‘I couldn’t put this book down for a second, I completed this book within 3 hours… such a great story and loved all the twists turns and suspense which kept me gripped to the very end. I loved it so much.’ Goodreads reviewer, ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter must be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? Because Nell’s mother died nearly … mother died nearly thirty years ago.
When Nell was just a tiny baby, her parents died in a car crash, leaving her to be raised by her devoted grandmother, Lilian. So when the lawyer’s letter arrives, informing her of her mother Sarah’s very recent death, it destroys everything Nell thought she knew. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?
Nell knows she can never recapture the years with her mother that were taken from her, and fears this will haunt her forever. Now she won’t rest until she finds out why she was so cruelly deceived. But her family’s past has been kept secret for a reason, and someone is desperate for it to stay that way. How much danger will Nell risk for the truth?
If you loved The Silent Patient, The Secret Mother, and The Wife Between Us, then this addictive thriller about dark family secrets and obsession will have you on the edge of your seat.
Readers are loving I Know You Lied:
‘Wow oh wow, what an amazing thriller. This one has you holding your breath the whole time, thrilling, chilling and hard to put down. Had me on a rollercoaster of a ride and I didn’t want it to stop.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘My heart was beating so fast!… Every page, every chapter was a page turner… It was just perfect!… What a Rollercoaster!… Like OMG!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘[An] absolutely fantastic read… I have devoured this book in just one sitting.’ Little Miss Book Lover 87, 5 stars
‘What an absolute corker of a thriller! I was blown away… Jammed to the rafters with twists, turns, betrayal, family lies, jealousy, deception, manipulation and pure evil!… I was completely gripped from start to finish.’ Bookreviewercakemaker, 5 stars
‘Had me captivated since the first page… [It keeps] you guessing with surprise after surprise… one of my top read books this year.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘[I was] glued to the pages… I loved this book!’ B for Bookreview, 5 stars
‘I couldn’t put this book down for a second… such a great story… loved all the twists turns and suspense which kept me gripped to the very end… so amazing.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A well-written, twisty novel. Another fantastic and compelling thriller by Sanderson.’ The Bandwagon, 5 stars
‘An excellent mystery… kept me glued to the pages. I can’t recommend the book enough!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘What an intriguing story this is!… Loved it!’ Rona Halsall, 5 stars
‘I screamed, cried, jumped for joy… This book had tons going for it, what a great thriller!’ Goodreads reviewer
‘A thrilling story with twists and turns, and a variety of intriguing characters, I couldn’t stop reading.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘Packed with mystery, secrets and lies… Unpredictable and thrilling. Captivating and compelling.’ Charlenejess Blog
‘Brilliant… A fast paced read with plenty of twists and turns which kept me on the edge of my seat throughout.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘I was completely captivated from very start to finish… The book has it all – twists and turns, lies and betrayal, manipulation and obsession.’ Goodreads reviewermore
I loved this atmospheric psychological thriller. It gave me that uneasy feeling as I hurried through the pages, eager to discover what secrets and lies lay amongst them.
Nell’s character intrigued me. She had a past that brilliantly unfolded as the story progressed. Was her apprehension founded or was it an exaggeration? Could her grandmother, Lillian, really be as smothering as she’d remembered all those years ago?
I particularly enjoyed the letters to Mary, and the Sarah chapters, which showed just how this mystery had spanned over decades. The cousin’s character was a great addition, bringing a lot more tension into the book, and it had me questioning everyone’s motives and capabilities.
The seaside setting was also inspired. I found myself picturing the library and the beach and the oppressive house where Nell was staying. And the hook – brilliant! Mother dies, her daughter gets notice from a solicitor of this news and the daughter is totally shocked. Why? Because the daughter already thought her mother was dead.
‘I Know You Lied’ is a fine mystery filled with family drama and tension. It’s also a bit eerie. The thought of Nell staying in that creepy old house gave me the chills. If you love psychological thriller full of secrets that push to be uncovered, then this book is for you.
