One can’t live the good life with lies. Mystery, suspense, fear, deceit... When trust is gone, what is left?

I was granted access by netgalley.com to an ARC in exchange for an honest review. This book was hooked my in the first few pages, and I had a tough time putting it down! An eerie, murder mystery that I'll recommend to all lovers of psychological thrillers!

What if your whole life was based on a lie…would you even know?

Joe is happily married to his wife Mel and they have their amazing son, William. Joe is a part-time English teacher which allows him to spend a great deal of time with his son. Mel works as head of HR in a big company. Although some see Joe’s life as nothing special, he is happy. That is until William spots his mom’s car driving to a hotel when she is supposed to be a work. Joe decides to follow her. He sees her having an argument with the husband of her best friend. As he waits in the car for her to come out, Mel manages to leave without seeing him. As the friend comes out, Joe confronts him. A pushing match occurs and the friend falls and is knocked unconscious. From this point on Joe’s life will never be the same.

This is a great example of why psychological thrillers are so popular today. Joe’s life was disintegrating quickly and although Joe seemed a bit too naive for me, I was invested in his finding out the truth before he goes to jail for a crime he didn’t commit. This was a true page turner with twists and turns I never saw coming.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview LIES by T.M. Logan.

So I wasn't sure what to expect and I thought while reading the book I would be able to figure out what was going on. Now I wanted to know but at the same time I love to find out as I read. I kind of hate when I guess what is going to happen way before I get to it. And with this one, everything I had figured out or thought I had figured out was not anything that I thought it was. SOOOO in all it was a good read and I kept wanting to read to see if I could figure out what was going on. I couldn't put it down for that fact alone.

How it ended was good and satisfying for the most part I was really worried when I got further in and found out what was going on that I was going to be left unhappy with how things were going to turn out.

The whole time I was reading Lies, the only thing that kept popping into my head was, "This is so messed up and crazy!" Joe and Melissa have been married for many years and they have mutual friends in Beth and Ben. Joe doesn't much like Ben and the feeling is mutual. One night, Joe sees Melissa's car going somewhere she normally wouldn't have and he follows, seeing her at a hotel with Ben arguing. This leads to the craziest round of events I've read in a very long time! Joe is being set up by Ben, but he doesn't understand why. As he goes on a search for answers and his marriage is on the rocks, what he finds out is crazier than he could have imagined. I loved this book!

This was a fast and entertaining read. I liked the main character, Joe. I was interested in his struggles and never lost interest in his story. The author did a good job laying out the mystery and dropping clues. I did think Joe was pretty naive how he went about sleuthing, but considering he was a school teacher this may be realistic. I was very invested in how his cat and mouse game with Ben would play out and then the twist happened.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I don't think I like it though. It's why I only gave 3 stars. Like I said, I had become invested in the struggle between Joe and Ben and to see that not pay off left me feeling very meh. It brought the enjoyment level down significantly. Also, I would like to have known what became of certain characters at the end.

Over all it was a good book. Crisp writing with fleshed out characters. A nice way to pass the afternoon.

I just finished reading “Lies”. What a book, I’ll never look at Facebook (and my iPad) the same again. Every time I thought I knew what was going on, I was incorrect. There were so many plot twists it was hard to keep up, nor was I expecting that ending.

Thanks to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Lies is a well-paced thriller told from the perspective of Joe Lynch, an average, middle-class father who finds his world turned upside down when he makes a split decision to follow his wife's car to a parking garage. Seeds of doubt and jealousy are sown as he catches his wife in a (seemingly) compromising situation with her best friend's husband Ben, which soon leads to a game of cat and mouse, culminating to a plot twist that was truly startling.

The use of social media and cell phone technology heighten the tension, as Joe tries to sift the truth amid the lies and deception. The short chapters and first person narration give the story a sense of urgency and as the story unfolds, the reader is left questioning Joe's actions and his innocence. The revelations toward the end of the story were startling, and (strangely enough) rather relevant to (late 2018 US) current events - a twist that I should have spotted but didn't, given the structure and character perspective from which the story was told.

This would make for a good film - a variation of the "unreliable narrator" story that has social (and political) relevance.

WOW!! This is a gripping, heart pounding, can't put it down until you're finished thriller. From the beginning, I couldn't help but imagine how someone could get caught up in a similar situation. The ending was brilliant! Buy this book and shut off the world!

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.*

Lies is the first book by T.M. Logan that I've read. I enjoyed the writing style and was quickly engrossed in the fast-paced thriller.

It is the story of Joe Logan, an average London schoolteacher, father to 4-year-old William, and husband for nearly 10 years to Mel. The story opens with Joe & William in the car headed home when William spies a car that looks just like his mummy's. Joe sees the plate and realizes it IS her car so they quickly change lanes and follow her to a car park to surprise her. The carpark is underground at a hotel, and they miss catching her before she heads in so Joe runs up to see if he can find her. He spies her at a table having a heated discussion with the husband of one of her close friends. Something doesn't feel right to Joe, but he goes back to William in the carpark and waits for Mel to come down. She leaves in such a hurry that they don't' speak to her. But when the husband follows shortly after, Joe confronts him and it turns physical.

