I was drawn to this book for its premise of a grief-stricken former investigative journalist writing a true crime book about a mother on trial for killing her child. There is no fast-paced action here; it's a psychological novel with a slow, steady build-up. It's less about twists than about how "truth" can be utterly manipulated. It made me think about the media, sensationalism, and our collective fascination with crime. A solid read.

This book definitely keeps you guessing about who to trust! Mercer is grieving her husband and daughter. Is her grief blinding her to the truth? Or is Ashlyn Bryant a master manipulator? Could the truth be somewhere in the middle? You'll be guessing almost to the very end!

Trust Me
Written by Hank Phillippi Ryan
Forge Books (August 28, 2018)

Although it has been over a year since her husband and daughter were killed in a tragic accident, Mercer Hennessey is still grieving their loss. Her career in magazine writing has come to a halt as she has trouble just making it from one moment to the next without thinking of them.

Now her former editor from the magazine has called her, imploring her to write a quick book on a particular case. Months ago a young girl was found in Boston, but her identity was unknown, so she was dubbed “Baby Boston.” A huge media campaign ensued, asking everyone in Boston to help identify her. And then she became her own person, Tasha Bryant.

Now it is time for the trial for the alleged killer of Tasha Bryan, her own mother Ashlyn Bryant. Everyone is deeply disturbed by how a mother could kill her own daughter, especially Mercer Hennessey. The loss of her own daughter, Sophie, still so fresh in her mind, she simply cannot comprehend how this beast, Ashlyn, could have killed her own daughter. Public opinion has already tried and convicted Ashlyn.

Mercer Hennessey must watch the entire trial with a special feed normally reserved for the media without interruption or advertisements. Her editor expects a very fast turnaround on the book Mercer is to write so that the media attention does not die down before publication. It could be a breakout book by Mercer, writing a narrative nonfiction account. Somehow Mercer will need to get past her own grieving to write about another mother and the loss of her child. Accused of this horrendous crime, Ashlyn defends her innocence.

We follow Mercer and the trial as they reveal the facts of the case. Mercer is following both the back story to fill out the narrative in her book as well as the facts of the trial. They almost become two feeds to us, as readers, as we witness each unfolding simultaneously. After the verdict is given, Ashlyn works with Mercer so that her book will also contain her version of what happened. Ashlyn is adept at twisting the truth to suit her needs, and that shines in the second half of the book

As the readers, we are adeptly manipulated by the award-winning author and renowned investigative reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan. Frankly, I became tired with the tedious ongoing what ifs and twisting thats. I was turning pages fast, not to get to the next part of the story but to jump to it quickly. The manipulation was so intense I got headaches. I had to remember though, a good writer can write in a way that makes you angry or crazy or sad or happy. In this case, Ryan was driving me crazy along with characters in the book. It was an excellent effort. However, a heavier hand by an editor would likely have made it shorter and more intense.

Be sure you bring your own sanity to reading this book. You will, by book’s end, be wondering who you can trust.


Note: I read this as an e-book from NetGalley at the author’s request in exchange for a fair review.

Hank Phillipi Ryan’s latest, Trust Me, kept me on the edge of my seat. Just when you think you know where this book is going you realize you have absolutely no idea. Though it doesn’t clearly fall into the unreliable narrator category, there are definitely moments where you wonder. It is best if you just let yourself go with the flow. Ryan's a master and she’s at her best in this novel.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this novel.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Former journalist Mercer Hennessey is still trying to deal with the car accident that took her husband and 3-year-old daughter when her former editor, Katherine pitches her a true-crime book idea. Ashlyn Bryant is on trial for murdering her 2-year-old daughter. Bryant has proclaimed her innocence since she was arrested. Katherine wants Mercer to watch the trial and write about having the book ready shortly after the trial ends. Mercer agrees hoping it will help her start to move on from her grief but the trial and aftermath effect her in ways she never imagined.

