Today on #TuesdayBookBlog I offer you my review of Lie to Me, a gripping new psychological thriller by Jess Ryder.
Meredith was told her mother had abandoned her and her father as a result of her mental health problems. One day, when she’s helping her father move, she discovers a video recording her mother made of herself when she was four years old. Her father refuses to give her any details, so Meredith embarks on a journey in search of her mother, which leads her straight into an unsolved murder which took place over thirty years ago.
Although the murder mystery is central to the plot, Lie to Me is also a family drama, where lies and mental illness have overwhelmed the parents of a young child in need of answers and in search of the truth.
The plot was believable and well woven, with plenty of twists and turns and a few red herrings, too! The ending wasn’t shocking, but it was unexpected and intriguing. The murder mystery is finally, albeit tragically and distressfully, solved, and Meredith, who was stuck in an emotional and professional rut, is able to move on in a completely new and exciting direction.
The use of present and past tense and first and third person narrator was cleverly done. The events which occurred in 1984 were narrated in the past tense and third person, while the events which occur in the novel’s present time are narrated in the present tense, in the first person, by Meredith. This clearly defines present and past, and the use of the present tense adds pace and suspense.
The characters were realistic and well-rounded, and they all had plenty of flaws, the main ones being dishonesty and selfishness. Meredith sometimes annoyed me for being too indecisive, her ex-boyfriend was too ambitious, Cara too naive, Isobel too manipulative, and Jay too keen to take advantage of others. Her father seemed like a reliable and caring man who spoiled his relationship with his daughter by failing to tell her the truth, or even face it himself.
I listened to the audio version, which helps give each person a unique tone and voice.
Especially for lovers of gripping psychological thrillers.
Lie to Me was published on 19th April by @bookouture.
Follow Jess on Twitter @jessryderauthor
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Rereading Jane Eyre 
This sounds excellent. I do love a bit of darkness, drama, and psychological issues in a thriller. On my TBR list. Thanks, Luccia.
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Glad you think so. I can’t seem to stop reading thrillers especially as audio books 😀 I’m reading the Lost Children now.
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Looking forward to that review… 🙂
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