Member Reviews
Unfortunately I had to give up half way through, which I hate doing. Not only could it not keep my interest, but I hated pretty much everyone in it (except Wills). Joe was a wimp, Mel was whiney and Ben is just an all-around pretentious jerk and in the end I didn’t care what happened and just wanted it to end.
"Lies" was a fascinating mystery, definitely in the same genre as "Gone Girl." Every time there was a twist in the story, I was surprised, particularly at the end! And I love a book when a fluke of circumstances is the catalyst for the whole book. Makes you wonder what could happen in your own life! Read "Lies." You won't be disappointed.
I loved this book, there were so many twists and turns. I hated to put it down, I was eager to find out what was going to happen next. There was lots of intrigue and suspense in this book. The characters were well fleshed and I cared about them and this story was going to play out. I have not read any books by this author but I will certainly read more books.
I would like to thank the author and publisher for allowing me an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review
LIES is the title and this book’s characters are full of them. The whole plot is a web of lies that I was never able to untangle so I just let this author take me for a ride. The story moved slowly in the beginning but then it took off. I enjoyed the opportunity to read this one and it was perfect for a hot summer day when I didn’t want to move far from my chair and my cool drink.
Wow just finished this book and it blew me away! I have to sit here a minute and just take it all in! It started out just average and then it got better with each and every page. It was one lie on top of another lie and another and another and that twist at the end - so amazing - never saw it coming.. Can't believe all that happened to Joe Lynch in a matter of just 8 days! I absolutely recommend this book. -its amazing! Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
Joe Lynch sees his wife in an angry confrontation with a mutual friend at an out-of-the-way hotel. Joe has his own confrontation with Ben and knocks him down. Joe flees the scene when his son, William, who is the car, has an asthma attack. Then Ben disappears...and Joe's life falls apart. One thing after another just does not add up. Joe's wife, Mel, lies about every aspect of the confrontation with Ben. Ben's wife, Beth, lies about her involvement in Ben's disappearance. The twist at the end almost makes it worth plodding through the rest of the story.
Wow!!! This book blew me away. This is a book you will not want to put down. I stayed up all night just to finish it!! The ending was just as heart pounding as the beginning. It's been quite a while since I read a story this good. This is a must read!!
Looking forward to more from T. M. Logan!!
Tight Ride through a Maze of Lies
This is one tight ride through a maze of lies. After reading it, you probably won’t forget it anytime soon.
Joe is a loving husband, a great father to his four year old son and a dedicated teacher who loves his subject but has no aspirations to climb higher. He is in every respect your “average joe” but this is OK with him. His career savvy wife Melissa seems to aspire to more for him both in and out of their marriage but she has her own successful career and plenty of secrets she’s keeping.
Joe is the dominant parent and far more hands on than his wife who is able to come and go as she pleases. He has never had cause before to be suspicious of Melissa until a chance spotting of his wife’s car one afternoon after picking up his son from school. He follows Melissa to a hotel where he witnesses her arguing with the very wealthy husband of her best friend in the lobby. After Melissa leaves, Joe confronts Ben, said husband, in the hotel’s parking garage. There is a “minor” scuffle and from there Joe’s entire life as he knows it is over.
When Joe confronts Melissa later on over the witnessed encounter, she lies to him. Ben then mysteriously disappears and seems to be playing Joe by manipulating his phone data and through his social media. Joe soon finds himself in the middle of a nightmare that has no end.
Lies is about the ease in which people can be tricked into thinking they can trust someone and how deceiving looks can be. It is as much a cautionary tale over the perils of our over-reliance on technology and society’s penchant for over-sharing on social media. Facebook is particularly called out and if the latest breaches in privacy haven’t horrified you yet, you might just develop a growing distaste for the platform when viewed from the author’s viewpoint.
Joe is left alone to decipher what is real and what isn’t and whom he can trust as he fights a war of someone else’s making. Using the same technology that has been used against him along with good old gut instincts, he pieces together a puzzle so unbelievable you won’t see it coming.
BRB Rating: Read It.
Joe is driving when his son spots what looks like his mom's car heading towards a different direction than it should be. Joe follows the car to a hotel and stumbles upon a altercation between his wife and and Ben an acquaintance. Extremely confused, he calls out to his wife but she doesn't hear him. As she drives off Ben enters the parking garage and a physical fight ensues.Ben winds up unconscious on the floor as Joe's son has an deadly asthma attack forcing Joe to make a split-second decision. His child's life or Ben's? Joe races home to find an inhaler and from that moment on things get weird. Ben hasn't been seen in days except for by Joe who left him unconscious in a parking garage. So why is Ben sending messages and hacking into Joe's Facebook account?
Oh man, the suspense in this book is crazy. For the entire book I thought Ben was a lunatic who was just tech savvy enough to pull off the crime of the century. About 75% in, things started to shift an entirely different direction. This book will not disappoint. If you are looking for an above average thriller, look no further than this gem. I am impatiently waiting for this author's next book.
