If You Tell cover art

If You Tell

A True Story of Murder, Family Secrets, and the Unbreakable Bond of Sisterhood

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If You Tell

By: Gregg Olsen
Narrated by: Karen Peakes
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About this listen

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.
Abductions, Kidnapping & Missing Persons Murder Exciting Scary Disappearance Serial Killers True Crime Amish Nonfiction

Critic Reviews

"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

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I loved it

So much detail, well read and written. didn't want to stop listening. I was addicted

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1 person found this helpful

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Unimaginable

When I finished book and then listened to the epilogue ect it mentioned how it was a true story 🙀 . During this book I kept thinking how the author must of had one crazy mind to think of these things that the mother and father were doing to their kids and friends ect BUT to then realise this was NOT made up made me feel nauseous. I was angry in parts as I thought the kids were weak not to run to someone for help BUT then realising the power of such a narcissistic mum and them not knowing any real difference then this was just accepted.
It’s hard for me to understand how some people can be spellbound by a captive and not run for it or try to take control but when someone has the mind of Shelly then no one was safe .
Great read but extremely sad ( even worse knowing it’s true 😢)

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  • Overall
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Good

Truly fascinating story of a very dysfunctional family and the abuse suffered by the children. Well narrated.

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Mind blowing

A story like no other paired with exceptional narration. Amazing, haunting, a MUST read book.

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Horrific

I have lived through a lot and I’m not easily shocked, this is a whole new level of abhorrent.
Not fiction could ever be so disturbing.
Read with caution

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loved it

absolutely loved it. totally enthralled. usually only listen when I'm driving or before I go to sleep but had to keep listening throughout the day. just couldn't stop listening

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Great book

As a survivor of childhood trauma inflicted by my mother I really felt for these girls. What a horrible story told so well.

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this was so sad

I feel for the children who had a mother like this as I have a mother like this too. Our family let her do as she like so they don't have to deal with her and as a result she took my son from me. the family helped and so did the law I've no faith or trust in anyone

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Easy to listen too.

some of tended to be repetative. Capture and sentencing was almost anticlimax.. But Okay. Marg

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So insane but true

I cannot get over that this is a true story. I had to google it. I’m still shaking my head.

I couldn’t stop listening to it. Amazing May hooked. Insanely true.

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