Ever since Gone Girl, the psychological thrillers I’ve read have almost universally been narrated by unreliable female characters who have social anxiety, substance abuse or some other serious dysfunction (or a combination thereof). So, it was a pleasure to read T.M. Logan’s novel Lies, where the narrator is a man who is about as normal as one can be. Joe is a husband, father, teacher with a settled family life. (I am tempted to say he is an “average Joe”). Until one day, while driving his 4 year- old son home, the son spots Mummy’s car across the lanes of traffic. Thinking it is some kind of work-related ‘do’, Joe decides they’ll go surprise her and follows her car into the garage. And a surprise it is, but on him. There is his wife meeting one of their friends in a hotel. From that point forward, Joe’s life as he knew it disintegrates. He suddenly discovers he doesn’t know if/when his wife is lying. The man she met in the hotel sets out to destroy his life in some odd revenge. At the same time, the police are investigating the disappearance and suspected death of the man, and Joe is the primary suspect. The story moves forward quickly, with lots of plot turns, and leads to a conclusion that I didn’t anticipate. I’d certainly read this author again.

Thanks to NetGallery, St. Martin’s Press and the author for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Highly suspenseful thriller in the vein of "The Girl on the Train," and "The Woman in Cabin 10," Joe Lynch sees his wife in an unusual location and innocently thinks to approach her with their young son to say hello. This action results in a chain of horrifying events in which Joe is set up to take the fall for a murder he did not commit by people he most trusted. A variety of plot twists keep the reader turning the page, and as the book progresses, it seems more and more likely that Joe will become the victim in the set-up. The final plot twist is a bit of a surprise, even though the real perpetrators become slightly obvious to those who read many thriller/suspense novels, the way in which it unfolds is surprising. A definite recommendation for those who love this genre.

I received an ARC of this book for my honest opinion.
I LOVED this book. I was drawn in from the first page and was a page turner till the last page. What a thrill ride. I was on the edge of my seat.

I can't even begin to explain how much I liked this book. Can't even begin. I will admit that I went into reading Lies, thinking that this book was going to be an ordinary mystery. Then I started reading the book and well, I was proven wrong, This book is anything but ordinary.

Lies had a simple plot. Joe sees his wife going into a hotel parking lot. Seeing that she is supposed to be at work, he follows her. He ends up witnessing her arguing with a family friend. Breaking them up, the friend turns on Joe and tries to start a fight. Forced to defend himself, Joe knocks the friend unconscious. Before he could get help for him, Joe's son has an asthma attack...which requires Joe to go home to get his inhaler. Returning, he finds that his friend has disappeared. Strange things start happening that culminate with the police charging Joe with murder. But everything is not what it seems. The truth is more sinister than what Joe expected.

I felt awful for Joe. His life was destroyed within a week. I did think that his reaction to what was going on was pretty dead on for an ordinary guy. His confusion over everything came off the pages. Even his actions started showing how erratic he was becoming. I love it that the author took him to the edge and then pulled him back. I won't say what pulled him back. But I will say that it was brilliant. 

The mystery angle of the book was excellently written. I did figure out part of what was going on. I thought it was the whole thing. But, then the major plot twist happened and it seemed like it came out of left field. There is a smaller, minor plot twist that happens almost after the major one. It only added to the story. It was also sad. 

The suspense angle of the book was awesome. I was with Joe, wondering who was tormenting him.

The end of the book was insane. Like I mentioned above, there was a plot twist that blew my mind. I didn't see it coming. But, the author also touched on what happened afterward. Which is something that I don't see too often in books like these. I was glad that the author chose to do that. It gave me the closure that I needed.

What I liked about Lies:

A) How intense the book was

B) Joe. 

C) The plot twist

What I disliked about Lies:

A) Nothing, the book was very well written

I would give Lies an Adult rating. There is no sex. But there are sexually explicit pictures and talk. There is violence. There is language. I would suggest that no one under the age of 21 read this book.

There are trigger warnings for Lies. They are stalking and death.

I would reread Lies. I would also recommend this book to family and friends.

I would like to thank St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review Lies.

All opinions stated in this review of Lies are mine

**I chose to leave this review after reading an advance reader copy**

Joe is driving his son home when he sees his wife pull into a hotel and meet a male friend of theirs in the restaurant. After this encounter things begin to unravel. Logan keeps you turning the pages to find out what will happen next, but I did struggle with the writing some.

