“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.
Mesmerizing! Hank Phillippi Ryan has outdone herself in this taut thriller of damaged lives, uneasy alliances and deadly cat and mouse!
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!
Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest novel, TRUST ME, lives up to all of its glowing reviews.
The premise is intriguing: in this psychological thriller, the protagonist, Mercer Hennessey, is contracted to write a non-fiction narrative book about Ashlyn Bryant, a young mother accused of killing her toddler daughter, Tasha. Whereas this would be a dream project for many journalists, Mercer doesn’t necessarily see it that way. Early on in the book, the reader learns that Mercer left journalism to be a stay-at-home mother and wife. the tragic deaths of her husband and young daughter put a stop to her storybook life. She knows—and resents—being prodded by her editor to take on the project as a way to get on with the rest of her life.
Instead, it changes Mercer’s view of the world and herself forever, especially when the assignment allows her to work on the book with the suspected murderer—
Who has an agenda of her own.
It’s a real cat-and-mouse game.
On my AUTHOR PROVOCATEUR podcast I got to interview Ryan about her writing process with this book. You can hear what she has to say here:
Apple Podcasts: http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurRyan
Podbean: http://bit.ly/AuthorProvocateurRyanPB
SoundCloud: http://bit.ly/HankPhillippiRyanSC
A journalist who thinks she knows the truth. A murder suspect who may or may not remember which version of events is the one that actually happened. A tense and deadly game of cat and mouse. With this stunning and twisty novel, Hank Phillipi Ryan cements her status as a master of the modern thriller. Trust me, you don’t want to miss it.
I read Hank Phillippi Ryan’s upcoming novel, Trust Me, recently and I have been musing about what I read since, trying to figure out how to write a review without gushing uncontrollably. This book is simply terrific!
So, what is it about? That is a difficult question to answer because, at bottom, it is the story of the death of two-year-old Tasha Nicole Bryant, much like the story of Bella Bond – the 2-year-old whose body was found in a plastic bag on Deer Island in Winthrop, MA in 2015. But, it’s also a story about shifting perceptions, the nature of madness, and what can drive a person to madness.
The lead character, Mercer, a journalist whose husband and daughter were killed in a car accident, has been grief-stricken and unable to work since the accident. She rarely leaves her home and rarely speaks to anyone. But, when the trial of a mother, Ashlyn Bryant, whose toddler was found under much the same circumstances as Bella Bond is about to begin, Mercer is asked by Katherine, her friend and former editor, to watch the trial and write an “instant” book about it – one of those books that comes out almost as soon as a major trial ends. Despite grave doubts Mercer eventually agrees and equipment is installed in her home so that she can monitor the trial from there.
As the trial goes on, convinced of Ashley’s guilt, Mercer has to cope with not only her rage about a mother who could harm her innocent child but also with her sadness and anger about the deaths in her own family and what her responsibility for those might have been.
In Trust Me, Ms. Ryan does what she does best, telling a convoluted story in a way that makes the reader feel like she is in the story, exploring the anger and confusion the characters feel, and trying to distinguish reality from fiction. Then she deftly takes the various strings and knits them together to resolve the conflicts in a way that honors the complicated lives the characters live and the difficulties they face.
I am a long-time fan of Ms. Ryan’s writing and storytelling but, I must say, she has really outdone herself in Trust Me. I recommend it highly and urge reading it as soon as it becomes available. Publication is scheduled for late August.
Riveting… Trust Me is a tense and twisting psychological thriller that explores the shifting perception of the truth. Chilling, suspenseful, and impossible to put down–this book will keep you questioning who you can trust until the very end
TRUST ME by Hank Phillippi Ryan
An amazing book! I’m going to recommend it to my book club.
Whom to trust? Does anyone tell the truth? What is the truth? Mercer Hennessey is sure she knows, but the case of “Baby Boston” shakes the foundations her certainty. It hits too close to her own tragedy. How can she stay objective? Can she? “I’ll have to imagine much of it. In other words, make it up. Some . . . will be near-fiction.”
Everyone knows Ashlyn Bryant is guilty, “only Ashlyn” had the opportunity. Her lies about Tasha’s whereabouts confirm her guilt — or do they? I found myself thinking of Desdemona in OTHELLO, lying about her lost handkerchief in an attempt to avoid trouble and thereby dooming herself. The ethical dilemma of pre-judging, is difficult to avoid. What should be done about the judgmental, talkative juror?
The deeper Mercer goes in this case, the more troubling it becomes, “down the rabbit hole” and into an Escher print, looking for clarity but finding more puzzles, no clear path. I expected twists, turns, and surprises . . . but couldn’t foresee how they would be delivered. I know I can trust Ryan to, as storyteller Jackie Torrence advised, “bring them home safe,” but trapped and gaslighted in “book jail,” I worried, ate peanut butter sandwiches in solidarity, and wished I could give Mercer some salad and some answers.
