Book Review: Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson

A twisty thriller that starts with a bang, Tell Me What You Did delivers podcast drama, murder confessions, and a relentless game of cat-and-mouse.

Let me just say, Tell Me What You Did does not waste time. This book launches straight into the action on page one and pretty much never lets up. I was immediately hooked—like, cancel-your-plans-and-ignore-your-phone level hooked. Find out why I gave the book 3.5/5 stars and read my review below.

Can you find one hour to write? ⏰ – by Alyssa Matesic

What is the book about?

She gets people to confess their crimes for a living. He knows she’s hiding a terrible secret. It’s time for the truth to come out…

Poe Webb, host of a popular true crime podcast, invites people to anonymously confess crimes they’ve committed to her audience. She can’t guarantee the police won’t come after her “guests,” but her show grants simultaneous anonymity and instant fame—a potent combination that’s proven difficult to resist. After an episode recording, Poe usually erases both criminal and crime from her mind.

But when a strange and oddly familiar man appears on her show, Poe is forced to take a second look. Not only because he claims to be her mother’s murderer from years ago, but because Poe knows something no one else does. Her mother’s murderer is dead.

Poe killed him.

My thoughts:

The story centers on Poe, a true crime podcaster with a loyal following and a dark family history. Things take a sharp left turn when a stranger claims he murdered her mother years ago. Except… Poe knows that’s impossible. Her mother’s killer is dead. Has been for years. So what gives?

It’s one of those twisty, psychological thrillers that keeps you guessing and just a little paranoid. For the most part, the pacing is fantastic. You’re thrown into this tense, unsettling atmosphere and dragged along for the ride. But I’ll be honest—around the halfway mark, things started to sag a bit. Not in a throw-the-book-across-the-room kind of way, but enough that I thought, “Okay, maybe I’ll just read one more chapter and turn in early.” (Narrator voice: She did not go to bed early.)

Luckily, the final quarter makes up for the dip with a full-throttle sprint to the end. Wilson really delivers when it counts, and I was back to white-knuckling the pages as I had been in the beginning.

This was my first Carter Wilson book, and I’m honestly mad it took me this long to read one. If this is his idea of a thrill ride, I’ll happily strap in for whatever he writes next. Highly recommend if you love stories that blend podcast culture with high-stakes psychological drama. Maybe pace yourself—you’re gonna want to race to the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced reader’s copy. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.