Didn't see that coming at all! This book is a page turning thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have been able to read this. I took it with me on vacation for some 'light reading' and was immediately sucked into the story. Although my vacation was great, I may have done more if I wasn't so absorbed in this book. An interesting read.

Although lying is an age-old activity, LIES is a contemporary novel in every sense of the word, and Facebook plays a prominent role. Like lying, bullies are universal, in fact, these two vices seem to go hand in hand as the web of deceit escalates.

Seldom have I read a book so well-crafted with twists here and turns there that the only way to keep track is to keep on reading. LIES exploits all of our fears surrounding social media and technology by using cell phones and computers to create a false reality. This isn't dirty politics; this is eight days in one man's life where black is white, up is down, and nothing is quite as it seems.

LIES is the kind of novel that you just can't put down. From the first chapter, you are drawn into a tale where untruth seems to be the norm, so you keep on reading to see just where it is all heading. The story is every train wreck situation from which you couldn't extricate yourself; it is every automobile accident for which you slowed down and rubber necked.

My rule for reviewing is to never give anything away, and I feel that the little I have said has given away just a bit too much. So, if you are looking for a compelling, well-written book, with amazing characters that you will either love or hate, click on that button to buy this book!

I struggled with the first part of this thriller. It was sort of ho-hum and I didn't really like the protagonist. Once I reach about 20-30%, all of a sudden, it was WOW! and I couldn't put it down! I stressed with the characters and worried and was on the edge of my seat. I did not see the ending coming at all, but it made perfect sense! Overall, a very good read! I'll be looking for more by T.M. Logan!

This is one of the best books I’ve read this year. It’s so different from other books. I can’t say why without giving away the plot. I couldn’t put it down! I read it all in one day. It definitely leaves a book hangover. Received an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review by NetGalley.

When picking up a book simply titled “Lies” it was pretty safe to go into this one expecting not to trust anything or anyone. The story got off to a decent start that got my curiosity up right away. Joe Lynch was traveling along with his son when they spot a mommy car but it’s not just any car that looks like it belongs to Joe’s wife but really her in her car. With his young son excited over the prospect of seeing mommy Joe follows his wife to a nearby hotel thinking she was going to a business meeting.

After losing sight of his wife briefly Joe manages to find her inside the building talking with a family friend, only the conversation looks to be quite intense. Thinking he shouldn’t interrupt Joe retreats to the parking garage to catch her on the way out but when he misses her leaving he confronts Ben instead. Ben is obviously still aggravated and one thing leads to another with Joe pushing Ben but just as he should see if Ben is alright his son has an asthma attack so Joe leaves.

So what the reader is left with from that initial opening is having to wade through all the lies upon lies that pile up for the rest of the book. I read this one as a buddy read with Amanda over @ Devouring Books and we were both engaged as it got going but somewhere in the middle this one started to fizzle out a bit. So while I hate to say it yet again I think this is another title that just went on a bit too long in the middle focusing on one big lie and had it moved forward a bit faster it would have maintained my attention a lot better.

Now while the story slowed in the middle I started in on my predictions and while I was not spot on at the end I was rather close so by the time the story picked back up to give those last little twists and reveal I wasn’t overly shocked at the outcome. There was a nice little extra twist at the end though that I did enjoy so in the end I still thought the book was good but could have been a bit better to me.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

This murder thriller is full of suspense. Wow, what an emotional read. Everything is not as it seems and this book is full of twists and surprises. We learn a lot about trust and lies. This book will grasp your attention right at the beginning and have you hooked. Well written with complex characters and a captivating storyline. I read a reader copy and voluntarily chose to write a review.

Lies was an interesting mystery novel. It was paced kind of slowly, but had me feeling like a detective all along the way. The book wasn’t necessarily a page turner, but it was a fun murder mystery. This book started off really well and grabbed me right away. I had to keep reading to find out what was going to happen. As event continued to unfold I found myself more and more intrigued.

I like the characters. Joe was a trusting husband and a good father who didn’t deserve any of this, which made the book so relatable. He wasn’t a bad guy. This was a story that felt like it could happen absolutely anyone. Just a regular Joe-Schmoe. I found myself not trusting Mel and questioning the motives of all the characters. This book kept me guessing all throughout the whole thing.

