Member Reviews

Lies tells the story of a man who realizes his whole life lately has been nothing but lies. As Joe Lynch is driving home from picking his son, Wills, up from school, Wills cries out that he sees his mother's car. Quickly, Joe realizes it is her car. When he follows it to a local motel, his life begins a quick downward spiral like a big toilet flush of everything good . His marriage appears to be breaking up and his life is under attack. The story starts a little slow but once it began rolling I could not put it down, Fast paced and full of twists, I began the story thinking I had everything worked out and this author managed to surprise me. The story took turns to unexpected places that had my heart pounding and questioning how well you can know someone. The story chilled me to the bone and left an eerie, everlasting impression of how scary modern technology can be. Definitely a thriller read of a story with a memorable plot that will keep you reading way too late into the night. My voluntary, unbiased review is based upon a review copy from Netgalley.

Was this review helpful?

Joe is driving his son home when they notice his wife's car getting off the exit and his son thinks they should follow her and surprise her. At first Joe doesn't think it's a good idea but in the end he does follow her and that's when he sees her in a heated conversation with a friend of theirs, after this things get crazy for Joe. This was a fast read that kept me hooked from the very first chapter. Highly recommend!

Was this review helpful?

T. M. Logan delivers a somewhat twisty thriller in Lies. A story within a story, Lies follows Joe as he tries work his way through a web of lies created by those closest to him. An altercation between Joe and Ben leaves Ben lying unconscious in a hotel parking lot. Joe makes a quick decision when his you son has an asthma attack with no inhaler to be found. A decision he quickly regrets when he returns to the hotel and Ben has disappeared.

While this story was quick paced and flowed rather naturally, the ending wasn't entirely surprising. If you consider yourself to be much of a sleuth, you'll probably have worked your way to the answer quicker than the main character. And once you get there, to the ending, it becomes rather annoying just how the truth unfolds.

The story spent so much time leading you up to the truth, that when it finally does come it seems rather rushed. That said, the pieces fit together and if you're looking for a quick read, Lies may just work for you.

I did appreciate the use of social media context throughout, which correlated to our society today, making the story feel more real. There was absolutely nothing wrong with T. M. Logan's writing and there certainly were no holes in the plot, just a bit of a letdown in the final chapters.

Was this review helpful?

Mr. Logan writes well, in the sense that he can build tension, but unfortunately he has failed to construct a good mystery plot. Less than one-quarter of the way into the book I knew exactly what happened and, sure enough, I was right. It wasn’t a matter of guessing, either. The way he set the plot in motion, it was the obvious solution. Unfortunately, that made the main character seem like a bit of a dunce.

Was this review helpful?

This is my first read by T.M. Morgan and I definitely enjoyed the read! Very faced-paced thriller. Just when you think you have it all figured out, Morgan surprises you with something else. I like that this was told in the first person point of view. It gave the story such a real felling and you felt for Joe and the craziness that his life had spiraled into. I so wanted Joe to find Ben with every passing chapter and Ben was always three steps ahead. This book was a pleasure to read and I would definitely recommend to others that like a psychological, fast paced thriller. I will definitely check out Morgan's other works, past and future. Special thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion. This one is definitely another winner from you all! #Lies #NetGalley

Was this review helpful?

WHAT IF YOUR WHOLE LIFE WAS BASED ON LIES? When Joe Lynch stumbles across his wife driving into a hotel car park while she's supposed to be at work, he's intrigued enough to follow her...
So begins a page turning mystery that introduces us to Joe, Mel, Ben and Beth and keeps us guessing til the end. Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this mystery. This book had me yelling at Joe to stop and think about what he was doing and thinking. Social media is not all it's cracked up to be and I find myself thinking that people are too free with their lives and what they share on all those sites. Joe is gullible and naive that you start to give up on him. I was really confused until the end and really enjoyed this book.

Was this review helpful?

Lies is fast paced, unpredictable, and has many twists and turns.

It all starts innocently enough. Joe and his 4 year old son were driving somewhere and saw Mel, Joe's wife and baby mama, driving by. They decide to follow her car and "surprise" her. She ends up at a hotel to meet Joe's good friend Ben. Mel give Joe a bulls*#t story about why she was meeting Ben. Joe is a complete fool. He buries his head in the sand until some damning proof shows up that he can't ignore or justify. But that's not the worst part. His wonderful wife picks a sadistic psychopath to have an affair with. She ends things with Ben, and that's when the twists and turns got really interesting.

