If You Tell
Ratings48
Average rating4
Incredible true story about one of the worst moms in history. I had to constantly remind myself that this story was true as the horrors were so over-the-top evil that they were difficult for a psychologically average person to comprehend as possible. As a consistent true crime consumer, it was a new case I had never heard about. The author has a clear voice and determination to tell the victim's stories.
Absolutely horrific! I had a hard time reading through this book, but managed to get to the end. Gregg Olsen takes the most heartbreaking cases and brings them to the public.
If you want to further understand the Sylvia Likens case—how kids can be in the middle of someone's abuse and torture and not tell an outsider, and even participate—this is the book to read.
One of the worst written books I have read. Please avoid this. Hardly a thing I can say about it.
I have heard that Gregg Olsen is one of the best true crime writers. This story, starring Michelle “ Shelly” Knotek, and her clueless third husband shows how they got away with torture and murder for years. My friend Anna read this and said it was one messed up book and I needed a break from fiction so I decided to shift gears and go back to my favorite thing's true crime. I finished this 411-page book in three days so I can tell you it's good. It is so good that I have to sit down and look at other true crime books Gregg Olson has written.
Shelly's daughters and nephew had no idea how evil she really was. She degraded them, broke them down, so they had no idea what was normal, or what she was truly capable of. With his mindless acceptance, compliance, and avoidance, David Knotek made her job much easier. He spent much of his life at work, only coming home on weekends. He mindlessly carried out whatever she said. Unbelievable. Her other 2 husbands left their children as sacrifices to get away from her. David wanted to see the best in her without seeing the damage she was causing even to him.
I can see this happening. The rest of us travel to the other side of the street to stay away from people like this. We sometimes see the damage but we don't know how to help without causing more harm. The horrendous things they do and get away with, because no one gets close enough, blind and deaf to dysfunction and plain bizarre, because “She's crazy. “ I'm sure there's teachers, neighbors, mailmen -and the coworkers -with stories that are just way out there. And likely if they had reported them, the police would've done exactly what they did when Nikki and Lara approached them. This story should make us all look a little closer. There are many more Kathy's out there. More children need help much sooner than these three girls.