The Lies Married People Tell Each Other Can Lead to Murder

Joe Lynch is happy with his life. He’s an English teacher so his hours allow him to spend more time with his son, William, than his wife, Mel, who has a high pressure job. Then one afternoon Joe’s life swirls out of control

He’s stopped at a stoplight when William spots Mel’s car turning into a hotel. Spurred by William who wants to see his Mommy, Joe follows her into the parking garage of the hotel. There he witnesses his wife in a tense conversation with his friend, Ben. Ben is wealthier, handsomer, and smarter than Joe, who immediately leaps to the conclusion that Mel and Ben are having an affair. He confronts Ben and in the scuffle knocks him out. Angry with himself for losing his temper, he leaves Ben on the floor of the garage.

Realizing that Ben may be badly hurt, he goes back to the garage, but Ben has vanished, and now Joe is enmeshed in a murder investigation.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a page turner. The setup in the opening draws you in. You can’t help wanting Joe to be cleared. Although at times he appears clueless, he’s a sympathetic character. Mel is hard and seems quite selfish, but William is a great character. He provides some lightness in this dark story.

The writing is good, but after the opening, I felt the book dragged a bit as someone tries to set Joe up for murder. The ending is a surprising twist. It’s not hard to guess, but it does make a satisfying ending.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Today, the kindle version of Lies by T.M. Logan is hitting the market and the lies just keep coming. 

Joe Lynch is a happily married man. He has a beautiful wife, Mel, and an adorable son, Williams (Wills.) He loves his teaching job and enjoys the fact that he is one who does the primary care-giving for Wills. Until the fateful day when he follows his wife to a hotel. This one action sets into motion a downward spiral filled with lies, deceit, murder and mayhem. With each new revelation, the lies are compounded, changed and deepen the rabbit hole that Lynch has fallen into. 

Lies is a fast paced, heart pounding domestic thriller that, quite literally, had me on the edge of my seat - until it didn't. This debut novel begins strong, the story line is fascinating, but when the lies begin to pile up, the storyline begins to unravel to the point of in-believability. I understand that a lot of people in America believe lies - we see this every day with our government and politicians - but the sheer number of lies that this man swallows is ridiculous. The fact that any man would allow his wife to continue to change her story, apologize, re-tell the story with more lies, apologize, is simply unfathomable. There also is, once again, the fear-factor imbedded into the book regarding "social media." This theme, too, is growing old. I fear war. I fear a lot of political throw-back, but I'm not going to go down the path of living in fear of my computer. Put a piece of tape over your computer's camera and turn off your microphone. There - you're fine now. There also is a "twist" at the end. I love a good, surprising ending, but this twist? Give me a break. One would have to suspend all believability, ALL, to get past this twist. I'm not the type of reader who can. 

I'm giving the book 2.5 rounded up to 3 stars because the beginning of the book was interesting. The fact that it invoked emotions from me until about 75% of the way through the book illustrates that Logan has potential as a writer. However.... unless you just need something to pass the time in a waiting room, this isn't a book that I would read.

Lies is a brilliant and thrilling debut! Complete with a tangle of lies with a shocking conclusion!

Joe Lynch thought he had a nice, comfortable life. He's happily married to his beautiful wife and soul mate, Mel. Their young son, William, is a happy and healthy little boy. His family is the most important thing in the world to him. He thinks he has the perfect life.
He was wrong.

Joe soon discovers that the barb of his wife's betrayal is just the beginning of what he's about to face in the following days to come.
Like Humpty Dumpty, Joe's shattered life can never be put together again.

******

Lies by T.M. Logan starts out with a shocking event right out of the gate, expertly grabbing my attention and holding it all the way to the end! The characters are well thought out and engaging and the storyline is fast paced, thrilling, and fraught with twists and turns that caught me unawares all the way through. And the conclusion?? Surely you don't really think I'm going to give it away, did you? All I'll say is that this is a brilliant novel and I have no reservations in highly recommending it! This is the first novel I've read by Mr. Logan and it won't be the last! I've already got my sites on another of his novels, 29 Seconds!

**With thanks to NetGalley, St. Martin's Press, and Mr. T.M. Logan for giving me an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

He saw his wife's unexpectedly on his commute home, turned to follow her so his son could show off his school award, and set into motion a chain events that would threaten everything he believed to be true...

An interesting twist on the so popular "domestic thriller", our protagonist - who is definitely quite a sympathetic character - faces not only accusations of a terrible crime, but also questions about his entire marriage. You do feel quite sorry for him from the beginning through the very end; though he eventually does stand up and have a bit of a backbone later in the book. While I did sympathize with him early on, I didn't necessarily like him - he seemed weak and passive, and far too forgiving.

