It took awhile to get into to this book. About a third of the way in, the story became interesting. I did not care for the script-like writing throughout the book. There were twists to keep readers interested but I found it hard to get through. Too many graphic scenes and the subject matter was hard to take.

Let me preface this review that I really loved the first book by Delaney, The Girl Before. I was excited to pick up the second but that faded quickly. Here's the short preview: British actress in NYC has immigration issues so chooses to work for police to try and entrap a serial killer into confessing. It is a completely implausible plot line - what police department in America, much less NYC, would ever use a psychologically damaged civilian to run a legitimate legal operation? Good grief, I've watched enough Law and Order to know better! Sorry, but this was just a laughable 'thriller.' I like my mysteries clever, twisty, and thought-provoking. Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

With a title of "Believe Me", you can assume that your narrator may not be very trustworthy.
This novel was full of some twists and turns, but at 45% I would say that one main aspect of the story was predictable.
This was a very quick, engaging read that was difficult to put down. I wanted to figure out what happened/what would happen next.

This one just wasn't for me.

The story is told from Claire's POV. She's a struggling actress who is in the US without a green card. She takes acting classes and works under the table as a decoy to catch cheating husbands. She meets her match when she's hired to catch Patrick and things quickly take a turn for the worse.

This is another novel with an unreliable MC. It's especially frustrating when a HUGE piece of information is purposely withheld, to make the ending that much more of a shocker. It just fell flat for me. We're in Claire's head for 'Believe Me'. She even goes as far as to treat every encounter as if she's performing in a play. We know all her thoughts, yet one GIANT fact is kept hidden? Sorry, but it was a huge stretch. Parts of the story just stretched on and on with plot holes until we get to the ending that was just not good. I almost dnf'd this one.

If you love suspense, this is the book for you. Believe Me is filled with so many twists and turns. It’s the perfect thriller until the very end. This is my first book to read by JP Delaney and I loved it. I will be reading many more books by this author.

This was a great thriller! Claire is a British actor living in NYC. To make ends meet she works for a law firm luring unsuspecting husbands into making her a sexual proposition, once she gets them on tape she walks away and gets the evidence into the attorneys or wives' hands.

All is well until one day one of the wives shows up dead and Claire is enlisted by the authorities to get a confession out of the suspected husband. This novel was a very quick read, fast paced, and intriguing. 

The story takes place in NYC and is narrated from Claire's point of view. I found the characters complex, dark, and interesting. In some parts, the novel is written like a play which was very unique and original, fitting perfectly with Claire's role as an actor.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to readers of thrillers, mysteries, and contemporary fiction. 

I received and ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House - Ballantine publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

Can I give this book 10 stars because that is what it deserves. I mean, wow...a psychological thriller that actually THRILLS you? How novel.

The book flows right from the first page and Delaney fans will be happy that the writing style is just as straight forward as it was in “The Girl Before”. The chapters are pretty short which makes this one of those dangerous books you do NOT want to start if you have plans. But what made this book so good is that I truly, 100% thought I had this book pegged halfway in and yet the authors managed to deliver an incredible twist at the end. I highly recommend this one. It’s a fantastic read and totally worth the hours not spent sleeping!

If I had to paraphrase my entire review in one sentence it would simply be, "Wow!". I was second guessing every single page in terms of where this story would go next. I was intrigued and it was the true meaning of a page turner. The story is about a murder, an actress trying to catch her big break, and mystery. We second guess who the murder is at least times and following the story of an actress who is too suspicious not to be a suspect. The ending is pure magic and will take your breath away. Who is the killer? How does it end? Where is this going? Are all questions I asked myself as I was turning the page. This one is bound to be a fan favorite as most of Delany's works are. Pure, magic and again, "Wow!"

Claire has a very unique job. She works for a divorce lawyer, helping him discover if husbands are actually open to cheating on their wives.

The book is told from a first person POV as if Claire was speaking directly to the reader. Other parts are written as if they are a screenplay. “Is it just me who does this -who feels they’re constantly watching themselves in the movie of their own life?” It took awhile to get adjusted to, but it does make for a fast read.

Claire has an interesting ethical standard. She says what she does isn’t lying, it’s “behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances”.

