This book was amazing from start to finish. The way the author wove together the intricate stories of her characters was a work of genius. I loved that I was kept on the edge of my seat while reading this book not knowing exactly what was happening in the book until the very end of the story. The characters were so well defined I felt as if I was right there in the story standing right beside them when they were desperately searching for Zoe. The characters were so true to life that is was easy to sympathize with some part of each of their story, thus drawing you in even further into this book. It tugs on so many heart strings that you just have to stay home from work and read it to the very end!

What Lies Below deals with how individuals and families respond to tragedy. This is a character driven story with two main characters.

Gillian O’Connell moved to Wyatt, Texas becoming a waitress. She needed a fresh start and a place to escape from her past life. Gilly’s present situation in life is a product of her past circumstances. Gilly has preconceived dreams that has altered her life.
The author recounts each and every situation from her past leading up to this present moment. Gilly’s character has to redeem herself of a past full of bad choices and the author outlines all her mistakes while showing good deeds to balance the bad. Her backstory was one part of this storyline.

I was fascinated with the concept of using premonitions to help solve cases, however Gilly’s hesitation in sharing her premonitions was disappointing. The delivery of this story was slow, wordy, and tedious. I had hoped for a steady pace involving suspense, action, and mystery. I never found my groove with this story. There were too many components, too many distractions, and too many details with building Gilly’s backstory. Don’t get me wrong there were some great moments but they were few and far between. This story encompasses all these elements: Kidnapping, precognitive dreams, domestic disturbances, family issues, addiction, desperation leading to criminal activity, emotional and mental issues, teenage pregnancy, forgiveness, revenge, guns, grief, and loss. I think the author tried to tackle too much in this story.

The ending and closure was anticlimactic. I was disappointed with the turn of events. Too many excuses by these unstable characters. They were sad characters with questionable actions causing a domino effect of circumstances. Zoe’s kidnapping became the catalyst that began this domino effect of circumstance linking all the events.

I jumped at the chance to review this mystery, What Lies Below, by Barbara Taylor Sissel. I am a huge fan of mysteries and the synopsis for this one totally grabbed my attention. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. From the first few pages, the book held onto my attention, and I could not put it down.

Gilly is a waitress with a curious past, and Jake an Zoe are the father and daughter who are her regular customers. Jake was absolutely lovely as the loving and doting father to Zoe, a precocious darling. The reader gets the feeling from the very beginning, however, that Gilly isn't your average waitress, and her connection to this small and loving family is not merely a coincidence.

Sissel did a wonderful job in creating an atmosphere with this novel that made me feel a bit fearful once the sun went down. I was invested in each of the characters and their well-being. Not one character was what they seemed. This was done in such a fantastic way though because it did not deter me from caring about them. Reading about them, as individuals and in connection to each other, was like slowly peeling back the layers to get to what we want to find underneath.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a great mystery or to anyone who loves getting into the characterization and backgrounds of a story's characters. You will not be disappointed!

This was a phenomenal book! The pacing and storytelling was perfect and the characters kept me invested and were believable. The twists and turns kept me guess until the very end! Wow!
Thank you to Lake Union Publishing, Barbara Taylor Sissel and NetGalley for an ARC of this fantastic book!

I really enjoyed this book it was very good. They’re were some scary parts in it and it was a very good ending.

A child missing, a waitress with visions who also has a hidden past, a father with troubled romances in his past, a mother with drug addictions. So many scenarios that could be at play here. These characters will make their way into your heart and you will love little Zoe something fierce. This is a story that will keep you captivated and guessing with every page and one you will want to add to your list!

DNF@ 43%. I can't believe I'm not going to finish this book that has almost nothing but 4 and 5 star ratings. There is just something about the writing that isn't pulling me in. I think it's lacking some suspense and feels too light. So much so that initially I thought it might be Romance/Suspense genre. But it's labeled a Mystery/Suspense/Thriller and I'm just not feeling it.

A must read!
Call it reader's clairvoyance, but when I picked up What Lies Below by Barbara Taylor Sissel I just knew it was going to be an excellent book. And please believe me when I tell you, it more than lived up to my expectations. The story ... read more at bit.ly/PageBedtime

Absolutely phenomenal storytelling. I was hooked from the first page and could not stop thinking about it until the end. I must now read everything she has ever written!

