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  • If You Tell

  • A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood
  • Written by: Gregg Olsen
  • Narrated by: Karen Peakes
  • Length: 10 hrs and 34 mins
  • 4.3 out of 5 stars (3,082 ratings)

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If You Tell cover art

If You Tell

Written by: Gregg Olsen
Narrated by: Karen Peakes
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Publisher's Summary

2021 Audie Award Nominee for Best Nonfiction Audiobook

A #1 Wall Street Journal, Amazon Charts, USA Today, and Washington Post bestseller.

#1 New York Times bestselling author Gregg Olsen’s shocking and empowering true-crime story of three sisters determined to survive their mother’s house of horrors.

After more than a decade, when sisters Nikki, Sami, and Tori Knotek hear the word mom, it claws like an eagle’s talons, triggering memories that have been their secret since childhood. Until now.

For years, behind the closed doors of their farmhouse in Raymond, Washington, their sadistic mother, Shelly, subjected her girls to unimaginable abuse, degradation, torture, and psychic terrors. Through it all, Nikki, Sami, and Tori developed a defiant bond that made them far less vulnerable than Shelly imagined. Even as others were drawn into their mother’s dark and perverse web, the sisters found the strength and courage to escape an escalating nightmare that culminated in multiple murders.

Harrowing and heartrending, If You Tell is a survivor’s story of absolute evil - and the freedom and justice that Nikki, Sami, and Tori risked their lives to fight for. Sisters forever, victims no more, they found a light in the darkness that made them the resilient women they are today - loving, loved, and moving on.

©2019 Gregg Olsen. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

What the critics say

"Peakes's performance sucks the listener into the scenes of abuse, torture, sadism, and, eventually, murder committed by Shelly.... Peakes's narration is compelling." --AudioFile Magazine

"This riveting account will leave readers questioning every odd relative they’ve known." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"Olsen presents the story chronologically and in a simple, straightforward style, which works well: it is chilling enough as is." --Booklist

What listeners say about If You Tell

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible story - narrator made it hard to listen to.

Love the book, it’s crazy, and unbelievable. The narrators voice almost ruined it for me. Her voice was extremely monotone through out, and the voices she created were all together hard to listen to.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A terrible tragedy told by multiple accounts

If you tell is a story that is accounted by family members of Michelle "Shelly" Knotek (Her 3 daughters, husband at the time of the incidences, and her Step mother). I would be lying if I said I didn't almost stop midway through, not because of the performance, but the story itself due to how heartbreaking it is.
I just wanted to jump into the story and help all that were effected by Shelly's abuse. Thank you Gregg Olsen for sharing this story to all of us, and the survivors of Shelly who had the strength to share their accounts, abuse, and lives that went through it.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Within the first half hour I was hooked

I finished this audiobook so quickly. The story is a crazy one and I just couldn’t stop listening. Great performance by Karen Peakes.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Jaw dropping until the end.

This story was horrific, at times your thinking to yourself how can this even happen. They way the story was documented it kept you on the edge of your seat right until the very end.
There were parts that seemed a bit repetitive, but later showed to be important.
If crime and abuse stories fascinate you, you will find this one very interesting.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Definitely not an easy listen!

Not sure whether I’d recommend this to anyone, because of the subject matter, & that it is not a work of fiction; It is incredibly disturbing.
But it was told well, and at least there is a somewhat satisfactory conclusion- something you’re told at the beginning, but as you listen, find harder & harder to believe.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Continuous horror

This story is told with constant horror. If you can handle that, maybe this book is more suited for you. I found it difficult to listen to. The character development is not great. I listened to it all to see what the outcome was, but could have skipped a few chapters.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Can't believe this is a true story

couldn't stop listening! so well written and put together. I felt like I was there and it was horrifying.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Good read

This was a good read! I couldn’t stop reading wondering what what going to happen!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Sam
  • 2020-10-22

Monster mother

I liked how the book captured the perspective of the girls who were victims and witnesses to the atrocities. At times I had to stop listening as the subject matter was so heavy and sad but the narrator was very easy to follow.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

They should have told much sooner.

The children in this story were really put through so much more than any adult could handle. If they told earlier some things could have been avoided however they were brave to come out at all.

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