Unspeakable Things

By Jess Lourey

Inspired by a terrifying true story from the author's hometown, a heart-pounding novel of suspense about a small Minnesota community where nothing is as quiet--or as safe--as it seems.

Cassie McDowell's life in 1980s Minnesota seems perfectly wholesome. She lives on a farm, loves school, and has a crush on the nicest boy in class. Yes, there are her parents' strange parties and their parade of deviant guests, but she's grown accustomed to them.

All that changes when someone comes hunting in Lilydale.

One by one, local boys go missing. One by one, they return changed--violent, moody, and withdrawn. What happened to them becomes the stuff of shocking rumors. The accusations of who's responsible grow just as wild, and dangerous town secrets start to surface. Then Cassie's own sister undergoes the dark change. If she is to survive, Cassie must find her way in an adult world where every sin is justified, and only the truth is unforgivable.

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Published Jan 1, 2020

299 pages

Average rating: 6.2

104 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Unspeakable Things* by Jess Lourey is well-written and compelling, with many praising its gripping, cinematic style and suspenseful plot....

Mellific
Mellific
6/10 stars
I didn't hear anything about triggers on the audiobook, and I wish I had. The word rape is tossed around in this book like it's common language. It wasn't what I expected, to be honest. This book is more about "NPC's" than anyone who was actually kidnapped, as the true story was inspired by.
GraceBayGirl
GraceBayGirl
8/10 stars
Nail biter

The whole time I was reading this, I worried that there was something just awful and very unnatural about how the story would unfold. Like is this next chapter going to reveal something so horrid that I won’t be able to finish. It’s a page turner and it’s a head trip for sure. The ending wasn’t as predictable as some of the other thrillers I’ve read recently. Sometimes the chapters were a bit choppy or didn’t flow, I would go back a page to make sure I didn’t miss anything. But overall liked this
KikiStoneCreek
KikiStoneCreek
8/10 stars
A lot of build-up

I kept wondering as I read this book if the author was ever going to take us somewhere. Usually when I read a thriller, I expect some progress by at least the halfway mark. This book's redeeming quality was how well it was written. I'm going to definitely try another one of MS. Lourey's books.
AllycatBookworm
AllycatBookworm
5/10 stars
I often felt very underwhelmed throughout the reading of this book. The main focus of the story was more of a side story, it kind of took a back seat to the authors personal home life and her experiences with her family which were at times difficult to want to continue reading through given the nature of the author’s father as well as how uneventful and long drawn the story was.
T
The Pooh
10/10 stars
Couldn't put it down!

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