Lies Review

Synopsis from Macmillan Publishers:

Six days ago, Joe Lynch was a happily married man, a devoted father, and a respected teacher living in a well-to-do London suburb. But that was before he spotted his wife’s car entering a hotel parking garage. Before he saw her in a heated argument with her best friend’s husband. Before Joe confronted the other man in an altercation where he left him for dead, bleeding and unconscious.

Now, Joe’s life is unraveling. His wife has lied to him. Her deception has put their entire family in jeopardy. The man she met at the hotel has vanished. And as the police investigate his disappearance, suspicion falls on Joe.

Unable to trust the woman he loves, Joe finds himself at the mercy of her revelations and deceits, unsure of who or what to believe. All he knows is that her actions have brought someone dangerous into their lives—someone obsessed with her and determined to tear Joe’s world apart.

What if your whole life was based on LIES?

About: Lies is a psychological thriller written by T.M. Logan. It was recently published on 9/11/2018 by St. Martin’s Press, an imprint of Macmillan Publishers, paperback, 375 pages. The genres are thriller, mystery, psychological, suspense, and fiction. This book is the author’s debut. According to Macmillan’s website, “St. Martin’s Press has a long and respected history of publishing a solid and varied list. We are dedicated to publishing emerging new authors, and offering a fresh perspective on classic genres, while maintaining a diverse and interesting range of books.” Please see below for more information about the author and publisher.

My Experience: I started reading Lies on 9/18/2018 and finished it on 9/27/2018. This thriller is an okay read for me. I like the start of the book. I like how the lies slowly unraveling. The characters aren’t my favorite. Joe is annoying to me. He complains on and on about how trusting he is and how sad for him that everything bad is happening to him and how Mel could be irresistible that someone could be obsessing on her. I don’t like Mel because she is quick to blame others, even when she’s caught lying. I feel like Joe is one of those unreliable narrator because he seems to be the last to know the things that are happening with him. He browses Facebook and the news to blame the other guy for his unpleasant situation – not thrilling to read for me.

This book is told in the first person point of view following Joseph (Joe) Lynch, a teacher, as he drives his son William, 4, home from school. On the way home, his son and him spots his wife Melanie (Mel), driving to a hotel’s underground parking lot. They follow because they want to surprise her. When inside the hotel, Joe witnesses that Mel looks to be having an argument with one of her friends’ husband, Ben. He decides to wait for Mel at the car but when she comes down she hurries off and Joe misses her. Then Ben came down later and lies to Joe about not seeing Joe’s wife Mel in the hotel. They have an altercation where Ben is left bleeding on the ground. Later that night, Mel comes home and lies to Joe about being at the hotel. When Ben’s wife, Beth, came around saying her husband Ben has gone missing. Joe and his wife Mel went to the police to help with the case. This book is organized in a timeline by days of the week. Later Beth confronts Mel of the pictures, Joe’s happy marriage and comfortable life as he sees it is no more.

Lies is a fast paced read. I’m surprised Joe and Mel are comfortable enough to argue with the door closed upstairs while their 4 year old toddler is alone by himself downstairs. I like Joe’s lawyer’s advice about how to handle police’s questions. Definitely a fun read between the police and the lawyer. I do like that Joe try to take active roles in solving his situation rather than just sit back and complain. I read closely the first 50% and skim through the last 50% because the last 50% was not thrilling for me. I like the twist at the end because I couldn’t have guessed it. I thought it involve one or the other because they are quick to point the blame to someone else. I have seen mixed reviews on Goodreads, so I do recommend everyone to read this book and make your own conclusion whether you enjoy reading this thriller or not.

Pro: fast paced, modern technology, short chapters,

Con: unreliable narrator, not thrilling, the chase is endless

I rate it 3.5 stars!

Buy it here for free shipping: Book Depository  or St. Martin’s Press

About the Author:

T. M. Logan, the bestselling author of LIES, was born in Berkshire to an English father and a German mother. He studied at Queen Mary and Cardiff universities before becoming a national newspaper journalist. He currently works in communications and lives in Nottinghamshire with his wife and two children. (Photo and info obtained from Macmillan Publishers’ website).

More Information about St. Martin’s Press

Website: https://us.macmillan.com/smp | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/stmartinspress/ | Twitter: https://twitter.com/StMartinsPress| Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/stmartinspress

***Disclaimer: I won a copy of Lies from a Goodreads giveaway hosted by the publisher. Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read and review. Please be assured that my opinions are honest.

xoxo,
Jasmine