From the USA TODAY bestselling author of Do No Harm and The Night Olivia Fell—an “emotionally charged mystery” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author)—comes a thrilling new suspense novel about the insidious nature of family secrets…and their deadly potential.If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it? Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and … do it?
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.
Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, Christina McDonald has crafted another “complex, emotionally intense” (Publishers Weekly) domestic thriller. Perfect for fans of Lisa Jewell’s I Found You and Karin Slaughter’s Pieces of Her, Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.
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I absolutely loved this book. Following the great The Night Olivia Fell, Christina McDonald has crafted a wild story with all the great suspense elements—murder; intrigue; amnesia; deep, dark secrets—and a blistering pace to boot. I snarfed it down in two sittings, and find it highly recommendable. It’s hard to talk too much about the story without ruining it so y’all just trust me okay?
I had the pleasure of reading an advance copy of BEHIND EVERY LIE by Christina McDonald. If you’re a fan of her debut, THE NIGHT OLIVIA FELL (which you absolutely should be), you’re going to love her sophomore novel! Eva wakes up from being struck by lightning only to discover that her mother has been murdered—and she’s a suspect. She has no memory of her mother’s death, but police have evidence that she was with her mother when she was killed. In trying to clear her own name, Eva stumbles upon decades of secrets that will change everything she thinks she knows about her family and herself. Told from Eva’s perspective, as well as that of her mother in the years leading up to her own murder, this story has so many surprises that you won’t be able to stop reading. What I really love about Christina’s books is how she pairs propulsive suspense with deep, complicated, heartfelt relationships between her characters. It’s difficult to finish one of her books without shedding a few tears, and in this novel in particular, I found the themes of strength coming from brokenness to be particularly poignant.
Christina McDonald’s debut novel The Night Oliva Fell was a real roller coaster ride. Behind Every Lie is a very different type of book but it also is full of twists and turns and kept me rapidly turning pages (and losing sleep) until the end.
Eva and her mom Kat have always had a rocky relationship but not rocky enough that Eva would kill her mother…or would she? Everything points in that direction and the police are very suspicious when Eva says that she can’t remember anything. She has an excuse because she woke up in the hospital after being struck by lightning – but why was she in her mother’s neighborhood when she lived miles away and why was her car at her mom’s and her fingerprints in the house? She has no memory of anything that happened after she got home that day. Eva is determined to clear her name and to try to remember what happened and after finding a letter in her mother’s files, she sneaks off to London, where her mom grew up, to try to find some answers. What she finds out is shocking and she has trouble connecting the mom that she learns about in London and the mom that she knew growing up. The more questions she gets answered, the more questions she has plus she has no idea what is true and what’s a lie. This book is full of lies and secrets that cause more danger to Eva as they are revealed because someone doesn’t want her to find out the truth. She learns that she can trust no one – and as her memory starts to return, she even wonders if she can trust herself.
I loved this book and the way the story is told. It all comes to light gradually as the story is told by Eva in present day and Kat in the past when Eva was born. When these two time lines intersect, the complicated relationship between mother and daughter becomes even more apparent.
If you want a book full of twists and turns, lies and truth that is full of surprises – this is the book for you.
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.
An excellent thriller with surprises on nearly every page. Don’t miss it!
I loved Christina McDonald’s previous book The Night Olivia Fell. And Behind Every Lie didn’t disappoint and was equally wonderful to me. It is full of tension and shocking as the story goes on. It’s full of secrets, dark deep secrets so well hidden for so long. And it has the emotional sections that will reel you in as well.
Eva is going to find out who murdered her mother. The crazy thing is…she thinks it could be her. Her memories were damaged when she was struck by lightening. She has flashes of images from the night her mother was murdered. But, these flashes are so convoluted that they are no help at all.
This novel is told by two different narrators, Eva and Kat. Kat is Eva’s mom. Kat has had a unique life and Eva has been kept completely in the dark. She thought she knew her mother, but the more she investigates, the more she finds out…She did not know her mother at all.
I love the intensity in this story. The author just keeps building and building and then adds in a few twists. You have no idea how this is going to end up.
This is a fast paced, unique story. It leaves you guessing all the way through. I loved The Night Olivia Fell and this novel is right up there with it.
I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.
Eva and Kat’s stories blend perfectly in dual POVs during the reading of Behind Every Lie.
I am a Christina McDonald fan and no surprise, I definitely enjoyed this book.
I enjoyed the dual POVs, the mystery of what happened to Kat, and all the secrets Eva had no idea about. I was “that” reader – the one who was yelling at my Kindle, no – don’t do it! Have you lost your mind?
So I’d say if you love mystery/thrillers, fast-paced thrill rides and/or secrets, this is the book for you.
Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and author for allowing an ARC at my request. This review and all thoughts are my own.
Christina McDonald tests the levels of trauma someone can handle in one lifetime without splitting at their very core in her novel “Behind Every Lie”.
A magnificently complex, gripping and unexpected family story that left me breathless.
Stunning at every turn because of the thrill ride I was on!
With such flawless storytelling!
….waiting patiently for Christina McDonald’s next book announcing proudly I’m an über fan!!
