All you need to remember after you pick up this psychological thriller is that CLAIRE is an actress. From Britain, now in NYC, she can't work legally while taking acting classes at Actors Studio. So she needs a job that pays cash to supplement her scholarship. Claire explains that, as an orphan who was shuttled from place to place in foster care, she learned the art of "behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances." And, "It's what you imagine that defines you as a character."

So she gets a job acting as a decoy to tempt husbands to stray. She's very good at her role, but one night she is hired to lure the wrong man -- who is disinterested and preoccupied with his academic work -- the translation and teaching of the work of Charles Baudelaire. Patrick Folger is enamored of a particular book of Baudelaire's poetry, LES FLUERS DU MAL -- which happens to be morbid erotica after a fashion. When he departs without falling for Claire's enticements, she meets his wife, Stella, who had hired her through a law firm that Claire works for. Unfortunately, Stella ends up dead in her hotel room the next morning. Who killed her? Along with the murder, there is money missing. At first, Claire is a suspect, but then she is hired to pursue Patrick because the police believe he might have murdered his wife and that he is, in fact, a serial killer. There's the premise in a nutshell.

NO SPOILERS. Claire agrees to go undercover and assume the acting role of a lifetime. Be beware -- Claire is not entirely reliable as a narrator and the reader is never sure if she is being real or acting -- or even if Claire can tell the difference between the two.

The prose has an unusual style, written at times like a screenplay. While fitting for the subject matter, it was a little odd at first. The game of cat and mouse is such that, while you are drawn in with questions, you become less sure of what is going on as the book progresses. Definitely you will need to suspend disbelief as some of what happens seems completely unrealistic or likely to happen as described. I didn't really care for the ending and not sure that I really liked this book though it definitely held my interest well enough that I didn't want to put it down.

So, ultimately, should you read it? Depends on your BS meter and your ability to get into a character such as Claire. The details about Baudelaire and his poetry were quite interesting and macabre. I'd like to thank NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this e-book ARC to read and review. Looking forward to hearing others' opinions and thoughts on this second novel that I've read by this author.

This was a quick read that had me hooked from the beginning. The book seemed to be heading in one direction and then surprised me a little with the direction it ended up going. There were twists and turns to the plot keeping you on your toes. I definitely recommend this book!

This is the second book I have read by that were written by J P Delaney. According to his Goodreads profile, he also writes, quite successfully, under the name of Tony Strong. One of his novels, under the name of Tony, was adapted into a television series.

I must say I liked the original way this was written. Since the main character is an aspiring actress, some of the book is written like a script; however, the book was too dark for me, and I did not care for the direction the book took. Because of how skillfully the author crafted this, I’m giving it 4 stars.

Claire is a struggling actor in New York, trying to make it work. After being excommunicated from Britain's acting world, Claire illegally comes to New York to pursue her dreams; however, while she is reaching for the stars, she ends up falling short of the success she aspires to have. Financially, Claire is at the end of the road, so she takes a gig at a firm for divorce attorneys. Claire plays the role of seductive decoy, capturing men in the act of cheating on their wives. Claire's role is vital in capturing these cheaters, but never necessarily gets her hands dirty. That is, until she is assigned a new client that turns up dead the next day. Prior to her client's death, her pursuit in capturing the client's death ends up falling short. Claire is sure this guy is an innocent man; a victim in her client's revenge attempt. Police believe that this man is dangerous, and after speaking with Claire, believe she is the best bet in the force's attempt to finally land a conviction. Claire goes undercover to try and seduce this man, giving her the guilty plea that the police is looking for—her best gig yet. Claire's manipulation skills are put to the test with this assignment, especially considering what's at stake. If this man is the evil mastermind that the police believe he is, will she be able to handle it?

I've never read anything by JP Delaney, but I heard that The Girl Before is an amazing novel, so I jumped at the chance to pick up Believe Me . I am so glad that I was given a chance to read and review Believe Me , because it's just so juicy. The writing is superb, the characters are multifaceted and intriguing, and the story is so original. Go into this story blind, because you will be surprised! The story is broken into three parts, with the first two being the stronger sections. Believe Me was almost a five star read for me, but the third part in this story really frustrated me. The story starts to have continuity issues in part three; allowing the plot to continue, but actually just confusing the heck out of the story. You'll question what's real and what's not, but not in the good mystery type of way. I think if the third section of the novel was retooled just a smidge, it would be a lot more robust and profound.

Overall, Believe Me is a tale you'll want to read if you're interested in something different in the thriller/suspense genre. The writing is spectacular and the characters are both likable, and deceiving. While it's not perfect, it's just the right flavor for what I needed this summer.

