Oline H. Cogdill recently reviewed Carter Wilson’s Tell Me What You Did for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, and she’s sharing the review with us Copies of the book can be bought through the Webstore. https://bit.ly/41viiOj
Book review: Absorbing ‘Tell Me What You Did’ centers on the chance to confess without consequences
Carter Wilson includes a unique device, an occasional QR code, in “Tell Me What You Did.” (Iliana Wilson/Courtesy)
‘Tell Me What You Did’ by Carter Wilson. Poisoned Pen, 448 pages, $17.99
The popularity of podcasts, especially those centered on true crime, supplies a solid background for mysteries, the latest of which is Carter Wilson’s absorbing “Tell Me What You Did.”
Wilson’s 10th novel centers on irresistible yet opposing situations — the chance to confess without consequences and the opportunity to have fame while being anonymous.
In the novel, Poe Webb has a top-ranked podcast, “Tell Me What You Did,” which she operates out of her Vermont farmhouse. Callers are encouraged to share details that range from embarrassing to criminal. The callers are anonymous but sometimes accidentally reveal their real names. Poe tells callers that she may send the recordings to the police or the FBI.
The podcast’s “tenacious” listeners also are good at uncovering the identity of callers and may contact the authorities. Her listeners have led the cops to arrest three murderers and one arsonist. “People … they’ll sacrifice so much just to be on my show,” Poe says. “I still don’t get it.”
The podcast isn’t just a job, but a way for Poe to cope with grief and guilt. She witnessed her mother being murdered 17 years before. She found the man and, in turn, murdered him — a crime she got away with. Or did she?
Her latest caller, who claims his name is Ian Hindley, says he murdered her mother. Now she worries she killed the wrong man as this caller seems to know a lot about Poe’s past, her mother’s life and her parents’ marriage.
While “Tell Me What You Did” shows the popularity of podcasts and how an audience is grown, Wilson also delves into the precarious relationship between Poe and her father, who has never recovered from his wife’s death.
Father and daughter love each other, but their numerous secrets are a barrier. Poe’s combination of grief and guilt has led to her isolated life, making it impossible for her to trust anyone, including her nice boyfriend who also is her producer.
As Ian’s calls become more frequent, the dynamics between he and Poe become dangerous. Ian’s name, an obvious pseudonym that refers to a famous criminal, adds to Poe’s anxiety and fears.
The plot moves between transcripts of Ian and Poe’s interviews and a regular narrative. Wilson also includes a unique device — an occasional QR code that moves along “Tell Me What You Did.”