A Goodreads Big Thriller of Fall 2020 “Complex…exhilarating. The constant twists will keep the readers hooked… a nonstop thrill ride.” —Publishers Weekly, Pick of the Week for You Betrayed Me“Chilling…a generous amount of high-octane thrills.” —BooklistA twisting, unpredictable new novel of suspense by #1 New York Times bestselling author Lisa Jackson, perfect for fans of the page-turning … bestselling author Lisa Jackson, perfect for fans of the page-turning novels of Harlan Coben, Melinda Leigh, and Gregg Olsen.
The Cahills of San Francisco are famous for two things: their vast wealth, and the scandals that surround them. Murder, greed, deadly ambition . . . some people will do anything to get, and keep, the Cahills’ kind of money. Not that James Cahill wants any of it. He’s tried to make his own way, less interested in a future inheritance than in his construction company—and in enjoying the many women taken in by the easy charms of a handsome, soon-to-be-rich bad boy.
Perhaps there’ve been too many women. Waking up in a small hospital in Washington State, bandaged and bruised, James barely recognizes the gorgeous blonde who comes to visit. Through the haze of pain and medication, he recalls that she is Sophia, the woman he’s been cheating with. Gradually memories return—his girlfriend, Megan, had found out about Sophia. Now Megan is missing, her sister, Rebecca, is hounding him—and police and reporters are asking questions too. James insists he has no idea what happened. Yet he can’t escape a feeling of dread . . .
Meanwhile, in a locked room, a woman waits, trapped, petrified, and desperate. She thought she knew who to trust. But the betrayal you can’t imagine—or can’t remember—may be the most terrifying weapon of all . . .
“Chilling…a generous amount of high-octane thrills.”
—Booklist
“Keeps readers guessing until the very end”
—The Parkersburg News & Sentinel
“[A] thrilling story.”
—RedCarpetCrash
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You Betrayed Me is the third title in The Cahills series, and this addition to the series will keep you guessing, reassessing your “bad guy” choices throughout until the very end.
A couple of things to take note of… the timeline of events seems to jump around a lot. There were times when the timing alone kept me from figuring out who exactly is the true villain in this story. And villains… there really is no “good guy” to root for aside from the detectives on the case, Brett Rivers and Wynona Mendoza, and perhaps that was the point in many ways. I couldn’t find one redeeming quality for any of the Cahill related characters that we’re introduced to or have to figure out who has pulled off this disappearance.
For me, You Betrayed Me was an intricate web that spun off in so many directions that I stopped trying to solve the puzzle and just got lost in the story. And that is as far as I’m willing to go with details.
You will find twists and turns, lies and more lies, false clues, red herrings, and not be able to believe one thing that any character (aside from the detectives investigating) says. It’s an intense story without anyone to root for… and frankly, that felt uncomfortable. Effective, yes, but not a style I’m accustomed to. I’ve always felt that Lisa Jackson is a master storyteller, and that still holds true for me… but I do wish I could have liked someone aside from the investigators in this story.
If you enjoy making puzzle pieces fit into a complete picture, then you’ll enjoy the intrigue and mystery of You Betrayed Me.
*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher, Kensington Books via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*
What Money Can Do
This is another installment of the crazy rich Cahills. James to try to make it without all the family ties with his construction business but that sure doesn’t make him a stand up guy. Yet again he cheated on his current girlfriend Megan with Sophia and isn’t the first time for the womanizer. Only this time he wakes up in a hospital bed after Megan confronts him. Now Megan is missing. What happened to her and did James play a part of her disappearance?
As always with Lisa Jackson’s book it is very well written, gripping and a page turner. Having said thta for me it wasn’t up to what I normally have come to expect from this author. For me I found the storyline a little to confusing at times. I have really enjoyed getting to know the other members of the Cahill family, but James just has no redeeming qualities. I would suggest others read this for themselves, because others will enjoy the book more than I did I am sure.
I received a ARC from NetGalley and Kensington Publishing and was under no obligation to leave a favorable review, all opinions expressed here are my own.
Scandal, Suspense and a Twisted Mystery!!
James Cahill is a man ho plain and simple. I really love this author but sometimes there are so many characters it’s confusing. Lots of cray cray obsessive woman.
There is always a creepy atmosphere that keeps you on edge in every book. The second half of the fly’s by it’s so good.
I really like Detective Rivers and his ability to touch items of the victims and here there thoughts. This is something new for this author and I love it.
So Megan had planned to disappear, at least in those moments when he’d caught a glimpse into her head. Not exactly reliable information, though—gained from a vision while holding a discarded bit of jewelry.
Something important to take into account is that this story isn’t told in chronological order.
James Cahill wakes up in the hospital with a severe concussion and memory loss. His girlfriend is missing. Little by little they piece together that they had a massive fight about his infidelity and that she stormed off and called her sister to tell that she was on her way there. She never arrived there. James, who’s known for his wandering eye is the first and main suspect but the timeline doesn’t add up.
The reader knows that Jessica left the house and was taken at gunpoint some time along the road.