As a mom who has lost a child, an adult child, not a toddler, I felt Mercer’s grief really resonated with me and as the story continued by heart just broke for this character. I know that pain and the author brought it out in her words with an expert hand. Mercer has a little ritual that was very similar to one I have which gave me a link into her “new” normal.

The author also created a very unlikable character in Ashlyn Bryant. Totally shady and more twisted as the story continues. While she has a problem telling the truth she came across as very real.

The book is broken into 3 parts and Ms. Ryan takes us on quite a journey as we work our way through a complicated story. I liked the step by step process of part 1 very much and seeing Mercer’s start on the book. I am a big fan of courtroom drama. The story takes a huge turn at the start of Part 2. I admire Mercer for her strength to take on a true crime novel and stick with it until the end and all she has to endure. I would not have been able to deal with half of what Mercer did. The characters in this story are full of depth.

In the midst of what really is a dark story, there is just a little thing that does cut through. On the feeds that Mercer is watching there is a man, a “voice” that announces what will be happening at the trial at the beginning of the day, breaks in if need be with announcements, and signs off at the end of the day. It is just his voice, he is never seen on camera, but he does his best to put a smile on people who are watching the feed.

I hesitate to give too many details because to get the full impact of this story you must read it fresh for yourself. The author not only manipulates the characters she manipulated my thinking too. The story is a true psychological mystery that is so twisted you don’t know who to trust. But TRUST ME, this is a book you will want to read, preorder so you have it immediately when it is released next Tuesday!

MIND-BENDING! Award-winning author Hank Phillippi Ryan returns following her popular Jane Ryland series with TRUST ME —a fresh, polished, timely, and masterfully crafted sophisticated standalone crime thriller with a killer plot twist. Her BEST yet!

A delicious, cat-and-mouse game of manipulation and deception. A riveting psychological suspense thriller that will blow you away! One of the Hottest Thrillers of the Year. Top Books of 2018. 5 Stars +

TRUST ME is complex, chilling, dark. A tautly constructed gripping psychological thriller with a shocking "award-winning" twisty ending. An obsessed journalist faces off with a suburban mom. Only one can prevail.

"There are three sides to every story. Yours. Mine. And the Truth."

Ryan has outdone herself, and if this one does not wind up topping the charts on the New York Times bestselling list for months to come, I will be shocked. Furthermore, it is movie-worthy. If you love intelligently written true-crime shows or books, you will devour!

Readers, this is what you get with, TRUST ME.

The author’s inside knowledge, skill, and expertise as a seasoned journalist. The up close and personal. She knows this business inside and out. She has seen and heard it all.

Plot-driven and character-driven, the characters jump off the page and into your mind. They will twist you beyond belief. You will question everyone and everything. You will be turned in many directions. How many sides are there to the truth? Who is the liar? Can a writer be outsmarted? Let the games begin.

After reading, you will agree, trust me . . . She was born to write this story.

Move over Gone Girl, The Girl on the Train, and The Woman in the Window, and The Wife Between Us.

It is INTENSE! Hang on tight. It is a Wild ride. Let’s dive in.

Mercer Hennessey: Boston. Talented crime writer. Grieving wife and mother.

It has been four hundred forty-two days since the car accident that destroyed her family. The crash that took Dex and Sophie. Each day she watches as the number disintegrate as she writes them on her steamy bathroom mirror.

There has been no writing since the accident—except for the numbers on her mirror. People finally have left her alone. She has not heard from her former editor for months. Not since she stopped returning calls.

Katherine Craft: Her former editor. She thinks it is time for Mercer to get back to work. The Baby Boston story will be perfect for her. She wants her to write the inside story of this gruesome crime. A toddler was killed and dumped in Boston harbor. The mother is on trial for murder. She knows Mercer is the only writer who can do this story justice.

