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The Only One Who Knows
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A failed TV news reporter with a talent for shark-fishing returns to her hometown just as bodies begin washing ashore in this nail-biting suspense novel from the author of The Stranger Upstairs.
Minnow Greenwood, previously known for stealing her way into the hearts of viewers as Melbourne’s number one morning show host, is now back in her small hometown of Kangaroo Bay. After a horrifying and unexpected episode, she has no choice but to join her estranged brother in their family business of shark fishing. For an insomniac like Minnow, the work is strangely thrilling—there’s something alluring about the dark water at night. Something exciting, grimy… fitting. And maybe it’s not even so bad reconnecting with her brother, who’s the only person who ever saw her for herself. But the last thing she expects to surface on the beach is a human body.
Kangaroo Bay is a town quietly brimming with rage towards invasive tourists and host to a disquieting number of shark attacks—there's no sympathy for the wayward swimmer. Except the media soon uncover that the victim was declared missing weeks before, and was long dead before they even entered the water. When the journalist in Minnow kicks back into drive, she discovers something for over forty years, there have been a steady number of missing persons around the area, including her own father’s disappearance ten years ago.
This is her one opportunity to reclaim her career as a journalist, and to learn what really happened to her father, but as Minnow digs deeper into the spate of missing tourists and the mystery of her father, she realizes someone is desperate to keep the secrets buried. . .and then another body washes ashore.
Minnow Greenwood, previously known for stealing her way into the hearts of viewers as Melbourne’s number one morning show host, is now back in her small hometown of Kangaroo Bay. After a horrifying and unexpected episode, she has no choice but to join her estranged brother in their family business of shark fishing. For an insomniac like Minnow, the work is strangely thrilling—there’s something alluring about the dark water at night. Something exciting, grimy… fitting. And maybe it’s not even so bad reconnecting with her brother, who’s the only person who ever saw her for herself. But the last thing she expects to surface on the beach is a human body.
Kangaroo Bay is a town quietly brimming with rage towards invasive tourists and host to a disquieting number of shark attacks—there's no sympathy for the wayward swimmer. Except the media soon uncover that the victim was declared missing weeks before, and was long dead before they even entered the water. When the journalist in Minnow kicks back into drive, she discovers something for over forty years, there have been a steady number of missing persons around the area, including her own father’s disappearance ten years ago.
This is her one opportunity to reclaim her career as a journalist, and to learn what really happened to her father, but as Minnow digs deeper into the spate of missing tourists and the mystery of her father, she realizes someone is desperate to keep the secrets buried. . .and then another body washes ashore.
272 pages, Hardcover
Expected publication March 3, 2026
8037 people want to read
About the author
Lisa M. Matlin
2 books470 followersLisa M. Matlin was a guitarist in a band before switching from song writing to story writing.
She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her golden retriever. She’s probably rewatching The Walking Dead right now and trying not to laugh at her own jokes. Matlin is a passionate mental health advocate and your dog’s number one fan.
THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS was a Book of the Month pick. Her second novel, THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS, is out March 2026.
She lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her golden retriever. She’s probably rewatching The Walking Dead right now and trying not to laugh at her own jokes. Matlin is a passionate mental health advocate and your dog’s number one fan.
THE STRANGER UPSTAIRS was a Book of the Month pick. Her second novel, THE ONLY ONE WHO KNOWS, is out March 2026.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
September 6, 2025
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Fun fact about me… I’m equally terrified of and fascinated by sharks. Point me to a movie, a show or a book about sharks and I’m consuming it, no questions asked. While we’re on the topic, why aren’t there more books about sharks? Let’s step up our collective game. Shark it up.
This one was pretty sharky, so I’ll give it that, but otherwise it was pretty run-of-the-gill. The characters felt a bit fin and scaled down, and the mystery floundered a bit.
I didn’t want to mako big deal about it though because overall it was decent. I’ll definitely sink my teeth into some of the author’s other work.
Fun fact about me… I’m equally terrified of and fascinated by sharks. Point me to a movie, a show or a book about sharks and I’m consuming it, no questions asked. While we’re on the topic, why aren’t there more books about sharks? Let’s step up our collective game. Shark it up.
This one was pretty sharky, so I’ll give it that, but otherwise it was pretty run-of-the-gill. The characters felt a bit fin and scaled down, and the mystery floundered a bit.
I didn’t want to mako big deal about it though because overall it was decent. I’ll definitely sink my teeth into some of the author’s other work.
Currently reading
February 26, 2026⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖🦈Deadly shark attacks in this nail biting suspense story⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪ ˖🦈!!!!!!!!
February 12, 2026
Minnow has a bit of an on-air kerfuffle one morning during her cohosting job. Needless to say, she finds herself unemployed and heads back to her childhood home in Kangaroo Bay. Kangaroo Bay is a very grim, working class kind of town. The men are violent and the women either turn a blind eye or leave. Minnow’s mother was one that chose to leave and her dad has been missing for several years. Her brother currently has taken over the family business of fishing expeditions. During one of these expeditions, they discover a body being chomped on by a shark. Apparently this isn’t the first one and shark chomping is a common occurrence. But it appears that it’s possible a murder might have occurred before they became fish food. Being that Minnow has a degree in journalism, she decides to start looking into these disappearances, including her parents.
This felt a bit disjointed and never really fully came together for me. There were brief interludes of the past timeline that caught my interest, but didn’t feel like they worked with the current timeline. While they gave a bit of backstory, it just didn’t feel like a seamless transition. Being as brief as these interludes were, I did enjoy them much more so than the current timeline’s mystery. They were rather creepy and gave more insight into the violence of the town.
Now what I really liked was the use of fish puns. They were abundant and definitely had me snickering. In other words, they were fin-tabulous.
Overall, this definitely had potential and there were certain aspects that I did like, but as a whole, it felt rather disjointed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
This felt a bit disjointed and never really fully came together for me. There were brief interludes of the past timeline that caught my interest, but didn’t feel like they worked with the current timeline. While they gave a bit of backstory, it just didn’t feel like a seamless transition. Being as brief as these interludes were, I did enjoy them much more so than the current timeline’s mystery. They were rather creepy and gave more insight into the violence of the town.
Now what I really liked was the use of fish puns. They were abundant and definitely had me snickering. In other words, they were fin-tabulous.
Overall, this definitely had potential and there were certain aspects that I did like, but as a whole, it felt rather disjointed.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.
January 31, 2026
Oh my goodness that ending 😱😱
This book was so dark and so addictive! it was a timely read considering what has been happening here in NSW with shark attacks and beaches being closed this summer. If I wasn’t afraid of going into the sea before I certainly am now! I won’t spoil the story, as it is pretty intense and messed up in places. Minnow, our main character goes home to her childhood home in a coastal town in Victoria for the first time in a long time after her life implodes. She has always known that it is a bad place, but now she starts to learn the truth of her family and upbringing.
I was hooked, and felt so uncomfortable in the final chapters . Wow, just madness.
Thank you so much to Ballantine on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on March 3rd.
This book was so dark and so addictive! it was a timely read considering what has been happening here in NSW with shark attacks and beaches being closed this summer. If I wasn’t afraid of going into the sea before I certainly am now! I won’t spoil the story, as it is pretty intense and messed up in places. Minnow, our main character goes home to her childhood home in a coastal town in Victoria for the first time in a long time after her life implodes. She has always known that it is a bad place, but now she starts to learn the truth of her family and upbringing.
I was hooked, and felt so uncomfortable in the final chapters . Wow, just madness.
Thank you so much to Ballantine on NetGalley for my advanced copy of this book to read. Publishes on March 3rd.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really just thought this book was confusing and had no flow at all. It was hard to follow, and I don't think the writing style was for me. It just all felt disorganized. The premise was good though, and it had some good bones, just really lacked in execution.
Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
Thank you to Net Galley and Ballantine Books for giving me this ARC in exchange for my honest review.
September 8, 2025
ARC for review. To be published March 3, 2025.
