FBI special agent Max Carter is on the hunt – he’ll stop at nothing to catch a kidnapper with a taste for danger and a need for revenge. Fans of Lee Child and David Baldacci will be gripped by this heart-racing thriller from bestselling author Ed James.As Senator Christopher Holliday walks through the halls of the US Federal Building in Seattle, his phone beeps with an alert. Frustrated by the … alert. Frustrated by the interruption, he takes a quick glance and is horrified by the image on the screen – his two children, Brandon and Avery, unconscious. The message simply reads: Meet me or they die.
The race is on to find the children and leading the investigation is Special Agent Max Carter from the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team. He will stop at nothing to find children stolen from their families – after all, he was once one of those taken children, so he knows exactly what’s at stake.
Rushing to the Senator’s home in Washington State, Carter faces a wall of police cruisers and blacked-out SUVs. Megan Holliday, the senator’s wife, was ambushed by a man with a gun as she returned home from taking her kids out for ice cream. Bound and drugged, the attacker left her unconscious on the doorstep before messaging her husband.
When Senator Holliday flees the federal building, but fails to show up at home, Carter grows suspicious. The busy politician has vanished without telling anyone what he’s up to. If Carter knows one thing, it’s that Holliday has something to hide. And he just became Carter’s prime suspect.
What readers are saying about Tell Me Lies:
‘Wow, what a book – revenge, corruption, death and politics… Loved it.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Brilliant from start to finish and I loved it… so many twists it kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime! This book knocks it out of the park on every level and I can’t wait for the next one.’ NetGalley reviewer, 5 stars
‘Excellent… I could not put this book down.’ Robin Loves Reading
‘Fast-paced and enthralling… A page-turner impossible to put down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘The action comes thick and fast as the storyline moves at a rapid pace.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Twists and turns, corruption, greed, revenge, danger, cover-ups, web of lies all kept my attention. I loved this book.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Mystery and intrigue, double dealing and corruption at the highest levels of US Government. Loved it.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘I can’t wait for the next one in the series.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Fast-paced and full of twists… I had no idea where it was going to end and that’s what I love most about reading.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Exhilarating and high octane read with plenty of twists and turns.’ Goodreads reviewer
‘A potent mix of emotion, surprising reveals and twists… There is plenty going on and the action barely allows you a moment to compose yourself when another shocking twist takes you completely by surprise. It’s a thrill-a-minute and I couldn’t contain my excitement… This is one fast-paced thrill ride crime readers won’t want to miss. Goodreads reviewer
‘High action political thriller. A good American thriller, on a par with some of the bigger names in the business!!’ Stardust Book Reviews
‘Unique and gripping… This book takes you on a wild ride inside the mind of a diabolical killer. Eye opening twists keep you engrossed in the story for hours on end.’ Goodreads reviewermore
Special Agent Max Carter works for the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. He understands the stress and anguish of being abducted. because Max himself was abducted as a child.
The wife of a prominent Senator is drugged and left on her own from porch with a written message that says … Do NOT Call The Police. She also discovers that her two young children are nowhere to be found. Her husband is not returning her calls or messages.
Meanwhile Senator Christopher Holliday has received a text showing his two children, apparently drugged, with directions to meet him. When Carter manages to reach the Senator, he says he is on his way … but he’s not going home, He’s going to where his children are being held.
When the busy politician vanishes without telling anyone what he’s up to, he becomes Carter’s prime suspect.
This is an engaging novel, fast paced, with action that starts on the very first page. The characters are deftly drawn and are found amid a swirling eddy of greed, corrupt politicians, secret organizations, murder, revenge. Twists and turns lead to frequent changes of direction.. like traveling a rugged mountain road. This is first in a series that looks compelling and riveting.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The action in this book clips right along which made it an exciting read. The story is told from alternating points of view (the agent, the bad guy, and the politician in the center) which gives the reader a thorough understanding of the situation. The first in a new series, this is one to grab and get in from the beginning. For a full review, please visit my blog at Fireflies and Free Kicks. Thanks to NetGalley and Bookouture for a digital ARC of the book.
