I am delighted to share my review today of One of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole. This is an interesting mystery and thriller story about a woman with multiple personalities, it is one that I enjoyed.

My huge thanks to Anne at Random Things Tours for arranging my copy of the book and my spot on the Blog Tour.

From the critically acclaimed and New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching comes a riveting thriller about the new caretaker of a historic estate who finds herself trapped on an island with a murderer—and the ghosts of her past.

Years after a breakdown and a diagnosis of dissociative identity disorder derailed her historical preservationist career, Kenetria Nash and her alters have been given a second chance they can’t refuse: a position as resident caretaker of a historic home. Having been dormant for years, Ken has no idea what led them to this isolated Hudson River island, but she’s determined not to ruin their opportunity.

Then a surprise visit from the home’s conservation trust just as a Nor’easter bears down on the island disrupts her newfound life, leaving Ken trapped with a group of possibly dangerous strangers—including the man who brought her life tumbling down years earlier. When he turns up dead, Ken is the prime suspect.

Caught in a web of secrets and in a race against time, Ken and her alters must band together to prove their innocence and discover the truth of Kavanaugh Island—and their own past—or they risk losing not only their future, but their life.

MY REVIEW

This was such an interesting read, it focuses on Ken and her others, the others being personalities that are part of her Dissociative Identity Disorder, often referred to as DID system. I have read books about characters having multiple identities but I think this is the first time I have read a book that has as many identities as Ken does.

Ken is such an interesting one to get to know as she has been dormant for 6 years, when she resurfaces and becomes the main identity she finds that one of her other personalities has set her up in a job as a caretaker on an island. In the past, the other personalities have been more aware of what has been happening, but this time they are at a bit of a loss. The journey to the island reveals a little of the history and when she finally arrives she is given a little more information.

This book took me a little while to get to grips with as there are several characters, many of which are Ken’s other identities. The author does make things clear as I was taken between identities and given more insight into this disorder. The mystery of the island is a dark one and does not become fully evident until a bit further into the story. This trickles through and gradually adds more mystery and at times more confusion.

The setting of the island is good because it gives that locked-in mystery touch, the island becomes isolated, there is no outside communication and there is a murder, so it does give you the right vibes. The way the murder is solved is given a twist because of Ken and her other identities. The stability of Ken’s mental health is something that the author uses to good effect, juggling identities, personalities, the stress of the island and trying to work out the answers adds a different twist to this genre.

This is an interesting and at times dark read. I enjoyed the identity disorder side of this book and I think I came away with a slightly better understanding of a disorder I haven’t really read much about. The mix of psychological and mystery with dashes of historical elements made for a story that felt different and it is one I would happily recommend.

Check out the other stops on the Blog Tour…

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