3 stars
Have I mentioned that within a two week period I read two ARCs where the FMC was named Minnow and they are about sharks? No wonder we only get comic book movies and remakes, the well of ideas is, sadly, empty.
That sad, this wasn’t half bad. The story is set in the Australian coast. Minnie has returned to her very blue collar hometown and is staying with brother, Heath, who fishes on the same boat owned by his late father. The two grew up nearly feral. And, of course, something is going on in the town, which is seeing shark attacks.
Since, as I may have mentioned, I JUST read another book about sharks I actually knew exactly what was happening from the very beginning and I just had to wait on ol’ Minnow to get there (you name your kid “Minnow” and you probably aren’t setting her up for a job as the first female President.). You guys won’t have all my very specialized and in-depth shark knowledge from the other book, so you won’t get it (you’ll probably get it.). The book had witty portions but a bit of a detached tone. I liked it, though.
3 stars
Have I mentioned that within a two week period I read two ARCs where the FMC was named Minnow and they are about sharks? No wonder we only get comic book movies and remakes, the well of ideas is, sadly, empty.
That sad, this wasn’t half bad. The story is set in the Australian coast. Minnie has returned to her very blue collar hometown and is staying with brother, Heath, who fishes on the same boat owned by his late father. The two grew up nearly feral. And, of course, something is going on in the town, which is seeing shark attacks.
Since, as I may have mentioned, I JUST read another book about sharks I actually knew exactly what was happening from the very beginning and I just had to wait on ol’ Minnow to get there (you name your kid “Minnow” and you probably aren’t setting her up for a job as the first female President.). You guys won’t have all my very specialized and in-depth shark knowledge from the other book, so you won’t get it (you’ll probably get it.). The book had witty portions but a bit of a detached tone. I liked it, though.
August 26, 2025
This is not a feel good book.
This is a book about a very mean town filled with cruel and desperate people.
While I liked our main character, I'll admit that for some she might be hard to like. Actually, I'll just say that she's very...hard. She fits her town well, though.
It did take a little bit for the book to capture my attention, but once it did, I was riveted.
I'd keep in mind that this isn't an escape sort of book. It's incredibly bleak. But it's also well written, unique, and I would read the author again.
* ARC via Publisher
This is a book about a very mean town filled with cruel and desperate people.
While I liked our main character, I'll admit that for some she might be hard to like. Actually, I'll just say that she's very...hard. She fits her town well, though.
It did take a little bit for the book to capture my attention, but once it did, I was riveted.
I'd keep in mind that this isn't an escape sort of book. It's incredibly bleak. But it's also well written, unique, and I would read the author again.
* ARC via Publisher
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
My father had many kids of silence, and I'd learned how important it was to analyze them all. Fish can tell a storm is coming days in advance. Can sense a change in the pressure system long before there's any signs of rain. We were like that. So sensitive to any changes in my father's moods. For us, our father was the storm and the sea. Perhaps if we were quick enough, vigilant enough, we could swim for calmer waters
The protagonist, Winnow, was quite the intriguing character. It takes a lot of heart to go back to a place that was bad to you. Winnow had a rough upbringing, growing up on Kangaroo Bay in Australia, known for its rough and tough fishermen who have little patience for tourists or women. Her father was a moody, violent SOB. Her mother used to take off, but she always came back...until she didn't. Winnow and her brother figured she had enough and took off for good.
We are introduced to Winnow rather comically. Living several hours away from Kangaroo bay, with her new name, her meteorologist fiance and her co-host position on a morning talk show, you'd think she's living her best life. That is, until its revealed that she dumped her fiance, he's holding their dog hostage for leverage, and her co-hosts are not the sweet ladies they portray themselves to be....TO BE CONTINUED....XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX NOT DONE XXXXXX
Lisa Matlin first hooked me as a fan with her debut, The Stranger Upstairs. With her sophomore novel, The Only One Who Knows, she has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. I would best recommend her work to fans of gritty characters and dark stories who welcome a little blood, death and cussing in their books, and to fans of Karin Slaughter, C.J. Tudor and A.G. Slatter.
The protagonist, Winnow, was quite the intriguing character. It takes a lot of heart to go back to a place that was bad to you. Winnow had a rough upbringing, growing up on Kangaroo Bay in Australia, known for its rough and tough fishermen who have little patience for tourists or women. Her father was a moody, violent SOB. Her mother used to take off, but she always came back...until she didn't. Winnow and her brother figured she had enough and took off for good.
We are introduced to Winnow rather comically. Living several hours away from Kangaroo bay, with her new name, her meteorologist fiance and her co-host position on a morning talk show, you'd think she's living her best life. That is, until its revealed that she dumped her fiance, he's holding their dog hostage for leverage, and her co-hosts are not the sweet ladies they portray themselves to be....TO BE CONTINUED....XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX NOT DONE XXXXXX
Lisa Matlin first hooked me as a fan with her debut, The Stranger Upstairs. With her sophomore novel, The Only One Who Knows, she has solidified herself as an auto-buy author for me. I would best recommend her work to fans of gritty characters and dark stories who welcome a little blood, death and cussing in their books, and to fans of Karin Slaughter, C.J. Tudor and A.G. Slatter.
December 15, 2025
This review is for an ARC copy received from the publisher through NetGalley.
After an on-air blow up, journalist Minnow Greenwood returns to the fishing town of Kangaroo Bay. Needing to get away, she's back to the place she thought she'd left well behind after the disappearances of her mother and, later, her abusive father years before. With a recent shark attack tn the news, Minnow thinks maybe there's something to get her back on her career track. But she left more than just bad memories in Kangaroo Bay - both the town and she have many skeletons waiting in the closet.
Lisa Matlin's strong writing is again on display here. The plot is definitely a different one, with a main character who is beyond flawed, having been forced to go back to a place where many dark secrets from her past lurk, unknown to anyone but her. The story is ripe with tension and enthralling mysteries throughout. I definitely had no idea where most of them were going. However, it may just be me, but the real "mystery" of what's going on in the town just didn't resonate as being all that big a deal to me. And the resolution portion of the story felt like it was dragging on longer than necessary. But there was quite a bit going on which kept you guessing.
After an on-air blow up, journalist Minnow Greenwood returns to the fishing town of Kangaroo Bay. Needing to get away, she's back to the place she thought she'd left well behind after the disappearances of her mother and, later, her abusive father years before. With a recent shark attack tn the news, Minnow thinks maybe there's something to get her back on her career track. But she left more than just bad memories in Kangaroo Bay - both the town and she have many skeletons waiting in the closet.
Lisa Matlin's strong writing is again on display here. The plot is definitely a different one, with a main character who is beyond flawed, having been forced to go back to a place where many dark secrets from her past lurk, unknown to anyone but her. The story is ripe with tension and enthralling mysteries throughout. I definitely had no idea where most of them were going. However, it may just be me, but the real "mystery" of what's going on in the town just didn't resonate as being all that big a deal to me. And the resolution portion of the story felt like it was dragging on longer than necessary. But there was quite a bit going on which kept you guessing.
August 15, 2025
FINALLY! I've been waiting forever for another Lisa Matlin book after loving and devouring The Stranger Upstairs. While this book didn't quite reach my five-star expectations, I was still extremely captivated by the story and enthralled by the suspense that chilled me to the bone with the turn of every page. Between the hostile residents in town, the nighttime shark attacks, Minnow's memories of her childhood, and the disturbing behavior of some of the characters, there was no shortage of darkness. It just crept right in and enveloped me like a storm cloud. The mystery and secrets unraveled slowly but the pacing was fast and frenzied. Minnow was an interesting and layered character, but I didn't quite understand her quirks and why she did what she did. I would have liked more of an explanation on this for closure. I feel like this book should be marketed more as a psychological thriller / horror. I wouldn't say that it was scary, it was more dark and disturbing and WEIRD! And I love weird! Would definitely recommend!
Thank you to Ballantine for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!
Thank you to Ballantine for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!