From the beginning with the mysterious letters and Nell’s decision to investigate her family history, I was drawn in. I especially liked the touches of gaslighting that occurred throughout the plot. Disrupted backpacks, unlocked and suddenly locked doors, and fences…who is responsible? At three-quarters through, though, I felt like the author was trying to tie everything up. That caused some leaps of logic. I also felt that the ending was incomplete, sort of like there was a good build-up, and then the reveal did not live up to that. I still really enjoyed the story and appreciated Nell’s journey to find her real family history. For a full review, please visit Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.
Favorite Quote:
Lilian always pronounces her name as if it’s something distasteful she’s extracting from a plughole.
My Review:
I was riveted, chilled, and itching with curiosity about this maddeningly paced, tautly written, and brilliantly plotted tale. I tumbled right into the writing and even though I knew the villain was vile from the get-go, I just didn’t realize how truly evil she was. Lesley Sanderson is one twisted sister and turned out a shrewd and cunningly penned story that held me captive and tethered to my Kindle while impatient with any fool who dared to distract me from solving this tragic mystery and peeling back all the secrets. I was deeply invested and admittedly, near rabid in my need to know. There was sleight of hand, decades of lies, misdirections, and well-buried clues. It was divine.
The news of her mother’s death hits Nell as if she’s been shot. The letter must be some kind of prank, but who could be so cruel? Because Nell’s mother died nearly thirty years ago.
Nell was left under the care of her manipulative grandmother until she had had enough and left home at the age of 16. Her grandmother loved her, so why did she lie? And why did her mother abandon her?
Nell won’t rest until she finds out the truth …. someone wants the truth to stay hidden and will do whatever it takes to keep it that way.
Family secrets and obsession. Lies and more lies. Every one seems to be hiding something.
The book is well written …. Nell today and her mother, Sarah, in the years before she married and had Nell.. with the grandmother playing the part of a person who controls or influences others in a clever or unscrupulous way. All the characters are deftly drawn … warts and all. It’s a real page turner leading to a surprising, unexpected ending.
Many thanks to the author/ Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
This book has an intriguing premise – Nell has received a letter from her mother’s lawyer informing her that her mother, Sarah, has just passed away. Except that Nell has always been told that her mother died when Nell was just a small child! Raised by her grandmother, Lillian, Nell had no reason to doubt what she was told and now she is completely thrown. She decides to go back home to meet with her estranged grandmother and find out why she has been lied to all of her life.
She returns back to her hometown and finds that Lillian has temporarily moved into an assisted living center while a long lost cousin, Adam, has moved into Lillian’s house to complete some renovations. He and Nell come to an uneasy acceptance of each other staying in the house for the time being. She’s endlessly explaining that she doesn’t care about any will her grandmother has, she just wants the truth. What Adam really wants, she doesn’t know. She reconciles with Lillian, but can no longer trust anything that she is told after learning about her mother. Will she ever find out what really happened? Or is there someone determined to silence her questions once and for all?
The book is a quick read, told in alternating perspectives of Nell in the present and her mother in the past. The issue I had was that none of the characters are quite likable. Lillian is the devil incarnate, Sarah is weak and helpless and Nell is too forgiving of Lillian’s lies while still cowering before her like a young child. It’s hard to read through Sarah’s narrative because you see what’s happening from the beginning while she is oblivious and you’re stuck just watching her being tormented. More seasoned readers will no doubt piece everything together early on, but I’m sure there are many who’ll be delighted by the twists throughout the story. If we could just empathize with the characters more, I feel it would be a more satisfying read.
This book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Nell was told her mother, Sarah, died when she was a baby and receives a letter 30 years later, that her mother has died. Her grandmother, Lilian, that raised her, has lied to her. This book is written in the present (a few chapters at a time), then flashes back in time to tell Sarah’s story (1 chapter at a time), and then a few letters from Lilian are sprinkled in. This is a well written, easy, fast read. Nell goes back to Seahurst to confront her grandmother, to get answers, only to find out she has moved out of her home. A man has moved in, claiming to be her cousin. She is met with hostility, break-ins and vandalism. Who is trying to scare her away? I thing about Lilian, she is not your typical loving grandmother. She is wealthy and not overly affectionate. I won’t say this was a predictable story, although some of it I did guess before it was revealed, but I would recommend this book.