3.5 stars.

This book started off with a powerful punch and I was drawn in immediately. About midway through however, I found my attention drifting. I also got frustrated with Joe at times with his not-so-great decision making! Additionally, I didn't find the ending particularly plausible.

Not a bad read by any means but not the best thriller, especially given its particularly strong start.

I thought this book was very well done for a debut novel.

So this is basically about an average guy named Joe who is a High School teacher. One day he was with his son out for a drive and his son starts spouting out different types of cars. Then he says something like theirs Mums car but Joe thinks he just means a car that looks like his Mums car but nope it was actually her car. He decides to follow her because she was suppose to be at Tennis, but instead she is meeting her best friends husband, Ben, in a hotel parking lot. So of course all sorts of things are going through Joes mind. He witnesses them getting into a huge argument and he doesn't like how Ben is treating her so he decides to go and have it out with Ben. In the scuffle he ends up hitting him and he hits the pavement hard and is knocked out. Joe is worried he might have really hurt him but then Will, his son starts having an asthma attack and he can't find his inhaler so he leaves Ben to go home real quick and get the other inhaler. When Joe comes back Ben is gone and this starts a downward spiral for Joe and his life gets basically turned upside down.

Someone starts messing with Joe, taunting him on facebook, and posting pictures of the scene. Joe isn't sure if it's Ben but if it is why is he doing these things and then he finds out some other things and well I just don't feel like I can say more with spoiling things.

I thought the book was very fast paced and the writing was very easy to read. Even though I thought it was a tad to long at 419 pages it still felt like I was reading it really fast. I am not a fast reader so someone who can down a book in a day would have no problems with this even though it is a longer book. There was times that I thought it was a bit repetitive but even with that I still wanted to keep turning the page to find out what else was going to happen to poor Joe.

I really liked Joe and felt sorry for him but at times I also thought he was trying to trust the system a little too much and I was like stop telling the police these things it's making you look bad!! Joe knows he didn't do anything and he thinks Ben is the one taunting him but the police are seeing things in a different light because Ben is missing. So I am not ashamed to say I yelled at Joe from time to time...lol.

I am usually hit or miss with thrillers so I didn't know how this one was going to go but I really enjoyed it. I had guessed most of the twist and things that was happening but it still managed to throw one over one me that I didn't see coming which made this a really good read.

I would recommend this to anyone who loves thrillers and can't wait to see what else this author might come up with.

“It's a Mummy car. Look, Daddy! Good spot, matey... It does look like Mummy's car. I squinted, trying to make out the [license plate]. It was her car. The VW turned into a Premier Inn. Can we see Mummy? Can we, can we, can we? I made a spur-of-the-moment decision that would change my life. Let's go surprise, Mummy.”

What's cuter than a dad and a four-year-old playing car bingo? A kid with his first School Superstar "cerstiff-a kit". Little Wills spots his mother's car in traffic and his intense need to share his pride with his mother melts his father's heart. They track her car into an underground hotel parking garage and bolt upstairs to greet her. Joe comes to a skidding stop when he spots Mel (Mellisa) in the hotel lobby in a heated argument with Ben Delaney, a neighbor. Ben was screaming at her. Joe quickly frog-marches Wills back to the car to wait for Mel.

Mel swiftly exits the elevator and never sees them before leaving quickly in her car. Once more the elevator door opens and Ben walks out. When Joe begins to ask about Mel, Ben becomes violent. Refusing to fight the smaller man, Joe gives him a little shove to put space between them, causing Ben to trip over his briefcase and landing on his head on the concrete floor unresponsive with blood trickling out of his ear.

The stress induces a Richter scale asthma attack in Wills. The spare inhaler is not in the car and Wills is in trouble. The two crises force Joe to make a decision - get help for Ben or get help for Wills. Wills wins but Joe does return to find Ben and his car gone along with Joe's cellphone that he had dropped in the altercation.
With Ben gone, Joe is left to puzzle out the conversation that flipped out Ben. Joe had been pressing Ben about Mel when suddenly Ben shouted, "Just leave it! You have no idea! You're so f***ing dense that you haven't seen it, have you?" Just before he fell.

As Joe seeks answers, his warm and fuzzy world begins to fall apart. Ben is nowhere to be found but Joe knows he is alive; he gets regularly cell phone and Facebook messages from him.
Beth, Mel's best friend and Ben's wife files a missing person report. The search for Ben gets darker and darker as evidence points to foul play and seems to implicate Joe. On the other side of the equation, Ben's messages to Joe get more and more taunting and sinister. I am going to destroy you! Mel finally admits she had an affair.