February 24, 2026
I was so excited to get an electronic advanced readers copy of this book because I absolutely loved Lisa M. Matlin’s, The Stranger Upstairs. (5 star rating!) With that being said, this book was dark, disturbing and kinda weird and I don’t mean in a good way. Minnow was such a hard character to connect with. I was left not understanding why she did a lot of the things she did. She did some very twisted and dark things as a child even considering her parents and her upbringing. I was stunned to realize that these things happened when the FMC was only a fifth grader. It was a very slow read and I found myself just not wanting to pick it up to finish it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an eARC of this book. You can find it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
Thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an eARC of this book. You can find it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
February 24, 2026
The Only One Who Knows by Lisa M. Matlin 🦈
I really enjoyed Lisa M. Matlin’s first book, The Stranger Upstairs, so I was excited to receive an early copy of her second novel. Unfortunately, I was deeply disappointed. The author made a conscious choice to depict her protagonist as a ten year old child in various s*xu*lly suggestive situations, and I was extremely uncomfortable reading it. I’m not going to recommend this book for that reason.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book. You can find it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
“You’re either the shark or the food.”
— Lisa M. Matlin, The Only One Who Knows
I really enjoyed Lisa M. Matlin’s first book, The Stranger Upstairs, so I was excited to receive an early copy of her second novel. Unfortunately, I was deeply disappointed. The author made a conscious choice to depict her protagonist as a ten year old child in various s*xu*lly suggestive situations, and I was extremely uncomfortable reading it. I’m not going to recommend this book for that reason.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Bantam for providing me with an advance e-galley of this book. You can find it in your local and online bookstores and libraries on Tuesday, March 3, 2026.
“You’re either the shark or the food.”
— Lisa M. Matlin, The Only One Who Knows
August 26, 2025
A beautifully, tragic, dark thriller. This book was truly an experience. I loved the setting and the descriptions of the town so much. I found myself completely engrossed in the characters and the world very early on. I loved mysteries and getting to know these characters so much (trying to avoid spoilers here) the flashbacks were fascinating and interesting. Never guessed the twist and was so satisfied with the ending. A fantastic read and a fabulous introduction for me personally as this was my first read by Lisa M Matlin.
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC
Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4.5 stars!
What in bloody jaws is happening in the water? The cover of this book caught my attention, and I quickly realized that while the first book I read was okay, this one was something else entirely! It was suspenseful right from the start, and I couldn’t put it down—I finished it in just a day! I had to know who did it and why!
Minnow Greenwood, a former TV reporter, who returns to her hometown of Kangaroo Bay amidst mysterious bodies washing ashore. Having to work with her estranged brother in shark fishing, Minnow uncovers a troubling connection to her father’s long-term disappearance and a pattern of missing persons over the past forty years. As she investigates, Minnow finds herself entangled in dark secrets that someone is willing to kill to protect.
The story unfolds across two timelines, allowing us to uncover Minnow's past events. When someone makes a living hunting sharks, you know you’re in for a wild ride! Add a charming dog character into the mix, and I’m hooked! I loved the suspense that gradually revealed the truth, with just enough mystery to keep you guessing until the very end. I didn’t see all the plot twists coming, and the climax was thrilling, heart-pounding, and jaw-dropping, or should I say shark-biting? At one point, I found myself questioning who to trust more: the sharks or the people! The overwhelming sense of dread is palpable, and it really drives the story home.
I also appreciated how vividly the author painted the environment; it was incredibly atmospheric! It’s clear the author has firsthand experience. As someone with a diving license, I’ve encountered sharks before—some were harmless, while others were downright terrifying! Reading this brought back memories of my time in Key West, where I spent weekends diving.
If you enjoy piecing together puzzles and figuring out whodunit, or if you’re a fan of small-town settings with a dash of bloodthirsty action and a tragic tale, then this book is perfect for you. It’s quite a ride on a boat, so make sure to bring along some Dramamine, or you might be feeling queasy for days! Ha!
Thank you, Ballantine |Bantam and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
What in bloody jaws is happening in the water? The cover of this book caught my attention, and I quickly realized that while the first book I read was okay, this one was something else entirely! It was suspenseful right from the start, and I couldn’t put it down—I finished it in just a day! I had to know who did it and why!
Minnow Greenwood, a former TV reporter, who returns to her hometown of Kangaroo Bay amidst mysterious bodies washing ashore. Having to work with her estranged brother in shark fishing, Minnow uncovers a troubling connection to her father’s long-term disappearance and a pattern of missing persons over the past forty years. As she investigates, Minnow finds herself entangled in dark secrets that someone is willing to kill to protect.
The story unfolds across two timelines, allowing us to uncover Minnow's past events. When someone makes a living hunting sharks, you know you’re in for a wild ride! Add a charming dog character into the mix, and I’m hooked! I loved the suspense that gradually revealed the truth, with just enough mystery to keep you guessing until the very end. I didn’t see all the plot twists coming, and the climax was thrilling, heart-pounding, and jaw-dropping, or should I say shark-biting? At one point, I found myself questioning who to trust more: the sharks or the people! The overwhelming sense of dread is palpable, and it really drives the story home.
I also appreciated how vividly the author painted the environment; it was incredibly atmospheric! It’s clear the author has firsthand experience. As someone with a diving license, I’ve encountered sharks before—some were harmless, while others were downright terrifying! Reading this brought back memories of my time in Key West, where I spent weekends diving.
If you enjoy piecing together puzzles and figuring out whodunit, or if you’re a fan of small-town settings with a dash of bloodthirsty action and a tragic tale, then this book is perfect for you. It’s quite a ride on a boat, so make sure to bring along some Dramamine, or you might be feeling queasy for days! Ha!
Thank you, Ballantine |Bantam and NetGalley, for the DRC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.
December 29, 2025
•Minnow Greenwood returns to her hometown of Kangaroo Bay, right around the same time bodies begin piling up on shore after numerous shark attacks. Born and raised in Kangaroo Bay, Minnow and her brother Heath were raised by a mother who disappeared, and an abusive father, who subsequently disappeared as well. Upon returning, Minnow discovers a long list of missing people, many more than just her parents.
•I really enjoyed this book. The characters were dark and unpolished. I also enjoyed the decades of secrets.
•Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa M. Matlin, and Bantam books for this ARC. It will become available on March 3, 2026.
•I really enjoyed this book. The characters were dark and unpolished. I also enjoyed the decades of secrets.
•Thank you to NetGalley, Lisa M. Matlin, and Bantam books for this ARC. It will become available on March 3, 2026.
January 11, 2026
Reading about other countries and cultures is a great thing… it helps you understand what goes on and how things are relatable to you. This book is dark and twisted and while I had to google many things about Australia, Kangaroo Meat… and fishing lure this book was good. I’ll definitely be looking into reading the author’s other novel.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I was not expecting that ending, a fantastic thriller with a bloody great hook! Minnow Greenwood is a TV show co-host with a fantastic life on the surface, until her past catches up to her and she has a mental breakdown on live TV. Minnows newfound freedom dares her to embark on a journey back to her hometown to figure out the source of her trauma. 🐠🦈🩸🔪🚣♀️☠️
October 31, 2025
What a heart pounding rollercoaster of a tail this is! My adrenaline was quite literally all over the place during this book and it gave me the heeby jeebies. This story isn’t a happy feel good story, it’s creepy, eerie, and human and sits with you afterwards. I loved jaws or other shark movies, but i had never had the book equivalent before. It really lived up to the same energy as a shark movie.
I appreciated that the sharks were their own character and plot device, it didn’t feel just like a random point of action, it felt like its own mystery we were trying to solve.
The main character had some undeveloped and strange elements that i felt were unnecessary to the story. She is a dark and gritty character who is hard to support in general.
Thanks to NetGalley and bantam for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
I appreciated that the sharks were their own character and plot device, it didn’t feel just like a random point of action, it felt like its own mystery we were trying to solve.
The main character had some undeveloped and strange elements that i felt were unnecessary to the story. She is a dark and gritty character who is hard to support in general.