Just when you think Joe is finally on top of the situation, Ben ups the ante with more surprises and they're never good ones. I also wondered about Mel's motivations. Whose side is she on, Ben's or Joe's? This kept me reading until the very end. My heart was racing during a few of the scenes, and that usually doesn't happen. It is a very suspenseful book, and with every situation I thought, "How is Joe going to get out of this?" I questioned some of the police procedural because it is a bit farfetched and the ending wasn't what I expected at all. It left my mouth hanging open.

The book is a crazy psychological thriller that will make people want to binge read it. It has an unusual plot and it's not your typical story about an extramarital affair. It will definitely make anyone think twice about who they pick as an affair partner.

Was this review helpful?

Joe Lynch leads an average but happy life with his wife Mel and his young son William and doesn’t have a care in the world, until one fateful afternoon when he sees his wife’s car somewhere it shouldn’t be and decides to follow her. From hereon out, Joe’s life unravels quickly and in spectacular fashion, and he soon finds himself engaged in a dangerous game of cat and mouse, with someone who always remains a few steps ahead of him.

This is one that requires suspension of disbelief – like, a lot of it. But I will say it’s entertaining and fast-paced, as twist after twist is revealed, and I definitely found it worth reading.

I found Joe a likeable albeit slightly naive character. A few of his choices were irritating in the way they often are in this type of novel – like not calling for backup when going into a potentially dangerous situation – but it’s not as bad as some I’ve read in this genre.

The “your modern technology which you’ve come to rely on can betray you” angle was a little heavy-handed, though I do believe that at least most of what transpires in the novel is in fact possible. And it does highlight certain nefarious uses of social media/smartphones/apps that are indeed very real, though here are taken to the extreme.

I really admire the imagination and skill that went into crafting this tale, where almost each chapter reveals a new twist or turn, and it definitely kept me glued to the page. The ending however, was just too hard to swallow. I won’t say anything more than that so as not to spoil it, but it does drag the rating down to a 3 – which is still good, just not as good as I had hoped.

Also – mini spoiler: What was the deal with Adam? I kind of feel like this character was thrown in as an afterthought because Joe ought to have a close friend, but then for no believable reason the friend (best friend of 15 years) just decides to not believe Joe or even give him the benefit of the doubt. This to me stands out as the only thing that wasn’t really explained (within the framework of the story).

Still, it was a fun rollercoaster – but it could have been more.

Was this review helpful?

I received Lies by TM Morgan on Netgalley in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Lies was quite the enticing read. Everyone is lying to Joe. After seeing his wife at a hotel with another man, she denies it. The man denies Joe’s knowing of anything. Then the man disappears. Joe is slowly being framed but not sure by who. Can Joe trust anyone?

And that was the question the whole book. Who could Joe trust? Was anyone telling the truth? It was hard to say who was in and who was out. Who was on Joe’s side and who was plotting against Joe. And all the guesses you may come up with during this one... plausible. Totally possible. But even if you figure out who, can you guess the why?

Was this review helpful?

TM Logan was a new author for me but the premise was intriguing and I received an ARC in return for an honest review.

Joe thinks he has a perfect life with his wife Mel and son William. By happenstance, he and Will see Mel and decide to follow her to say hi. That decision changes life drastically for Joe and things spiral rapidly out of control.

What happens when the life you think you have unravels, one lie at a time? How do you know what to believe? And who? And how do you make others believe what you are seeing? Logan guides the story smoothly through its paces as you try to figure out what the truth is just as Joe does. Very well played with understanding of technology, social media, perception being stronger than reality, and how reality can be skewed. I'm usually good at figuring out the twists in stories, not easily distracted or misled, but Lies got me.... Well done and a good read... Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the opportunity!

Was this review helpful?

Hard to put this book down. It's not an action packed thriller, it starts slowly and keeps building. Poor Joe thought his life was great, a wife he's crazy about, a son he would do anything for and a job he enjoys. Once he sees his wife driving her car to an unusual location his world implodes and there doesn't seem to be anything he can do about how it spirals out of control. He tries the police, an attorney, his wife and friends. Ultimately as you're reading, and yelling at Joe, you realize he's basically damned if he does or doesn't follow through on clues. It's a great ride hoping for Joe all the way. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for this read.

Was this review helpful?

This was an intriguing book that kept me gasping at the twists and turns! I really enjoyed it!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own

Was this review helpful?

T.M. Logan was a new author to me that I came across on Netgalley who gave me an arc version of the book for my review.<br />Overall I enjoyed the book but the first part seemed a bit tedious with all the dialog and very short chapters that seemed to interrupt the flow of the book.<br />However as the mystery and lies unfolded, the book got easier to read and the plot twists suck the reader deeper into the story. <br />I didn't suspect the ending twist but it did seem plausible enough.<br /> A good, reasonably quick summers read that would be perfect for the beach.
<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/706478-andy">View all my reviews</a>

Was this review helpful?