Mercer: A job. All she needs to do is watch the courtroom testimony through the same video feed the TV stations use, then write an instant book about the Baby Boston murder. She needs the money and is offered fifteen thousand dollars up front and the same after the verdict when the book hits the market. Then hefty royalties afterward. She could be a bestselling author.

Possibly the book could give her a reason to get up in the morning. She knows this horrible mother is most definitely guilty. Maybe she can do this for Sophie and Dex. Strive for justice. She must avenge Baby Boston.

She will secretly dedicate the book to Sophie and all the little girls unfairly wrenched away from this world. Can she do this? A mother who took her own daughter’s life. She, in turn, lost her daughter due to a tragic accident. Is she prepared physically, mentally, and emotionally?

It is never the mother, right? The boyfriend, father, but the mother? What kind of monster mother could kill her own two-year-old?

Mercer is a storyteller. A writer. She takes facts and makes them fascinating. Like in Cold Blood. Narrative Nonfiction. She agrees to write the book.

She despises Ashlyn Bryant. The killer, of Tasha Nichole. Her innocent two-year-old daughter. She has been held in a cell for the past year and lied to everyone. Pretending Tasha was somewhere else with a babysitter. According to the police she had motive, means and opportunity. Ashlyn’s defense attorney is an old colleague of Dex.

Ashlyn Bryan is the most reviled woman in Massachusetts. The entire country. Two weeks after the verdict, she will be sentenced. As soon as she is put away for life, the publisher wants the book. Then, of course, she will have to add the ending.

Mercer is sharp. She writes. She pours over the details. She captures Ashlyn’s deception, manipulation, her reliance on delusion, her narcissistic self- confidence. She writes about Tasha, the victim of her mother’s toxic life. It is empowering. Her words will become history. The truth. She must slip inside their heads. She wants justice. A little girl thrown away— discarded in a trash bag.

From Georgia the mother, the father, the club owner, Valerie-the babysitter, the daughter’s real father. Pouring through the trial, the court records, courtroom drama, transcripts, timelines, evidence, legalities. What is the truth and what is a lie?

Mercer is physically and emotionally addicted to Ashlyn’s punishment. But what if she is not found guilty? Could she write a book about redemption? Mercer knows what she is writing about is true, but she is good at making things up.

However, so is Ashlyn. She soon decides she wants to see her in person to make the writing more vivid and authentic. She must figure out the details of what really happened.

She thinks back to the Casey Anthony trial. (we lived and breathed this in Florida- she now lives here in West Palm Beach). The woman who was charged with murdering her toddler daughter in Florida and was found not guilty (to everyone’s horror and disbelief). Is Ashlyn a sociopath? Or could she be telling the truth?

Casey and Ashlyn’s lives are similar as far as their clubbing and partying. Did she take murder lessons from Casey? Duct tape. Chloroform. Ashlyn Bryant is on trial for first-degree murder. Premeditation, malice, and extreme cruelty.

However, this monster only has to make the jury see reasonable doubt. They do not want to convict for a crime that carries a life sentence without all the evidence.

“Jurors took two days to convict Jodi Arias of killing an ex-boyfriend. Four days to convict the Menendez brothers of killing their parents. Eleven days to convict Scott Peterson of killing his wife Lacey and their unborn child. On the other hand, that idiot Florida jury only took about ten hours to acquit Casey Anthony. To acquit O. J. Simpson, less than four hours. Four hours. So as long deliberation has to mean guilty. I deeply relish that Ashlyn must also know that.”

What if she gets off? Mercer will die if this happens.

41 hrs and 5 days. Her worst nightmare. She cannot believe this. Now she comes face to face with Ashlyn Bryant. Worse still her editor has delivered her to her doorstep, due to the media. The book is over. The trial is over. All her hard work.

Now she has to write another book. This monster is in her home. The same house where her daughter had lived. She feels violated. This is where the games begin.