Thank you Netgalley and Quercus for my advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review. Believe Me will be released July 24, 2018.

Claire is an actor looking for an acting job while simultaneously working for a law firm trying to entrap married men cheating on their wives. Everything was going good till one of her client gets killed.The cops seek Claire’s help to get a confession from the husband but Claire is not convinced of his guilt and finds herself falling for the enigmatic Professor.

Believe Me by J.P. Delaney is true to its name as it is very difficult to trust any character in this book. The story is filled with twists and turns with lots of lies and deception . A psychological mind game the book is half written in an interview type of way . Though the ending was a little disappointing and too unbelievable I still enjoyed reading this book especially for the different writing style .

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine & NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest and fair review.

This and more reviews at https://chloesbooksblog.wordpress.com/

This was a twisty little tale! Every time I finally settled on a direction the plot was headed the story did an about face. It is really hard to determine which character(s) to root for, if any??

Because the main character, Claire, is an actress the story reads as a play in snippets. Some people found this off putting but I found it sort of clever. Claire was a great character which is funny because I bypassed this one for a while thinking I wouldn’t find reading about an actor interesting.

This story wasn’t at all what I was expecting and I mean that as a compliment. I didn’t read much going into it and was glad I didn’t. It was entertaining from start to end! Thanks NetGalley, the author, and Random House Publishing for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars! Believe Me when I say this is a great thriller! I thoroughly enjoyed this book and thought the premise was superbly original!

Claire is a British actress living in NYC who has a slightly odd job working for a lawyer to help catch cheating husbands with the help of a hidden camera in her purse. One night, she is hired to hit on a woman's husband, and mere hours later, the woman is found brutally slain in her hotel room, and Claire is a prime suspect. Did she kill Stella? Or as an actress and student of the Stanislavski method, is she the perfect person to help the detectives catch the real killer? This story was super fast-paced and gripping and I could not put it down!

Huge thank you to NetGalley for the ARC!

What. Just. Happened?! JP Delaney has done it again. Believe Me had me on the edge of my seat and guessing the whole way through. It is suspenseful and thrilling all rolled up into one. Delaney has written a psychological thriller that leaves you stunned in the end. If you’re a fan of Gone Girl or Girl on the Train; this is a book for you.

Thank you, NetGalley for the ARC! Hmmmm... still thinking about this one.... not sure if it is a 4 or a 5. It took awhile to get into and quite honestly, if I wouldn't have felt guilty for not reading it, I probably would have just put it into my 'read later' pile. Very glad I stuck with it, though. EXTREMELY twisty so you have to pay attention. I had a LOT of questions in the 2nd 3rd of this book (it's told in 3 parts) but things made more sense in the 3rd part. Very cool ending. Definitely recommend this one. The Girl Before is still my favorite, but this is a very worthy follow-up! Look forward to more!!

In a sea of average psychological thrillers hastily thrown together to take advantage of the current fervor for the genre, Believe Me stands out. It is well written, and its clarity and simplicity show the author's confidence in his plotting and characters. Delaney doesn't give into the temptation to resort to cliches, long-winded descriptions, or gratuitous sex scenes. Yet it is not without artistry or flourish, as the beautifully wrought passages of Baudelaire stand in stark contrast to the slightly utilitarian language. For the author, this is a brave decision, to bring in another writer-- one of the greats-- and allow his language to shine. I found Believe Me to be considerably better than Delaney's breakout hit, The Girl Before.

All of that being said, I found the 'mystery' of the author to be even more compelling than the story. I had a hunch part-way through, but somehow kept myself from researching until after I finished the novel. On one hand, it's irrelevant, as the work should be allowed to stand on its own, without consideration of who the author is-- and because I respect the author's decision to reinvent their persona, I'm being a bit elusive here so as not to give it away. However, I do find it fascinating and worth consideration as far as the literary world at large is concerned, that authors have turned the tradition of adopting pseudonyms on its head. Where it previously helped one group of people, it is now being used by those with the original advantage, to achieve more by flipping it. I have to wonder what the PC police would say about this sort of appropriation, whether it's appropriate?

Believe Me is about Claire Wright, a struggling actress who moonlights as cheating bait for straying husbands at a law firm. After a client is brutally murdered, Claire is recruited to trap the lead suspect into giving a confession. But should she trust her handlers or the man that they think committed the crime? Can she even trust her own version of reality?

I could not stop reading this book. The twist at the end was surprising. I don't want to give anything away, but it left me with some questions as far as who could be trusted at any point in the book. Some may find it frustrating, but thinking about a book after the fact means that it stuck with me in some way. To me, that's a good thing.

