THE PERFECT LIAR by Thomas Christopher Greene
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Published by St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: Jan. 15, 2019
ISBN-10: 1250128218
ISBN-13: 978-1250128218
Pages: 288
Review Copy From: St. Martin’s via NetGalley
Edition: eBook
My Rating: 4

A seemingly perfect marriage is threatened by the deadly secrets husband and wife keep from each other, for fans of B.A. Paris and Paula Hawkins.

Susannah, a young widow and single mother, has remarried well: to Max, a charismatic artist and popular speaker whose career took her and her fifteen-year-old son out of New York City and to a quiet Vermont university town. Strong-willed and attractive, Susannah expects that her life is perfectly in place again. Then one quiet morning she finds a note on her door: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.

Max dismisses the note as a prank. But days after a neighborhood couple comes to dinner, the husband mysteriously dies in a tragic accident while on a run with Max. Soon thereafter, a second note appears on their door: DID YOU GET AWAY WITH IT?

Both Susannah and Max are keeping secrets from the world and from each other —secrets that could destroy their family and everything they have built. The Perfect Liar is a thrilling novel told through the alternating perspectives of Susannah and Max with a shocking climax that no one will expect, from the bestselling author of The Headmaster’s Wife.

Susannah and her son Freddy have been on their own for 16 years after her husband Joseph passed away. And then she met Max “W” at a party that Susannah’s boss was hosting for the art community. Not long after, Max proposed on the very spot that they first met.

They had the perfect life, or at least that’s what it appeared to be. Max’s notoriety soared in the art world, after traveling to give his talk on “You Are The Art”. He was sought after and was then offered an academician appointment at a Vermont College. Three years after settling down in Vermont, the cryptic notes started showing up on their front door.

The first note read I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Two notes would follow.

But who were these notes intended for since both Susannah and Max had deep buried secrets that neither one of them knew about?

The story was captivating from the start. However, at approximately 30-50% of the story, I found it dragged some. But after that, the suspense and action picked up and at that point, I was frantically turning the pages.

I did figure out who the letters were intended for, but not who wrote them nor the why for the motive. It all came together in a climatic ending.

Another psychological thriller that you should read!!

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THE LIAR’S WIFE by Samantha Hayes
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Published by Bookouture
Publication Date: November 22, 2018
ASIN: B07GX16TFM
Pages: 358
Review Copy From: Bookouture via NetGalley
Edition: eBook
My Rating: 5

When Ella wakes up in a hospital following a hit-and-run incident, she is scared and confused. Close to tears, her eyes fall on a get-well-soon card on the window sill and the nurse reassures her that her loving husband will be back soon…

But Ella has never been married.

In fact, she has lived alone her whole adult life; working hard, rarely socialising, quietly harbouring a terrible secret from her past.

Fear sweeps through Ella when she instantly recognises the man who enters the ward. He is not her husband, but she knows that she must do as he says and play the part of dutiful wife.

What choice does she have? He was there the night of the fire, he knows her secret too…

This book sure packed a wallop!!!!

Ella Sinclair has a strict routine, work, home sleep, work home, sleep. That is until she wakes up in the hospital after being hit by a van as she was riding her bike home after work. But something is drastically wrong. The nurse informs Ella that her husband has been by her side since she was admitted. The problem is that Ella is not married.

For the past 10 years, Ella has kept to herself. She doesn’t share anything about her personal life nor does she interact with her co-workers socially as she is hiding from her past. That is until she opens her eyes at the hospital and sees that her past has caught up with her.

A thrilling and chilling read from the Prologue to the last word!! A white knuckle experience! The story alternates between the present and what happened 10 years ago. The ending was mind blowing, which I did not see coming. I don’t think I have ever hated a character as much as I did with Jacob.

This is the first book that I have read by this author, however, it won’t be my last. I am putting Ms. Hayes on my “authors to read” list.

If you like psychological thrillers, then I highly recommend this book.

