“The tension mounts at a blistering pace, while Ryan dazzles on page, weaving a sinister story that readers won’t be able to put down. A must read!”–Mary Kubica
Now a Criminal Element Best of 2018!
Booklist STARRED REVIEW “It’s a knockout.”
Now an AMAZON Editors’ Pick BEST MYSTERY/THRILLER OF THE MONTH!
Now a REAL SIMPLE Magazine Top Thriller of 2018!Now a Book Bub Top Summer Thriller of … MONTH!
Now a REAL SIMPLE Magazine Top Thriller of 2018!
Now a Book Bub Top Summer Thriller of 2018!
Trust Me is the chilling standalone novel of psychological suspense and manipulation that award-winning author and renowned investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan was born to write.
Now a Book Bub Top Summer Thriller of 2018!
Now a POPSUGAR Top Summer Thriller!
Now a CrimeReads Most Anticipated Thriller of 2018!
Now a New York Post Best Thriller of the Summer!
An accused killer insists she’s innocent of a heinous murder.
A grieving journalist surfaces from the wreckage of her shattered life.
Their unlikely alliance leads to a dangerous cat and mouse game that will leave you breathless.
Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
A grieving journalist surfaces from the wreckage of her shattered life.
Their unlikely alliance leads to a dangerous cat and mouse game that will leave you breathless.
Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?
Trust Me is the chilling standalone novel of psychological suspense and manipulation that award-winning author and renowned investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan was born to write.
At the Publisher’s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.
Award-winning investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan weaves a tapestry of page-turning plot, compelling theme, and realistic, deeply flawed characters. I got to see the author’s dynamic presentation at the National Book Festival, wherein she succinctly stated the theme. Three versions of truth pertain: yours, mine, and the real one. Seems straightforward, but her intimate, accurate depiction of the conflict between Mercer’s deep depression and Ashlyn’s sociopathy drives the message home in a way a non-fiction narrative could not. A must-read for anyone who loves psychological thrillers.
Captivated from the first paragraph through the last word. Kept me turning pages well into the early morning hours. At several points I had to stop reading to digest new information. Once digested I dove right back in full “swing”
This book (audio) was twisted and had me on the edge of my seat! I could not put it down. Patiently waiting for the next one
WOW, WOW, WOW If you like a great mystery book this is the one for you
Boring. There was one section about 3/4 of the way in that had some promise, but quickly petered out. I’m mystified by the review that describe the book as holding “blistering suspense.”
Boring and a complete waste of time.
This is a decent read, character building is quite good. Plot seems terribly similar to some headlines in recent years but the author does acknowledge that. I would read another by this author.
This book had me going back and forth like a ping pong ball. Trying to figure out what was true and what wasn’t was crazy! Thoroughly enjoyed the challenge. My first by this author but definitely not my last!
One of my favorite books for 2018. Kept wanting to know what would happen next. Some curse words, but not enough to stop the story. Would recommend for anyone interested in a “What’s going on” type book.
Disappointed. Rather weak attempt in the steam of also rans after Gone Girl to make an interesting read inside the mind of a struggling female lead. Very put-down able book.
What a roller coaster ride. Towards the end, my confidence in the narrator failed. Nevertheless, I eagerly turned the pages until the dramatic conclusion.
Ashlyn Bryant is accused of murdering her beautiful three-year-old daughter, Tasha Nicole. When little Tasha went missing, Ashlyn insisted she did not know anything about her daughter’s fate, claiming she last saw her with she left her with a babysitter named Valerie. But Tasha’s body was found stuffed into a garbage bag, Ashlyn was charged and held to stand trial. Now the trial is a gruesome spectacle with the District Attorney claiming that “only Ashlyn” had the means and motive to harm Tasha, even though no physical evidence links Ashlyn to the heinous crime.
Mercer Hennessy knows about loss. Two years ago, her own three-year=old daughter, Sophie, was killed, along with Mercer’s husband, in a horrific vehicle accident. Since then, Mercer, a journalist, has been mired in grief.
When Mercer is given the assignment of following Ashlyn’s trial and writing a true crime book about it, she struggles to emerge from the wreckage of her own life. Watching the trial each day, Mercer is convinced that Ashlyn is guilty.
The surprise outcome of the trial throws the two women together. Theirs becomes an unlikely alliance and dangerous game of cat and mouse as Mercer attempts to elicit the truth from Ashlyn and grows increasingly dubious and afraid for her own safety. Before long, Mercer finds herself questioning every detail about her life and relationships, including the marriage she thought was a happy, faithful one, and the circumstances surrounding the death of her beloved husband and daughter.
Trust Me is based upon a unique premise. While the characters are fully developed and their repartee intriguing, the book’s momentum stalls mid-way, with scenes seeming to repeat themselves without advancing the storyline. The book would have benefited greatly from some judicious editing. Nonetheless, it is a chilling tale about the powerful hold the manipulations and machinations of a psychopath can have on a rational, intelligent individual, especially if that individual has already been rendered vulnerable. It is also a story of triumph over despair and the application of reason to outsmart a formidable, but ultimately flawed, psychopathic opponent. And for those reasons, it is entertaining and worth reading.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader’s Copy of the book.
Still grieving her husband, Dex, and 3 year old daughter, Sophie, journalist Mercer agrees to write a true crime book about a young mother, Ashlyn, on trial for murdering her daughter, Tasha. Is it true that “only Ashlyn” could have killed her precious, 2 year old daughter? Will she be found guilty? How will Mercer’s assumptions about Ashley affect the book, and is there more to the story? Lastly, how will Mercer’s own grief affect the book?
This suspenseful story was unlike any I have read before. An investigative reporter herself with 7 News in Boston, Ms. Ryan has created a deliciously suspenseful page turner reminiscent of the Casey Anthony trial and has mastered the unreliable narrator. For instance, about halfway through the book, I found myself so confused that I understood exactly how Mercer must have felt …
“The woman is a one-person tug-of-war between paranoia and ego… and she concocts her own realities.”
Plus, Mercer was waaaaay more patient than I would have been in this scenario! Who killed Tasha and why? How was Mercer supposed to write a true crime book if she didn’t know the truth? Inside my own head, I was screaming, just tell me the TRUTH already, darn it!! Haha.
“Is that how the truth is, too? With three possibilities. What we think it is. How someone presents it to us. And what it really is. The deep and inscrutable singular truth.”
The epilogue was perfection and even brought tears to my eyes (which, hello, doesn’t happen very often in the thriller/suspense genre). This was my first time reading anything by this author, and I look forward to devouring her backlog!
Location: Boston, Massachusetts and Dayton, Ohio
I received an advance copy of this book. All opinions are my own.
Ryan takes the reader down paths that were troubling. The reader begins to doubt that they understand either character. Who can you trust? Trust Me may have you wondering. A 5-Star Must Read full of suspense, thrill, chills, twists, and turns. #NetGalley
Hank Phillipi Ryan’s latest, Trust Me, kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when you think you know where this book is going you realize you have absolutely no idea. Though it doesn’t clearly fall into the unreliable narrator category, there are definitely moments where you wonder. It is best if you just let yourself go with the flow. Ryan’s a master and she’s at her best in this novel.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.