I vacillated in my feelings about this book. At times, I found it totally unbelievable. But I found myself appreciating Claire’s observations, especially relating everything to acting. The writing isn’t overly dramatic. But a few good turns of phrase to paint a complete picture. “Only Kathryn is as full of restless energy as ever, a terrier eager for the kill.”

As the book goes on, you’re not sure who is right or wrong. And then the book takes a big turn I didn’t see coming and goes off in a totally different direction.

The title is very aptly named. Whom to believe? Whom to trust? Not just others, like Patrick, Kathryn or Frank, but is Claire herself even believable? “Those are always the most interesting characters: the ones that deceive themselves. Because sooner or later, the deception always falls apart.” This one kept me engaged right until the end. But I’m sorry, the ending went too far into the unbelievable category. So, I would have happily rated this a 4 star but the ending just lowered it to a 3.

My thanks to netgalley and Quercus for an advance copy of this book.

Believe me when I say this book feels like a merry-go-round. He said, she said, he said, she said.

Nothing is cut and dry in this story. Things get really twisted. You don’t know who’s telling the truth until the end. I had my suspicions but the reasons were wrong.

Give it a try and see if you can figure it out.

Meet Claire. From England, she’s studying acting in the United States. Unfortunately, she does not have a green card, so cannot get work as an actress. Instead, she earns money under the radar by taking jobs with a private investigator, tempting husbands in bars and getting the proof their wives need for divorce. Until she meets Patrick, and the next day his wife is found dead.

Claire ends up in the middle of an FBI sting to try and get Patrick to admit to his wife’s death. Who is innocent and who is guilty?

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book. I liked that it was narrated from Claire’s perspective. As an actress, she portrays many events as scenes from the theater or a film. JP Delany kept me guessing until the end.

Believe Me is a fun page turner that will keep you reading late into the night to see what happens next. I did.

What a rollercoaster! I loved this book. I, seriously, could NOT figure out what was real and what was an act. Thank you for the wild ride!

Who can you trust? Everyone in this book seems to be playing a role…and they are all very, very good at it. When I began reading, I found the play script format a little distracting, but as I got into the book, I understand how and why the device was being used. There is a good deal of theater lore, literature, and a great deal of background and theory about Baudelaire's famous volume of French poetry Les Fleurs du mal. If this was an action movie, I would say the main characters played the roles of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Despite the deux ex machina ending, the book kept me riveted throughout. According to the author, this is a rewrite of a novel she wrote a while ago – I’d say the revision and updating succeeded. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks for the chance to read this book and OMG is all I can say. I was hesitant to read this at first, it didn't seem like the first few pages were going to pull me in bit I kept reading and I am so glad that I did. This book had so many twist I couldn't belive it. I was so convinced that each time it was over it really was and then bam another twist was thrown at me. I really liked how the author used the acting lines back and forth like they were running lines with one another. I rwally liked this book! Read it when it comes out!!

My first by this author, I own The Girl Before. but haven't read it yet. The beginning of this novel had me hooked and flipping pages to find out how it would play out after a quite intense beginning.

Claire is a British actress who is looking for work in America, but can't get hired without a green card. She is resourceful though, and uses her acting skills to lure unfaithful husbands into a sort of divorce trap (so the wives can be certain whether their husbands are cheaters). The wives are her so-called "clients". Is this called a "honey trap"?

The temperature starts to rise in more ways than one when one of her clients is found murdered in one of the hotel rooms on the same night Claire met up with her hubby. This is where the twisted show of cat and mouse really begins. When I say twisted, I am talking....tangled, distorted and disturbing!

I have mixed feelings because I really enjoyed the first half and was looking forward to a compelling end, but it turned out to be more confusing and bizarre that what I could even imagine. Why, did we have to go there? The unreliable narrator turned out to be quite the actress in my opinion. This is only my take , so check it out and see what you think of all the strange twists and turns that spin this one!

Believe Me by JP Delaney is a psychological thriller that will have your heartbeat thundering in your ears from the very first page. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be just as fascinated with this book.

This is a new-to-me author and I was definitely in the mood for something other than romance. Oh boy, did this check all my boxes? It’s full of suspense, some snark that makes you chuckle at times, and the twists leave nothing to be desired.

