“Assured, compelling, and hypnotically readable—with a twist at the end I guarantee you won’t see coming” (New York Times bestselling author Lee Child), T. M. Logan’s debut psychological thriller dissects a troubled marriage straight to the marrow as one man separates the truth from the Lies… 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?
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About 100 pages too long. One long, wild goose chase.
Great premise but far too predictable.
A story full of intrigue with so many twists and turns. Joe thought his marriage was secure and on track. His world turned upside dow when he discovered his wife was hiding deep secrets. His life was upended when he was charged with the death of Ben in a “no body murder”. In trying to clear his name while continually receiving texts from Ben setting up meetings between the two he found himself on several wild goose chases attempting to get Ben to surface. Thinking his wife, Mel, and Ben’s wife Beth were championing his endeavours in seeking Ben’s whereabouts he was not prepared for what was yet to come. How this story played out was a shocking outcome. An enjoyable suspenseful story.
Wow – this one was weird and surprising! I sort of saw The Big Reveal coming, but not entirely – and that’s largely only because in the post-Gone Girl era, it’s becoming de rigueur to suspect the least suspecting suspect… This was a fast-paced, quick read. It always amazes me how quickly things fall apart in stories like this – how someone’s life is undone in a span of a week or so. Joe has everything (or so he thinks) and then bit by painful bit, he loses everything (or so he thinks) in a trickle-down that is engaging even as it’s painful to witness. The characters and plot were what I’ve come to expect from this type of thriller – entertaining even if not exactly novel. It was a fun binge-read with just enough suspense and tension to keep you going until the end.
My review copy was provided by NetGalley.
Okay, that was fun.
This was one of those books that had a great story line but bugged the snot out of me. Joe Lynch is being jerked around and I felt like he was too gullible and should have figured out that things were not as they seemed. But he was such a good hearted, genuine person that it’s possible he couldn’t imagine people manipulating him.
There was an amazing twist at the end that made it worth staying with the book to the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and twenty7 Publishers for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.
A cautionary tale about technology and assumptions. A gripping mystery that kept me turning pages to find out what would happen next.
I had received a ARC of Lies in place for my honest review. This book was amazing. An ending you’d absolutely never guess! I was so surprised in the twist the story took. Highly recommended!
Lies grabbed my attention from the first sentence and did not let go until the very unexpected ending. This book begs several questions such as can your posts, as well as other people’s posts on social media, make your life go out of control, and do really know who your internet friends are? The situation Joe finds himself in in this book definitely makes the reader wonder just how much privacy they really have when using the internet and smartphones and how once it’s out there, it’s there to stay.
I pretty much raced through this book and would definitely recommend it.
Absolutely loved this book. I read a good bit and am good at determining who did what by the middle of the book. However, I could not figure this one out and was totally surprised by the ending.
DNF – hate when I can’t get through a book, I will try this again later I guess. Not for me.
A suspenseful story with so many twist and turns you can’t put the book down. Joe is the father and husband. His life seems perfect until it all changes. His son points out mommy’s car and from there everything changes and his life won’t ever be the same. Be ready for twist and turns you don’t see coming.
This novel is astounding, intriguing, captivating and above all intoxicating! One of the best books I have read all year.
It’s not at all romantic, which is what I normally read. It’s mystery, deceit, twisted and full of liars.
Every page of every chapter while throw you for a loop while slowly stealing you’re sanity.
At the beginning, Joe follows his wife and watches her get into an argument with one of their friends, Ben. When she leaves, he confront him, but they get into a fight. Ben gets knocked out while Joe’s son starts having an asthma attack. Joe leaves but when he returns Ben is gone. And so the events start to unfold….
Questions pile up with everyone having a secret. Ben is missing, but Joe slowly realizes each event will become more important. Chance encounters bring more questions than answers with the Police circling in on Joe.
Suspense, murder and completely freaking twisted plots make this impossible to be put down.
I can’t give anything else away but I will say follow the clues with Joe. It might just surprise you what is happening behind you’re back….
WOW… This book pulled me in from the first and never let go. It was one of the best I’ve read. I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a thriller. Anyone who likes being pulled into a book and not let out until the very last word.
A huge 5 stars from me.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for this ARC. It has everything I love in a book.