This book was intriguing, interesting, and bizarre. While it took me a little bit to get into it, I was hooked and couldn't wait to get to the end. At some points, the plot was a little confusing, but it eventually came around and made sense.

After reading a previous book by this author, I felt I just had to read it.
As I’ve just finished this book, the thoughts and feelings I have toward this book are; wow, twisted, thrilling, dark, impressed and I’m sure a cluster of others.
Although I didn’t get to these feelings at first, it took me till around chapter 11 before I actually got pulled in. Once I was pulled in I was hooked.
Claire was a little annoying throughout but after it’s all said and done, her character was brilliant, as were Frank, Kathryn and Patrick.
I enjoyed all the twist and turns, the thinking of knowing who did what and than being wrong than maybe right only to be thrown for a loop again. If you like that type of story and can get past the first few chapters, this story is for you. Enjoy.
#BelieveMe #NetGalley

I received this book "Believe Me" from NetGalley and all opinions expressed are my own. One word to describe this book - Bizarre! Definitely a different story. This book has a lot of twists and turns. I really didn't want to continue reading as it was just so strange. I did finish but not sure this kind of book is for me. I didn't like the subject matter and the whole play scene.

Claire is a struggling actress in New York City. She needs money and has a hard time getting decent acting jobs, so she works undercover with a law firm to catch cheating husbands. It's not glamorous, but it pays the bills. When her latest client ends up dead, the husband is suspect number one. The police hire Claire to help catch him. They are certain she will be able to get him to confess, but nobody expects the twists involved with Claire on the case.

A fast-paced psychological thriller. This novel keeps the reader guessing as to what is really happening, but it also gets a little confusing. I really enjoyed the first half of the book, though things got a little too twisty for me as the story progressed. Good for fans of twisty thrillers.

JP Delaney was really good with this particular book. The premise had me enthralled from the first chapter, and it was hard to put it down.

This review will be published on my blog, WomeninTroubleBookBlog on July 24.

We first meet Claire during an intimate encounter at a bar--where she proceeds to snare a married man--and sneaks out the side door. She is an attractive woman who has the confidence and acting ability to bend men to her will. She's also a broke, struggling actress without a green card who is trying to stay afloat to take acting classes. Two very different sides of the same coin.

So when she is drawn into the web of a violent murder, one has to wonder if she is completely innocent. After all, she scrapes by in life through lying and deceiving men.

As Delaney continues to spin his story, we see even more dichotomies in Claire's life. She has a history of obsession, maybe even mental illness and the deeper she gets involved in trying to capture a killer, the more the reader starts wondering who she really is and what she is capable of.

Patrick is also a great character--a sophisticated, charming professor who may or may not be a murderer...I spent much of the book trying to figure out his intentions. Was he good or bad? I was there right along with Claire as she fell in love with him--but was he a murderer?

Believe Me is told in three parts, that I found to be very distinct parts. My understanding of Claire and the outside world shifted as I advanced to a new part of the book. There are tons of twists and turns, right up to the last page, which I appreciated. If I have one complaint I'd say that I did get a little lost somewhere in the second part of the book. As Claire grapples a bit with what is real and what isn't, I found myself having a similar issue with the story. And it got a tad bit too confusing for my taste.

Still, I really liked this one. I read so many thrillers that when I don't see something coming or I can't figure out a story or character, it's kind of exhilarating.

Special thanks to Ballantine Books and Netgalley for a free e-galley in exchange for my honest review.

Wow! An edge of your seat thriller filled with twists & turns. The story centers around Claire, an actress in the country without a green card, & Patrick, a college professor with a dark side, whose wife is found murdered early in the story. Claire has been earning money “seducing” husbands to prove to their wives they are unfaithful. After Patrick’s wife is killed, she goes undercover for the police to flesh out the killer. That is where the twists gain speed. What is the relationship between Patrick & Claire? Did either one kill his wife? How does it connect to Patrick’s obsession with Baudelaire’s Fleurs du Mal and the dark web? Is Claire still acting? How far will the limits be tested? These are only a few questions you will wonder. Great read! Thanks NetGalley for my ARC in exchange for this honest review.

This was another super quick read that felt extremely disconnected for awhile, but all the pieces come together in the end. I’ve really been digging psychological thrillers, and this one left me very satisfied! I questioned, all throughout, if I was being told the truth. I enjoyed it and highly recommend! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC!

The story started well, but became increasingly unbelievable as it went.

The problem with a page-turner like this is that when the ending is as hard to swallow as this one's was, it feels like your time was wasted.

The main character was interesting and fully realized. The writing was superb. But the plot, unfortunately, was unsatisfying.

I wanted to like the book, but I simply didn't believe it.