Not What She Seems - by Yasmin Angoe

About the Book

"She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past--and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her. After years of self-exile, Jacinda 'Jac' Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn't been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death--and all the whispers said she was to blame. That chief was Jac's father. Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past. Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac's convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye's perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad's prized possessions in Faye's office, she knows she has to be right. But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family's safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried"--

Book Synopsis

She left home as the local pariah at twenty-two, but when a family tragedy brings her back, she must confront her tortured past--and a new danger in town that no one seems to understand but her.

After years of self-exile, Jacinda "Jac" Brodie is back in Brook Haven, South Carolina. But the small cliffside town no longer feels like home. Jac hasn't been there since the beloved chief of police fell to his death--and all the whispers said she was to blame.

That chief was Jac's father.

Racked with guilt, Jac left town with no plans to return. But when her granddad lands in the hospital, she rushes back to her family, bracing herself to confront the past.

Brook Haven feels different now. Wealthy newcomer Faye Arden has transformed the notorious Moor Manor into a quaint country inn. Jac's convinced something sinister lurks beneath Faye's perfect exterior, yet the whole town fawns over their charismatic new benefactor. And when Jac discovers one of her granddad's prized possessions in Faye's office, she knows she has to be right.

But as Jac continues to dig, she stumbles upon dangerous truths that hit too close to home. With not only her life but also her family's safety on the line, Jac discovers that maybe some secrets are better left buried.

Review Quotes

Not What She Seems

"Endless skeletons in the family closet..." --Kirkus Reviews

"Angoe grounds the plot's surprising twists with lovable, fully realized characters. Lisa Unger fans, take note." --Publishers Weekly

"Jac's return to her hometown reveals lie after shocking lie. You're going to want to help her dig up every dirty secret. Not What She Seems is a must-read for thriller lovers." --Melinda Leigh, #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author

"In a small town, secrets collide with the grief and guilt of our fierce, feisty heroine, Jac Brodie. As her world is falling apart, Jac pieces together a mystery that could change her life as she knows it. With an expertly drawn setting, pulse-pounding pacing, and an explosive climax, Not What She Seems is a magnificent read. This twisty, high-octane thriller instantly hooked me and never let go. I'm now a forever fan of Yasmin Angoe's stunning writing." --Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of A Friend in the Dark

"Anthony award-nominated author Yasmin Angoe is an expert at blending fast-paced action, jaw-dropping plot twists, and flawed but likable characters. Her first standalone, Not What She Seems, is a must-read for domestic suspense fans. An excellent tale of cat and mouse, or should I say spider versus fly." --Kellye Garrett, award-winning author of Missing White Woman

"Angoe not only creates believable characters, she crafts a layered mystery woven through with family secrets, sharp-edged revenge, and unexpected redemption. All that plus it has heart; the climactic scene brought tears to my eyes." --Jess Lourey, Edgar-nominated author of The Taken Ones

"Yasmin Angoe's Not What She Seems is a powerful, electric novel that explores the deadly secrets we want to forget, and the lengths people will go to keep them buried. A story of painful homecomings and powerful reckonings, Not What She Seems builds upon Angoe's stellar library to present readers with her best novel yet." --Alex Segura, bestselling author of Secret Identity and Alter Ego

"Jacinda Brodie, you have my sword. Never have I fallen deeper in love with characters than I did the Brodies of beautiful, troubled, small-town South Carolina. Yasmin Angoe's incredible blend of talents--her ability to deliver high-intensity blowups on par with the best action thrillers and her deep character work, which shines through her uniquely voicey prose--make Not What She Seems a total knockout. I laughed, I gasped, and--shockingly--I cried. In an astonishing feat, Angoe combines a dark-as-sin psychological suspense with a heartwarming tale of familial redemption, peppered with laugh-out-loud social commentary. Like me, readers will marvel at her virtuosity while eagerly awaiting her next." --Ashley Winstead, critically acclaimed author of Midnight Is the Darkest Hour

It Ends with Knight

"Watch your back, Liam Neeson. This avenger is tough." --Kirkus Reviews

"High-stakes action, intrigue, and a professional assassin . . . the thrilling conclusion to Yasmin Angoe's Nena Knight series has it all." --Woman's World

