Download a FREE sneak peek of Trust Me! “Grief and deception are at the helm of Hank Phillippi Ryan’s latest thriller, Trust Me, in which a crime writer and an accused criminal’s lives collide, as they come to discover that no one can be trusted, not even oneself. 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. … able to put down. A must read!”–Mary Kubica
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?
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.
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Trust Me, Hank Phillippi Ryan’s standalone novel, does stand alone, like a brilliant, genuine gem in the midst of many pretentious fakes, and its light beckons us into its well-laid-out labyrinth. It pulls us in from the very beginning, and we are instantly mesmerized by the development of this story. At first I asked, what? No Charlotte McNally? No Jane Ryland? I was intrigued by this new venue. Then, I heard Hank Phillippi Ryan calling me and telling me: Trust me. And I am glad I did. You will love this novel too. Trust me!
Hank Phillippi Ryan is writing a book, Trust Me, about a reporter, Mercer Hennessey, who is also writing a book about another woman, Ashlyn Bryant, on trial for murder. Mercer is the narrator of Trust Me. Is she reliable or unreliable? As we read on and get to know her better, we start having doubts and many questions. Can Mercer approach her subject impartially? What is happening? Can we believe Ashlyn Bryant’s account? Whose “truth” are we asked to believe? As we follow the developments closely, we realize that it is almost impossible to trust any one of the characters of the stories that are being told. They change constantly and abruptly. And we are told “trust me” repeatedly by almost all the characters, so much so that it starts to make us wonder what it means and how we should react to it. It also makes us anxious about what we’ll keep finding in this suspenseful setting and the monsters it conjures.
Mercer had initially felt doubts about writing her book, perhaps because the subject was too close to home. She was told that it would become a best seller, and that she would make lots of money, but it was the reference to a previous very successful book that motivated her even further. When Truman Capote began writing professionally, he theorized that journalism and creative writing could come together in a form that he called the “nonfiction novel.” The subject had to be right, however; with journalism underpinning such a novel, the pitfall was that it could quickly date itself. Crime, he decided, could be the perfect vehicle. And he added, “Reporting can be made as interesting as fiction, and done as artistically.” Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood is widely considered to be the first book in the true crime genre. With Trust Me, Hank Phillippi Ryan takes this genre to a new, fascinating, and daring level -– “fictionally real.”
We have reached the end of the novel. But is this really “the end”? The end of this book, or the end of the possible truths? We are also reminded that nobody can or should go back to the past. It’s over. Nobody in this book will ever be the same. And we should never place our trust and our complete confidence in the creator or in her characters. The only words that come to my mind now and that apply perfectly to this book are “Oh! what a tangled web we weave / When first we practise to deceive” by Sir Walter Scott, from his 1808 poem “Marmion.” He said it best. He may have seen me reading Trust Me and sent me the quote to prompt me on how to interpret this psychological thriller. And he warned me that I would be spellbound. I am indeed enthralled. Trust Me is an unparalleled feat in Hank Phillippi Ryan’s career as a writer. You will love it too. Trust me!