Now this, my dear reader friends is where TRUST ME and the author pulls out the "big guns." From 40-50% into the book, and every page to the explosive conclusion (THE TWIST) —an intense, deadly game of cat-and-mouse. Who is the liar? What is the truth? Who's zoomin' who?

The writing and the storytelling, exposing the truth. Mercer is determined. She uses her keen journalism techniques to allow the subject to believe the story is for their benefit, instead of your own. If Mercer can make it for two more weeks. She will use every trick in the book. However, Ashlyn is a master manipulator. She is a pro at deceiving and possess her own bag of tricks.

No one has been in her house for over a year, and now there are only the memories and THIS WOMAN.

Then Ashlyn attempts to turn the tables. Will she succeed? Can she trust Mercer? Can Mercer believe anything that comes of Ashlyn’s mouth? Which one will win out in the end?

OMG! How do you begin to describe this powerful novel and the superb writing?

No doubt Ryan draws inspiration from her career as an investigative reporter in TRUST ME, which explores the unlikely — and potentially sinister — a relationship that blossoms between a grieving journalist and an accused murderer who insists she's innocent. What results is a tense cat-and-mouse heart-pounding game that will keep you turning the pages into the wee hours of the morning. You have a grieving obsessed writer, and a (killer) suburban mom. Who will prevail?

At one point, I was unsure where the book was headed when Ashlyn began questioning Mercer about her family’s tragic accident. This portion reminded me of A. R. Torre’s The Ghostwriter (I loved-top books of 2017), another writer with child and husband killed in an accident. However, it took a different turn, I was holding my breath with this part with heart pounding.

BTW: Two authors will make the adrenaline pump and heart race. Of course, I read them back to back. I desperately needed a spa day at Eau Spa Palm Beach afterward: Pieces of Her (Karin Slaughter) and TRUST ME (Hank Phillippi Ryan).

Ryan explores many thought-provoking themes: grief, mother-daughter relationships, ethics in journalism, media sensationalism, and the desperate search for the elusive truth.

Having read and enjoyed Hank’s previous books (The Jane Ryland Series) – TRUST ME goes to a much deeper level. Her best yet! A darker psychological level. She explores all sides of the truth and knocks it "out of the park." Enjoyed the courtroom drama and the details. The best was the banter between the two women. Sizzling and thought-provoking!

Q&A with Hank Phillippi Ryan I am honored and thrilled for the opportunity to interview the acclaimed author. The interview was so much fun! You can read ALL the juicy details of the "story behind the story" and particular fun facts about the author. You are going to love.

Have you seen her bio? Hello? Only a brilliant author such as Hank could pull off this complex and multi-layered tale with finesse and skill. Her flair, polish and artistry as a journalist, and an accomplished author—combined with her expertise and skill with years of investigative reporting and crime writing— equals an award-winning novel. A Must Read!

A special thank you to #MacMillian/ForgeBooks, the author, and #NetGalley for an advanced reading digital copy. Also many thanks to Mary Zanor at Regan Communications for her fabulous assistance with the interview as well as the author. I have also pre-ordered the hardcover (cannot wait to see it), and the audiobook.

A classic, for every thriller reader. A gem. Get it. Read it. Enjoy it. Let's Discuss. Book Clubs—A perfect choice.

JDCMustReadBooks

In Alfred Hitchcock’s class thriller, Rear Window, we wait for an alleged killer to glance through his apartment window and discover that Jimmy Stewart, a bored invalid, has been watching him all along. The suspense waiting for that moment almost hurts. Trust Me by Hank Philippi Ryan produces the same type of goosebumps. Journalist Mercer Hennessey is still incapacitated by the death of her husband and young daughter when she’s assigned to write a book about Ashlyn Bryant, a mother accused of murdering her own young child. Virtually a shut-in, Mercer covers the trial from her home via an audio and video hook up into the courtroom. The suspense builds (and builds) as we watch the women’s lives begin to converge. My sympathy for Mercer was unwavering even as I questioned her judgment and conclusions about Ashlyn. In the process, the novel made me think about how we build the story of our lives and what happens when those stories begin to disintegrate. I'm glad I had the chance to read Trust Me, a galloping ride of a book.