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• This blog was founded on the premise to write honest reviews, to the best of my ability, no matter who from, where from and/or how the book was obtained, and will continue to do so, even if it is through PICT or PBP.
• I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
• I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

BEAUTIFUL BAD by Annie Ward
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Published by Harlequin
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
ASIN: B07BW2R5WT
Pages: 368
Review Copy From: Harlequin via NetGalley
Edition: eBook
My Rating: 5

In the most explosive and twisted psychological thriller since The Woman in the Window, a beautiful marriage turns beautifully bad.

Things that make me scared: When Charlie cries. Hospitals and lakes. When Ian drinks vodka in the basement. ISIS. When Ian gets angry… That something is really, really wrong with me.

Maddie and Ian’s romance began with a chance encounter at a party overseas; he was serving in the British army and she was a travel writer visiting her best friend, Jo. Now almost two decades later, married with a beautiful son, Charlie, they are living the perfect suburban life in Middle America. But when a camping accident leaves Maddie badly scarred, she begins attending writing therapy, where she gradually reveals her fears about Ian’s PTSD; her concerns for the safety of their young son, Charlie; and the couple’s tangled and tumultuous past with Jo.

From the Balkans to England, Iraq to Manhattan, and finally to an ordinary family home in Kansas, sixteen years of love and fear, adventure and suspicion culminate in The Day of the Killing, when a frantic 911 call summons the police to the scene of a shocking crime.

WOW! This was one heck of a jaw dropper!

An intense, complex and twisted story with a cast of characters that are equally complex and filled with flaws.

The story takes place in 3 main time frames, the past, present and 10 days before the killing, 9 days, etc. With that being said, and not wanting to give away even the slightest spoiler, I kept turning the pages since I wanted to know who the victim was and the possible suspect. However, there was even more that was chilling, and that was the motive.

A story that will have your heart pounding and shaking your head! It will grab you from the first page and suspenseful to the last word!

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, then this one is for you.

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WHEN NEVER COMES by Barbara Davis
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Published by Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
ISBN-10: 1503950174
ISBN-13: 978-1503950177
Pages: 352
Review Copy From: Author
Edition: TPB
My Rating: 5+

Author Barbara Davis deftly explores an emotionally charged landscape of pain, loss, and despair—and the risk one woman will take in the hope of loving again.

As a teenage runaway and child of an addict, Christy-Lynn learned the hard way that no address was permanent, and no promise sacred. For a while, she found a safe haven in her marriage to bestselling crime novelist Stephen Ludlow—until his car skidded into Echo Bay. But Stephen’s wasn’t the only body pulled from the icy waters that night. When details about a mysterious violet-eyed blonde become public, a media circus ensues, and Christy-Lynn runs again.

Desperate for answers, she’s shattered to learn that Stephen and his mistress had a child—a little girl named Iris, who now lives in poverty with her ailing great-grandmother. The thought of Iris abandoned to the foster care system—as Christy-Lynn once was—is unbearable. But she’s spent her whole life running—determined never to be hurt again. Will she finally stand still long enough to open herself up to forgiveness and love?

This is the first book by this writer that I have read and she is now on my “authors to read” list.

I honestly don’t know where to start because this book blew me away. I don’t want to give anything away so I say ditto to the synopsis.

Even though I figured out how this book would end, it’s the journey to that point, that the author takes the reader on with her written words that cut me to my core and filled my heart and soul.

I read this book within 24 hours because I literally could not put it down. It is what I call a book that transports the reader into the story, being so engrossed and feeling that I was a bystander in Sweetwater, VA.

The characters felt like my friends. I could feel their emotions of betrayal, despair, excitement, grief, guilt, happiness, the bonds of friendship, love, and the complexity of their thoughts.

Sweetwater, a small and quaint town, reminded me of a town that I lived in for 4 years and was my 2nd home, especially with the scenes about the 4th of July traditions.

