Thank you Net Galley for a ARC in return for my honest review.
I wasn't sure what to "believe" when reading Believe me. Claire is a struggling actress (is there any other kind? :0)
and she puts her skills to use acting as a decoy for a law firm. She basically is a temptress who follows the orders of wives to try and pick up their husbands. (I swear this was a movie with Kiefer Sutherland and Rebecca De Mornay) One of those wives though ends up dead. Thus starts the twists and turns. This book is a complete mind game and I am still thinking about it to this day!
A HUGE thank you to Random House Publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I read JP Delaney's The Girl Before and really enjoyed its taut suspense, but Believe Me shows the author's talent is growing in leaps and bounds.

Pseudonymous author JP Delaney (aka, British writer Tony Strong) shares in the Acknowledgements that he previously published a similar novel years ago (The Decoy), but never felt he did the plot justice. In this second go-round, the story is nothing short of amazing.

Most thrillers on the shelves right now pride themselves on a single grand twist of the plot. Believe Me folds over and in on itself so many times it's the literary equivalent of origami. As a reader who constantly fusses that I know the ending halfway into a book, I was delighted to see there was simply no way to guess where even the next chapter would lead.

I loved the way Delaney works the plot around Baudelaire's poetry. And I honestly felt conflicted as the characters continued to ask questions about the way art impacts society. What happens when art and media inspire people to desperate acts? Who is more terrifying—the author who creates works of horror or the reader who voyeuristically enjoys them?

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not sure what to say about this book. The premise was completely unrealistic. But it was so well-written, I liked it anyway.

Claire Wright is an aspiring actress who hasn't found her big break. While going to acting classes she makes money by ensnaring straying husbands, all on video, for a law firm. It doesn't pay much but it helps her survive.
One night she meets a wife who suspects her husband of cheating and when Claire tries to trap him he doesn't take the bait. That night the wife ends up dead, and Claire is the prime suspect. Or is she?
Putting her acting skills to use, the FBI uses her to get close to the husband whom they suspect maybe a serial killer. And so starts a cat and mouse game between the FBI, Claire and the husband.
I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea where it was headed and the ending took me by surprise. Great twists and turns!

The title of the book asks the reader to “Believe me,” but until you finish the last page, you won’t know what to believe. The premise is fresh, except it’s not. An actress gets a side hack working for a law firm, collecting proof that husbands are cheating on their wives. When her perfect success rate is broken, and coincidentally, someone is found dead in a hotel room she’s a suspect. Until she’s not. Or is she? Until she’s working for the police to entrap the killer. Or is she?
This could go on, and it could be poorly done, but JP Delaney has done it very well. This book kept me guessing throughout, and honestly, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it last night. I keep playing scenes in my mind, asking if she was acting, or being herself, and where did those lines blur. There are a couple of “that couldn’t really happen” moments, so if those throw you off, be prepared. Personally, I’m know I’m reading fiction and I’m OK with those moments.
I loved “The Girl Before” and I love this book too, and I’m not even going to try to compare the two because it wouldn’t be fair to either.

The book starts a little slow and you wonder where it’s going but a few pages in and you will find it hard to put down. Claire is intriguing and the books presents with somewhat of an unreliable narrator. The plot twists are not predictable and make you keep wondering right till the end. This book is well written, the characters are well developed and story is captivating. All in all it’s worth every minute you spend on it.

I am so thankful to Netgalley for the chance to read and review "Believe Me". As soon as I saw the author's name I was instantly hopeful, as I really enjoyed "The Girl Before". This was certainly no less enjoyable. I consumed the book easily in a couple days.

It took a few chapters before I was pulled in by the characters, mainly Claire initially and her acting class exercises intrigued me, but once I was drawn in there was no putting the book down. The twists, turns and mind games kept me guessing throughout, and until the very end. Everything about this book worked, the characters, the plot, and it will keep you guessing. While the book does delve into the darker side of human nature, it did not feel too heavy or too dark to me, nothing more than an episode of Criminal Minds in book form.

2.5 stars.

This book threw me for a loop. I found it pretty unbelievable, honestly. Not to say it wasn't mildly entertaining but it wasn't a favorite. The characters were unlikable, there was perverse imagery, and it was confusing.. The story was so far out there that there were times I found it humorous. Poet Charles Baudelaire's works feature prominently throughout the whole book, but from what I read of his poems, I am not a fan (think S&M, serial killers, etc.)

J.P. Delaney has another hit with "Believe Me". I loved "The Girl Before" and this one is at least it's equal. Spellbinding is too tame for this twisty, turny novel. If you like a mystery that will keep you guessing until the final chapter, this is the book for you. I can see this becoming a hit movie as well.

Buckle your seatbelt it is one hell of a ride. This book is delightfully sick, sadistic, perverted and twisted.
I love author JP Delaney. Delaney is a master at writing a book that is unpredictable and unique. His plots are full of twist and turns keeping the reader interested.
Loved the first book, The Girl Before and this most current book is also great.

