You Don't Know Me

You Don't Know Me by Theo Baxter
6/22/25; 320 pages
Inkubator Books

You Don't Know Me by Theo Baxter is a recommended family drama following a family after the death of their wealthy parents.

Isobel, Harold, and Annabelle Marconi are planning their father's funeral when their mother is killed in a hit and run accident. At the service for both of her parents, Mary and her son David show up and introduce themselves. David is apparently their half-brother from an affair their father was having years earlier. Annabelle is uncertain, but Isobel forges ahead and invites them to move in and stay with the family while the estate is settled. Now the question of inheritance looms large as the family is very wealthy. Soon it becomes abundantly clear that something evil is afoot.

The first part of the novel does capture your attention, and sets up an interesting plot. It will keep you reading to see how events are going to unfold. Annabelle is the narrator so all the events are from her point-of-view, with the exception being the opening scene. The conflicts between siblings is realistic, if a bit overdone. The tension remains throughout the novel and the threats to their health and safety are quite credible. There are plenty of secrets on several fronts.

However, all the bad decisions and misplaced trust made throughout the narrative simply stretched my disbelief to the breaking point - and I can handle a big dose of disbelief for a good novel. Any family with the kind of wealth the Marconi's are portrayed as having would taken much more care and caution. The final denouement is also quite predictable, so the suspense lies in the anticipation of the final reveal, rather than in the whodunit question.

You Don't Know Me is for those who like family dramas with a YA feel. Thanks to Inkubator Books for providing me with an advance reader's copy via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and expresses my honest opinion.