Holy cow! This book is absolutely gripping, chilling, and thrilling. The characters are all written so well, you can feel the emotional charge each character brings. It's one of the best books I've read this year!
Will be using in my daily challenge tomorrow in Chapter Chatter Pub and highly recommending to my members'.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about this book was how often, in how many contexts, one of the characters would use the title phrase of "Trust Me"- proving how often we say it and how little that phrase can mean, especially when being used between people who have no reason to trust each other. Hank Phillippi Ryan is an incredibly accomplished and talented writer of mysteries and dramas, and her skill level is evident throughout this story that she's woven about two mothers who have lost their children- one whose story is just a tragedy, and one whose story might involve murder. Who to believe, and when, and what actually happened are all questions that kept me turning pages.

I found myself returning to this book any time I had a spare minute-- it was very difficult to put down! "Trust Me" made me see multiple, and conflicting, "truths" to every fact that was presented to me; I found that there can easily be two sides, or more, to every story, even with something as seemingly objective as a photograph.
Ryan's writes dialog the way people really speak; her characters "sound" real. They have little tics, traits and flaws a reader finds familiar, these are people you might know. There is so much of the every day, that the extraordinary seems completely reasonable.

Thank you NetGalley, Hank Philippi Ryan and MacMillian/Forge for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.

Ashlyn claims she’s innocent of her daughter’s death and Mercer; the grieving journalist has been tasked to write a novel about Ashlyn’s life and the crime she is accused of. With Mercer recently losing both her husband and daughter finds it incredibly hard to listen to the trial and the gory details behind Ashley’s daughter Tasha’s death. The trial is only part of the story and when it’s over, the real trauma begins.

I loved the way this book is laid out, the chapters with the chapters of the story that Mercer is writing is such a different way to write a novel and I appreciated a little more insight into Ashlyn’s case. I really enjoyed Mercer and it’s interesting to see how she deals with a case of a dead little girl when her daughter is dead as well. This was such an easy book to fall into and the chapters were nice, short and suddenly you are half way through the book to the very first twist! The first half of this book really made me love to hate Ashlyn and I couldn’t imagine a mother who has no idea where her child is at any given time!

The second half of the book went much slower for me than the firs half, but I still did enjoy it. I liked hearing Ashlyn trying to tell her versions of the story and confuse Mercer as to what is real or not. I did start to get really annoyed with Ashlyn’s character and I had to wonder what her motivations were with Mercer. There are many chapters that I found Ashlyn’s story unbelievable, but I could see why sometimes Mercer fell for it. I really enjoyed the ending and how it all came together and how Mercer figured it out. This is definitely my favorite book of this author so far, and I can’t wait to read more.

For the love of all that is holy (books!), please give me half stars already!!!!

This is such a true 4.5 for me that I really couldn’t decide whether to round up or down...so up it is!

This was my first book by Ryan and it raises such an interesting premise about who can you trust and how does it impact how you feel about said situations. Mercer is grieving the loss of her husband and young daughter when she is approached to write a book about a current murder trial (a mother accused of killing her own young daughter, a la Casey Anthony) - is it the fresh wound of Mercer’s own loss that has her convinced without a doubt that Ashlyn killed her daughter or is Ashlyn actually guilty? I had so many changing guesses throughout this book and I need some of my book buddies to get to this one so we can discuss already!!!

All the courtroom drama totally sucked me in. It starts off a bit slow but I fell in love with the main character, Mercer right away and before I knew it I was questioning every possible reality. The twists and turns were intense and quick and I loved having absolutely no idea what the truth was. I couldn’t put it down, I loved the characters and how you can’t really trust someone else’s truth or can you? The way everything came together in the end was brilliant.