The highlight for me in this tale was the fascinating use of technology as a weapon. Part of the story is told through text messages, computer code, and social media, which I don't think has been done at this length before. It was especially interesting to see how the police used the technology that worked against our protagonist to paint a rather incriminating picture...which really, isn't that the most frightening thing many of us can think of? Our own technology working against us, so that only we know what we believe to be true?

The end was definitely an unexpected surprise, though I'm not sure it satisfied me. It felt a bit contrived, and I really didn't understand or believe the motivations of some of the characters involved in the conclusion. For me to be more invested in the ending, I really would have liked some elements of it fleshed out more throughout the story; then I think it would've been more believable.

Overall, I'd recommend! I think it is a fresh twist on a popular genre. 4.5 stars for sure; would be 5 if I was a little more invested in the ending.

Twisted, dark, heart-wrenching, deceptive, distorted fun—do not start this book if you don’t have time to stay up late into the night reading it! It is that hard to put down! When we began this read, I thought it would be a good old-fashioned domestic noir novel. But it blew my expectations out of the water. My mind thought of dozens of scenarios, but not a single one I thought of was THAT twist! I loved it!

About the Book

Joe Lynch is driving his son William home when they spot a car that looks just like mum’s. It is the same make, the same color, and has the same sponge-bob window shade as mum’s car. It has the same license plate as mum’s car… Just as Joe and William realize it is Joe’s wife Mel driving, it pulls off the road into a parking garage.

Joe and William follow Mel into the garage. And then things become stranger. The garage is attached to a hotel, and Mel is nowhere in sight near her car. Following her path inside, Joe and William finally spot her talking to their friend Ben. But something about the conversation seems off… Why are they in a hotel? And why do both Ben and Mel look so upset? Joe knows that he has brought his son into a moment he shouldn’t have.

Back in the garage, Mel rushes out upset and Joe decides to confront Ben. And then things go from bad to worse. In the midst of a confrontation, Ben hits Joe and Joe pushes him back. Ben falls to the ground and doesn’t get back up. William begins to have an asthma attack, and Joe makes a split second decision that will change his life—he leaves Ben where he is and rushes his son home.

He tries to go back to look for Ben, but Ben and his car are nowhere in sight. And then the nightmare begins… Someone is watching Joe and taunting him with the truth. But how can Joe believe the truth, when he learns everything he knew was based on lies?

Reflection

The concept of lies and lying is an interesting one to ponder. How do we know if someone is lying to us? I find that most of us think we would know if someone close to us is lying. We can read them, read their tics, know their tells. The problem is, we often don’t recognize when we are being lied to by our closest confidants, because we don’t want to believe they are lying. Once you know someone’s lies, will you ever see them the same again?

Joe is an incredible character. He has so much love to give and such a pure heart. Even when faced with a mountain of lies, Joe wants to believe the best in Mel. Joe is almost too good for the outside world. He always tries to do what is right. When he lies, it is because he truly thinks he is protecting someone he loves. And this pureness of heart is exactly why Joe can be lied to so easily.

I absolutely loved Joe as a father. For everything that frustrated me about him as a husband (seriously, Joe, she is in a hotel with another man in the middle of the work day!), Joe redeemed himself as a friend and as a father. Joe is truly one of the good ones. Believing others can change, and believing that if you act with goodness, the truth will prevail.

Of course, I wouldn’t have called this book dark, twisted, and disturbing if it didn’t have some absolutely mind-blowing twists! But here we are! This book managed to shock, delight, and amaze this thriller-lover with every single turn in the plot. I am beyond excited to have discovered this author, and now I’m even more excited to learn that he has another book out! I hope you all love this one as much as I did!

Poor Joe Lynch is 'clueless in London.' He thinks he has the perfect life until it all comes crashing down around his ears. It begins with the spotting of his wife's car as it turns into the parking garage of a local hotel...

This new thriller certainly makes for some compulsive reading. Can Joe figure out what's really going on before he is arrested by the police?

The book also examines the role of social media in our lives, how that can be hacked and manipulated, our movements traced by cell phone usage, our private lives destroyed.

I received an arc of this book from the publisher via NetGalley for an honest review. Many thanks for the opportunity.

4.5 stars
Release date 9/11/18 (Today’s the day!!)
MacMillan Publishers USA

A riveting debut novel that will do very well in the genre. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for my digital ARC to read and review. Loved it.

Wow, what an intense experience this was. Totally held me captive for 3 days, hating to put it down. The main character Joe Lynch is a truly likable dad of a 4-yr old boy, and a devoted husband. This opens when the boy and his dad are in their car coming home from pre-school when the boy, Will, spots his mummy's car in another lane and convinces Joe to follow her to show her an award he received at school. What transpires will change everyone lives. Totally twisty, and a compulsive page turner. My heart broke over and over for Joe Lynch. Things just kept going from bad to worse for the poor guy. All he wanted to do was protect his family. I loved the current technology used with cell phones and computers to help Joe figure it all out.