Good mystery and adventure. It was a bit confusing to figure out why the crime happened and to keep track of some of the characters involved.
Solid start to a new series. This is the first novel I’ve read by this author. I will definitely be checking out book 2. It was a very heavy read and pulled at your emotions. It was well written with a lot of detail and great character development. The plot seemed fairly believable to me. With the multiple pov’s and time jumps you have to pay close attention to stay present in the timeline. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys conspiracy, procedural, and suspense. I have to leave a trigger warning as it deals with difficult subject matter.
Tell Me Lies by Ed James
Detective Max Carter #1
The first chapter set my teeth on edge and that might be because I have lived overseas in the Middle East for more years than I have lived anywhere else. Having a young boy taken from school by “military” types during an “exercise” then finding out little by little what happened or did not happen to this boy with a Muslim father made me…angry. I have to admit I skipped ahead to find out the gist of the story rather than just closing the book and not trying. I did not read every word in the book but this is my impression from what I did read…
What I liked:
* Max Carter – seems to be a good man intent on finding and saving abducted children. He is married to a good woman and has a little girl. He has issues with his father that encouraged him into the job he has with the FBI
* The writing – it was well done, fast-paced and executed well
Words that came to mind while reading:
* Dark
* Grim
* Greed
* Revenge
* Big Business
* Government
* Black Ops
* Torture
* Child Abduction
* Torture
* Terrorists
* Evil
* Religion
* Radicals
* Terrorists
What I did not like:
* What happened to Faraj
* The manipulation of grieving parents
* Bullying that began the book
* Not being able to invest enough to read every word
Did I like this book? Not as much as I had hoped to from the description
Would I read more in this series? I might give one more book a try
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.
Star Rating
* 4 for writing
* 2 for topic
* 3 overall
I received a free ARC copy of this mystery from Netgalley, Ed James, and Bookouture. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my personal opinion of this work. Ed James writes a tight, engrossing tale. We see this story unfold in several different prospectives but this is handled well. I am pleased to add Ed James to my list of authors to watch for. Tell Me Lies is the first of a series featuring Mac Carter in the Northwestern US, but there are several other series including the Scott Cullin mysteries set in Ireland, and also those featuring DI Fenchurch set in Scotland that Ed James has brought to us.
Max Carter is an almost burned-out FBI agent in Seattle. We begin with a bit of serious bullying in a school gym full of 9-year-olds, followed by what could be a possible abduction, then cut to a Seattle Mall a year later where Meghan, the wife of Senator Christopher Holliday, is herding their bored and cranky 3 and 4-year-old children, hopefully in the direction of the parking lot. Meghan is unaware of their near-miss with a kidnapper in the mall shopping center but her ice cream promise will delay her getting home – and gives Mason time to get there first, knock Meghan out, kidnap the children and make his getaway. This was the only part I found confusing – I got so deeply invested in these young Holliday children that I failed to keep the 9-year-old school children from last year in mind.
This story continues to evolve through the 1st person chapters of FBI Carter, Senator Holliday, bad guy Mason and eventually a chapter from the viewpoint of Faraj, one of the nine-year-olds in the opening chapter, bringing that year-old possible child abduction back into play, and ties the story into one tale.
My only complaint about Tell me Lies is the fact that though there are several interesting and well-developed women woven into this mystery, they have no voice, and little if any effect on the mystery
A young Muslim student is removed from his high school by armed men. A year later, Megan Holliday arrives home and is attacked and her two children kidnapped. In the meantime, her husband Senator Christopher Holliday receives a call from the kidnappers. They want information from him in regards to an operation that he approved. FBI Special Agent Max Carter is assigned to the case while he is dealing with the anger he has towards his own father. I found this book very confusing as I never had a clear understanding as to what happened to the young Muslim boy and found it unbelievable that Christopher would ignore the FBI to deal with the kidnappers on his own. I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (by paytonpuppy)