Thanks to NetGalley and bantam for the arc in exchange for an honest review!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Almost always, I cringe when I start to read a book that flips back and forth in time; maybe it’s my advancing age, but it takes me half the book to figure out what’s happening when, leaving not enough time to get truly invested in the story. I’m not sure why it didn’t happen here, but I’ll chalk it up to a rather unique style of writing by the author; at no time did I feel lost. Yes, the story was a bit complicated (and “dark” would be an understatement; if you don’t care for blood and guts, very large white teeth and characters who have no concept of what it means to play nice, this isn’t the book for you).
Set in Australia, almost entirely in the fishing town of Kangaroo Bay, the book showcases native daughter Minnow Greenwood, who, under a pseudonym, became a popular TV news reporter in Melbourne. When one of her interviews turned nasty, she was disgraced – and returned to her hometown nearly broke and hoping a print journalist friend could help her find work. Both her parents have been missing for years; her father ran a fishing charter but took out his frustrations on his wife – who ran away several times over the years but always returned home – and their children, Minnow and her very protective brother Heath. In fact, her father has long been suspected of killing their mother, but nothing has ever been proved. Another Kangaroo Bay fishing expert, long-time friend Terry Hargrave, finally tired of their father’s abuse and killed him; but here, too, no body has ever turned up nor any evidence that he’s not among the living somewhere.
But these days, Kangaroo Bay has a bigger problem: infestation by Great White whales, a protected species that is perpetually ravenous. Usually, they don’t hover close to shorelines, but lately they seem to have taken a liking to this town – or more specifically, a couple of humans who went swimming in the bay but should have thought better of it. Not long after Minnow returns home, one of those sharks strikes again – while she’s there to watch the gruesome chowdown.
Long confused and concerned about what really happened to her parents, Minnow begins to share childhood information with her journalist friend, hoping he’ll catch a whiff of a big story. As they poke around and interact with people Minnow knew way back when, chapters flash back to her harrowing childhood and what was really going on that made her who she is today. But as their digging – both figuratively and literally – continues, it becomes clear that someone, or several someones, will do just about anything to keep them from getting too close to the truth.
It’s truly a harrowing tale, softened only because some of the characters truly deserve what they get. A twist near the end comes as a surprise, though in retrospect, it shouldn’t have been. Definitely worth reading (it’s short enough to finish in a day) and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to sink my teeth into it.
Set in Australia, almost entirely in the fishing town of Kangaroo Bay, the book showcases native daughter Minnow Greenwood, who, under a pseudonym, became a popular TV news reporter in Melbourne. When one of her interviews turned nasty, she was disgraced – and returned to her hometown nearly broke and hoping a print journalist friend could help her find work. Both her parents have been missing for years; her father ran a fishing charter but took out his frustrations on his wife – who ran away several times over the years but always returned home – and their children, Minnow and her very protective brother Heath. In fact, her father has long been suspected of killing their mother, but nothing has ever been proved. Another Kangaroo Bay fishing expert, long-time friend Terry Hargrave, finally tired of their father’s abuse and killed him; but here, too, no body has ever turned up nor any evidence that he’s not among the living somewhere.
But these days, Kangaroo Bay has a bigger problem: infestation by Great White whales, a protected species that is perpetually ravenous. Usually, they don’t hover close to shorelines, but lately they seem to have taken a liking to this town – or more specifically, a couple of humans who went swimming in the bay but should have thought better of it. Not long after Minnow returns home, one of those sharks strikes again – while she’s there to watch the gruesome chowdown.
Long confused and concerned about what really happened to her parents, Minnow begins to share childhood information with her journalist friend, hoping he’ll catch a whiff of a big story. As they poke around and interact with people Minnow knew way back when, chapters flash back to her harrowing childhood and what was really going on that made her who she is today. But as their digging – both figuratively and literally – continues, it becomes clear that someone, or several someones, will do just about anything to keep them from getting too close to the truth.
It’s truly a harrowing tale, softened only because some of the characters truly deserve what they get. A twist near the end comes as a surprise, though in retrospect, it shouldn’t have been. Definitely worth reading (it’s short enough to finish in a day) and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for the opportunity to sink my teeth into it.
August 24, 2025
Thank you Netgalley and Bantam for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Lisa M. Matlin follows up her standout debut “The Stranger Upstairs” with “The Only One Who Knows,” a dark, atmospheric, and deeply unsettling thriller set against the eerie backdrop of a small Australian coastal town.
At the center of the story is Minnow Greenwood, a morning show co-host whose very public on-air meltdown sends her fleeing back to Kangaroo Bay, which is the town she swore she’d left behind for good. It’s a place defined by salt, sharks, and secrets, a fishing community whose outward charm masks decades of violence, disappearances, and shady dealings. Minnow grew up here under the brutal hand of her alcoholic father, and the scars of her childhood still haunt her as she reconnects with her estranged brother, revisits old traumas, and discovers that her family may be tied to far more than just her personal pain.
Soon after her return, a gruesome shark attack rattles the town. Enter Chris, a reporter investigating the death, whose probing questions dig beneath the surface of Kangaroo Bay’s carefully maintained facade. Teaming up with him, Minnow becomes entangled in a web of cover-ups, illegal poaching, simmering resentments, and violence that seems to ripple through the entire town. With every layer uncovered, the lines between truth and rumor blur, and Minnow must confront not only what Kangaroo Bay is hiding, but also the darkness she has inherited from her own family.
Matlin excels at atmosphere with the briny sting of ocean air, the menace lurking in shark-filled waters, the suffocating weight of small-town hostility. The tension builds in frenzied waves, the pacing both fast and fevered, and by the time the full truth surfaces, readers will feel wrung out and breathless. Yet while the plot is packed with disappearances, secrets, and shocking turns, the real heart of the story is Minnow herself: prickly, flawed, and unforgettable. This is as much a character study of trauma and inheritance as it is a mystery.
That said, this is not a book for the faint of heart. The violence—whether domestic, criminal, or natural—is stark and sometimes overwhelming, and I did find the poetic language of the climax jarring against the raw brutality of the narrative. However, I was still captivated by the strangeness, the weirdness, and the unhinged energy that Matlin infuses into her work.
In the end, “The Only One Who Knows” is bold, disturbing, and uniquely told—a story of sharks and secrets, survival and scars, family and fate. While not as universally accessible as Matlin’s debut, it proves her as a fearless writer willing to take risks, and it cements her place as one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary psychological thrillers.
Lisa M. Matlin follows up her standout debut “The Stranger Upstairs” with “The Only One Who Knows,” a dark, atmospheric, and deeply unsettling thriller set against the eerie backdrop of a small Australian coastal town.
At the center of the story is Minnow Greenwood, a morning show co-host whose very public on-air meltdown sends her fleeing back to Kangaroo Bay, which is the town she swore she’d left behind for good. It’s a place defined by salt, sharks, and secrets, a fishing community whose outward charm masks decades of violence, disappearances, and shady dealings. Minnow grew up here under the brutal hand of her alcoholic father, and the scars of her childhood still haunt her as she reconnects with her estranged brother, revisits old traumas, and discovers that her family may be tied to far more than just her personal pain.
Soon after her return, a gruesome shark attack rattles the town. Enter Chris, a reporter investigating the death, whose probing questions dig beneath the surface of Kangaroo Bay’s carefully maintained facade. Teaming up with him, Minnow becomes entangled in a web of cover-ups, illegal poaching, simmering resentments, and violence that seems to ripple through the entire town. With every layer uncovered, the lines between truth and rumor blur, and Minnow must confront not only what Kangaroo Bay is hiding, but also the darkness she has inherited from her own family.
Matlin excels at atmosphere with the briny sting of ocean air, the menace lurking in shark-filled waters, the suffocating weight of small-town hostility. The tension builds in frenzied waves, the pacing both fast and fevered, and by the time the full truth surfaces, readers will feel wrung out and breathless. Yet while the plot is packed with disappearances, secrets, and shocking turns, the real heart of the story is Minnow herself: prickly, flawed, and unforgettable. This is as much a character study of trauma and inheritance as it is a mystery.