Almost a five-star novel. I deduct a half-star for the end, which I can't spoil here. The reader doesn't see it coming, who the guilty is, and that's a good thing, but it just seems to me that current politically correct situations are exploited in many novels I've read lately. It rubs me the wrong way. Suffice to say my reaction to the ending did not spoil the read. I would have liked more details to the resolution at the end, but the epilogue vaguely puts it all in place. Loved it and happy to recommend it to fans of thrillers and psychological suspense.



https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2384699932

Lies by TM Logan provides a gripping start and is fast paced throughout.

Joe Lynch, a family man, spots his wife on the way home from picking up their son. He makes a decision to follow her to surprise her. Instead his life turns upside down very quickly. Suddenly, Joe is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and he’s out to prove his innocence. He can’t trust anyone. He makes some pretty naive moves while trying to prove himself, but I think that just proves how innocent his character is never having a run in with the law before.

Great read! Fast-paced! Perfect way to spend a weekend. Warning: you won’t want to put it down. Looking forward to more from this author. Many thanks to Netgalley and St. Martin’s Press for this ARC.

Ok, wow. That was a bit of a roller coaster, and I don’t know what to think. Misdirection the whole way through, even though the storyline has been done to death it still felt fresh and new. And now my mind is reeling in the aftermath of it all.

I’ve only recently got into mystery thriller and it’s books like this that made me glad I decided to tip my toe in the pool. It had its moments where it felt a bit over the top and I admit the ending felt a bit rush, kinda felt like the villain monologue from a Bond movie. But at the end of it all, none of that matter because this was a damn good book.

3.5 ⭐️s for T.M. Logan's Lies!

This psychological thriller had an intense start and definitely pulled me in right away. Joseph Lynch is innocently driving home when his son spots his wife's car on the road. He decides to follow her at his son's request to "surprise mommy". Little did he know that based on that one spontaneous decision he was unwittingly in for a life altering surprise.

While the premise of the book was interesting, it is also one that has been done many times over so I was looking for it to stand out in some way. Unfortunately, I had most of the "lies" figured out early on. There was one twist that I hadn't anticipated until the end and that definitely redeemed things a bit for me. Hence the 3.5 versus 3 stars rating. I do enjoy having the wool pulled over my eyes in any way possible! When you read thrillers as often as I do, this becomes increasing harder to experience so any little unforeseen twist is very welcome.

All in all, this was a quick and enjoyable page-turner. It's not one I'll remember for long to come but it was definitely fun while I read it.

This one had me from the first page! I love psychological thrillers and this one did not disappoint.

When Joe sees his wife pull in to a hotel parking lot, his life changes forever. What if his son did not see her? What if he just kept driving? What if....what if....what if..... This one had me guessing. Just when I thought I had figured it out, I found out i was wrong. And i definitely didn't see the ending coming!

How do you describe a life when it's been based on lies almost from the beginning? Joe thought that he had the perfect life until he was implicated in a diabolical plot. I received a free copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through Netgallery. This is my honest and voluntarily given review. This is a book that kept me reading until the end of the book. Even though I found Joe naive, I don't know if I would have handed things differently. Social media and technology accelerates what happens to Joe. It's horrifying how it can affect events. I recommend this intense thriller.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
Get ready to read all night with this page turner, and just when you think you know - you will be surprised with the ending
Joe picks up his son from school and on the way home notices his wife's car at a motel -
Then the lies start - and how do you tell what is real and what is a lie.
You will want to grab this book!

This is the story of a man who accidentally stumbles across his wife meeting a man at a hotel because of one choice to follow her after their son spots her car as they are driving home from school. It was meant to be a surprise to the wife, but the man is the one that ends up surprised, and confused until the very end!

I loved this book. This was my first T.M. Logan read, but it definitely won't be my last! I didn't want to put it down after the first page! The story was well written, and it was pleasant to read. I hate choppy writing, where it feels like the author is just throwing words at the page. This was definitely not that type of writing! The story was interesting, and I definitely didn't see the ending coming. I knew there was more to it than what was told in the beginning, but I couldn't quite figure out exactly what I was missing!

Thank you NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for my advanced copy!

Lies is a suspense-filled thriller
Joe is a faithful husband, loving father, an outstanding pillar of the community - until he isn't

One quick detour in the name of love is about to turn his perfect world upside down.