This is a story that will keep you guessing who the killer is, but it is so twisted that just when you think you’ve cleared everyone you thought was a suspect, BOOM! The one person who you really thought was innocent turns out to be the culprit.

But goodness, the mind games are incredibly twisted to the point that you find yourself saying “what in the world?” several times. But wait until you find yourself screaming at it “Believe her! Please, believe her!”

The way this is written isn’t like your regular fictional books either. It’s a mix of a screenplay and a novel. It made me want to pick up my screenplay writing again. I loved it!

This is such a good story, I read it in one day. I just couldn’t put it down. It was that good. Seriously, if you’re looking for something good to read, pick up this book. It will mess with your head but you won’t regret it. Trust me.

A fascinating psychological thriller ! I love this book and how the plot had so much subterfuge.!
This book kept me reading long into the night.
The book was told from the point of view of Claire, an actress who is broke from the UK. She is living in NY and desperate to make money so she takes on a job as a decoy and is to wait until one of the philandering husbands attempt to pick her up. She is employed by a law firm who is doing this scam with her on a thin line between what is legal and what is illegal. She is never to approach the men first, then the law firm has the evidence for the wife that the husband is cheating and was not "entrapped". Her job seems to be going along as planned then a crazy twist takes place after a murder.
One of the wives of one of the men turns up dead. The police believe it is the husband, or so that is what they tell Claire. She agrees to to see if she can get a confession . Or is Claire really the one being set up? She doubts the police and does not trust anyone involved. Claire realizes she is in danger of being the primary suspect and begins to follow leads herself to save herself . Who is after her and can she find out who the real suspect is in time? The plot twists kept turning and I was more intrigued at every chapter.
This was very well written. Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC which does not influence my review. This is one very compelling read. I look forward to further work by this author.

Believe Me by J.P. Delaney is a psychological thriller that brought out that side of me that argues with myself. My reaction while reading this one…. What?? Yes… well, no… yes… no way! Yeah, you get my point.

The book begins with Claire doing what she does to earn money, propositioning a man in a bar. But it’s not what one would think in any way, Claire works for a law firm going undercover to catch cheating spouses since acting jobs are hard to come by for someone without a green card.

Normally these jobs go very quickly for Claire, all she has to do is wait for the mark to approach her and flirt a bit all the while getting them on camera. But Claire is surprised when a mark doesn’t fall for her attempts but even more surprised when the wife is upset her husband didn’t cheat. What Claire never expected after the job was over was to find herself in the middle of a murder investigation.

This is one that I’m not sure if it would be for everyone as it is certainly different. They style the author chose was one that took a little getting used to. A lot of the conversations and such are in an interview type of format but since the story was intriguing I went along with the differences well enough. Once the twists in the book begin to happen my internal debate meter shot off the chart and it wasn’t as if you are thrown a whole pile of suspects but the psychological side showed in playing mind games with the reader. In the end I was glad I picked this one up as it certainly was an entertaining read.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This book had so many twists and turns in it! Just when I thought I knew what was going on, it spun a different way. I rate this book between a 3 and 4. There was a nod to Shades Of Gray, that I wasn’t expecting and not sure if that plot line was for me. However, the book kept me reading and I finished it in a couple of days!

This is the second book I have read by J.P. Delaney. The first book, The Girl Before, kept my interest because of the way it was written. I was hoping for something similar with this one. But I got something even better. The book was told from the point of view of Claire, an actress from the UK. She is living in NY, taking acting lessons and doing what she can to pay the bills. She takes on a job with a law firm. Her job is to be a decoy, for lack of a better word, and wait until one of the philandering husbands attempt to pick her up. She is never to approach the men first, the point is they approach her and then the law firm has the evidence for the wife that the husband is cheating and was not "entrapped". Things take a crazy turn for Claire when one of the wives of one of the men turns up dead. From here it is a cat and mouse game - did Claire kill the wife? She had opportunity. Did the husband do it? He had opportunity. Was it someone else entirely? The police believe it is the husband, or so that is what they tell Claire. She agrees to be interested in the husband to see if she can get a confession from him, but is that what the police want? Or is Claire really the one acting or being set up? From one moment to another I had no idea who was playing who - maybe the cops weren't who they said they were either? Oh my, I just kept reading and reading and reading and couldn't wait until the end.