The dream of strange but familiar-feeling rooms with treasures . . . I’ve had that dream. I was told it represents creative possibilities — appropriate!
Trust me, TRUST ME is a captivating and memorable book, not to be missed.
Beautifully written and masterfully structured, TRUST ME grabs hold of your heart and takes you on an unstoppable ride to the very last page. Ryan brings her A game to this novel of mystery, suspense and psychological drama.
Love her books. I got to meet her at a conference and took a writing class from her. She is wonderful and changed he way I viewed the opening to a novel. This book is very fast-paced. She has a way of making things feel like they could be real stories!
One of those UNPUTDOWNABLE books! Twisted. Emotional. Intelligent. Memorizing.
“Trust Me” by Hank Phillippi Ryan , is a first person narrative by Mercer Hennessey, who is struggling to go on after an accident that claimed her child and her husband.
“Using one forefinger I write on the bathroom mirror…442…Four hundred forty-two days since the car accident that destroyed my family.”
Mercer’s friend and business associate Katherine Craft, wants her to go back to work, to write again. She has the perfect assignment; Mercer will write a true crime book about Ashlyn Bryant, a woman on trial, accused of murdering her daughter, Tasha Nicole. Mercer, however, is tentative about her decision to write the book. “Now I’ve agreed to a job that might be impossible. Now I have no choice.”
“Trust Me” progresses as a book within a book where journalism and crime collide.
Readers follow Mercer’s first person account of her own personal demons, and at the same time, read chapter after chapter of her “soon to be best seller” about the murder trial tentative titled “Little Girl Lost.”
Mercer has a front-seat view of the trial via closed circuit TV and scrutinizes related documents one after the other. Nevertheless, she finds more questions than answers. Which version of “the truth” is really the truth, and how will she really tell? Does everyone lie about everything?
The trial is only part of the story, and the real trauma begins after the trial. Every life is changed by the jury’s verdict, and no one will ever be the same.
This fast-paced thriller seems ripped from current headlines. Accountability and dishonesty come to the forefront, and tormenting suspense and unscrupulous manipulation fill every page. I was given a review copy of “Trust Me” by Hank Phillippi Ryan, and I highly recommend it. I could not read it fast enough, so clear your schedule; you will not be able to stop reading once you start.
I loved this book
If you are looking for an outstanding, gripping crime thriller, you’ve found it! Completely intense, with twists and turns that keep you guessing until the very end! There is no doubt why the author of this book is an award winning author. Well written and suspenseful, you just won’t be able to swipe your Kindle fast enough! This kept me up WAY past my bedtime, I had to force myself to put it down so I could actually do something productive (beyond reading of course)! Thought provoking and heart wrenching at times, a must read without a doubt. If you only have one choice of books, make it this one! I love this author, and anxiously await her next publication. No spoilers, just READ THIS.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Former journalist Mercer Hennessey is still trying to deal with the car accident that took her husband and 3-year-old daughter when her former editor, Katherine pitches her a true-crime book idea. Ashlyn Bryant is on trial for murdering her 2-year-old daughter. Bryant has proclaimed her innocence since she was arrested. Katherine wants Mercer to watch the trial and write about having the book ready shortly after the trial ends. Mercer agrees hoping it will help her start to move on from her grief but the trial and aftermath effect her in ways she never imagined.
As a mom who has lost a child, an adult child, not a toddler, I felt Mercer’s grief really resonated with me and as the story continued by heart just broke for this character. I know that pain and the author brought it out in her words with an expert hand. Mercer has a little ritual that was very similar to one I have which gave me a link into her “new” normal.
The author also created a very unlikable character in Ashlyn Bryant. Totally shady and more twisted as the story continues. While she has a problem telling the truth she came across as very real.
The book is broken into 3 parts and Ms. Ryan takes us on quite a journey as we work our way through a complicated story. I liked the step by step process of part 1 very much and seeing Mercer’s start on the book. I am a big fan of courtroom drama. The story takes a huge turn at the start of Part 2. I admire Mercer for her strength to take on a true crime novel and stick with it until the end and all she has to endure. I would not have been able to deal with half of what Mercer did. The characters in this story are full of depth.
In the midst of what really is a dark story, there is just a little thing that does cut through. On the feeds that Mercer is watching there is a man, a “voice” that announces what will be happening at the trial at the beginning of the day, breaks in if need be with announcements, and signs off at the end of the day. It is just his voice, he is never seen on camera, but he does his best to put a smile on people who are watching the feed.
I hesitate to give too many details because to get the full impact of this story you must read it fresh for yourself. The author not only manipulates the characters she manipulated my thinking too. The story is a true psychological mystery that is so twisted you don’t know who to trust. But TRUST ME, this is a book you will want to read, preorder so you have it immediately when it is released next Tuesday!
