You Know What You Did

In this heart-pounding debut thriller for fans of Lisa Jewell and Celeste Ng, a first-generation Vietnamese American artist must confront nightmares past and present…
 
Annie “Anh Le” Shaw grew up poor but seems to have it all now: a dream career, a stunning home, and a devoted husband and daughter. When Annie’s mother, a Vietnam War refugee, dies suddenly one night, Annie’s carefully curated life begins to unravel. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder, which she thought she’d vanquished years ago, comes roaring back—but this time, the disturbing fixations swirling around in Annie’s brain might actually be coming true.

A prominent art patron disappears, and the investigation zeroes in on Annie. Spiraling with self-doubt, she distances herself from her family and friends, only to wake up in a hotel room—naked, next to a lifeless body. The police have more questions, but with her mind increasingly fractured, Annie doesn’t have answers. All she knows is this: She will do anything to protect her daughter—even if it means losing herself.

With dizzying twists, You Know What You Did is both a harrowing thriller and a heartfelt exploration of the refugee experience, the legacies we leave for our children, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.

AUTHOR NOTE
Personality-wise, I'm not much like my main character Annie Shaw. However, we do have one big thing in common: we're both recovering from obsessive compulsive disorder. Through Annie, I describe some of my lived experience with disgust-driven, contamination-based OCD. The imagery is raw and vivid—and very necessary to realistically portray how this chronic disorder can affect people's everyday lives, how it can make you feel like a prisoner in your own body. To learn more about OCD symptoms, treatments, and resources, visit the website of the International OCD Foundation (IOCDF dot org). —K.T. Nguyen

EARLY PRAISE

“The Most Anticipated Crime Fiction of 2024” CrimeReads | Spring 2024 Preview Mysteries & Thrillers Top 10 Publishers Weekly | Publishers Marketplace 2024 BuzzBook | “Readers’ Most Anticipated Mysteries & Thrillers of 2024” Goodreads | “New Debut Novels to Check Out This Season” Goodreads | “The Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2024” BookBub | “Our Most Anticipated Crime Fiction Novels of 2024” Novel Suspects | “18 Most Anticipated Books of 2024” BiblioLifestyle | “The Best (And Most Anticipated) Mystery and Thriller Books of 2024″ Elle Magazine

“This book knocked the wind out of me. On top of its razor sharp twists and visceral scares, You Know What You Did taps into the true horror experienced by so many refugees and war survivors, and the way that trauma lives on through generations. Don’t miss this brilliant thriller from a powerful new voice.” —Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines

“An exciting, complex thriller that takes the reader on a thoroughly disturbing journey through the mind of a protagonist who may or may not be the villain...You Know What You Did will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page.” —S.A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and All the Sinners Bleed