There were a few passages that hit me hard:

pg. 215 Never is all the doors we keep shut. It’s the things we won’t let ourselves have or be because we don’t think we’re good enough or strong enough for more.

pg. 219 …there are places in our minds where we lock up all the things we don’t want to remember…filled with all the stuff we don’t want anyone, including ourselves, to see and then one day something yanks these doors open.

A raw, emotional, realistic, and compelling read! Poignant and impassioned! A dynamic and powerful message. An intense story that will stay with me to my dying day!

Warning: you will need a box of tissues for both the happy and sad tears!

I can’t stress enough how much this book touched me. I highly recommend!

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

• This blog was founded on the premise to write honest reviews, to the best of my ability, no matter who from, where from and/or how the book was obtained, and will continue to do so, even if it is through PICT or PBP.
• I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me, in exchange for my honest review. No items that I receive are ever sold…they are kept by me, or given to family and/or friends.
• I do not have any affiliation with Amazon.com or Barnes & Noble. I am providing link(s) solely for visitors that may be interested in purchasing this Book/EBook.

IT’S ALWAYS THE HUSBAND by Michele Campbell
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Published by St. Martin’s Press
Publication Date: May 16, 2017
ISBN-10: 1250081807
ISBN-13: 978-1250081803
Pages: 336
Review Copy From: St. Martin’s Press
Edition: HC
My Rating: 5

Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny. They first met as college roommates and soon became inseparable, even though they are as different as three women can be. Twenty years later, one of them is standing at the edge of a bridge . . and someone else is urging her to jump.

How did things come to this?

As the novel cuts back and forth between their college years and their adult years, you see the exact reasons why these women love and hate each other—but can feelings that strong lead to murder? Or will everyone assume, as is often the case, that it’s always the husband?

There is a fine line between love and hate.

Kate, Aubrey, and Jenny have been friends since their freshman year at college. All three girls come with pasts that have shaped them, but despite the differences, they become inseparable. And then a horrific incident, the death of another student, which they all witnessed will test their friendship. Do they protect the truth or be honest with what they saw?

Twenty years later, the truth of that fateful night still haunts them. Then one of them loses her life at the same exact location. Was it suicide or murder? Who has the most to lose if the truth comes out from 20 years ago?

The police are convinced that the husband had a hand in his wife’s death, but the other 2 ladies know and believe that Griff could never harm his wife. He has loved her since their freshman year.

A twisted and gripping story that had me turning the pages. I thought I had it figured out but the ending was jaw dropping. An intense read!

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A twisty, compelling novel about one woman’s complicated relationship with her mother-in-law that ends in murder…

From the moment Lucy met her husband’s mother, Diana, she was kept at arm’s length. Diana was exquisitely polite, and properly friendly, but Lucy knew that she was not what Diana envisioned. But who could fault Diana? She was a pillar of the community, an advocate for social justice who helped female refugees assimilate to their new country. Diana was happily married to Tom, and lived in wedded bliss for decades. Lucy wanted so much to please her new mother-in-law.

That was five years ago.

Now, Diana has been found dead, a suicide note near her body. Diana claims that she no longer wanted to live because of a battle with cancer.

But the autopsy finds no cancer.
The autopsy does find traces of poison and suffocation.
Who could possibly want Diana dead?
Why was her will changed at the eleventh hour to disinherit both of her adult children and their spouses?

With Lucy’s secrets getting deeper and her relationship with her mother-in-law growing more complex as the pages turn, this new novel from Sally Hepworth is sure to add to her growing legion of fans.

I wanted to read this book for a few reasons. Not only did the synopsis intrigue me but having a mother-in-law for the past 37 years and becoming a mother-in-law to my son’s wife 5 years ago, I was curious if there would be any similarities to my real life relationships and there were some.

Lucy lost her mother at the age of 13 so when she married Ollie she was hopeful that she would win his mother, Diana, over and have a warm and loving relationship with her. However, Diana was a bit standoffish, some would even say she was “frosty” and as the years went by, the relationship turned volatile at times.

The story alternates between Lucy and Diana’s perspectives both past and present but opens with the discovery of Diana’s body. At first, the police felt it was a suicide but there were items at the scene that might lead in another direction.