All efforts to verify Joe's claims that Ben has been in contact him are traced back to Joe's online accounts.
Joe realizes his only way out of this miasma is to find Ben. Against the advice of his newly hired attorney, Joe begins his own private search to clear his name and to save his family. What he finds confirms what Ben had told him - "You had no idea. You never saw it, did you?"

Thoughts
I love debut authors and I don't expect them to rage out of the gate with a blockbuster bestseller. It happens. Not this time. Lies is a easy read, somewhat predicable, and contains elements of mystery and surprise at the end. I found it entertaining and kept my interest. Joe was patently naive and gullible; I think the author was striving for devoted and loyal. Mel, from the beginning, was more worldly and adventurous dusted with a sly and devious capacity to snow Joe. Little Wills was adorable.

Good read for a slow day or long car ride; guaranteed not to make you homicidal.
ARC provided by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion and review.

This was unputdownable!! I hadn't read a book this intense in awhile, and it was very well done overall. There were a few weaker parts but I for sure did not figure out what was going on, although I had a few little hunches. Quite a fast-paced ride and highly recommended if you enjoy the psychological thriller genre and not quite knowing who is telling the truth.

Will Joe regret following his wife Mel's car hoping, at the urging of their son William, to surprise her? You betcha. This decision and Joe's subsequent unwise physical confrontation of Ben, who was (ahem) a family friend, unrolls a whole pack of lies. This one reads very quickly in the beginning - really rolls you in- and then slows a bit. It's well written and plot driven so perfect for travel. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers for the twists- you'll have to read it for yourself.

One lie upon another builds the suspense in this book. T. M. Logan did a great job of keeping the reader wondering which of those lies was hiding the truth right up until the unexpected ending.

Some people are just too trusting. They try to see the good and forgive them they get burned again. That's exactly the case here.
Once Kipling's wife cheated on him it seemed like maaaaaybe he should try forgiving while keeping one eye open and on her a lot more. Bless his heart, it went from bad to worse.

YAWN

Psychological thriller about a man who makes a spur of the moment decision that destroys his seemingly happy life in an instant.

While driving home with his young son, Joe Lynch spies his wife’s Melisa’s car turn into a hotel parking lot. He makes the decision to follow her--a decision he will come to regret. What happens next results in Joe being framed for a terrible crime. As Joe fights to prove his innocence, he comes to realize his happily ever after has been built on lies. A boring game of cat and mouse ensues.

I figured out rather early on what was really going on, which turned this into a boring reading experience. I kept on reading in the hopes that I was wrong but sadly discovered that I was right. I don't have much to say about this book--it was a bit of a frustrating reading experience. There are some elements of cheesiness that I just couldn’t get past. While I felt for Joe, I was also super-frustrated by his inability to see what was happening right before his eyes.

All in all Lies has an interesting premise, but I could never fully buy into the characters or the events of the novel.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know why I keep falling for the phrase gripping new psychological thriller. Rarely is it actually gripping. It's a sad day when my favorite character is the small child in the story. None of the characters were likeable which I suppose was part of the plot point since we don't know who to trust. The twist was actually surprising so I'll give the book credit for that but overall, snoozetown. The book built up and built up and became more and more predictable, then surprised me, then back to predictable town. I'd love a psych thriller that is actually gripping. This one missed the mark.

Wow what a rush! Twisty & turny in all the right ways, leaving you constantly wondering which way is up. For once I was nowhere near guessing the startling ending which is always a breath of fresh air. Compulsively readable!!

Joe is a loving husband and father: a grade school teacher, steady eddie type who doesn’t enjoy conflict. I feel he was rather frustrating in that he never gets mad enough (you will see what I mean). He and his son are driving home when they spot his wife’s car (Mel, who is supposed to be at work) pulling into a hotel. They of course follow her to surprise her. There he finds Mel meeting up with her best friend’s husband, Ben; who is in a mad state. After a scuffle with Joe, Ben goes missing. Guess who is the suspect?

It is a wild ride – love or hate the ending – its one that suspense fans will likely enjoy.

The book may seem big at 422 pages, but the chapters are super quick and move swiftly from one to the next. I read the last 60% of this book in one day- in a few hours – it’s one of those reads. You will be like “what the heck is going on here?!” You may think you know but you will certainly not. I could not have predicted that ending; nope, not even close. For those reasons I had to give it a 4. Did I love the ending? Well…I didn’t hate it; it certainly left me speechless. I am looking forward to discussing it with other readers, so go get it and circle back with me when you are done!