That said, this is not a book for the faint of heart. The violence—whether domestic, criminal, or natural—is stark and sometimes overwhelming, and I did find the poetic language of the climax jarring against the raw brutality of the narrative. However, I was still captivated by the strangeness, the weirdness, and the unhinged energy that Matlin infuses into her work.
In the end, “The Only One Who Knows” is bold, disturbing, and uniquely told—a story of sharks and secrets, survival and scars, family and fate. While not as universally accessible as Matlin’s debut, it proves her as a fearless writer willing to take risks, and it cements her place as one of the most intriguing voices in contemporary psychological thrillers.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of
The Only One Who Knows.
TW/CW: domestic abuse, shark attacks, harassment
** Minor shark spoilers ahead **
After a public meltdown on TV, Minnow Greenwood returns to her violent hometown to flee her troubled life only to be confronted with the trauma of her past and childhood.
Recent shark attacks have the community on high alert and a recent death causes Minnow and an acquaintance, a TV reporter, to delve deeper into the victim's death.
Soon, Minnow discovers there are worse things than sharks lurking in the waters. Humans.
I didn't like Minnow but I understood her standoffish behavior, people pleasing personality stems from living with a brutal, violent man for a father.
I liked Heath; he's a good brother and a good man and is doing the best he can considering the circumstances.
The community is poor, uneducated and generations of families have made their living fishing to provide for their families.
One of the best part of this novel is its exploration of the relationship between humanity and nature.
The ocean and the sharks are secondary characters as the author illustrates the ocean's beauty and danger, emphasizing the need for respect and understanding of the natural world.
The shark attacks are a metaphor for the consequences of human actions, reminding us that nature does what nature does. Humans are worse. We intentionally harm and abuse and disrespect.
This cycle of using the ocean as financial gain also mimics the cyclical nature of violence.
Minnow mentions often that abusive men father abusive sons and the pattern continues, especially since she can attest to having strange violent urges and thoughts.
Her environment, the people she grew up with, both adults and children, are dangerous and violent, as predatory than sharks in many ways.
As a result, her behavior has evolved to deal with her father but at the same time channeling the lessons he's taught her so she may one day be able to protect herself.
When Minnow discovers the reasons behind the shark attacks and her mother's fate, she begins to come out of her shell and take responsibility for her actions though not at all of them.
She has secrets that no one will ever know.
A part of her still and always will be her father's daughter.
The narrative was pretty interesting but not a mystery, more of a domestic drama and much darker than I thought.
The shark attacks are more of a subplot to the deeper issues at play; how the entire town and its inhabitants, including Minnow and Heath are severely damaged by abuse and violence and it continues through the generations because its 'a part' of them.
TW/CW: domestic abuse, shark attacks, harassment
** Minor shark spoilers ahead **
After a public meltdown on TV, Minnow Greenwood returns to her violent hometown to flee her troubled life only to be confronted with the trauma of her past and childhood.
Recent shark attacks have the community on high alert and a recent death causes Minnow and an acquaintance, a TV reporter, to delve deeper into the victim's death.
Soon, Minnow discovers there are worse things than sharks lurking in the waters. Humans.
I didn't like Minnow but I understood her standoffish behavior, people pleasing personality stems from living with a brutal, violent man for a father.
I liked Heath; he's a good brother and a good man and is doing the best he can considering the circumstances.
The community is poor, uneducated and generations of families have made their living fishing to provide for their families.
One of the best part of this novel is its exploration of the relationship between humanity and nature.
The ocean and the sharks are secondary characters as the author illustrates the ocean's beauty and danger, emphasizing the need for respect and understanding of the natural world.
The shark attacks are a metaphor for the consequences of human actions, reminding us that nature does what nature does. Humans are worse. We intentionally harm and abuse and disrespect.
This cycle of using the ocean as financial gain also mimics the cyclical nature of violence.
Minnow mentions often that abusive men father abusive sons and the pattern continues, especially since she can attest to having strange violent urges and thoughts.
Her environment, the people she grew up with, both adults and children, are dangerous and violent, as predatory than sharks in many ways.
As a result, her behavior has evolved to deal with her father but at the same time channeling the lessons he's taught her so she may one day be able to protect herself.
When Minnow discovers the reasons behind the shark attacks and her mother's fate, she begins to come out of her shell and take responsibility for her actions though not at all of them.
She has secrets that no one will ever know.
A part of her still and always will be her father's daughter.
The narrative was pretty interesting but not a mystery, more of a domestic drama and much darker than I thought.
The shark attacks are more of a subplot to the deeper issues at play; how the entire town and its inhabitants, including Minnow and Heath are severely damaged by abuse and violence and it continues through the generations because its 'a part' of them.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
THE ONLY WHO KNOWS is a creepy, mysterious and dark thriller, with a lot of horror vibes, focused on a female character, originally from a fishing small town on the coast of Australia, who is working as a tv reporter in a big city and after she hears some disturbing news about shark attacks on her hometown, she drives back home to understand what's going on. Also, she is fleeing from her abusive boyfriend. Once this woman, Minnow, is back home she will struggle to face not only the dark and bloody secrets she had left behind so many years ago (including her disturbing memories of her abusive and toxic father), but also the new ones, with the sharks attacking and killing tourists.
This is a short novel, in my opinion (under 300 pages), but there is sooo much going on that it feels longer (and I'm saying that in a VERY positive way). Minnow is a very, very complex character, with so many layers and secrets that we, the readers, even the ones that don't relate to her, will, I believe, very easily empathise with her past and present situations. She has got A LOT of dark secrets to unravel and deal with it, and the shark situation only adds more unsettling and horrific scenarios Minnow must face in order to stay alive.
I loved everything about this book!! So much mystery, so many secrets, multiple twists and turns (some of them might be predictable if you're a hardcore thriller/horror reader), and the Australian coast setting brings such an atmospheric vibe to it...it got me hooked. I felt incredily engaged and invested in the story, in Minnow's background and fight for survival (her brother is also a very interesting and intriguing character).
There's a huge mystery surrounding the townspeople that, even though I didn't think it was super creepy or never-been-done-before, I thought it worked well in this case. What's more, it feels realistic enough. After all, clichés are clichés because they still happen for real.
Even though I usually have fun with shark attacks on books (or movies or tv), this is not a fun read! It is heavy, dense, super creepy, dark, bloody, gory, and it probably will make you feel uncomfortable and disgusted sometimes.
I loved feeling all that!!!
It's only January but I'm sure this book will make into my personal 'Favourite Reads of 2026' list.
I highly recommend this novel to any readers who enjoy very dark thriller/horror books, especially with sharks.
Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine, for providing me with a free eARC of this haunting novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
This is a short novel, in my opinion (under 300 pages), but there is sooo much going on that it feels longer (and I'm saying that in a VERY positive way). Minnow is a very, very complex character, with so many layers and secrets that we, the readers, even the ones that don't relate to her, will, I believe, very easily empathise with her past and present situations. She has got A LOT of dark secrets to unravel and deal with it, and the shark situation only adds more unsettling and horrific scenarios Minnow must face in order to stay alive.
I loved everything about this book!! So much mystery, so many secrets, multiple twists and turns (some of them might be predictable if you're a hardcore thriller/horror reader), and the Australian coast setting brings such an atmospheric vibe to it...it got me hooked. I felt incredily engaged and invested in the story, in Minnow's background and fight for survival (her brother is also a very interesting and intriguing character).
There's a huge mystery surrounding the townspeople that, even though I didn't think it was super creepy or never-been-done-before, I thought it worked well in this case. What's more, it feels realistic enough. After all, clichés are clichés because they still happen for real.
Even though I usually have fun with shark attacks on books (or movies or tv), this is not a fun read! It is heavy, dense, super creepy, dark, bloody, gory, and it probably will make you feel uncomfortable and disgusted sometimes.
