I Know My Name

By: C. J. Cooke

Narrated by: Stephanie Racine

A woman with no name. A wild, abandoned island. A family desperate for answers. A debut thriller like no other.


On a small Greek island, a woman comes ashore with no memory of who she is, where she's from, or how she came to be shipwrecked there. Worse, she has no way of leaving. As she's nursed back to health by the island's only inhabitants, four friends on an annual retreat, she detects tensions between the group that suggest not all is quite as it seems. Her new acquaintances each appear to be hiding something--something that may relate to the mystery of her identity.

Meanwhile, in a pretty suburb on the outskirts of London, Eloise, the mother of a newborn and a toddler, vanishes into thin air. Her husband, Lochlan, is desperate to find her--but as the police look into the disappearance, it becomes clear that Lochlan and Eloise's marriage was not the perfect union it appeared.

As Lochlan races to discover his wife's whereabouts, Eloise enacts an investigation of her own. What both discover will place lives at risk and upend everything they thought they knew about their marriage, their past, and what lies in store for the future.

Critic reviews

"Haunting ... mysterious."—Entertainment Weekly (13 Books to Read in January)

"C. J. Cooke's I KNOW MY NAME is an astonishing thriller of lost memories, a lost wife and mother, and remarkable discoveries. With resonant themes, gorgeous writing and a stunning conclusion, this novel has catapulted onto my shortlist of the best suspense novels I've read all year."—Chevy Stevens, New York Times bestselling author of Still Missing

"Smart and intense, C. J. Cooke's I KNOW MY NAME is a masterfully written thriller that will lead you on a surprising journey. You won't be able to put this captivating book down."—Sara Blaedel, #1 international bestseller of the Louise Rick series

"Two stories-- two baffling mysteries... And when they come together, that's when the surprises really start. Gripping and tense. This is a book you will recommend to your friends."—R.L. Stine, New York Times bestselling author of the Goosebumps and Fear Street series

"An atmospheric, mysterious and intense read that resonates long after you turn the last page. It's a stunning psychological thriller, rich with mystery and full of heart."
—C. L. Taylor, internationally bestselling author of The Lie and Before I Wake

"Chilling and intelligent."—Nuala Ellwood, internationally bestselling author of My Sister's Bones

"Intense, thrilling and layered with issues of modern life, this is grip-lit at its best."—ELLE (UK)

"Cooke's concern for her subject matter as well as her characters shines through her crisp writing, and her novel takes on a layer of emotion not always found in psychological thrillers. A fast-paced novel that deftly strikes at the heart of what it means to survive traumatic personal and familial ruptures."—Kirkus Reviews

"Cooke keeps the suspense high as the endangered castaway struggles to survive while back in London Eloïse's family hunts for her with increasing desperation."—Publishers Weekly

"This psychological-suspense debut will appeal to fans of Mary Kubica, S. J. Watson, and B. A. Paris."—Booklist

DID

As someone who has DID this was well written and showcases some of what DID is for a lot of people. 10/10

Great listen

I enjoyed this book very much. Great story, lovely writing, and the narration is very good.

The 3 Face of Eve + The Dying Game

This story is a blend of the movie “The Three Faces of Eve” (old film from 1957) and the TV show with Toni Collete “United States of Tara”, combined with the book “The Dying Game” By Asa Avdic and “The Birthday Girl” by Sue Fortin.

Its paced well and doesn’t take long to get into. I really had no idea what kind of story this was going to be based on the summary (such as kidnap, killer, ransom etc.) but it gradually becomes clear as the book moves along. It wasn’t what I thought would happen at all, which was a great surprise, as the story took typical mystery/thriller elements and even plotlines but combined them with unique amounts of each. Though there is a lot going on in the storyline such as parallel stories, flashbacks, different character points of view, I think the author pulls it off fairly well and I think any future books will be even better.

The story is about a woman who ends up on a somewhat abandoned Greek Island and is taken in by four people who are there on a writer’s retreat. She has no recollection of how she got there and why – and, she can’t even remember her own name. However, in London, Lochlan, a husband and father of a 3-month-old baby girl and 4-year-old boy finds his wife, Eloise, and the mother of his children gone in the middle of the day. But, there are no signs of any intentional or forced departure, and her phone, money, cards, ID etc. are all still at home and furthermore, the 3-month-old is still breastfeeding. Eloise’s grandparents join Lochlan in the now nation-wide search for her and to help care for the children.

Meanwhile, at the small Greek Island, this woman, still confused about her identity, has no way of getting off the island and very much feels like a burden – using up food and  on this intimate writer’s retreat. For the most part, she gets along with all of them - but not all of the time, as the four writers don’t seem to have anything in common. Furthermore, she becomes increasingly alarmed with the behavior of one person in particular and finds herself not knowing who to trust.

As these two stories unravel, we learn about Eloise’s childhood before she moved to live with her grandparents who raised her as their own daughter, the home life of Lochlan and Eloise, and Eloise’s increasingly complicated thoughts. I very much enjoyed this book, definitely worth the credit, and will be looking out for more books by the author, C.J. Cook in the future.

Wow!

I read reviews all the time because I don't want to waste a credit. I've read so many reviews that almost stopped me from reading an amazing book. This book is amazing.

Suspenseful

Outstanding! I didn't expect this book to go in the direction that it did. Some parts were devastating and others beautiful. It left me crying at the end because everything turned out the way it needed to. Another amazing read/ listen by C. J. Cooke.