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway, and this is my fair and just review. This was my first book from this author, and I enjoyed reading it. It was a little slow getting into at the beginning of the book but the longer I read the more involved it became in the book. Mercer is struggling just to survive day to day, when she undertakes the challenge of writing the book concerning a woman she feels is guilty of murdering her own daughter. Things don’t always turn out the way you believe that they will, once that happens things turn down a different path. I kept turning the page to see what was going to happen next. I would recommend this to those that enjoy suspense/thrillers.
Murder, courtroom battles, lies, and deceit play off against friendship and trust.
Mercer, is a journalist who is struggling with grief and sorrow and is trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband and daughter. She becomes interested in an ongoing murder trial. As her interest grows, the idea of a book presents itself and Mercer becomes totally involved in searching for the truth.
The verdict is in – but is it the right one? Mercer is not convinced as things do not add up, facts do not match, stories are all different and in the end too many questions are unanswered. This case becomes personal to Mercer – but little does she know how personal it will be.
As truths are revealed and lives are changed – will Mercer find the answers she is searching for? Will she learn who she can really trust?
Just when you think that you have it all solved, a new twist will take you in a different direction!
A real page turner that you will not be able to put down. Hank Phillippi Ryan has created a thriller that will keep you guessing until the very end.
I grew up in hilly Southern Indiana, just north of the Kentucky border. Before Interstate 64 connected our little community, Corydon, with the big city of Louisville, the only way to travel was by way of a very hilly, windy two-lane stretch of road through “The Knobs”. Imagine several miles of Lombard Street in San Francisco bordered by huge limestone walls.
I bring this up for good reason. While reading Hank Phillippi Ryan’s, Trust Me, those memories returned. Curve after curve, hill after hill, danger lurking beyond every hairpin turn.
Crime author, Mercer Hennessey, reluctantly takes on the task of writing about the trial of a young mother accused of killing her own child. In the throes of grieving the deaths of her beloved husband, Dex, and her own child, Sophie, in a car crash, she’s torn between her preconceived notions about the accused mother, Ashlyn, and getting to the truth.
After the accident, Mercer stopped living; wishing she’d died along with her family. She has no will to write or even complete daily chores; even fantasizing about her home burning to the ground, with her in it. When approached by her editor to cover the trial and inevitable guilty verdict, she accepts, not only for the money, but the opportunity to write again.
I downloaded a Kindle copy of Trust Me and, trust me, I flipped those pages so fast my fingers had screen burn. Well, not quite, but almost! From “jump off the page” characters, to intriguing storyline, this book will not disappoint.
I love a good mystery/thriller. Add the psychological twists and turns created by a fantastic author, Ms. Ryan, and you have a mind-bending read.
Highly recommended!
Asked to write a book about the trial of Ashlyn Bryant—a young woman accused of murdering her toddler daughter and leaving her in a trash bag in Boston Harbor—Mercer Hennessey is finally working again after over a year of grieving the loss of her own young daughter and her beloved husband. An accident she survived. The psychological effects of the new assignment on Mercer are deep and often painful, but she commits to it.
Both little girls had favorite toy rabbits, and each in a different way was buried with her bunny. Eventually the mothers go down a rabbit hole of truth and lies and variations on lies together.
The mechanics of a criminal trial and the process of researching and reporting are given in authentic detail without excess. Mercer’s research and her attempts to build a story from what she knows are part of the suspense. Once Ashlyn is acquitted, the stories—the one we’re reading and the one Mercer is writing—take a stunning twist, and so does Mercer’s trust in everything she thought was true. She’s now writing Ashlyn’s “as told to” story, and the young woman has a powerful effect on her. Is the book going to be fact or fiction? Was Mercer’s own past fact or fiction? Ashlyn’s personality is disturbingly well portrayed—her shifts from hard to soft, from inarticulate to smart and clear, her changing versions of her past. How Mercer makes her way through the web of confusion is as important as the investigation of the crime.
This book has no onstage violence. The crimes are in the past. Yet the threat is intense and the suspense unbearable. Plan on losing sleep to the need to read the next chapter. And the next. And the next.
Trust Me is my first book by author Hank Phillipi Ryan and it wont be the last. This book is a psychological thriller with court room drama combined. Mercer Hennessy is still recovering from her own personal tragedy when she’s asked to write a book about Ashlyn Bryant who’s accused of murdering her young daughter. Of course, she claims she’s innocent. Mercer must confront her personal demons in order to write this book and more importantly find the truth. A great read!!
You know there’s a twist or two coming up in TRUST ME, you just don’t know how, or when. You wonder about the narrator.
You turn the page, and then another.
Exactly like books should be written!