This is an even paced read that has a couple intense OMG moments as well as some little surprises here and there - kept me engaged from the opening scene to the final scene. I really enjoyed how the author brought to light the darker aspect of today's social media and how intensely it can impact our daily lives.
The storyline, for the most part, flows well - a couple scenes IMO needed a touch more background or detail to them - there were lots of breadcrumb trails to keep me guessing and divert my attention from the truth - nice spin by the way
I did have problems connecting with Joe's character. He is portrayed as your typical guy next door - nothing special about him - not rich- not overly intelligent - though it is brought to our attention that he is physically fit (these seems to play a small part in the plot). There were a couple times I wanted to knock some sense into him and others I wanted to loan him my spine.
I enjoyed the secondary and supporting characters - They did an acceptable job of supporting the storyline but I felt they needed a bit more background - at times they were lacking
#Lies #NetGalley

Lies. They're everywhere, especially in the life of Joe Lynch. Joe is truly one of the good guys. He loves his wife, dotes on his son, is perfectly happy in his teaching position - as far as he's concerned, everything is as it should be. Then one afternoon changes everything and Joe is on the wrong end of a twisted game of cat and mouse.
Poor Joe can't catch a break and every time he thinks he's making some headway, he's hit with something else, and there's no one he can trust. In fact, the story is filled with unreliable characters and no one is beyond suspicion. I did figure out the ending, in part, but I certainly didn't piece together the other part of it. There's also another interesting little tidbit that adds to the edge of your seat conclusion.
The story is fast paced and the twists keep coming for our unwilling hero. There are some things that stretch the believability scale, but this is fiction, so some leeway can be given and it's not completely over the top. All in all, Lies is a solid debut from the author and I'll be interested to see what he comes up with next.

T.M. Logan’s Lies is an exciting psychological thriller that will take you on the ride of your life. It follows English teacher Joe Lynch, a loving father and devoted husband who makes what turns out to be a life altering decision – to follow his wife’s car when he happens to see her pulling into a hotel parking garage. That one decision sets off a chain reaction of events, including a fight with a family friend named Ben who subsequently goes missing, that turns Joe’s entire life upside down and threatens his career, his family, and even his freedom.

Joe was a pretty likeable protagonist. He’s a bit naïve at times, but I could easily see myself falling for some of the same things he did so, in that sense, I found him easy to relate to. He’s also a great dad. Watching him interact with his young son really made me all the more sympathetic to him. He’s a man who definitely cares about his family above all else.

Lies is an easy read that I binge read in a couple of sittings. It’s fast-paced and filled with plenty of twists and turns both for Joe and the reader. The author also effectively builds up suspense with the missing family friend, by way of an active police investigation and also with mysterious messages that Joe starts receiving – messages that threaten to take everything away from him. Lies also features a messy, and at least for me, totally unexpected, jaw dropping ending. Kudos to T.M. Logan for keeping me guessing all the way to the end. 4 STARS

Everyone Lies in this fast-paced rollercoaster ride of a thriller.

Joe and Mel have an ideal life. Happily married for almost ten years with a perfect young son, William. When Joe and William see Mel turn into a hotel garage, they follow. Joe sees her sitting in the hotel restaurant with her best friend’s upset husband, Ben.

Fearing the worst, Joe waits with William in their car for Mel to emerge. However, she drives away so quickly that Joe misses her. Instead he attempts to talk to Ben. Ben, still angry, pushes the larger Joe against the car. When Joe pushes Ben back, he stumbles and falls unconscious to the ground. Because William has come to see what is taking his Dad so long, he sees the blood seeping from Ben’s ear, which triggers an asthma attack. When Ben rushes back to the car, he can’t find an inhaler and so rushes home to get one.

Mel gives Joe an explanation of a freelance work project for Ben. Joe believes her. Joe decides to return to the hotel to ensure Ben is safe. Both Ben and his car are gone. However, Joe realizes so are his distinct leather bracelet and cell phone. When Joe’s Facebook is hacked, he suspects alpha male Ben. He changes his password, turns off the cell phone and assumes the problem is fixed.

The next day, Ben’s wife, Beth, comes to warn Mel and Joe that Ben came home late the previous night drunk, furious at Joe and vowing revenge. And he took one of the couple’s guns. So starts this mile-a-minute thrill ride.

I tore through Lies as fast as possible because I adored all the quick twists and turns. It’s a great read that is highly recommended to Gone Girl fans. 4 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an advance copy.

This story will have you guessing all throughout the book with all the twists and turns to the surprise ending. It was a fun read that made you try to figure out why Joe was being lied to and manipulated during the entire book. I would like to read more from this author.

The beginning of this book is intriguing and I had hope the rest of the book would be as spell-binding but unfortunately I was less than thrilled. A great deal of the action/plot revolves around modern technology and the use of social media. I am not a person who posts every single second of my life online and grow easily frustrated by people who do.
Ben, our first person narrator, has made his social media bed and now must deal with the distressing consequences of that bed being hijacked and used to manipulate his life. Our technology has come back to bite him in the buttocks. I had very little sympathy for him and even less empathy.