. I loved it!"

—Sarah Beth Durst, New York Times bestselling author of The Spellshop

As the laboratory assistant to the brilliant but demanding Doctor, Igor spends his nights robbing graves, stitching together body parts, and ensuring that his master doesn’t electrocute himself (too badly).

When a mob of peasants wielding torches and pitchforks drives them out of town (again), Igor and the Doctor relocate to the isolated Ravenwald Manor to resume their experiments creating new life from dead flesh. But Igor and the Doctor are not the only ones seeking refuge within the walls of Ravenwald. The manor is already home to a vampiric Count and his highly dissatisfied bride, Cornelia—and an enigmatic witch and her feline familiar, Grimalkin, intend to use it as the site of a magical ritual.

At Igor’s suggestion, the three pairs come to an uneasy agreement to cohabitate in Ravenwald, lest they attract the suspicion of the nearby village. In the wake of this truce, Igor, Cornelia, and Grimalkin soon begin to realize that they might have more common with one another than their respective masters. When the trio discovers that they've been unwitting participants in a horrible plan to destroy the world as they know it, they must work together to stop their masters from bringing on armageddon... and stop the increasingly suspicious villagers from reaching for their pitchforks and torches. 

Igor, Grim, and Cornelia must unite to cast off the chains of their masters and embrace life on their own terms in the hilarious, heartwarming, and just-scary-enough The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing.

The Henchperson's Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore is expected out September 22, 2026 from Bantam. The stunning first edition paperback of The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing features stenciled edges depicting a character from the book—order while supplies last!

Why am I waiting on this book? I like a blend of horror and humor and this promises to deliver. And the plot sounds unique. Supervillains cohabitating in a space where the henchpersons finally understand just what is at stake in their masters' works isn't something I've run up against before.

What book are you waiting on? Leave a note in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever growing TBR lists. Thanks for stopping by! Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #587:Self-Help for Serial Killers by Asia Mackay

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher: In this rollicking sequel to A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage, two (mostly) reformed serial killers discover something more deadly than murder: living in suburbia.

This couple’s midlife crisis is murder . . . literally.

Hazel and Fox have it all: two children, a beautiful home, and a late-night habit of eliminating people who deserve it. Yet work-life balance is hard when you want to kill bad men but raise good kids.

With a school mum tyrant on Hazel's case, and Fox struggling with performance anxiety after a botched kill, things are spiraling. Therapy isn't helping, and bullet journaling has taken on a whole new meaning.

But when they accidentally draw a dangerous group to their doorstep, the couple must pull it together—and fast. Because surviving in suburbia is no longer just a challenge. Now it's a real fight for their family's lives.

And it turns out, self-help starts with staying alive.

Self-Help for Serial Killers by Asia Mackay is expected out June 16, 2026 from Bantam.

Why am I waiting on this book? Book one is already on my TBR. Book two sounds like what happens after the Happily Ever After. I haven't read book one yet, but I am liking the premise of book two. How do you do a job like that, keep it a secret, and raise kids in suburbia? 

What book are you waiting on? Leave a note about it in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our ever growing TBR lists. Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #529: A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay

 

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with Can't Wait Wednesday hosted over at Wishful Endings. 

From the publisher: I wasn't smashing the patriarchy; I was killing it. Literally.

Hazel and Fox are an ordinary married couple with a baby. Except for one small thing: they're murderers. Well, they used to be. They had it all. An enviable London lifestyle, five-star travels, and plenty of bad men to rid from the world. Then Hazel got pregnant.

Now, they’re just another mom-and-dad-and-baby. They gave up vigilante justice for life in the suburbs: arranged play dates instead of body disposals, diapers over daggers, mommy conversations instead of the sweet seduction right before a kill. Hazel finds her new life terribly dull. And the more she forces herself to play her monotonous, predictable role, the more she begins to feel that murderous itch again.

Meanwhile, Fox has really taken to being a father. Always the planner, he loves being five steps ahead of everyone and knowing exactly what’s coming around the bend. Plus, if anyone can understand Hazel needing one more kill, it’s Fox. But then Hazel kills someone without telling Fox. And when police show up at their door, Hazel realizes it will take everything she has to keep her family together.

A Serial Killer's Guide to Marriage by Asia Mackay is expected out Januaary 14th, 2025 from Bantam.

Why am I waiting on this book? I find it interesting that while they are serial killers they are killing those they consider bad men. And I wonder what will happen to them when Hazel just can't keep herself from scratching that itch. I can't say I've read a book quite like this one  before.

What book are you waiting on? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to out TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!

Can't Wait Wednesday/Waiting on Wednesday #385: Bryant & May: London Bridge Is Falling Down by Christopher Fowler

 

Waiting on Wednesday" is a weekly event that had been hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine where we spotlighted upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating. I'm now linking up with "Can't-Wait Wednesday" hosted over at Wishful Endings.

From the publisher:

The brilliant duo of Arthur Bryant and John May uncovers a nefarious plot behind the seemingly innocuous death of an old lady—and when the case leads them to London Bridge, it all comes down on the Peculiar Crimes Unit.

When ninety-one-year-old Amelia Hoffman dies in her top-floor flat on a busy London road, it’s considered an example of what has gone wrong with modern society: she slipped through the cracks in a failing system.

But detectives Arthur Bryant and John May of the Peculiar Crimes Unit have their doubts. Mrs. Hoffman was once a government security expert, though no one can quite remember her. When a link emerges between the old lady and a diplomat trying to flee the country, it seems that an impossible murder has been committed.
 
Mrs. Hoffman wasn’t the only one at risk. Bryant is convinced that other forgotten women with hidden talents are also in danger. And, curiously, they all own models of London Bridge.
 
With the help of some of their more certifiable informants, the detectives follow the strangest of clues in an investigation that will lead them through forgotten alleyways to the city’s oldest bridge in search of a desperate killer.

  But just when the case appears to be solved, they discover that Mrs. Hoffman was smarter than anyone imagined. There’s a bigger game afoot that could have terrible consequences.

Bryant & May: London Bridge Is Falling Down by Christopher Fowler is expected out December 7th, 2021 from Bantam.

Why am I waiting on this book? I enjoy the Bryant & May series. This is book #18 in the series. I like the two older detectives and their Peculiar Crimes Unit. If they're involved there's more going on than there appears to be.

What book are you waiting on this week? Share it or a link in the comments so we can check it out and maybe add it to our TBR lists. Thanks for coming by and Happy Reading!