The plot kept me interested. At one point I felt sure that I knew what the plot twist would be, and how the book was going to end. I was so wrong. I did not see the twist coming at all and the ending was completely unexpected for me. I always love when a mystery novel isn’t predictable, and I was so far off with what I believed was going to happen.

The writing was really good. I went searching for other novels written by T.M. Logan and was completely shocked to find out that this was his first novel. I would be interested to following his writing career. This is a great debut novel, so I would love to see more books from T. M. Logan. This book is a great way to start a writing career.

I received an ARC in the mail from Berkley publishing and also a copy from Netgalley.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Sadly I didn't care for the book. Yes it got right to the story and drew me into the story immediately. However by the time I got 1/4 into it I was debating giving up on this story.

I finished it, but I didn't connect with the main character and was just left frustrated by his thoughts and his actions. I really didn't care for any of the characters in the book either which made this hard to get through. And I didn't like all the dialogue to the child scattered throughout the book, I didn't feel it added anything other then length.

Didn't find anything that happened particularly interesting, but I will say I didn't see the twist coming. So I guess that is positive, and I did like what he had to say about social media and cats towards the end of the book.

I wouldn't recommend this book, but it seems more people then not enjoyed it.

Thank you to MacMillan and Netgalley for an ARC of this novel to preview. It definitely kept me reading because I wanted to know what happened next. However, “lies” seems to be the trending focus of thrillers right now and I don’t like to read the flavor of the day. The books all seem to blend into one another.

Joe, an English teacher, and his son, William spot Joe’s wife apparently having an altercation with her lover, Ben. At least that’s what it looks like to Joe. After the wife leaves, Joe confronts Ben, pushes him and Ben’s knocked out. Dead, maybe. Joe, interrupted by his son’s asthma attack, has to go home and get his inhaler. When he returns, Ben’s body is gone, so Joe assumes all is well and good. Then he turns to his wife for answers. Her lies balloon from one telling to another.

Some reviewers hated this book, but most gave it four stars like I did. It’s definitely worth a read.

This book sounded good from the get-go but it went so S-L-O-W in the middle, I felt like I was never going to finish it. There are many parts in this book that was just too hard to believe. It did pick up speed towards the end (and got really good) but I felt it just dragged so much in the middle. For that reason alone, I'm giving it 3 stars. Great ending by the way! Didn't see that twist coming at all. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an early digital copy for my honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Wow! My first pick from Netgalley proves to be a gem.

T. M. Logan’s “Lies” is a psychological thriller with nail-biting twists and turns. Granted the plot and prose are well crafted, but the protagonist ultimately drives this story from the exhilarating beginning to the unforeseen end. Joe Lynch doesn't possess the quality or attribute that distinguishes him from ordinary people. Actually, he is an ordinary person whose life unravels and turns upside down because he decides to chase after his wife’s car in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Joe—average Joe—appeals to the reader right from the start with these lovely opening lines: “My son’s first word wasn't Daddy or Mummy. His first word was Audi. Which was strange because I'd never owned an Audi, and on my salary probably never would.” Joe’s most endearing quality is his love for his precocious son, his beautiful wife, and his humble background. He's a teacher. His wife and her friend, Ben, consider him an underachiever. Sadly, a car accident had left him with metal pins in his ankle and took away his chance of being a hockey pro. Since then, he has lived a complacent life as a teacher while his wife works in human resources of a big retail chain. He has a feminist quality about him. He believes in strong women. In fact, he sees his wife, Melissa (“Mel”), as “the extrovert, the leader, the sporty alpha female.” He admires her for going after what she wants. “Mel had gone back to work full-time after four months’ maternity leave, but that was her choice, and I totally understood it. She brought in more than my teacher’s salary anyway, she liked her job, and she was bloody good at it. We fitted together perfectly, like interlocking pieces of a puzzle.” Meanwhile, he views Beth, Mel’s friend, as “the clever, kind, quiet counterpoint, but just as much an achiever in her own.” Moreover, he sees her husband, Ben, pushes her around and cheats on her. He wishes she would be strong enough to leave him and be on her own. “It occurred to me that not once had she said—not once—that she would kick Ben out. Not once had she suggested she would get the locks changed, cut up his favorite suits, put one of his cars on eBay with a reserve price of a penny. She had not said she would talk to a lawyer or think about starting divorce proceedings. He had betrayed her, broken his marriage vows to her, humiliated her, but since her fury on Sunday, all the fight seemed to have gone out of her.”