The suspense was ongoing throughout the story, which made it hard to put this book down. The characters convincing. Not only was the mystery of Diana’s death gripping, I also found the personal dynamics captivating.

Mothers of sons usually have to walk a fine line so as not to get the evil mother-in-law status, but in this case, Diana’s past had such a bearing on her personality that I felt for her.

In the end, a letter was found in her desk with the following words of wisdom that Lucy, 10 years after her mother-in-law’s death still lives by:
I worked hard for everything I ever cared about. And nothing I ever cared about cost a single cent.

An outstanding read! I am looking forward of reading more books by Ms. Hepworth.

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THE AU PAIR by Emma Rous
Genre: Psychological Thriller / Women’s Fiction
Published by Penguin Group
Publication Date: Jan. 8, 2019
ASIN: B07C6HF9MG
Pages: 384
Review Copy From: Penguin Group via NetGalley
Edition: Kindle
My Rating: 5

A grand estate, terrible secrets, and a young woman who bears witness to it all. If V. C. Andrews and Kate Morton had a literary love child, Emma Rous’ The Au Pair would be it.

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Danny were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.

Who is the child and what really happened that day?

One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Daniel were born on a fateful day in June 1992 at the family estate. Later that day, their mother jumped to her death from the cliffs at the family home, the Summerbourne house. Was it suicide or something more sinister?

Twenty five years later, and nine days after their father died from an accident, Seraphine has found pictures that were never seen before and are creating more questions than answers. Before the accident, their father told them, along with their older brother Edwin that he has to tell them something.

It appears that Laura, Edwin’s Au Pair, was the one who took the picture that will thrust Seraphine into finding out the truth. But at what price will the truth cost?

The plot had twists and turns throughout. The characters believable but each one carried suspicion as to the lies that have been buried for so many years. Betrayals, secrets, love, and heartache are felt within the pages of this story.

A book that had me guessing with each turn of the page. An exciting read that I highly recommend!

Emma Rous is now on my “authors to read “list!

Purchase Links: Amazon 🔗 | Barnes & Noble 🔗 | Goodreads 🔗

I KNOW YOU KNOW by Gilly Macmillan
Genre: Psychological Thriller
Published by William Morrow
Publication Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN-10: 0062698605
ISBN-13: 978-0062698605
Pages: 384
Review Copy From: Library
Edition: HC
My Rating: 5

From author Gilly Macmillan comes this original, chilling and twisty mystery about two shocking murder cases twenty years apart, and the threads that bind them.

Twenty years ago, eleven-year-olds Charlie Paige and Scott Ashby were murdered in the city of Bristol, their bodies dumped near a dog racing track. A man was convicted of the brutal crime, but decades later, questions still linger.

For his whole life, filmmaker Cody Swift has been haunted by the deaths of his childhood best friends. The loose ends of the police investigation consume him so much that he decides to return to Bristol in search of answers. Hoping to uncover new evidence, and to encourage those who may be keeping long-buried secrets to speak up, Cody starts a podcast to record his findings. But there are many people who don’t want the case—along with old wounds—reopened so many years after the tragedy, especially Charlie’s mother, Jess, who decides to take matters into her own hands.

When a long-dead body is found in the same location the boys were left decades before, the disturbing discovery launches another murder investigation. Now Detective John Fletcher, the investigator on the original case, must reopen his dusty files and decide if the two murders are linked. With his career at risk, the clock is ticking and lives are in jeopardy…

This year I have been addicted to psychological thrillers and this book did not disappoint.

What I also enjoyed, was the different approach of the story, whereas it was also a Podcast where Cody Swift would explain the new evidence he uncovered during the week in relation to the murder of his friends.

I thought I had this one figured out, however, once the mystery of the 3 deaths was unveiled I was a little disappointed. I thought it was a bit of a letdown BUT then came the last couple of chapters and I was floored.

Definitely a book to pick up if you are looking for a captivating read!!!

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