New York Times bestselling author Lisa Scottoline says, “If you haven’t read Hank Phillippi Ryan yet, you should.” Well, I always read whatever Lisa writes and I love it, so if she said to do it, that’s that. And for the record, I also always read whatever Hank Phillippi Ryan writes and I love that, too. Charlotte McNalley and Jane Ryland are strong, complex women you can identify with and admire. But with her newest standalone thriller Trust Me, Ryan has outdone herself. Her previous novels are just a little past cozy, but there is nothing at all cozy about this story. It’s a next-level thriller, and it is an excellent one.

The basics of the story are simple: journalist Mercer Hennessey lost her husband and young daughter over a year ago and is still living in a fog of grief. Vain, selfish, totally unlikable Ashlyn Bryant is on trial for murdering her two-year old daughter and dumping her body in Boston Harbor. Mercer’s former editor and friend Katherine Craft wants Mercer to watch the trial on the same video feed used by TV stations covering it and write a true crime book about it. When the trial is finished the book will be finished, too. Instant bestseller.

To say any more about the details of the story other than that things don’t go quite according to plan would give too much away. What I want to focus on instead is how spellbinding Trust Me is and how it made me feel. About a quarter of the way in I decided there was really nothing else I had to do besides read this book! I read on until my Kindle ran down; I switched to my phone app so I could finish. Time well spent.

Trust Me gets off to a very powerful start. It’s fast pace never lets up. It feels like you are in the newsroom and helping to write the story. Award-winning author and investigative report Hank Phillippi Ryan knows her stuff and it shows. I was drawn in not only by Mercer and Ashlyn and their stories, but by the idea of trust itself. Do we ever really know all or is there always something hidden? Is the news true? Do we ever know enough to trust, or do we just convince ourselves to believe – about others and about ourselves and what we see and what they say.

Ryan's journalistic background gives her stories and characters extraordinary depth and believability. Ashlyn is selfish and manipulative and has either had the most extraordinary experiences or is the most extraordinary pathological liar. But does this make her a baby killer? You can’t possibly like Ashlyn, but can you feel sorry for her? Can you believe her? Mercer’s behavior is unsettling as well. You feel her bone-shattering grief, but right from the start I also felt there was just a little that hadn’t yet been revealed, and it made me uncomfortable and afraid to fully trust her. Was she a liar? Did she forget or block painful things? Or has grief driven her crazy? Some of her thoughts are cryptic, like when she says she let Dex down once, and then did something to win back Dex’s approval, and you don’t know how to take them. Some of her actions, like telling what she learns about Juror G, seem like the right thing to do but a huge mistake at the same time. So many of her actions are hard to understand, but you want to believe her, so that when she begins to suspect everyone’s behavior and fear them, you suspect and fear them, too. After the verdict, what does Ashlyn mean by, “Only with you, Mercer?” Ryan uses her knowledge of journalism and the law to make Trust Me a twisty, suspense-filled thriller that keeps you wondering if every action will be a major turning point and big reveal. Well, keep guessing, but you won’t figure it out!

Mercer is on a deadline and writing the book in real time. The book is practically writing itself; she has written half a book when the trial has barely started. It seems like Mercer the Journalist is back! But then at one point she thinks to herself, “This is the problem with being a writer. It’s natural to make up the scariest possible scenario, with the most sinister plot, because that’s the best possible story. Real life is seldom as dramatic.” And then I realized that Mercer, probably like most writers, is on the outside watching for the most part, and must interpret events based on her perspective.

With that, author Hank Phillippi Ryan provided Insight into the world of journalism that I had never even thought about, and that was maybe even scarier than what was going on with Mercer and Ashlyn because it’s about us. I am not criticizing or impugning journalists at all, Ryan is a well-respected, much-awarded journalist, but we believe the news because somebody official tells us, and true crime stories are, well, true. We don’t think about where all that detail came from. In Trust Me, Ryan shows, on many levels, how susceptible we can be to hints and influence of others, especially when we are already dealing with emotional issues and our guard is down. How we can believe anything if there is enough detail. Not gullible, just susceptible and trying to see all sides - if you can’t prove it’s not true, do you need to believe it might be true?