Little does Joe know that Mel, Ben, Beth or any other people close to him are not what they seem. Joe may have been tremendously observant of his surrounding; but like many people, he sees only the surface. His trusting nature shows how weak and vulnerable he is as a person. Therefore, he can be easily manipulated or misdirected and framed for murder. How will this cuckolded husband save himself and his family? Will it be too late for him by the time he connects the dots?

If you have a few hours to spare, then sit down with a glass of wine and enjoy this riveting thriller. It’s a fast read. By the end of the book, you’ll say, “Wow! I didn’t see that coming. What a story!”

<b>First line:</b> I often wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t seen her car that day.

<b>Summary:</b> The questions contained in that first line may come back to haunt you as you get the end of this book. Joe is driving home with his 4-year-old, William, when they see Joe’s wife’s car and decide to meet her. From there, Joe’s life begins to unravel in the most bizarre and crazy way. Over a period of just more than a week, he finds himself wrapped in a nightmare and is determined to figure out what’s going on.

<b>Highlights:</b> This book is compelling and I found myself unable to put it down, or wanting to go back to the story to find out what happens next if I had to put it down. Even now, a day after finishing it, I find myself thinking about the story. Mostly wondering how people use love as an excuse to do the unthinkable. The plot moves rapidly and develops quickly. You think you know the characters and find out you don’t. It’s written in the first person from the main character’s point of view and it works superbly for this story. I'm finding that this book is staying with me and has me pondering how we perceive our own realities.

<b>Lowlights (or what could have been better):</b> I can’t think of anything that could have been better. Right after I finished the story, I tried to pick it apart (not heavily, just picking at the threads to see if there was a weakness) and found that all the information to see the answer was there, but like the protagonist, putting those pieces together was tricky. But everything was there once you know what’s happening.

I tried to read it the whole thing because I got it through NetGalley but this story is just horrible. The beginning was interesting (that would be like 2% on my Kindle) but then everything was pathetic. Simply pathetic: the dialogue, actions, motives....

Why is Ben obsessed with Mel? Well, he loves her!! Though shit. Why does he love her? I don't know, because he needs to love her for the plot to be developed - I guess.

All this bullshit for an adulterous regular Jill. Well, fuck me with a cactus!

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this title.

Thank you to St. Martin's Press for the free review copy. All opinions are my own.

Lying. It's something that anyone does at some point in their life or another. But the question of this thriller is, when is the truth being told? What if you don't know who is telling the truth and who is lying? That's why this novel works so well. Throughout the entire thing, you have to question everything everybody says because what is they're lying? 

I liked the layers in this novel. Slowly the plot twists were exposed, only after building the anticipation and pointing the reader in the wrong direction multiple times. It also helps that the main character is a bit naive. Joe only wants to do what is best for him and his family, but he doesn't realize the cost that is coming. 

I don't want to say too much and spoil the novel, but I hope you'll check this book out when it releases on 9/11. It's a great, fast-paced thriller that will leave you guessing who is going to lie next.

I received a copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions presented are my own.

3.5 stars

This book was pure entertainment. It grabs the reader in chapter one and for the most part doesn't let go until the last page. I really enjoyed the story over all, it was well paced and well written. This is told from a single POV and it really worked in this because it kept me guessing and really connected me to the thoughts and feelings of how this would end for our MC.

There were multiple points during the story where I thought I knew what was going to happen, or could see multiple different avenues Logan could have taken and then WHAM, bye felecia, NOPE got it totally wrong. The ending was a knock-out that I hadn't even considered. There were aspects that I had suspected but dispelled earlier on but in it's entirety that was definitely a shocker. I'm not sure you can ask for much more from a mystery and Logan pulled it off flawlessly.

This ultimately loses a star because the beginning was a bit choppy, and while the overall take-away for me was a lot of pulsing anxiety and tension there were a few places the story fell short for me. Once Logan got into the rhythm of the fast-paced nature of the story it was written well and moved smoothly, but as a whole there were a few instances it felt off-kilter. While the ending did surprise me, it did get a little scooby-doo "if it wouldn't have been for those darn kids" once all was said and done. I think this was in an effort to create a truly self-contained story with no loose ends but it wasn't pulled off quite so neatly as the rest of the book.

Overall this was an excellent read and I really enjoyed it! It definitely airs on the suspense side of mystery and it had me guessing the whole time. It was a tad slower to start but once it got rolling it really packs a punch!