If You Tell cover art

If You Tell

A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood

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If You Tell

By: Gregg Olsen
Narrated by: Karen Peakes
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Summary

2021 Audie Award Nominee for Best Nonfiction Audiobook

A #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s shocking and empowering true-crime story of three sisters determined to survive their mother’s house of horrors.

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now.

For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.

Harrowing and heartrending, If You Tell is a survivor’s story of absolute evil - and the freedom and justice that Nikki, Sami, and Tori risked their lives to fight for. Sisters forever, victims no more, they found a light in the darkness that made them the resilient women they are today - loving, loved, and moving on.

©2019 Gregg Olsen. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Abductions, Kidnapping & Missing Persons Crime Murder True Crime Emotionally Gripping Exciting Scary Disappearance Serial Killers True Crime Amish Nonfiction
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Critic reviews

"Peakes's performance sucks the listener into the scenes of abuse, torture, sadism, and, eventually, murder committed by Shelly.... Peakes's narration is compelling." --AudioFile Magazine

"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

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Narrated beautifully karma and very difficult to hear nearly 40 chapters of horrible child abuse. Worth it, well written but very difficult to absorb the level of pain.

Brutal to hear

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I became disheartened about midpoint and thought "OK I get the how vile the mum is now please tell me how she's caught and dealt with". That said, I still carried on listening though and glad I did. 2 star rating for story was because I can't say a tale of such abuse is good, but it was well written.

A Harrowing Account .

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Hard to listen to at times, shocking what's goes on behind closed doors. Horrific woman

excellent

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I felt more uncomfortable reading this book as it went along but a fantastic job by the author. Unfortunately behaviour like this does exist but is very difficult to recognise or just too uncomfortable to acknowledge. People need to be made aware though to stop it happening again. The more people understand what can happen may stop it happening to one less victim at least. I can't believe how the sisters have copied with it, my heart goes out to them but they've come out the other side. Incredible!

Harrowing but

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The story itself doesn't cower from gruesome details, which makes for a very good listen. Although the narrator should avoid doing voices (especially male ones), I would absolutely recommend this book. I finished it in 3 days. (excuse my English, not a native speaker)

Horrifyingly great

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