We also know that a woman (we assume she’s Megan) is locked up inside a tiny house by someone she used to love. The gender of the captor is very skilfully avoided but I had an inkling that she’s a woman. The only woman that Megan is close to is her sister Rebecca who used to be James’ girlfriend prior to her.
Rebecca has turned up in the small town with the idea that James is behind her sister’s disappearance. But Megan also has a history of disappearing after arguments to punish her boyfriend. So can it be mere drama?
There’s also the fact that James isn’t just hot, handsome and charming but he’s also a very wealthy young man and has much more coming in the future. He’s a true chick magnet and some women seem to be willing to kill for what they claim is theirs. And there are plenty of women who have an eye on him, some of them are weirder than others.
Detective Rivers who’s leading the investigation has a weird 6th sense when he touches objects belonging to suspects and victims. A useful trait that he has to hide from colleagues and superiors. His partner Mendoza notices his kleptomaniac tendency for items belonging to victims/witnesses. Will she tell on him?
Tiny houses must be really hot at the moment because this is the second book this summer that features them. I vouch that if you lived in a bedsit for 10 years, you appreciate the luxury of space a lot more. I seriously doubt that the rich people that purchase such a ‘house on wheels’ (what’s the difference with a camper or RV?) will last very long if they have to live there 24/7 and I’m sure most of them end up being a holiday luxury. The most positive thing about those cramped spaces is that you can’t collect too much clutter and have to be very selective in what you keep and what not. Hey, give me one of those and I won’t complain, though.
I must confess that there aren’t many likeable and sympathetic characters in this story. James is an arrogant and immoral rich man who doesn’t think twice about using and dumping women. The women are controlling, selfish, money-chasing, and jealous. Rebecca and detective Rivers are the most pleasant and relatable characters. James seems to have a change of heart towards the end of the book but the question is how long that will last. But not being a nice person doesn’t indicate that you’re a murderer.
This is one of the great books of 2020. It’s suspense from start to end. Literally everybody can be the culprit. You can’t be certain that the women are genuine when they tell their version of events. All of them have reasons to hurt Megan or to have her disappear. But when she screamed that James would never see her again, could she be alluding on an intentional disappearance like she pulled off in the past? When all things come together near the end, everything turns out even different from everything I imagined.
I can’t stress enough how good and intense this psychological thriller is. Lisa Jackson more than deserves her fame. Really everybody is a suspect in this story. And when someone is cleared, a bit further along something else turns up and that augments the suspicion all over again. I’ll definitely read more by her.
The end is ambiguous as well. There’s a large opening for a sequel somewhere in the future. Being caught doesn’t mean the end of an obsession. But as well, I have the feeling that detective Rivers’ story isn’t finished. He’s got all the qualities needed to carry his own series.
As I found out just now, this book is the 3rd in the series surrounding the Cahill family; so that sequel will no doubt happen. As there were a few things that referred to a tumultuous past, I should have known but it didn’t make a difference for my understanding of this book. If they’re the same quality as this one, it’s a shame to have missed them.
I thank Netgalley and Kensington Books for the free ARC they provided me with and this is my honest, unbiased review of it.
I received this book through a Goodreads giveaway and this is my voluntary and honest review. I highly recommend this book if you enjoy reading twisted suspense thrillers. This book started out a little slow and was confusing since the timeline kept switching back and forth, but about halfway through I couldn’t stop reading. Everything revolved around James Cahill and a fight he had with his current girlfriend, Megan, that put James in the hospital and Megan disappearing. The truth wasn’t revealed until the very end and it ended with a surprise. This is a must read book.
“Two and a half days of his life gone. Lost in the black hole of his memory. How had it happened? James had no inkling why he was here, though he was sure he’d been told.”
James Cahill’s life has turned upside down. Though he can has no idea why he’s in the hospital. Things are definitely a mess. Something he does know is that is current girlfriend is missing, his side girl won’t leave him alone and the cops are digging into his life.
I enjoyed the changing point of view writing in this story. It definitely kept my attention. The story definitely had twists and turns. It definitely went a way I didn’t see coming!
James Cahill is the heir to a fortune. He’s distanced himself from the family that’s been full of scandals. Moving to Washington, to try and make a life on his own. When he wakes up in a hospital with no memory of what happened or how he got there, he doesn’t know what is going on. Then he’s told his girlfriend, Megan Travers, is missing, whom he can’t remember. And another woman shows up claiming to be dating him. As his memory slowly returns, he realizes he needs to figure out what happened the night of his accident, and where Megan is.
I love all of Lisa Jackson’s books. And this was another good one. This is book three in the Cahill series. This one following James. It’s a fast paced edge of your seat read. It had me drawn in from the start. The characters were all written well, and you could feel what they feel. I’m pretty good I figuring out what’s going on in book, and this book was no exception. Although I didn’t know what was completely happening. And when I found out, I was totally surprised. But knowing, didn’t take away from the book. I recommend this if you enjoy a good mystery.
This is the third book in the series can be read as a stand-alone
Excellent storyline with well written characters kept me on the edge throughout waiting to see what the outcome would be