“Emotionally charged and tautly plotted, Emily Elgar’s debut is a stunning example of psychological suspense.”—Clare Mackintosh, international bestselling author of I Let You Go and I See You
From a terrific new voice in psychological suspense comes a gripping thriller in the vein of What She Knew and I Let You Go.
A woman in a coma.
The man who could save her life—if only he could speak.
When young, beautiful Cassie Jensen arrives unconscious to the intensive care ward at St. Catherine’s hospital after being struck in a hit-and-run while out walking her dog, chief nurse Alice Marlowe thinks she looks familiar. She starts digging deeper into Cassie’s relationships, only to discover something about her patient that she’d been keeping secret from everyone, including her devoted husband and family. Soon Alice finds herself obsessed with her patient’s past and future, even willing to put her own career on the line in her single-minded search for answers.
Frank, a patient on the same ward who has locked-in syndrome, can hear and see everything around him but cannot speak. Soon he comes to understand that Cassie’s life is still in danger. While the police continue to look for clues, only Frank holds the truth, but he’s unable to communicate it.
As the novel flashes between points of view, the reader will get closer and closer to the truth of who Cassie Jensen was, and why she was out on the road that fateful night . . .
Author Info
Originally from the Cotswolds, Emily Elgar studied at Edinburgh University and then worked for a non-profit organization providing support services to sex workers in the UK. She went on to complete the novel writing course at the Faber Academy in 2014. She currently lives in East Sussex with her husband. If You Knew Her is her first novel.
Reviews
“A welcome addition to the ranks of coma lit. . . . a wonderfully insidious build-up of tension.” — The Guardian, “The Best Recent Crime Novels”
“Such a brilliant and cleverly crafted idea. A novel which will make you wonder what others are really thinking.” — Jane Corry, author of My Husband's Wife
“Emotionally charged and tautly plotted, Emily Elgar’s debut is a stunning example of psychological suspense” — Clare Mackintosh, international bestselling author of I Let You Go and I See You
“Elgar’s gratifying, well-written tale of family predicaments will be a good match for women’s-fiction readers looking for something a bit darker.” — Booklist
“Brilliant and twisted. . . . Emily Elgar brings these three characters together in an unlikely manner, creating a psychological thriller that is every bit as good as many of her peers in the thriller writing genre. Examining the lines where the perfect life and the perfect lie begins to blur, the final twist will leave you reeling— and anxiously awaiting Elgar’s next book.” — BookTrib