I was very fortunate to receive an ARC of Trust Me from Macmillan-Tor/Forge via NetGalley. The writing is fabulous, the story is mesmerizing, and this book makes you think. I couldn’t even begin to guess what might happen minute-to-minute, much less before the end of the story. I was not required to write a review but Trust Me is so amazing I want everyone to read it!

My first book by this author and I'm afraid it wasn't for me.

Ashlyn is accused of killing her child. Mercer is an author who is asked to write a true crime book about the case. While the trial is happening and Mercer is writing the book, I was enjoying what I was reading. It's what happened afterwards that I struggled through. I don't want to spoil the book but it seemed EXTREMELY unlikely that any of this would happen. At one point, I skipped ahead to read the last chapter and said well, that seems interesting so I went back an skimmed through until the end.

I like the writing, just not the plot.

It took *all* of my reading willpower not to skip ahead in this book. The story was so serpentine and tense that I could hardly stand the suspense. I hate it when that happens. OK, not really. I loved it. Very well done psychological thriller that to me was a cross between GONE GIRL and THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (A. J. Finn).

I took off 1/2 star as I started getting a little confused and off-balance, but then maybe that was the author's goal. I also felt it got a little too long in parts, but other than that it's a solid 4.5 star psychological thriller.

Thanks to the publisher for the advance reading copy.

This is a book to devour as quickly as possible. To understand the depression and frame of mind brought on by the trial of a young woman accused of killing her own daughter, you must first understand Mercer, and the writer's 450+ days of exhaustion and depression before the events of the trial. Unfortunately we only get bits and pieces of that until much later in the book. However from the first day of trial, we see a journalist who fiercely loved her daughter, and can not fathom a mother (Ashley) taking a daughter's life. We see her absorb testimony and crash at the final verdict.

When her editor suggests a revised book written in cooperation with Ashley, and in fact, ushers her into Mercer's house, there is a huge question in the reader's mind if this will work or not. What never went through my mind were all the twists and the incredible ending that resulted. Only a brilliant author could achieve the ending and story within.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge, Forge Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this wonderful thriller.

Intrigue, suspense, drama and surprises await you! You will be guessing the outcome right up until the very end!
Murder, courtroom battles, lies and deceit play off against love, friendship and trust. Just when you think that you have it all figured out, a new surprise will take you in a new direction.
Mercer, a grieving journalist who is struggling to rebuild her life becomes interested in an ongoing murder trial. As her interest grows, the idea of a book presents itself and Mercer becomes totally involved. Her days are now filled with research, fact finding and watching the trial proceedings searching for the truth. The verdict is in - but is it the truth? Mercer is not sure as things do not add up, facts do not match, stories are all different and in the end there are too many unanswered. As truths are uncovered and lives are changed - will Mercer learn who can be trusted?
Thank you Net galley and Hank Philippi Ryan for the opportunity to read and review this book.

In this fast-paced and complex tale of menacing duplicity, the author does a great job in strategically setting up this narrative with great aplomb. Should we trust Ashlyn? How about Mercer? It is this nail-biting and riveting force of nature where we are left to trust our own judgment in this play-by-play, word-on-word drama where nothing is left to chance. Grippingly deceptive. Intoxicating inference. Verbally sparring. Side-splitting the truth. Is it no wonder, this psychological intensifying novel quickly became a page turner. Trust Me. You definitely want to read this and be prepared. Very prepared to have you mind twisted every which one until the truth will set you free.

This book was an amazing book from beginning to end. TRUST ME was so riveting and suspenseful all I could do was keep turning the pages. I read it in one day. This is a must read if you love thrilling psychological suspense.