UK followers: this book is available now (you don’t have to wait until next week!) and branded as “The sensational #1 bestselling psychological thriller.”

US followers: the first 8 chapters are free on kindle. Give it a whirl to see if you vibe with it.

I received an arc of this book from St. Martin’s Press & NetGalley for my honest review.

Joe has a wonderful life- amazing wife and son and he’s really happy with his job. Then one day when driving with his son he sees his wife drive into a hotel- and decides to surprise her. What comes next is an unravelling of life as he knew it. Great twists and turns throughout, and the ending was a complete surprise! Great read.

I really struggled to get into this book. Could it be that I prefer books where the main character is a female? Perhaps.. While all of my book friends on Facebook have been raving about this book, I'm just not seeing it so I was unable to finish the book.

“Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” I don’t think Joe Lynch, the main character in this story, has ever heard this expression.

Joe is just an all-around good guy. He’s a former athlete, school teacher, husband and father. Joe is just trying to live the good life with his family. But one night Joe’s life as he knows it is turned upside down.

When his wife admits to lying and confesses to an affair, Joe tries to forgive her and move on. Oh Joe, why are you so trusting? I knew throughout the remainder of the story that Joe should never have believed anything his wife said from that point on. But he did and his life continued to spiral out of control in ways he could have never imagined.

Lies is a very fast-paced, suspenseful story with a twist at the end that will make your head spin! Can people be so devious? Can people go to such extremes to wreck someone’s life? Let’s hope not.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for allowing me to read an advance copy and give my honest review.

This was such a quick read- did it in almost one sitting. It's not really all that believable but I couldn't help but get hooked and kept wanting to find out answers. I had my suspicions on who was involved and was partially correct. Several twists and turns and the book keeps you on your toes. Thanks for the ARC copy- Netgalley and St. Martin's Press!

WOW!! This book had me at page 1 and kept me enthralled until the very last page. Consider a clandestine relationship between two couples who are very close friends which, when discovered quite by accident, produces a myriad of feelings including the wish to understand why as well as a desire to seek revenge. “lies” takes you along on this journey with enough twists and turns and doesn’t stop until it’s bombshell conclusion which I never saw coming. An excellent read!!

This is a voluntary review of an advanced copy.

The blurb really sold me on this book but I didn't realize there so many chapters to get to the conclusion and finally get the truth! The book title really tells you what to expect as poor Joe is constantly lied to and really manipulated throughout the whole book.

I don't want to give any twists away but I did not see the true scenario as the readers are lied to just as Joe so you don't know what you can believe.

To be honest, I had a hard time getting through the book as it was just so long but for the story to unfold and get to the secrets at the end, I guess it takes that many chapters. I just don't that kind of patience and started to skim through the book until I got to the dramatic conclusion then I was hooked again and even re-read parts as it was a surprise!

The only thing that I wish was added was what sentence was given for the murder and more of a closure for Joe and Mel.

I didn’t find that this novel got particularly interesting until I’d reached the almost 40 percent mark (I read it as an e-book).

Without giving away the major plot points, it then becomes a page turner. It’s not the best suspense novel I’ve read recently, but it’s not bad.

Lies is an excellent British police procedural. Well, there is very little police presence. It is instead an intense look through they eyes of the guilty into the act of murder. It took me until WAY into the action before I had even an inkling of the actual who-done-it. Even unto the end, I didn't find empathy for Ben. T. M. Morgan writes an intense, well developed mystery that will keep you guessing. I will watch for more from this author.

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, T. M. Logan, and St. Martin's Press in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

Joe Lynch is driving home on an ordinary Thursday when his entire life changes. His son, William, spots his wife, Mel and Joe goes in search of her. He discovers the first of many lies to come to light that evening. Joe is an ordinary bloke who teaches English to children. He loves his life, wife and son and has no comprehension that he is about to be a pawn in a game being played by someone very close to him.

Joe receives the first of many messages that he believes to be from Ben. Joe believes that Ben is trying to destroy his life. Joe is then faced with untangling a multitude of lies by his wife and struggles to come up with the real truth. The police seem to place a target on Joe and he stumbles his way through trying to prove his innocence.

The book was intriguing, flowed well and did have a few plot twists. I did enjoy it and found Joe and William to both be very likable characters. You will have to read the book to find out how it all ends. The only drawback for me was not seeing how justice was really served in the end.