What Lies Below is a very dark story about loss. The author contrasts two women with similar loss in their past and how they cope with it. The setting is in rural Texas. The action in the story centers around a child abduction and takes place over the course of just a few days, but the backstories are huge. Yet the backstories are necessary to reveal why the characters are the way they are. When I first started reading What Lies Below, I thought I was in for a lot of literary finger food. However, those appetizers turn into a full-course meal (with a small dessert at the end). Although the action in the story is somewhat minimal, all of the characters seem to be driven by gut-wrenching emotions.

Meet the Protagonist of What Lies Below
Gilly O’Connell is the protagonist. She has a special gift: she has dreams that can show future events. The problem is, they’re not always right. Trying to escape her dreams and a devastating personal tragedy, while trying to cling to her newly found sobriety, she flees Houston and her successful architectural practice. When she tries to begin a new life in a small Texas town as a waitress in a small diner, she doesn’t even unpack the moving boxes. She doesn’t know if she’ll be able to stay.

Gilly is full of flaws, yet she is a very likable character. She always wants to do the right thing. She makes friends easy enough, but doesn’t let them get too close. Her attempt to keep the door closed on the closet full of skeletons from her past is constantly jeopardized by her addiction demons and her dreams.

For a character with such simple goals - stay sober and stay alive - I was amazed by the number of times she gets knocked down. If you want to know whether she gets back up each time, you’ll have to read the book yourself.

Technically Speaking
I don't recall any SPAG errors in this book, so kudos to Barbara Taylor Sissel and her editors.

The pacing was right on point. The approach to the climax kept me up late two nights in a row. The character arcs were great - completely believable. There were several unexpected surprises along the way, and the little reveal at the end of the story was a perfect “cherry on top” of a tasty and original read. I would be happy to read more books by this author.

(I received a free copy of this book from Lone Star Book Blog Tours in exchange for my honest review.)

I loved this book! What Lies Below by Barbara Taylor Sissel is one of the most enjoyable stories that I have recently read. I haven’t had much luck with my thrillers lately so finding this book was quite exciting.

The story is set in a small town called, Wyatt. This is the kind of town where all residents know each other and nothing bad ever happens. All that changed when a little girl went missing. Unlike other missing children cases, this was a bit different because one of the residents, Gilly, had a dream about the incident before it even occurred.

I have never read another crime thriller where a psychic is involved. I don’t really believe in psychics (at least not 100%) though I have heard stories about people having dreams which later come true. However, I totally believed in Gilly. She is an amazing character who has undergone the most harrowing experiences in life. Her ability to see things before they happen is considered as a gift by others. However, Gilly considers it a curse. This is because she has no control of the visions and they aren’t always accurate. Gilly is so likeable, relatable and I sympathized with all her struggles.

Another character that I really liked is Jake, the father of the missing girl. I enjoyed his narrations although they were obviously heartbreaking due to the situation that he was in. I loved his commitment to find his daughter and the fact that he wasn’t sitting around, waiting for a call. That is what happens in movies about abductions, right? The little girl, Zoe, was just cute and adorable and I like her! There are other incredible characters in this story. In addition, none of the characters was one dimensional even the villain(s). All are all well-crafted. I believe the characterization is the reason why I loved this story so much.

This is a suspenseful story. I couldn’t predict any of the twists and they were quite a number of them. I kept trying to guess who the abductor was but the reveal proved that I wasn’t even close to the real answer. I was fascinated by the Gilly’s gift and kept wondering whether she would be the one to solve the case using one of her dreams. Her portrayal was so realistic that I was completely sold on her abilities. Barbara’s writing is flawless! The characters, story, setting and overall atmosphere ,brilliantly came alive in this narrative. Please buy this book, read it and thank me later! You won’t regret it!

This book was a pleasure to read. A sprinkle of supernatural and a whole lot of thriller, it kept me guessing right until the end!

Page turning. Believable characters. Hope a series or recurring character!! Loved it and will read more!!

What Lies Below delivered the mystery-thrill I was looking for. It was such a page-turner! It has been awhile since I got my hand on a book gripping as this. From a strong coming synopsis, it was packed and truly worthy of it. If you are looking for something that will put you up at night wondering throwing in a paranormal vibe, What Lies Below is the answer. 

It has a multi-layered plot which was well-written and characters oozing with authenticity. More reason I assure you will be the reason you'll be having a hard time putting down.

A blend of mystery, suspense, and foreboding nightmares.