Claire is a struggling actress looking to make some money so she can continue working on her acting skills and work on getting her green card. Claire uses her acting skills as a decoy for a law firm. All Claire has to do is follow the requests of the wife, meet with the husband, see if he tries to pick her up and then she gets her cash. One night she is sent to see if Patrick will fall for her and try to sleep with her, he does not. Hours later, his wife ends up murdered. Now comes the mystery of who killed Stella? Clair is questioned by the police and is then asked to assist them in finding out who the killer is. Patrick is the prime suspect and Claire is more than up for the challenge of working her acting skills to try to get inside his head and make him say something that will reveal his guilt. The problem is, Claire and the police did not anticipate a love interest to develop. Is Claire seeing the real Patrick or is she seeing Patrick with rose colored lenses? Did Claire have more to do with the murder than we first thought? Are Patrick and Claire really in love? What a mind game this book is! I am a massive JP Delaney fan after this one!!

Thank you to Random House Publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I loved this book! I thought I was going to have it figured out, but I didn’t. The ending ended up shocking me, which is hard to do. What a unique story, I loved it.

I was very underwhelmed by J.P. Delaney's previous novel, The Girl Before, but maybe it helped me manage my expectations. Believe Me is, in tone and style, not dissimilar to his prior book, but I am found it to be a little more clever and more twisty. Claire is an enigmatic character, and I never knew whether anything she said could be trusted, but I often like books with unreliable narrators, so I didn't mind this much. It did feel a little stagey, but given the fact that Claire was an actress, this may well have been strategic on the author's part. All in all, a gripping and satisfying holiday read.

This book, about Claire, an actress hired to catch man who killed his wife, caught me right from the start. Claire obviously has some mental health issues and the book shows her sense of alternating realities. Did he really do it – or did Claire? The end was a little bit of a letdown because there were some parts that I doubt the police would have allowed, but all in all this was an excellent book and one I will definitely recommend.

Believe me follows Claire, a British citizen looking for a greencard. She is an actress trying to make a name for herself in America. However, she has a hard time finding work. She finds a position as a decoy for divorce lawyers, trying to trap cheating husbands. Then one of the clients ends up dead and she is forced to work with the cops to help find the killer.

Believe Me is a complex thriller that had me going in a lot of different directions.... Claire was a captivating character. You could sympathize with her situation, though she made some very questionable decisions. I'm still not sure what to think of the ending! It's definitely got some sexy scenes as well, which were storyline driven.

I enjoyed this author's previous work and will definitely read again!

In the mood for twists and turns? This unreliable narrator will keep you guessing until the very end.

Claire, a struggling actress, is finding it difficult to get stable work in the U.S. without her green card. She illegally relocated, after an affair with a married co-worker ended badly. To make extra money, Claire does undercover work for a law firm that specializes in exposing unfaithful husbands to their wives. Claire just has to play her role and trap them in the act, something she is exceptionally good at. When a woman is violently murdered, the police suspect the clients husband Patrick, a charming and handsome academic. They enlist Claire's help to gain his trust and stop him before he can kill again...but this starring role might just be Claire's final act.

All the stars for this novel! J.P. Delaney delivers another exceptional read with the release of his second novel. Believe Me, is a psychological thriller in which a serial killer is utilizing Charles Baudelaire's dark and erotic poetry to act out his darkest desires. Claire agrees to play a role as victim in hopes of trapping a killer. This book had me hooked from the very first chapter and I did not want to put it down. This is an intricately woven tale in which everyone has secrets and may not be who you think they are. Be aware there is some material that may not appeal to every reader including violent murder, and some sexual material including sadomasochism and bondage. I felt the author did a great job incorporating the material in an appropriate way that was relevant to the context of the storyline. I absolutely loved this novel and highly recommend it for fans of dark psychological thrillers.

I was given an ARC of Believe Me from Net Galley in exchange for a honest review. Honestly, this book was very good. I almost read the book in one sitting. JO Delaney’s characters are so well developed. The story line is great. For fear of sending out spoilers, I do not want to go into details. All I will say is you keep changing your thoughts about the story and characters until the end and even then you still haven’t made up your mind. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Net Galley.

Rarely do I find a thriller that actually "thrills" me a engages me to the end, but this book did that!
As a former drama club member I enjoyed the way the story was told incorporating scene and stage directions; it made it very easy to visualize.
Claire, the protagonist of Believe Me is not in a word; believable. She's an English actress trying to make it in NYC who will do whatever it takes to finish her acting classes, get stage roles and get her green card. She's the definition of unreliable narrator as she goes undercover to help solve a murder and possibly catch a serial killer. I didn't like Claire, but I found myself intrigued by her and so I kept reading and I'm glad I did. Twists abound and I liked the way the author incorporated snippets of Charles Baudelaire's poems into the story too.

The only downside was the plot got a bit convoluted at parts.
4.5 stars, good strong female characters, made me think and had some brutal murder.

I enjoyed J.P. Delaney’s The Girl Before and appreciate the opportunity to read and review Believe Me. I love the writing style of this plot; the lead character Claire sees every action in her daily life as a movie, so various occasions in her day read exactly like a script. Claire is a struggling actress who doesn’t have her green card, so she takes quick cash jobs acting as a call girl in order to frame potentially cheating spouses.
One particularly unusual job involves a calm and collected man whose wife is determined to catch him cheating. There’s a murder and Claire finds herself playing the lead role of suspect. Lines blur between fact and fiction, real and acting, so the book keeps your attention and you never quite figure out exactly what’s going on. The ending left me flailing a bit, but I imagine I wasn’t following the breadcrumbs enough to pick up on the hints that led up to it.
All in all, I enjoyed this book and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to Ballantine Books and NetGalley for making it available.)