I loved feeling all that!!!
It's only January but I'm sure this book will make into my personal 'Favourite Reads of 2026' list.
I highly recommend this novel to any readers who enjoy very dark thriller/horror books, especially with sharks.
Thank you, NetGalley and Ballantine, for providing me with a free eARC of this haunting novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
August 21, 2025
Me: Some of my favorite things are murder thrillers, creepy small-town stories, the ocean and Shark Week. Therefore, the perfect book for me does not exist.
Lisa M. Matlin: Hold my beer.
"Always take a knife."
"Look at the ripples on the surface. There's a struggle below. Life and death. Mainly death."
"Some wounds don't heal they just harden."
Those are just 3 quotes from this book, and I NEVER quote books.
WOWZERS!!!! This story is INSANE!!! I had previously read this author's debut, The Stranger Upstairs. That one turned out to be one of my favorite books for 2023. I had been waiting not so patiently for this 2nd book to come out and absolutely jumped around screaming at being given the opportunity to read an early copy! THIS BOOK DELIVERED!!! Holy Cow! Minnow is sick of her job as part of a trio of women on a morning talk show. She has an on-air meltdown. Nowhere to go from there other than back to Kangaroo Bay, the grimy, creepy small-town she grew up in with her abusive father and long-suffering mother. Kangaroo Bay is mostly a fishing town that gets some tourists in the Summer. Minnow left to escape the violence and trauma from her father, and she wanted something better. Well, now she's back and her brother runs the fishing boat that her dad used to run. Her mom disappeared years ago, later her dad disappeared, Meadow may or may not have tried to drown a classmate back in elementary school, there have been a few recent shark attacks and something weird is going on. Yes, something weird in addition to what I already mentioned. Chris, a reporter acquaintance, comes to town to investigate a recent shark attack. His questions stir up old issues in the town and Minnow, in need of work, is helping him. What follows is a story that is just completely unhinged and deranged. And I mean that in a good way! I love how both books from Lisa M. Matlin use plot devices that I have never seen used before. She also excels at setting a scene. I could practically smell the salt air and fish and feel the despair in this town as I read. I plowed through this book and couldn't put it down! I hope, hope, hope this author has more tricks up her sleeve for another book. I for one cannot wait!!
Thank you to #NetGalley, Lisa M. Matlin and Ballantine | Bantam for this ARC.
Lisa M. Matlin: Hold my beer.
"Always take a knife."
"Look at the ripples on the surface. There's a struggle below. Life and death. Mainly death."
"Some wounds don't heal they just harden."
Those are just 3 quotes from this book, and I NEVER quote books.
WOWZERS!!!! This story is INSANE!!! I had previously read this author's debut, The Stranger Upstairs. That one turned out to be one of my favorite books for 2023. I had been waiting not so patiently for this 2nd book to come out and absolutely jumped around screaming at being given the opportunity to read an early copy! THIS BOOK DELIVERED!!! Holy Cow! Minnow is sick of her job as part of a trio of women on a morning talk show. She has an on-air meltdown. Nowhere to go from there other than back to Kangaroo Bay, the grimy, creepy small-town she grew up in with her abusive father and long-suffering mother. Kangaroo Bay is mostly a fishing town that gets some tourists in the Summer. Minnow left to escape the violence and trauma from her father, and she wanted something better. Well, now she's back and her brother runs the fishing boat that her dad used to run. Her mom disappeared years ago, later her dad disappeared, Meadow may or may not have tried to drown a classmate back in elementary school, there have been a few recent shark attacks and something weird is going on. Yes, something weird in addition to what I already mentioned. Chris, a reporter acquaintance, comes to town to investigate a recent shark attack. His questions stir up old issues in the town and Minnow, in need of work, is helping him. What follows is a story that is just completely unhinged and deranged. And I mean that in a good way! I love how both books from Lisa M. Matlin use plot devices that I have never seen used before. She also excels at setting a scene. I could practically smell the salt air and fish and feel the despair in this town as I read. I plowed through this book and couldn't put it down! I hope, hope, hope this author has more tricks up her sleeve for another book. I for one cannot wait!!
Thank you to #NetGalley, Lisa M. Matlin and Ballantine | Bantam for this ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader copy of The Only One Who Knows, all opinions are my own.
Minnow Greenwood, unsatisfied with the life she created for herself in the big city, moves back to small fishing town Kangaroo Bay despite her traumatic upbringing. As a now seasoned journalist, she can't help but dig up long buried secrets.
Before I get into the review I must say, the summary provided on Goodreads is a little off with what actually happens in the book. Similar to when you watch the movie adaptation of a book and think "that was kind of similar but worse", except in this case the worse part was the book.
Matlin does too good of a job conveying how gross Kangaroo Bay is to the point where it made me question why Minnow or even I as the reader was spending any more time in this place. Along with Minnow's move back to her home town, I found her other motivations, discoveries and investigative leads to be really confusing. She had a very hot/cold response to every character in this book, one minute loving them and the next hating or fearing them with no change in that character's actions to prompt the shift. Perhaps worst of all, Minnow had an internal dialogue that would pop into her head like an intrusive thought, things like "your either the food or the shark" and "always bring a knife". These phrases came up out of the blue, were repeated way too many times, and were only explained chapters past their first introduction.
The POV shift from Minnow to her dad really hindered the flow of the story as well. We didn't need a first hand account of why someone would be afraid of the ocean especially since we get so many childhood memory chapters from our FMC conveying the same idea. These vignettes were also written in the same font as Minnow's internal dialogue which disorients the reader to who is speaking.
Minnow's moral compasses is proven to be so askew that I didn't even understand why she had a problem with the crimes going on in Kangaroo Bay by the end of the novel. She also seemed to cherry pick who was a criminal and who "just got caught up in something shady" based on how much she personally liked them.
Minnow Greenwood, unsatisfied with the life she created for herself in the big city, moves back to small fishing town Kangaroo Bay despite her traumatic upbringing. As a now seasoned journalist, she can't help but dig up long buried secrets.
Before I get into the review I must say, the summary provided on Goodreads is a little off with what actually happens in the book. Similar to when you watch the movie adaptation of a book and think "that was kind of similar but worse", except in this case the worse part was the book.
Matlin does too good of a job conveying how gross Kangaroo Bay is to the point where it made me question why Minnow or even I as the reader was spending any more time in this place. Along with Minnow's move back to her home town, I found her other motivations, discoveries and investigative leads to be really confusing. She had a very hot/cold response to every character in this book, one minute loving them and the next hating or fearing them with no change in that character's actions to prompt the shift. Perhaps worst of all, Minnow had an internal dialogue that would pop into her head like an intrusive thought, things like "your either the food or the shark" and "always bring a knife". These phrases came up out of the blue, were repeated way too many times, and were only explained chapters past their first introduction.
The POV shift from Minnow to her dad really hindered the flow of the story as well. We didn't need a first hand account of why someone would be afraid of the ocean especially since we get so many childhood memory chapters from our FMC conveying the same idea. These vignettes were also written in the same font as Minnow's internal dialogue which disorients the reader to who is speaking.
Minnow's moral compasses is proven to be so askew that I didn't even understand why she had a problem with the crimes going on in Kangaroo Bay by the end of the novel. She also seemed to cherry pick who was a criminal and who "just got caught up in something shady" based on how much she personally liked them.
December 29, 2025
After a public breakdown on camera, Minnow returns home to Kangaroo Bay to reset and try to get her life together. But she soon realizes that it won’t be the calming timeout she was hoping for. Kangaroo Bay is a bleak fishing town on the Australian coast where men toil all day and drink all night, neglecting their wives and kids except to put their hands on them. Her own family fit right in – both of her parents disappeared years apart when she was a teenager. Her older brother never left and continues to run the family fishing boat. She’s happy to reconnect with him but hasn’t missed the town since she left years ago.