A clever, tense, and absorbing novel — this tale of family secrets had me racing towards the final pages.
Christina McDonald’s Behind Every Lie is a layered, gut-wrenching domestic thriller that explores the complexities of mothers and daughters and the secrets families keep. Smart and intense, and with more than enough twists to give you whiplash, McDonald’s beautiful, emotional storytelling will leave you breathless. I don’t think I exhaled until the end.
BOOK REVIEW: Behind Every Lie by author, Christina McDonald
Christina McDonald has created an intense story that moves quickly, deliberate and more than holds your attention with its tension-packed narrative.
An addictive ride through the lives of a mother holding secrets beyond the imaginable, a daughter with doubts as to her own sanity, and additional characters that lend to this slippery, suspicious, twisted, and compelling plot.
Murder, mystery and manipulation are paramount as the stage continues to unfold it’s layers within this contagious, dramatic composition.
Ms. McDonald’s story has a pulse all its own, one in which will have you on the edge of your seat as it grips you into its emotionally suspenseful journey within a dual timeline that flows seamlessly from beginning to end.
Behind Every Lie is written as strong and complex, lends to strength and healing, and stands true to its genre. A story I highly recommend.
I thank NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest review…
5 Stars
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Novels N Latte Book Club
Christina McDonald’s book Behind Every Lie is very mysterious and suspenseful. The book is told through the eyes of Eva Hansen. Eva has dinner with her mother and later on, that night is struck by lightning. When she regains consciousness she learns someone has murdered her mother and that the police consider her a person of interest. Eva does not know anyone that would want her mother dead. But she must do a little investigating and find the murderer before the police arrest her. I would definitely recommend this book.
#christinamcdonald#behindeverylie#netgalley#lightning#murder#personofinterest#investigation#stalking#spoof
*I received this ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.*
“They say that behind every lie is a person and a reason.”
Eva wakes up in the hospital with no memory of how she got there. She finds out that her mother is dead and she may be a suspect. As she starts following clues, she finds that nothing is what she thought it was. Her entire life has been a lie. Who killed her mother and why? Who is she (Eva) if she’s not who she thought she was?
This book made me cringe, made me cry, and had me on the edge of my seat. I couldn’t put it down!
Thank you to Netgalley, Gallery books and Christina McDonald for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This book is the epitome of a great twists and turns thriller! I actually read it in 2 days as once I picked it up, I couldn’t stop reading.
This suspenseful story keeps you wanting to look over your shoulder as well as keeping you wondering.
I most definitely will be following and reading much more from this Author.
I was thrilled that Netgalley approved me to read this book. I had read “The Night Olivia Fell” and LOVED it, I could not believe it was her debut novel. I found this book to be just as good, if not better! “Behind Every Lie”, is just that, so many secrets, and so many twists and turns. When you think you have it figured out, nope, another twist!!! And I mean a lot of twists!!! Whew!! I was hooked from the beginning, and could not put it down. Christina is a very good story teller, and she knows how to write a thriller. I will definitely will read every book she writes!! This book is to be released in Feb 2020, order your copy, you will not be disappointed!!!
This twisty thriller opens with a lot of murky scenes as Eva, who has been struck by lightning and is now being accused of having murdered her mother, struggles to remember what happened the night her mother died. Told in dual timelines, we explore Eva trying to piece together what happened in the present (including other past events where she’s had memory lapses) and Kat, her mother’s timeline, from when Eva was a little girl. Suffice it to say there are lots of surprises and this went in directions I wasn’t expecting! Loved the vivid descriptions and the wonderful sense of suspense.
Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald was one of the best psychological thrillers of 2020! I also really enjoyed her first novel, The Night Olivia Fell, but this one cemented her a place as one of the leaders in the suspense/thriller genre! I can’t wait to read her upcoming novel, Do No Harm. Can you imagine waking up in the hospital and having no memory of what happened to you the night before? When Eva wakes up she has no memory of how she got to the hospital. They tell her she was struck by lightning. They also tell her the horrible news that her mother has been murdered. Although she can’t remember what happened she knows the police are suspicious of her because she was found near the murder scene. The plot is fast paced with lots of twists as Eva tries to find a way to remember and solve her mother’s murder. What is she forgetting? Who can she trust? What links is she wiling to go to uncover the truth – even if the truth changes everything she thinks she knows about herself and her family? The book explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, the nature of trauma, and how memories can be triggered. Highly recommend!
Loved this book. Lots of twists and turns and very tense at times. I also gave The Night Olivia Fell 5 starts. Author is an excellent story teller.
A real page turner that I totally binged.
I loved the premise of Eva struck by lightning and having to piece everything together of her mum’s murder.
Her relationship with her fiancé Liam was interesting. There was a creepiness about him which was written so well.
I enjoyed her mum’s Kat’s point of view. She was an interesting character with coming across as slightly cold but we also learn the reasons why.
I loved this book. The author’s done it again with another fantastic thriller.
Christina McDonald follows up her smashing debut The Night Olivia Fell with another winner. McDonald starts with a bang, then builds the action steadily, a gradual unfolding of secrets and lies that will have you constantly switching alliances. Read it like I did, in one sitting and straight through to The End, because you won’t want to put this one down.