Everybody hates a liar, yet most everybody has told a lie at one time or another. It’s common but also addictive, destructive, and the consequences can be dire. T.M. Logan has taken the unsavory practice to a new level in his novel, “Lies.” It’s a gripping tale about a continuous string of lies that lead to betrayal and murder. While fear may be the greatest incentive to lie, in this book deception is the biggest motivator and there’s no sense of guilt from anyone except, maybe, the reader while having a conscience attack.

Joe Lynch unwittingly discovers his wife having a clandestine meeting with another man. After she leaves, he confronts the man, a family friend, which provokes a shoving match, causing Ben, the other guy, to fall and hit his head on a cement floor. He’s knocked unconscious and Joe doesn’t know what to do. Then his young son in the car suffers an asthma attack, making it imperative to take the boy for treatment. Joe comes back and finds that Ben is gone. The puzzle begins when Joe receives a threatening email from Ben after the fight.

Joe confronts his wife, Mel. She tells him a story that seems innocent enough but Joe is still upset. He’s disturbed that his wife had to be coerced into telling him about the meeting, confused with the anger Ben displayed when confronted, and pissed at threats that start coming, and that continue even after Ben totally disappears. The police get involved and Ben’s wife becomes a player when certain unsavory actions between Ben and Mel emerge. More and more details are uncovered until Joe finds himself the focus of the police investigation, out of a job, struggling with his marriage, and getting increasingly deadly threats.

Other than to tell you to watch for a ruthless killer with skills that keep the investigation in a turmoil, I won’t tell you any more about the story. But I can tell you that Logan has spun a masterful tale of deceit that will keep you mesmerized. He presents the act of lying most artfully, perhaps bringing to mind all the times lies have presented personal problems for the reader and how insidious they can be. The anguish will grind away at the readers’ innards as a page-turning frenzy ensues. There’s a twist at the end that comes from nowhere.

I consider this a great book with provocative messages behind every concept the author presents. I highly recommend it.

Was this review helpful?

I was privileged to receive a copy of LIES by T.M. Logan and I must admit this was a cliffhanger for me up until the very end! Quite a bit of cat and mouse throughout the book, and Joe Lynch is definitely the mouse in this book. And of course everyone can be empathetic, with a young son to think about as well. This is the first book I have read by T.M. Logan and look forward to more as I thoroughly enjoyed the writing style as well as the mystery and intrigue that held my attention throughout the book.

Was this review helpful?

Wow! #Lies is a faced-paced thrill ride! Family man and all-around great guy, Joe gets caught up in a missing person/murder investigation, with him as the lead suspect. Logan’s characters are well developed and believable, although not necessarily likeable. How secure is your phone? Your computer? Your marriage? What if your life is nothing but lies?

Was this review helpful?

This was a great read. I could not see how Joe was going to get out of the mess. The reveal at the end was very satisfying.

Was this review helpful?

What if one decision you make propels your life into a tailspin and everything you love starts slipping from your grip. Meet Joe; tall, good looking, has the perfect wife Mel and adoring son William. He follows his wife into an underground parking lot and from that moment on his life is forever changed.

This was a page swiping thrill ride. I couldn't put it down once I started. The characters are well developed & the plot line is very believable. And for once, I didn't guess the ending until it was revealed. Well done T. M . Logan.

I received a copy of Lies through NetGalley for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was one of those books where I'm torn in the middle of liking it and feeling neutral about it. The first couple of chapters really grabbed me. But then I felt this lull, like I couldn't connect with the characters. I actually stopped reading the book for a couple weeks. But because I felt if I gave the book a chance it would get better, and it did.
I think the wife's character needed to be better written, it's a given that something isn't right with her from the beginning. I think if she is written more like the husbands character then it would have some great twists. The one thing readers love is the suspense at the end when they don't see it coming, but when you guess right from the beginning, that is when you lose focus on the characters and give up on them and maybe even stop reading the book like I did. I rather be trying to guess thru out the book and be surprised at the end then know something right from the beginning of the book. It makes me not want to invest.
However, I did enjoy the storyline, once I passed the...I know what's gonna happen stage, and just let the story come out. It had some great scenes of frustration for the husband character. This book had a mixture of things for me. It was just an ok read.

Was this review helpful?

"Lies" is a great page turner - twists and turns that kept me guessing until the end. I kept thinking I knew what the ending would be, but the plot changed in an unexpected way (but always in a manner that made sense with the characters and their environment). Since it was so suspenseful, I did find it dragging a bit in the last third - maybe a few too many twists and turns, and I was just excited to find out how it would end! Recommend for a light read!

Was this review helpful?