I received this book as one to review for receiving the book.
I loved this book. It was extremely good and had me guessing who was the person doing all the bad stuff. I wasn’t sure for quite a while and then was surprised by the truth. We get to know Joe very well and hope that he is telling us the truth and we do believe him. He is a school teacher happily married and helps out a lot with his son. One day his son points to his mom’s car and Joe follows not knowing that this will change his life forever. He follows his wife to a hotel where she is meeting another man who then vanishes. How crazy can life get???? Well very for Joe as he tries to figure out what is going on and who is telling the truth! Very Very GOOD!!!!!
So I started reading this book a long time ago and put it down. At the time it was just another book about a spouse who was cheating on their better half. I did finally pick the book back up and finished it. It does get better, if you can through the first 30% of the book, continue reading it. This book is about the cheating but it so much more. I liked that it follows the husband and not the wife. The books did end up being a good mystery.
*I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
Kept me up most of the night, I HAD to find out how it ended.
ship has been a lie. It appears that not only is Ben obsessed with Mel, he is determined to destroy Joe in order to get what he wants. Ben is a charming, highly successful, and wealthy businessman known for his ruthless competitiveness. He simply does not lose. And because he is in the tech industry, his knowledge of computers and other devices is far superior to Joe’s and allows him to embroil Joe is a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. Joe comes to believe that Ben poses a threat to his family, and is convinced that Ben is alive, but taunting him as he makes it appear that Joe has murdered him. Thus, Joe sets out to prove that Ben is not only alive, but the mastermind behind a series of events that jeopardize Joe’s reputation and career, including an altered photograph that is posted on Facebook.
Lies is a tautly imagined and plotted thriller with a jaw-dropping ending, featuring an empathetic and sympathetic main character in Joe Lynch. Joe is truly a good man, devoted to his wife and son, committed to his profession (teaching), and honest. Through Joe’s first-person account of the nightmarish circumstances in which he finds himself, readers understand and can relate to his frustration, anger, and sheer terror at the prospect of being wrongly accused of committing a heinous crime. Assuming, that is, that Joe Lynch is a reliable narrator.
Once Mel is revealed to have deceived her husband, she is also a suspect, although her possible motive for wanting to further hurt Joe is far from apparent. Ben’s inspiration is clear. But debut author T. M. Logan keeps readers guessing as to exactly what happened to Ben, who is responsible for his fate, and exactly why Joe finds himself at the center of the mystery until the very end of the story. The pace never slows, accelerating to a shocking conclusion that will take most readers completely by surprise.
Lies is an impressive and engrossing first novel, and bodes well for the prospect of more intriguing thrillers to come from Logan.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
fun but predicable.
A thrilling ride of deception that unfolds in a twisted and shocking conclusion! The chapters are short and end with a cliffhanger—so I had to keep reading!
“Everything you know is a lie. There was a stranger in my house, and I was married to her.”
Joe narrates the story of his mundane, but happy life…as it spirals out of control. He is a doting husband and devoted father that makes one spur-of-the-moment decision, which changes his life. On his drive home from his teaching job, he spots his wife’s car entering a hotel parking garage and decides to surprise her with a visit. He’s the one surprised. She’s having a heated discussion with her best friend’s husband—Ben.
Later that night when Joe asks Mel about the confrontation, she denies it all…even being at the hotel. This is the just beginning of the lies. When pressured, Mel confesses to being at the hotel, but has a solid explanation for being there….and her previous lie. Joe feels foolish about the doubts and images that have been swirling around in his head and he’s happy to return to his picture-perfect life.
Then comes another blow—and boy is it a whopper! More of Mel’s lies come to light, except these can’t be explained away as easily. Her deception lies deeper than Joe could have imagined.
“The harder you push, the more you struggle, the deeper the barb is buried.”
Joe’s not certain he can trust his wife any longer. Someone is out to destroy his life and and they always manage to be one step ahead of him.
“Two days ago, it had been about a missing person. Now it was a murder investigation. My wife had cheated on me. Her ex-lover was trying to set me up for murder. My best friend had turned his back on me, and my lawyer was about to drop me like a condemned man.”
Can’t wait to read T.M. Logan’s next book!
Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC, in exchange for my honest review!
#Lies #NetGalley