Release date: June 17, 2025

Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Synopsis:

An English professor’s deadly past comes back to haunt her in this chilling and sexy thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Vi Keeland.

As a college English professor, Elizabeth looks forward to the start of each new semester teaching her creative writing seminar. At least until she reads chapter one of The Reckoning, a tale about a high school senior who has an affair with her teacher. To anyone else it would be the beginning of a great page-turner, but to Elizabeth it is the beginning of the end.

She knows this story. It’s all familiar because she lived it. The girl in the story was her best friend Jocelyn, and Elizabeth knows exactly how the story will end—with the professor dead. Because she was the one who killed him.

Someone knows what Elizabeth did twenty years ago and her secret is about to be exposed, but who is the mystery student submitting the chapters? In an effort to find out, Elizabeth returns to her Louisiana hometown where it soon becomes clear that no matter how many years have gone by, she can’t escape her past.

Review:

Vi Keeland is best known for her contemporary romances, but in her latest, she takes a darker turn and absolutely nails it. This was a fast paced, cleverly plotted thriller that had me hooked from the very first chapter. It’s smart, gripping, and laced with just enough spice to raise your pulse between the twists. The final chapter? Absolutely jaw dropping.

Though there’s some spice woven in (mild for romance fans, potentially spicy for thriller readers), it’s never the focus. Instead, the emotional intensity and unsettling themes, particularly around abuse and grooming, take center stage. The author handles these darker elements with care, using them to deepen the story rather than shock.

If you’re in the mood for a thriller that blends emotional weight with page turning suspense, Someone Knows is a standout. Smart, addictive, and unexpectedly powerful, I’m a huge fan of the authors thriller journey! 

Overall rating: 4.5/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.