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A Novel
by K. T. Nguyen
In this heart-pounding debut thriller for fans of Lisa Jewell and Celeste Ng, a first-generation Vietnamese American artist must confront nightmares past and present...
Annie "Anh Le" Shaw grew up poor, but seems to have it all now: a dream career, a stunning home, and a devoted husband and daughter. When Annie's mother, a Vietnam War refugee, dies suddenly one night, Annie's carefully curated life begins to unravel. Her obsessive-compulsive disorder, which she thought she'd vanquished years ago, comes roaring back—but this time, the disturbing fixations swirling around in Annie's brain might actually be coming true.
A prominent art patron disappears, and the investigation zeroes in on Annie. Spiraling with self-doubt, she distances herself from her family and friends, only to wake up in a hotel room—naked, next to a lifeless body. The police have more questions, but with her mind increasingly fractured, Annie doesn't have answers. All she knows is this: She will do anything to protect her daughter—even if it means losing herself.
With dizzying twists, You Know What You Did is both a harrowing thriller and a heartfelt exploration of the refugee experience, the legacies we leave for our children, and the unbreakable bonds between mothers and daughters.
What are you reading this week? And what did you think of last week’s books? (10/16/2025)
This week I have started Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar. It's a book that keeps me reading because there's always something in the next chapter that extends the depth of the one before. I was pleased to find One Day, Everyone Will Have Been Against This by Omar Akkad readily available as an ebook from my...
-Robin_G
"A twisty, horror-filled thriller... [an] incredibly compelling debut." —Booklist (starred review)
"[An] exhilarating debut...Braiding together hair-raising psychological suspense and poignant study of war's intergenerational trauma, Nguyen adds depth to the familiar setup of the unreliable, mentally ill heroine. Lisa Unger and Tess Gerritsen fans, take note." —Publishers Weekly
"The descriptions of Annie's OCD...and her struggles to control it are particularly visceral...[An] exploration of generational trauma and mental illness...There is healing to be had in the journey and the ending." —Kirkus Reviews
"This book knocked the wind out of me. On top of its razor sharp twists and visceral scares, You Know What You Did taps into the true horror experienced by so many refugees and war survivors, and the way that trauma lives on through generations. Don't miss this brilliant thriller from a powerful new voice." —Ana Reyes, New York Times bestselling author of The House in the Pines
"You Know What You Did is an exciting, complex thriller that takes the reader on a thoroughly disturbing journey through the mind of a protagonist who may or may not be the villain. At times harrowing and heartfelt, You Know What You Did will keep you on the edge of your seat until the final page." —S.A. Cosby, New York Times bestselling author of Razorblade Tears and All the Sinners Bleed
This information about You Know What You Did was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
K.T. Nguyen is a former Glamour magazine editor. Her debut novel You Know What You Did received the Agatha Award for Best First Mystery. The Seattle Times called it "a swirly, tangled hair-raiser...as sinister as it is emotional." It was selected as a People Magazine Best Book of April 2024 and named a Best Mystery and Thriller Book of 2024 by Elle, Parade, and Deadly Pleasures Mystery Magazine.
K.T. enjoys practicing Krav Maga, rooting for the Mets, and playing with her Jack Russell Terrier Alice. A graduate of Brown University, she lives just outside Washington, D.C. with her family.
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