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The Less People Know About Us

A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity

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The Less People Know About Us

By: Axton Betz-Hamilton
Narrated by: Laurie Catherine Winkel
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About this listen

 In this powerful and “engrossing” memoir, identity theft expert Axton Betz-Hamilton tells the shocking story of how her family was destroyed by the actions of an anonymous criminal (The New York Times).

When Axton Betz-Hamilton was 11 years old, her parents both had their identities stolen. This was before the age of the Internet—authorities and banks were clueless and reluctant to help Axton's parents.

Convinced that the thief had to be someone they knew, Axton and her parents completely cut off the outside world. As a result, Axton spent her formative years crippled by anxiety, quarantined behind the closed curtains in her childhood home. Years later, Axton discovered that she, too, had fallen prey to the identity thief.

The Less People Know About Us is a cautionary tale, but not one without hope as Axton looks back on the dysfunctional childhood that led to her desire to help this from happening to others.

AN EDGAR AWARDS 2020 WINNER AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER Abuse Child Abuse Dysfunctional Families Dysfunctional Relationships Organized Crime Parenting & Families Relationships True Crime Crime Emotionally Gripping

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Critic reviews

"Reads like a grim folk tale...intimate and engrossing."—The New York Times
"The air of menace is palpable...A deeply compelling story of a crime that hit close to home."—NPR
"The tension of a thriller...[and] jaw dropping revelations. Astonishing and disturbing, this emotionally resonant book is perfect for true crime fans."—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"This memoir has all the suspense and twists of a thriller; even as readers begin to suspect the truth, it still shocks...highly recommended."—Booklist
"Betz-Hamilton expertly blends true crime and memoir in this tale of family, lies, and identity...a brave, candid examination of her painful past [and] a poignant and fascinating exploration of identity theft."
—Library Journal
"'Identity theft' sounds like something that happens far, far away and only to other people...certainly not within a seemingly picture-perfect family in the rural U.S. In a gut-wrenching portrayal of victimization starting at age 11, Axton Betz-Hamilton shows that's simply not true. The stunning revelations will keep you looking over your shoulder for a long time and even more troubling...at the ones you think you know the best!"—Nancy Grace, legal commentator, broadcast journalist, and New York Times bestselling author of The Eleventh Victim
"Axton Betz-Hamilton's story is remarkable. One of the primary challenges for those of us advocating for more rights and resources for identity theft victims is their reluctance to share their experience. Betz-Hamilton writes with candor and grace about both her relationship with her mother/perpetrator, and the long term effect victimization has had on her life."—EvaCasey Velasquez, president/CEO of Identity Theft Resource Center
"A brave, rueful memoir of fear and heartbreak in rural America. Axton Betz-Hamilton mines the most essential of life's questions: can we ever really know the people we love? The Less People Know About Us is an unflinching portrait of grit and determination in the wake of a fractured childhood and complicated grief."—Carolyn Murnick, author of The Hot One
All stars
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you never know whats going on behind closed doors. a intriguing story of family betrayal

you never know

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Cuffed the author ended up doing well, her Mother must of broken her heart. Sorry, spoiler..

honestly the best novel I've listened to.

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Really enjoyed! Listened to on criminal podcast (episode 51, money tree) first which is the author herself taking about it.
I was fascinated by the story and found myself thinking about it for days.
it took a long time to get into the main part of the story but it's to add context and was interesting.
I would have loved for the book to continue and not end where it did but that's life isn't it. I hope there is an update or second book because there's so many more questions I have.
I would have preferred the author to narrate since she spoke wonderfully on the podcast but I enjoyed the narrator none the less.

brilliant, interesting and fascinating

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I really enjoyed Axtons autobiography.
She tells the story of her life as the victim of identity theft which evolves into being so much more.
A brilliant, intelligent woman who dealt with her situation through education and knowledge.

Fascinating true story

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A bit self indulgent, I knew within the first hour who was going to end up responsible as it’s written in a way that signposts the ending. Ended up listening on 1.3x speed to get to the end of it. Wasn’t much focus on the ‘crimes’ or anything else really. Not sure how or why this book was 7hours long. Is the sort of story that I’ve heard from people I know, secrets and lies coming out after someone dies so there wasn’t anything in this book that made this story particularly interesting (to the listers), especially as I didn’t feel there was a huge amount of detail to sort parts.

Boring and predictable

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