“You Know Why” by J.T. Ellison

A masterful storyteller who creates layered characters and murder plots, J.T. Ellison sends the reader on a thrilling, suspenseful ride in, You Know Why. Somehow you grow to love some of these twisted, complex characters because they seem like family. To each other, some are connected by marriage and family – except for the boogey-man lurking in the dark and the local to international investigators chasing the truth of this criminal rampage. Each turn of the page is filled with depth, excitement, clues and more twists and turns than the Great Smokies’ Tail of the Dragon.

Ellison jumps right into the saga with the Christmas season murder of Chloe, who was the young, first wife of Andrew Edward Locke, III. She was wrapping a positive pregnancy test to surprise Andrew when she was stabbed right in their home.

The late Chloe’s older sister, Eden Barrow, explains it this way:

 “You don’t know the people around you the way you think you do. We all keep secrets. We all hide our true selves. We move through this life seeking meaning, connection, purpose, and we brush elbows with evil. Most of the time, it passes us by, pretending to be normal.”

Jump ahead eleven years to the day Brooklyn Locke‘s husband, Trey, disappeared. Narrated in first person by Brooklyn, the reader realizes this is Brook’s story and demonstrates the very subtle points that are clues to this exciting journey of murder, crime, fraud, international drug supply, corruption, big cities and small towns – a little something for every arm-chair sleuth.

As their tale begins, Trey has sprung on Brook that he wants her to immediately book travel for them and their elementary-aged son and daughter. He wants his little family to join him on a three-week business-trip and vacation to Italy leaving the next day. As a former jet-setting food photographer for a world-renowned chef, Brook had thrived on the excitement of last-minute travel in exotic places, yet that was before she had settled into a slower pace in Nashville as a mom and wife of a finance manager for her uncle’s international venture capital firm. Trey works from home much of the time, too, though according to Brook didn’t like to travel much and didn’t like to fly. Trey explains that Brook’s uncle Bob has a conflict and needs him to handle a major business matter in Italy and they’ve agreed their niece and the kids can vacation a few weeks after the three-day meeting.

Given her previous job and sense of adventure, Brook successfully arranges the travel, contacts the kids’ elementary school, explains daughter’s upcoming The Nutcracker performance absence, packs everyone’s luggage and attempts a little sleep before the next day’s excursion. It weighs on her that her husband is a homebody who has not enjoyed travelling – much less flying during their years together and he’s been so stressed that he hasn’t shaved. Then, she remembers that Trey’s passport is not up to date. However, he miraculously says he knows a guy who can expedite passports – and gets one and follows with he’s making a sacrifice to fly for his family.

Brook became reflective thinking about the life she “happily chose” to be domesticated from her past wild life photography where she was in the fast lane with a chef who loved his food as much as he loved his drugs. To Brooklyn, her life was categorized as before the late acclaimed chef Roger Bandolier and after him.

During the wee hours of the morning before they need to be at the airport, Brook receives a haunting text, “We know what you did. Get us the money or we will end this.” It disappears immediately. She questions if she saw it at all. A few hours later, the Locke foursome arrives at the airport for their impromptu Italian vacation. At the airport, they are blocked from boarding. They miss the flight. Get re-routed from their Nashville-London-Italy flight to a Nashville-Atlanta-Italy flight.

Someone thinks they recognize Andrew Locke. He is silent. The person presses on. Trey disappears.

Now, there are rumors of money missing. Murder.

Brook and the family being stalked. A critically attack – even poisoned.

Multiple agencies from local police and sheriff to the FBI and Interpol investigate.

A fast-paced series of switchbacks with character narratives ending in surprises. In You Know Why, J.T. Ellison takes the reader for a thrilling ride of who-done-it. Leaving you with the question of can you really trust the people around you and the stories they tell.

J.T. Elliston
Kidtree Hello Photography

J.T. Ellison is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, who writes dark domestic and psychological thrillers. Ellison is working on her 35th novel, “You Know Why,” which will contend for awards similar to her other best-selling works. Her books span 30 countries and 18 languages, with millions sold and several optioned for TV. She’s received accolades including the ITW Thriller Award for The Cold Room, Indie Next picks, COSTCO nods, SIBA Okra Picks, LibraryReads selections, Amazon Editor’s Pick honors, and Book of the Month recognition, with Field of Graves and No One Knows hitting the SIBA Southern Book Prize longlist in 2017. Ellison co-hosts A Word on Words on Nashville PBS, an Emmy-winning gig that shows she’s as sharp on screen as on the page. She founded Two Tales Press for her short fiction, runs The Wine Vixen, blending her love of food and wine with storytelling flair, and pens The Creative Edge blog to spark inspiration for fellow writers.  A former political insider, she lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens—one of whom she swears is a ghost—where she’s always chasing the next twist.