This is a multi-layered story that gripped me from the beginning. Gilly O’Connell is such a sympathetic character and my heart ached for her as she struggled with the guilt she carried concerning her husband’s murder. This is because she had a vision about it and instead of warning him she simply dismissed it as another bad dream. How can she possibly forgive herself? I could feel Gilly’s pain and wanted to be her friend (as she certainly needed one). I loved her strength beneath all the pain she was feeling.

Wanting to get her life back on track, she moves to a quiet town and becomes a waitress in a café. Things don’t stay quiet for long as news of a child abduction is reported. There is an underlying tension that builds as details surface. Does she dare reveal her latest dream? Could it help solve the crime? Could it backfire? She is determined not to repeat history. The flow of the story was perfection and pulsed forward as the hunt for the child became intense. My heart was racing as I held my breath during one of the final scenes.

I couldn’t stop reading until I found out what happened. I kept changing my mind about who the kidnapper was and NO, I didn’t predict the ending!

If you love suspense and an unpredictable mystery, this one is a Fantastic Ride!!! 4 Stars

This book has it all and held my interest tightly in its grip. The author developed characters that simply ooze realism. Each bears scars from past hurts, disappointments and/or losses. Nestled like a bright day of sunshine in the midst of all this strong emotion is little Zoe who is or if my favorite child characters ever.
The question that swirls throughout this novel is, "what would you do to survive the unimaginable" and " to what end would you go to get what you want - even if that's revenge"?
This is the first novel that I have read by this author. She's an incredibly skilled plotmaster who seemingly leads the reader in one direction only to switch gears at the last moment. This is the perfect blend of mystery, thrills, paranormal (the main character has visions), electric chemistry between characters, etc. Loved it all! She has gained a new fan and I'll definitely be reading her other works.
I was given an Advance Review Copy of this book. All opinions are my own.

I have immediately been swept away by this story of a waitress that witnesses the abduction of a little girl that she meets in her diner. The complications are numerous - she is drawn to the girl's father, she has a complicated past, and she wasn't there when the little girl goes missing - she saw it in a dream. Dreams have gotten her in trouble before. Will she be able to overcome her past and get Zoe back before it is too late? I would recommend this to my friends. I felt the story moved along quickly and was not too overshadowed by the psychic powers angle. I received an ARC of this book. All opinions are my own.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 / 5

What Lies Below by Barbara Taylor Sissel was a fairly fast-paced novel that focuses on one woman's past and the kidnapping of a young girl.

After losing her husband in a convenience store robbery gone wrong, Gilly moved from Houston to a small town in Texas where she doesnt know anyone. Here she ends up finding herself involved in the kidnapping case of a young girl named Zoe. Gilly isn't like everyone else, she has dreams and premonitions and she just happens to see Zoe's abduction in a dream the day before it happens. The book is told in alternating viewpoints between Gilly and Zoe's dad Jake. Gilly's past comes to light throughout this book, as does Jake's romantic history.

What Lies Below was a fast read for me, but I didn't get much of a thriller vibe from it even though I'm sure lots of people will. It was more of a mystery to me of who took Zoe, and what are the things from Gilly's past that she's keeping from everyone. The aspect of Gilly being a bit of a "psychic" (although she didn't consider herself one) was very unique, and I haven't read anything like this before.

I personally found Gilly a bit frustrating at times, and I thought some of the characters didn't ask questions of others that seemed obvious to me. I also thought a few of the chapters had confusing endings that didn't translate well into the following chapters, but that might have been because it was an advanced copy. Despite these things I really enjoyed it though.

Final Thought: Nothing really came as too much of a shock to me, and I only really remember having one "whoa!" moment, but I thought there was a very solid mystery contained in the pages of this book. There are definitely a few moments that will make some people's hearts race too, but that just didn't happen to me for some reason. I still definitely recommend What Lies Below to anyone that likes a book with a bit of paranormal-ish vibe (the dreams and premonitions) and a good mystery. It was definitely something different from all the other child abduction books out there.

What Lies Below in 3-ish words: Unique, Mysterious, Complex

What Lies Below is a suspenseful, well written mystery and though there were a few points that strained my credulity, I quite enjoyed it. The plot moves quickly, which I like in crime fiction, and the atmosphere is eerie and tense. I would read more by this author!

I found this book to be really good, but found it hard to believe that so many of the characters were addicts or alcoholics. That being said, it was a well written, multi level mystery, with a touch of the supernatural. Would like to see Gilly in future books!