It's even worse than it used to be, as more people have disappeared and the number of shark attacks has increased. Her very first night back, she witnesses one close to shore, and it unlocks something inside of her. No longer content to let the questions from the past continue to plague her, she’s determined to discover what really happened to her parents and all the other missing people. But facing the past means coming to terms with why she broke down and what she’s been holding in all these years. And hoping she’s not the next victim.
There are surprising levels of depth to this story and it’s much more intricate than just a coming home and facing your demons tale. However, it is that, for sure. I’ve never been scared of sharks, but there are some graphic descriptions in this story. I wouldn’t say it's too gory, though, so most people should be fine unless you have a phobia of sharks or water.
The author is quite talented at describing the atmosphere throughout. I could really see myself in Kangaroo Bay, surrounded by the locals and their contempt for outsiders. And the crushing fear she had of becoming one of them, with her own abusive husband and unruly kids barely able to scrape by. You can see why there was a darkness that infested the town and its people and how it never left her, even when she escaped to the city.
This book is so much more than just a shark tale – don’t let it pass you by. My thanks to NetGalley for the free advanced reading copy of this book.
It's even worse than it used to be, as more people have disappeared and the number of shark attacks has increased. Her very first night back, she witnesses one close to shore, and it unlocks something inside of her. No longer content to let the questions from the past continue to plague her, she’s determined to discover what really happened to her parents and all the other missing people. But facing the past means coming to terms with why she broke down and what she’s been holding in all these years. And hoping she’s not the next victim.
There are surprising levels of depth to this story and it’s much more intricate than just a coming home and facing your demons tale. However, it is that, for sure. I’ve never been scared of sharks, but there are some graphic descriptions in this story. I wouldn’t say it's too gory, though, so most people should be fine unless you have a phobia of sharks or water.
The author is quite talented at describing the atmosphere throughout. I could really see myself in Kangaroo Bay, surrounded by the locals and their contempt for outsiders. And the crushing fear she had of becoming one of them, with her own abusive husband and unruly kids barely able to scrape by. You can see why there was a darkness that infested the town and its people and how it never left her, even when she escaped to the city.
This book is so much more than just a shark tale – don’t let it pass you by. My thanks to NetGalley for the free advanced reading copy of this book.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
There is something uniquely terrifying about water you can’t see through.
The Only One Who Knows drops us into Kangaroo Bay, a gritty coastal town where secrets sink deeper than the ocean floor—and where something with teeth is circling. Minnow Greenwood has spent years crafting a polished, controlled persona as a morning show co-host. But when her on-air unraveling goes viral, she retreats to the last place she ever wanted to return: home.
And home is not forgiving.
Matlin does an exceptional job blending psychological suspense with survival horror. The shark attacks are visceral and cinematic—you can feel the churn of the tide, the sudden stillness before violence strikes. But the true menace isn’t just in the water. It’s in the town’s collective silence. In the missing people no one talks about. In the history Minnow has spent years trying to outrun.
Minnow is not a pristine heroine. She’s messy, defensive, guarded. Her shame and ambition clash constantly, and her “public meltdown” becomes more than a career scandal—it’s the crack in a carefully constructed identity. Watching her navigate both professional ruin and personal reckoning gives the novel emotional weight beyond the thriller elements.
The dynamic with her former colleague adds tension without softening the stakes. Their reluctant partnership feels charged—not romantic-first, but wary, layered, and built on half-truths. Trust is fragile here. Everyone is hiding something.
What elevates this beyond a shark-attack thriller is the theme of buried trauma—both personal and communal. The ocean becomes metaphor as much as menace: what’s hidden, what resurfaces, what devours you when you refuse to confront it.
The pacing tightens beautifully in the final act. Every chapter feels like the tide pulling back before a massive wave. And when the truth finally crests, it lands with emotional impact rather than shock-for-shock’s-sake.
This is suspense with salt in its wounds. Atmospheric, sharp, and deeply unsettling.
I had the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication, and these are my honest thoughts.
The Only One Who Knows drops us into Kangaroo Bay, a gritty coastal town where secrets sink deeper than the ocean floor—and where something with teeth is circling. Minnow Greenwood has spent years crafting a polished, controlled persona as a morning show co-host. But when her on-air unraveling goes viral, she retreats to the last place she ever wanted to return: home.
And home is not forgiving.
Matlin does an exceptional job blending psychological suspense with survival horror. The shark attacks are visceral and cinematic—you can feel the churn of the tide, the sudden stillness before violence strikes. But the true menace isn’t just in the water. It’s in the town’s collective silence. In the missing people no one talks about. In the history Minnow has spent years trying to outrun.
Minnow is not a pristine heroine. She’s messy, defensive, guarded. Her shame and ambition clash constantly, and her “public meltdown” becomes more than a career scandal—it’s the crack in a carefully constructed identity. Watching her navigate both professional ruin and personal reckoning gives the novel emotional weight beyond the thriller elements.
The dynamic with her former colleague adds tension without softening the stakes. Their reluctant partnership feels charged—not romantic-first, but wary, layered, and built on half-truths. Trust is fragile here. Everyone is hiding something.
What elevates this beyond a shark-attack thriller is the theme of buried trauma—both personal and communal. The ocean becomes metaphor as much as menace: what’s hidden, what resurfaces, what devours you when you refuse to confront it.
The pacing tightens beautifully in the final act. Every chapter feels like the tide pulling back before a massive wave. And when the truth finally crests, it lands with emotional impact rather than shock-for-shock’s-sake.
This is suspense with salt in its wounds. Atmospheric, sharp, and deeply unsettling.
I had the opportunity to read this book ahead of publication, and these are my honest thoughts.
November 2, 2025
3.75 stars
I enjoyed Matlin's previous book and was enthused to dive into this next effort about a young woman from a small town with big secrets. There are icky individuals galore, along with all of the undersea creatures one expects off the Australian coast. Oh, and there is a pretty surprising body count that seems to be growing all the time. That's what we came for!
Minnow (her actual name) makes a kind of iconic choice in the beginning of the book, and while it messes up her life for a sec, much more importantly, it's indicative of the sort of person she is: one who may be inclined to violent and unexpected moments. Now, once we learn about Minnow's winner of a fiance, it seems like maybe just knowing him is cause for some excused bad behavior. But the action really starts when Minnow heads home to her small town of Kangaroo Bay: current home of her brother and last location seen for both her mom and dad, who have been missing for years.
Kangaroo Bay is populated by folks who hate tourists, which is just fine, because no functional reader could possibly want to visit this place when the stakes and secrets are revealed. The top quality of these residents? No or poor coping skills.
I enjoyed this book and while there's some gross out content, the only major problem I had was worrying about the safety of Minnow's dog. I feel like this in EVERY thriller that includes pets of any kind. It's important to note that the author's bio includes that Matlin has personal dogs AND "is your dog's biggest fan," which are facts that kept me going even when I got extra worried about this issue. The creatures that live in the water? All bets are off for them, so readers need to be prepared for some violence on that front.
This was a tense reading experience (you know...suspenseful), but in a good way. I'm looking forward to my next opportunity to read more from Matlin.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
I enjoyed Matlin's previous book and was enthused to dive into this next effort about a young woman from a small town with big secrets. There are icky individuals galore, along with all of the undersea creatures one expects off the Australian coast. Oh, and there is a pretty surprising body count that seems to be growing all the time. That's what we came for!
Minnow (her actual name) makes a kind of iconic choice in the beginning of the book, and while it messes up her life for a sec, much more importantly, it's indicative of the sort of person she is: one who may be inclined to violent and unexpected moments. Now, once we learn about Minnow's winner of a fiance, it seems like maybe just knowing him is cause for some excused bad behavior. But the action really starts when Minnow heads home to her small town of Kangaroo Bay: current home of her brother and last location seen for both her mom and dad, who have been missing for years.
Kangaroo Bay is populated by folks who hate tourists, which is just fine, because no functional reader could possibly want to visit this place when the stakes and secrets are revealed. The top quality of these residents? No or poor coping skills.
