Lies: A Novel
"Assured, compelling, and hypnotically readable--with a twist at the end I guarantee you won't see coming" (New York Times bestselling author Lee Child), T. M. Logan's debut psychological thriller dissects a troubled marriage straight to the marrow as one man separates the truth from the Lies...
Six days ago, Joe Lynch was a happily married man, a devoted father, and a respected teacher living in a well-to-do London suburb. But that was before he spotted his wife's car entering a hotel parking garage. Before he saw her in a heated argument with her best friend's husband. Before Joe confronted the other man in an altercation where he left him for dead, bleeding and unconscious. Now, Joe's life is unraveling. His wife has lied to him. Her deception has put their entire family in jeopardy. The man she met at the hotel has vanished. And as the police investigate his disappearance, suspicion falls on Joe. Unable to trust the woman he loves, Joe finds himself at the mercy of her revelations and deceits, unsure of who or what to believe. All he knows is that her actions have brought someone dangerous into their lives--someone obsessed with her and determined to tear Joe's world apart. What if your whole life was based on LIES?BUY THE BOOK
Community Reviews
Clearly I'm in the minority at this point - the book was just published a day or two ago - but I had to stop reading at about the halfway mark.
The premise was great! Husband and young son spot mommy out at a hotel with another man, a confrontation, and then some weird things start happening and his life begins to unravel.
Unfortunately, the execution completely failed for me. Joe, the husband, can't seem to use logic and observation well enough to fight his way out of a paper bag. The author lays out so many clues about what's going on but Joe misses everything - even when he's practically hit in the face with information.
I found Joe's behavior and lack of common sense maddening and the story, in general, too predictable to continue with. I think the author counted on readers not caring or completely missing huge holes in logic or that we'd forget major events - like a bracelet gone missing - and then be surprised later when they come back as part of the evil plan.
Many other people are enjoying LIES but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the book.
The premise was great! Husband and young son spot mommy out at a hotel with another man, a confrontation, and then some weird things start happening and his life begins to unravel.
Unfortunately, the execution completely failed for me. Joe, the husband, can't seem to use logic and observation well enough to fight his way out of a paper bag. The author lays out so many clues about what's going on but Joe misses everything - even when he's practically hit in the face with information.
I found Joe's behavior and lack of common sense maddening and the story, in general, too predictable to continue with. I think the author counted on readers not caring or completely missing huge holes in logic or that we'd forget major events - like a bracelet gone missing - and then be surprised later when they come back as part of the evil plan.
Many other people are enjoying LIES but it wasn't my cup of tea.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review the book.
What if your whole life was based on lies?
How well can one ever really know another person? Is faith always blind? How much trust can be confidently placed in the person with whom one shares a life, home, children? Those are the overriding questions that haunt Joe Lynch as he unwittingly becomes embroiled in the mysterious disappearance of Ben Delaney. Joe's innocent desire to make their young son happy by paying his wife, Mel, a surprise visit ensnares him in a frantic quest for answers. Joe quickly realizes that everything he has believed about his wife and their relationship has been a lie. It appears that not only is Ben obsessed with Mel, he is determined to destroy Joe in order to get what he wants. Ben is a charming, highly successful, and wealthy businessman known for his ruthless competitiveness. He simply does not lose. And because he is in the tech industry, his knowledge of computers and other devices is far superior to Joe's and allows him to embroil Joe is a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. Joe comes to believe that Ben poses a threat to his family, and is convinced that Ben is alive, but taunting him as he makes it appear that Joe has murdered him. Thus, Joe sets out to prove that Ben is not only alive, but the mastermind behind a series of events that jeopardize Joe's reputation and career, including an altered photograph that is posted on Facebook.
Lies is a tautly imagined and plotted thriller with a jaw-dropping ending, featuring an empathetic and sympathetic main character in Joe Lynch. Joe is truly a good man, devoted to his wife and son, committed to his profession (teaching), and honest. Through Joe's first-person account of the nightmarish circumstances in which he finds himself, readers understand and can relate to his frustration, anger, and sheer terror at the prospect of being wrongly accused of committing a heinous crime. Assuming, that is, that Joe Lynch is a reliable narrator.
Once Mel is revealed to have deceived her husband, she is also a suspect, although her possible motive for wanting to further hurt Joe is far from apparent. Ben's inspiration is clear. But debut author T. M. Logan keeps readers guessing as to exactly what happened to Ben, who is responsible for his fate, and exactly why Joe finds himself at the center of the mystery until the very end of the story. The pace never slows, accelerating to a shocking conclusion that will take most readers completely by surprise.
Lies is an impressive and engrossing first novel, and bodes well for the prospect of more intriguing thrillers to come from Logan.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
How well can one ever really know another person? Is faith always blind? How much trust can be confidently placed in the person with whom one shares a life, home, children? Those are the overriding questions that haunt Joe Lynch as he unwittingly becomes embroiled in the mysterious disappearance of Ben Delaney. Joe's innocent desire to make their young son happy by paying his wife, Mel, a surprise visit ensnares him in a frantic quest for answers. Joe quickly realizes that everything he has believed about his wife and their relationship has been a lie. It appears that not only is Ben obsessed with Mel, he is determined to destroy Joe in order to get what he wants. Ben is a charming, highly successful, and wealthy businessman known for his ruthless competitiveness. He simply does not lose. And because he is in the tech industry, his knowledge of computers and other devices is far superior to Joe's and allows him to embroil Joe is a dangerous cat-and-mouse game. Joe comes to believe that Ben poses a threat to his family, and is convinced that Ben is alive, but taunting him as he makes it appear that Joe has murdered him. Thus, Joe sets out to prove that Ben is not only alive, but the mastermind behind a series of events that jeopardize Joe's reputation and career, including an altered photograph that is posted on Facebook.
Lies is a tautly imagined and plotted thriller with a jaw-dropping ending, featuring an empathetic and sympathetic main character in Joe Lynch. Joe is truly a good man, devoted to his wife and son, committed to his profession (teaching), and honest. Through Joe's first-person account of the nightmarish circumstances in which he finds himself, readers understand and can relate to his frustration, anger, and sheer terror at the prospect of being wrongly accused of committing a heinous crime. Assuming, that is, that Joe Lynch is a reliable narrator.
Once Mel is revealed to have deceived her husband, she is also a suspect, although her possible motive for wanting to further hurt Joe is far from apparent. Ben's inspiration is clear. But debut author T. M. Logan keeps readers guessing as to exactly what happened to Ben, who is responsible for his fate, and exactly why Joe finds himself at the center of the mystery until the very end of the story. The pace never slows, accelerating to a shocking conclusion that will take most readers completely by surprise.
Lies is an impressive and engrossing first novel, and bodes well for the prospect of more intriguing thrillers to come from Logan.
Thanks to NetGalley for an Advance Reader's Copy of the book.
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