"Nena Knight can cover Orphan X's six o'clock any day! Stolen from her village in Ghana, Knight reinvents herself as an elite assassin capable of all orders of badassery. One of thrillerdom's rising stars, Yasmin Angoe paints Knight with nuance, strength, and grace. These books burn hot and read fast." --Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times bestselling author of the Orphan X series

"It Ends with Knight finishes this trilogy every bit as heart pounding, soul searching, and explosive as it started. Nena Knight now takes her place alongside crime fiction's most unforgettable heroines." --Rachel Howzell Hall, New York Times bestselling author of We Lie Here and These Toxic Things

"Yasmin Angoe returns with both barrels blazing in It Ends with Knight. Nena Knight is such a well-crafted character, and Angoe's writing is an absolute joy. You need some pretty strong writer mojo to get readers to root for an assassin, and Angoe pulls it off. I truly hope It Ends with Knight is not the end of this wonderful series." --Tracy Clark, bestselling author and winner of the Sue Grafton Memorial Award

They Come at Knight

An Amazon Best Book of the Month: Mystery, Thriller & Suspense

"There's nothing ho-hum about Nena Knight, the killer at the heart of Yasmin Angoe's They Come at Knight... In one blistering action scene after another, we get to see how good Nena is at what she does." --New York Times Book Review

"A second round of action-packed, high-casualty intrigue for professional assassin Nena Knight. A lethal tale of an all-but-superhero whose author promises that 'in this story, there are no heroes.'" --Kirkus Reviews

"This action-packed novel drives toward an explosive conclusion. Determined to survive devastating loss and mete out justice, Nena is a heroine readers will embrace." --Publishers Weekly

Her Name Is Knight

"This stunning debut...deftly balances action, interpersonal relationships, issues of trauma, and profound human questions in an unforgettable novel." --Library Journal (starred review)

"A parable of reclaiming personal and tribal identity by seizing power at all costs." --Kirkus Reviews

"Angoe expertly builds tension by shifting between her lead's past and present lives. Thriller fans will cheer Aninyeh every step of the way." --Publishers Weekly

"An action-packed thriller you can lose yourself in." --PopSugar

"Memorable characters, drama, heart-pounding danger . . . this suspenseful novel has it all." --Woman's World

"A crackerjack story with truly memorable characters. I can't wait to see what Yasmin Angoe comes up with next." --David Baldacci, #1 New York Times bestselling author

"Yasmin Angoe's debut novel, Her Name Is Knight, is an amazing, action-packed international thriller full of suspense, danger, and even romance. It's like a John Wick prequel except John is a beautiful African woman with a particular set of skills." --S. A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears

"It's hard to believe that Her Name Is Knight is Yasmin Angoe's debut novel. This dual-timeline story about a highly trained Miami-based assassin who learns to reclaim her power after having her entire life ripped from her as a teenager in Ghana is equal parts love story, social commentary, and action thriller. Nena Knight will stay with you long after you've read the last word, and this is a must-read for fans of Lee Child and S. A. Cosby. I found myself crying in one chapter and cheering in the next. I couldn't put it down!" --Kellye Garrett, Anthony, Agatha, and Lefty Award-winning author

"This was a book I couldn't put down. Yasmin Angoe does a brilliant job of inviting you into a world of espionage and revenge while giving her characters depth and backstory that pull the reader in even more. This story has depth, excitement, and heartbreaking loss all intertwined into an awesome debut. The spy thriller genre has a new name to look out for!" --Matthew Farrell, bestselling author of Don't Ever Forget

"This brave and profoundly gorgeous thriller takes readers to places they've never been, to challenges they've never faced, and to judgments that leave the strongest in tears. Her Name Is Knight is a stunning and important debut, and Yasmin Angoe is a fantastic new talent." --Hank Phillippi Ryan, USA Today bestselling author of Her Perfect Life

"Her Name Is Knight is a roundhouse kick of a novel--intense, evocative, and loaded with character and international intrigue. Nena Knight is a protagonist for the ages and one readers will not soon forget. Her Name Is Knight isn't just thrills and action either--the book lingers with you long after you've finished. More, please." --Alex Segura, acclaimed author of Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, Secret Identity, and Blackout