I enjoyed this book and while there's some gross out content, the only major problem I had was worrying about the safety of Minnow's dog. I feel like this in EVERY thriller that includes pets of any kind. It's important to note that the author's bio includes that Matlin has personal dogs AND "is your dog's biggest fan," which are facts that kept me going even when I got extra worried about this issue. The creatures that live in the water? All bets are off for them, so readers need to be prepared for some violence on that front.
This was a tense reading experience (you know...suspenseful), but in a good way. I'm looking forward to my next opportunity to read more from Matlin.
*Special thanks to NetGalley and Bantam for this arc, which I received in exchange for an honest review. The opinions expressed here are my own.
October 1, 2025
What a wild ride!
“The Only One Who Knows” brings disgraced journalist Minnow back to her hometown that’s plagued with secrets, missing persons and now bloodthirsty sharks. Reconnecting with her brother she struggles to find her footing, but when an old colleague shows up to investigate the recent attacks she offers up some of the skeletons in her closet to secure a job only to find that it was a Pandora’s box of betrayal, murder and and mayhem that not even the strongest of waves could wash away.
I don’t even know where to begin with this one I was immediately sucked in and I could not put it down!
Minnow is such a complex character and how we met her is so vastly different than who she ultimately is. A child of domestic violence she finds herself falling victim to repeating the pattern of her mother with her controlling fiancé, but upon her return home she slowly falls back into the wildness of her youth and, while not exactly healthy, she really does come into her own and accepts the darkness within her. She has her secrets and the reasons behind them and while you can see how you get from point a to point b it doesn’t take away the shock of it all and that was one of my favorite parts.
The interweaving of past and present was done so well here as we work through the many mysterious included in this book. Between the rising shark attacks, the missing townsfolk and the question about whether or not her father was a murderer is teased in a fashion not unlike a rising tide slowly at first before consuming the narrative in a rather bloody climax that kept me on the edge of my seat!
I truly cannot wait for everyone to read this and I can see it being added to my summer beach reads just to have my toes in the sand and hopefully far less blood in the water.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
“The Only One Who Knows” brings disgraced journalist Minnow back to her hometown that’s plagued with secrets, missing persons and now bloodthirsty sharks. Reconnecting with her brother she struggles to find her footing, but when an old colleague shows up to investigate the recent attacks she offers up some of the skeletons in her closet to secure a job only to find that it was a Pandora’s box of betrayal, murder and and mayhem that not even the strongest of waves could wash away.
I don’t even know where to begin with this one I was immediately sucked in and I could not put it down!
Minnow is such a complex character and how we met her is so vastly different than who she ultimately is. A child of domestic violence she finds herself falling victim to repeating the pattern of her mother with her controlling fiancé, but upon her return home she slowly falls back into the wildness of her youth and, while not exactly healthy, she really does come into her own and accepts the darkness within her. She has her secrets and the reasons behind them and while you can see how you get from point a to point b it doesn’t take away the shock of it all and that was one of my favorite parts.
The interweaving of past and present was done so well here as we work through the many mysterious included in this book. Between the rising shark attacks, the missing townsfolk and the question about whether or not her father was a murderer is teased in a fashion not unlike a rising tide slowly at first before consuming the narrative in a rather bloody climax that kept me on the edge of my seat!
I truly cannot wait for everyone to read this and I can see it being added to my summer beach reads just to have my toes in the sand and hopefully far less blood in the water.
**special thanks to the publishers and netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**
October 9, 2025
Another NetGalley ARC here.
Minnow grew up in a volatile home in a volatile fishing town. While the men ruled the town, the women and children kept their heads down and stayed out of their way. Years after leaving town and tryin to make it in the big city, Minnow now finds herself back in town and staying with her brother. There are a lot of strange occurrences here, and somehow, Minnow finds herself looking into every story, every death, every disappearance.
There are some trigger warnings, so please be mindful. This might be one of the few books I’ve come across with a very distinct and unique setting. I know nothing about fishing , so in a way it was a very refreshing location.
I found Minnow very likable, and really enjoyed digging into her past, understanding why she is the way she is. Her relationships with others and even with herself are pretty complex, always changing and evolving. The timeline in this book jumps around between present day and back when she was around ten, and we get to see her parents and her peers through two different perspectives. This really adds to the atmosphere and the character development.
Story wise, I’d categorize it as a whodunnit, but more complicated. Instead of a locked room, it’s a whole town. Some deaths seem pretty out of a person’s control, but who’s to say humans can’t be there to pull the strings? While I really loved the buildup and the mysteries, Th ending was somewhat anticlimactic. Not overly, but just a bit. I found myself initially rushing through 3/4 of the book then the ending kind of came to me. That’s not to say it wasn’t worth the read. It was extremely enjoyable with some good twists!
Pub date: March 2, 2026
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Minnow grew up in a volatile home in a volatile fishing town. While the men ruled the town, the women and children kept their heads down and stayed out of their way. Years after leaving town and tryin to make it in the big city, Minnow now finds herself back in town and staying with her brother. There are a lot of strange occurrences here, and somehow, Minnow finds herself looking into every story, every death, every disappearance.
There are some trigger warnings, so please be mindful. This might be one of the few books I’ve come across with a very distinct and unique setting. I know nothing about fishing , so in a way it was a very refreshing location.
I found Minnow very likable, and really enjoyed digging into her past, understanding why she is the way she is. Her relationships with others and even with herself are pretty complex, always changing and evolving. The timeline in this book jumps around between present day and back when she was around ten, and we get to see her parents and her peers through two different perspectives. This really adds to the atmosphere and the character development.
Story wise, I’d categorize it as a whodunnit, but more complicated. Instead of a locked room, it’s a whole town. Some deaths seem pretty out of a person’s control, but who’s to say humans can’t be there to pull the strings? While I really loved the buildup and the mysteries, Th ending was somewhat anticlimactic. Not overly, but just a bit. I found myself initially rushing through 3/4 of the book then the ending kind of came to me. That’s not to say it wasn’t worth the read. It was extremely enjoyable with some good twists!
Pub date: March 2, 2026
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
“The Only One Who Knows,” by Lisa Matlin, has a sinister thread of darkness that runs throughout the book. It begins when Minnow Greenwood, a journalist on a morning show, throws a microphone at her co-host and flees to her childhood home in Kangaroo Bay, in South Australia. Kangaroo Bay is a small, insular town dominated by the fishing industry and a reputation for a large number of shark attacks, which are attributed to the vibrations from the fishing lines. The town is filled with sullen, angry boys that grow into abusive husbands and fathers. Minnow was reared in such a family, where she and her brother Heath feared their father who regularly abused them and their mother, until she left when they were young and was never heard from again.
When Minnow returns to Kangaroo Bay, the shark attacks increase in frequency. After a friend of hers, Chris Cooper, an investigative journalist, comes to Kangaroo Bay to look into these attacks with Minnow’s assistance, Minnow and her friend each receive shark teeth as a warning to drop the investigation.
The book is hard to categorize since it’s not clear at the beginning if it’s a mystery, a thriller, or a literary noir novel. The author does an incredible job ratcheting up the tension and filling the book with a sense of foreboding, where even the ocean becomes a sinister character. I recommend this book to anyone who likes atmospheric novels with unusual, insular characters who attract and repel the reader simultaneously.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
When Minnow returns to Kangaroo Bay, the shark attacks increase in frequency. After a friend of hers, Chris Cooper, an investigative journalist, comes to Kangaroo Bay to look into these attacks with Minnow’s assistance, Minnow and her friend each receive shark teeth as a warning to drop the investigation.
The book is hard to categorize since it’s not clear at the beginning if it’s a mystery, a thriller, or a literary noir novel. The author does an incredible job ratcheting up the tension and filling the book with a sense of foreboding, where even the ocean becomes a sinister character. I recommend this book to anyone who likes atmospheric novels with unusual, insular characters who attract and repel the reader simultaneously.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bantam Books for providing me an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
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