Loved this book! Full of suspense and trying to connect the dots. I stayed up late to read as I couldn't put it down.

I didn't want to put this book down! Seriously- I started it on a Saturday afternoon and finished it Sunday morning. I found the main character, Gilly, to be very likeable. All her life she has struggled with dreams that seem to predict the future - this caused quite a bit of friction with her parents so she tried to ignore them. Her dream that predicts the death of her husband is attributed to hormones - tragically, she witnesses the death of her husband and, on that night, she loses so much more than just her spouse. A series of events prompts her to move away - she gets a job as a waitress at the town diner and meets Jake and his 3 year old daughter, Zoe. Gilly's premonition about Zoe's abduction throws her into the the thick of the investigation, and the media attention draws people from Gilly's past to seek her out. I highly recommend this action-packed book! I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley - my opinions are my own.

I have very mixed feelings about this book. I loved the premise but struggled with some of the darkness in it. Kids being tortured is not my idea of a fun read. I also had trouble believing some of the scenes. Yet I felt compelled to keep reading and that’s always a good thing.

MY REVIEW OF “WHAT LIES BELOW” BY BARBARA TAYLOR SISSEL

Kudos to Barbara Taylor Sissel , Author of “What Lies Below” for writing an intense, riveting, captivating, and intriguing novel with tremendous suspense. From the Blurb on Goodreads,” Everyone has nightmares. One woman is living hers…….”

The Genres for this Novel are Fiction, Mystery and Suspense. The author describes her characters as complex and complicated. The timeline of the story is in the present and goes back three years as it pertains to the events and the characters.

Gilly O’Connell has had dreams for years predicting things that would happen. After a major crime and tragedy affect Gillian, she regards her dreams as nightmares. At one point nightmares and reality cause Gillian to become addicted to alcohol and drugs. Gillian manages to straighten herself out, but runs from her life and takes a job as a waitress in another town. Can one really run from her past?

Gilly starts having dreams and nightmares about a little girl in this town that gets kidnapped. The actual crime takes place and the little girl is kidnapped. Gilly has blackouts from her past, and is afraid no one will believe her. Gilly can relate how this crime affects the family and community.

Also Gilly may be trying to run from her past, but there is danger for Gilly. There are still criminals from her past that could be looking for her. There are betrayals, and twists and turns.

I appreciate that Barbara Taylor Sissel discusses the importance of family, love , hope and forgiveness. I highly recommend this amazing novel for those that enjoy a suspenseful read. I received an ARC from NetGalley for my honest review.

Barbara Taylor Sissel had me feeling as if I was actually in this story and trying to solve the mystery of Zoe's kidnapping! I read it in a day and actually dreamt about it during the night!
Zoe is a four year old sweet little girl whose Dad is raising her due to her Mom being unable or unwilling to be a parent.
Jake, her Dad is caring for his daughter and doing a tremendous job.
They go each Wednesday to Cricket's cafe where Gilly the waitress make special animal shaped pancakes for breakfast. She enjoys entertaining Zoe with stories each week.
But Gilly has secrets, many secrets that will be revealed.
One is that Gilly has dreams that often precede an actual occurrence of something happening. Nobody believes her, so she feels it is best to be quiet.
Zoe is abducted at her school playground one afternoon without a trace.
Can and will Gilly be able to help find her and do the authorities believe her when she tells them of her "gift"?
Do yourself a favor and sit and read this novel. You will be hanging on your seat and looking for clues as I did!

What do you do when your “gift”, is really a curse? Gilly O’Connell has spent her life trying to dismiss and ignore her visions, so she ignores the one that might have saved her husband’s life. To cope with her guilt and despair, she turns to substance abuse and three years later, she’s in a small town in Texas, hoping to gain control of the train wreck that has become her life. But her hopes are dashed when a child disappears and Gilly begins having her visions again. Coming forward will risk not only her sanity, but also her freedom, as the authorities believe she was involved in the little girl’s disappearance. Sissel is a dynamite writer, I can’t understand why she doesn’t get more recognition because she’s one of the best mystery/thriller writers out there

A fantastic, suspense filled novel. Kept me on the edge of my seat wanting to read at any spare moment. Dying to find out who would kidnap three-year-old Zoe. Put this on your to be read list. You won't be sorry!

I've long been a fan of Barbara Taylor Sissel's and this novel lived up to her previous works and then some. Just when I thought I'd figured something out, a new plot twist came my way. I intended to read the book over the course of two or three days but wound up reading past my usual bedtime because I was so invested in the story and the characters. An excellent book with a satisfying conclusion!

This was my first book by Barbara Sissel and I loved it! It grabbed you on the first page and never let you go, This was a story that could happen in real life and I just had to keep reading to see how it ended! Highly recommend

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/6854277-lori?shelf=read&sort=date_read

Second book I’ve read by this author, and she’s becoming a favorite. Easy writing style, flawed and honest characters. Books you can’t put down and get lost in.

The majority of us have reading lists such as TBRs, Wishlists and Authors To Read list. Plus I have a list for Authors that are imperative that I read, or in other words, drop everything that I am doing and read. Barbara Taylor Sissel is on this list.

Gilly O'Connell has moved to Wyatt, TX hoping to restart her life after the trauma of losing her husband to murder, a daughter and a downward spiral of self medicating with drugs and alcohol. What makes it worse is that she had one of her "dreams" the night before of the murder but tried suppressing it. She has been living with the guilt of not acting on that "dream". And now, a child she has gotten to know and care about, Zoe, has been abducted. And the "dreams" are starting again. This time does she act on them or are people going to look at her as a suspect?

Barbara Taylor Sissel, from the first page, draws the reader in and doesn't let go until the final word. She has an extraordinary writing style that pulls the reader into the story, and settings, where one feels like they are a bystander. An excellent example of being transported whereas this reader was so engrossed in the story that I was not cognitive of my surroundings. When I started reading WHAT LIES BELOW, I planned on reading a couple of chapters and then realized I had been reading for 5 hours and was halfway done with the book.

An exciting read! The suspense and action continuous! Riveting!

And then BANG! Picking my jaw off the ground because I didn't see what came next. Shocking! And only as Ms. Sissel does, throws in another explosion! A dynamic powerhouse of a read!!

After reading most of her books, see below for my previous reviews, I keep thinking that I will figure it out. Not even close!!! I was blindsided by the ending!

I highly encourage you to preorder this book. And in the meantime, pick up some of her previous novels. I guarantee you will be putting her on your "drop everything and read" list!

My thoughts on her earlier novels: <strong><a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-1jU">THE NINTH STEP</a>, <a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-1uE">THE VOLUNTEER</a>, <a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-2U7">EVIDENCE OF LIFE</a>, <a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-3KQ">SAFE KEEPING</a>, <a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-3T9">CROOKED LITTLE LIES</a>, <a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-3VH">FAULTLINES</a>, <a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-45D">THE LAST INNOCENT HOUR</a>,</strong> and <strong><a href="https://wp.me/p370vC-4fy">THE TRUTH WE BURY</a></strong>.