Joe's predictable, comfortable life quickly becomes utterly unrecognizable as events beyond his comprehension play out.

While not literary genius, Lies had plenty of plot twists and kept me guessing right up until the end. In the vein of B.A. Paris, I'd definitely recommend this one. I read it in two days!!

*With thanks to netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

During a normal drive home with his young son, Joe Lynch’s life suddenly comes crashing down on him. He spots his wife with another man. Joe can’t believe he’s eyes, but it soon becomes apparent that everything he ever believed in is nothing more than lies.

Things quickly unravel for Joe as his perfect family life is completely ripped apart. He is challenged every step of he way. All he know is that he will do whatever it takes to protect his son.

This book grabbed me from the first page. I didn’t want to put this one down. It was like a bag of potato chips - I just wanted to read one more chapter. I couldn’t stop at one more, though. This is exciting, edge-of-your-seat reading.

I don’t want to give too much away but this book shows you how things aren’t always as they seem. I thought I figured it all out before the end, but I was off. I had part of it, but I didn’t have the whole puzzle put together. When I got to the end, I was stunned by the big reveal.

The characters literally jump off the pages in this fast-paced thriller. The excitement never slowed down. I will be looking for more books by this author.

I received an ARC from Netgalley for a review. WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS BASED ON LIES? Lies is a fast paced thriller and the use of technology and social media definitely plays a role in the story. This is a debut novel from T.M. Logan. Lies is well-written, and the short chapters makes it a quick read. Lots of twists and turns, and a somewhat shocking end.

This book was Amazing!!! From the first chapter to the end, I was on the edge. The plot although simple in nature, isn't what you think. It is a plausible story. The entire time you are reading it, you think "This could really happen". I definitely recommend. T.M. Morgan will be on my radar from now on!

Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for a copy of the e-book in exchange for an unbiased review.

https://hockeysticksgripsandtrips.com/2018/10/10/book-review-lies-by-tm-logan/

Summary:

When Joe Lynch is driving his son home, his son insists his mother's car is in a parking lot of a hotel across the street. He looks closer and realizes that it is his wife's car. He drives into the hotel car parking lot and that's when his life changed...........

He witnesses her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben. Once his wife leaves, there is a confrontation between the men, and Ben is knocked unconscious. At this same time, Joe's young son has an asthma attack - and Joe must go home to get his inhaler.

When he returns, desperate to make sure Ben is okay Joe finds that Ben has disappeared.



Once he confronts his wife, the lies began to spiral out of control, and Joe's life with never be the same.

My thoughts:

If I wouldn't have looked at the cover, I would have thought this was a Harlan Coben novel. If you like Harlan Coben, you definitely will like this book!

It is fast paced and suspenseful. The twists and turns keep coming every single chapter. I had a feeling that the result that occurs was going to happen, but there were some twists I didn't see coming.

I gave this a 4/5 stars on Goodreads.

This book was sheer genius. With a chilling plot twist and the brilliantly interwoven message regarding the immense power of social media, Lies has propelled to my top ten favorites books of 2018.

I won this book both digitally and a physical copy. I really enjoyed it. This book had me drug in, and pages turning until I reached the end. It's been a while since a book has done that for me.

A roller coaster of a ride riddled with lies. Once you start reading you are hooked. Twists and turns and surprises are around every corner. Guaranteed to keep you up late at night.

FIRST SENTENCE: "My son's first word wasn't Daddy or Mummy. His first word was Audi."

THE STORY: Joe Lynch is happy with his life. He has a beautiful, loving wife and an adorable four year old son. As a teacher he can spend quality time with his child. It only takes one impulsive seemingly innocent decision to bring down his whole life.

WHAT I THOUGHT:Good writing, careful plotting, full of unexpected twists makes this a fun read.

BOTTOM LINE: If you like psychological thrillers, you will totally enjoy LIES. Just be sure to suspend disbelief since some details may seem a bit unrealistic.

Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (September 11, 2018)
ISBN-10: 9781250182265
ISBN-13: 978-1250182265

DISCLAIMER: I received a free e-copy of LIES by T.M. Logan from NetGalley/St. Martin's Press for my honest review.

This was such an excellent read! T.M. Logan did an astounding job with the story line and character development. I can't wait to purchase a few copies for my book loving friends!

3.5 Stars. So I read this in under 24 hours. I couldn't put it down. What a thrill ride! Until the very end. It's a very rare occasion for a thriller to surprise me in the end, and Lies failed to surprise me, as well. That's probably just me, though. For me it's more about the journey than the destination, anyway. This thriller was timely and relevant. It will have you doubting your friends, doubting your spouse, and deleting your Facebook account.

Let me just say this, I was hooked from the very first page. "Lies" takes readers on a crazy, psychological ride; the heart-pounding twists and turns don’t ever stop. I really liked that it was unpredictable; that is rare these days. If you like suspense, cop dramas, whodunits, and to be on the edge of your seat, you will love this book!