If you knew her - Emily Elgar

If You Knew Her by Emily Elgar
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The perfect life?
Or the perfect lie . . .

Cassie had it all - the fairytale wedding, the stunning home, the perfect husband. But when she arrives on the intensive care ward at St Catherine's hospital in a coma, it soon becomes clear that she has a secret; a secret that changes everything.

Alice, the chief nurse on the ward begins to feel a connection with Cassie and can't help but wonder if things are not quite as they seem.

Frank, another patient, can hear and see everything around him but cannot communicate. He understands that Cassie's life is in danger and only he holds the truth, which no one can know and he cannot tell . . .

If You Knew Her is a gripping, heart-stopping psychological thriller, perfect for fans of The Couple Next Door, I See You and Behind Closed Doors.


I have never read a story like this before, I thought the premise with very different. Reading from 3 different perspectives, Frank, who is in hospital paralysed but has a fully working mind and can hear exactly what is going on. Cassie who is in a coma and in the same ward, finally Alice, who is the nurse that cares for them both. Eventually the reader discovers how all characters are linked, dodging red herrings along the way. I thought that the novel was a little slow in places and I was a little disappointed with the ending.

Although this is marketed as a thriller book, I would say it is more of a mystery and 'who dun it' than thriller. As I have previously said this is like no other book I have read, mixing medical with crime is a really great idea, it is not one that I would have chosen to read about I don't think had I of seen it out in a book shop but I did enjoy it, perhaps not as much as I thought I would or hoped.

If you are looking for something a little different to your average psychological thriller give this a go, if you like crime and mystery I also think you will enjoy this one. Elgar is a debut novel and I think this was well written and the premise with good for the book. I look forward to seeing what she brings out next. Overall this was a decent read and I would give it 3.5 * rounded up to 4* for Goodreads and Amazon.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.