I received a copy of the psychological thriller Lies by TM Logan as an advanced review copy from NetGalley. Most psychological thrillers come from the female perspective or multiple perspectives so I was intrigued to read one from a male perspective. Joe Logan is driving his son home from school one day when he impulsively decides to follow his wife’s car and catches her meeting with a man. Events escalate from there and Joe is caught up in a web of lies trying to fight to save his marriage and prove that he is not a criminal. While the twists were surprising and it was an entertaining read, I had trouble empathizing with the main character. I appreciated that he was a good father but was frustrated with his lack of agency and frankly, his stupidity. I did appreciate the use of social media and cell phone technology in weaving the web to entrap Joe and to help him fight back.
It seems I may be in the minority here for giving this book 2 stars but it was not a satisfying read for me; both the execution and storyline had me unimpressed.
1. Suspension of disbelief - There were so many times that I said to myself, ‘this just wouldn’t happen’ over and over yet I kept on going only to be hit by another part of the storyline that was just completely unbelievable. I made a list in my phone and stopped at 16.
2. Characters - Again, they did things that I just couldn’t believe people would normally do. Joe - way too naive, dumb and overall lacklustre. The police - come on. They surely cannot be this blind in their profession. Mel - I can’t even go there, her character was so underdeveloped and unlikable that I’m not sure I have words for it.
3. Tell tell tell. And then I did this. And this. Oh and then I went here and did some of this. The storyline is a bunch of repetitive telling of what the main character Joe is doing. There is also a number of inconsistencies in the story and repetitive sentences that I’m hoping will be corrected by time of publishing.
4. The ending - I kept reading so that I could find out the ‘twist’, which wasn’t that shocking. The ending just reconfirmed everything I thought about the book as a whole: not believable. Also, the motive for the ending just doesn’t seem to do it for me… why did all of this need to be done? Couldn’t they just be a normal people and LEAVE their husbands? It’s a shame these kids (William and Alice) now have to grow up with the poor choices their mother’s made. Again, poor execution with the ending.
Thank you Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with this ARC in return for my honest opinion.
If you are looking for a suspense-filled book, this is a great one! Couldn’t put it down, had to know how the book would end- all in one day! Well worth the time, and will certainly keep you guessing until the very end.
Received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A tense psychological thriller that keeps the reader guessing until the book's end. When Joe Lynch's four-year old son sees his mother's car speeding through London traffic, he beckons Joe to join following her. What Joe ends up seeing in a hotel dining room leads to a parking lot altercation with grave consequences and the realization that his marriage may not have been as perfect as he thought. This book was truly hard to put down and I ended up reading it in one day. I look forward to reading more books by T.M. Logan.
Loved this! So hard to put down. With these types of stories i usually can figure out the ending but not this time. Highly recommend!
An incredible, fast-paced thriller, Lies by T.M. Logan, starts off with Joe Lynch and his young son in the car on a seemingly ordinary afternoon. They spot Joe's wife's car and decide to surprise her with a visit., but come on now, we all know that's a recipe for disaster, isn't it?! What Joe and his son see in the parking garage of a hotel shocks them both and sends Joe on the craziest adrenaline-filled journey ever.
Soon enough, Joe learns his "perfect life" isn't so perfect after all and that some of the closest people in his life have been lying to him for a LONG time. Desperate to keep his life together and to protect his family at all costs, Joe plays a cat-and-mouse game with a dangerous killer, all while his life seems to be crumbling down on him. His marriage, his career, even his freedom are at stake.
I couldn't put this book down and read into the night to finish. Up until the very end, I had no idea what the truth was and kept guessing about the truth in Joe's life. This was a fantastic whodunit, and the ending left me FLOORED. I will definitely be recommending this one to anyone who likes a good mystery or thriller because it certainly kept me at the edge of my seat! Lies by T.M. Logan is available for purchase now!
A special thanks to NetGalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I was given an advanced copy of this title in exchange for an honest review. This book was so very well written. It captivated me the entire time!
Really enjoyed this book. Easy to read with enough mystery to keep you interested and guessing. I would read other books by this author.
This author did an excellent job of throwing me off. I was pretty sure while reading it that I had so many things figured out only to find out I was completely wrong. It also showed how easily an innocent person can be made to look guilty. The book was very enjoyable.
Joe is driving home one day when his son sees his mom's car. The child is four years old and wants to see his mom. So they follow her car into an underground garage. They go up in the elevator to the foyer of the hotel. Joe sees his wife arguing with a mutual friend. Not wanting to interrupt anything he decides to wait for her in the car. She leaves quickly and he is unable to catch her. Later that evening when he asks her about the altercation, she denies it was her. That's one lie. And it is only the beginning. Soon there will be lies to cover up lies. All Joe knows is that things have gone terribly wrong, and now he's accused of murder..
I enjoyed this book. Keeps you guessing. Characters and the storyline all flow smoothly. It has a definite surprise ending!!
Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an advance reader’s copy in exchange for an honest review. Expected publication is in September 2018.
“Lies” by T.M. Logan is the story of Joe Lynch, an English teacher, who is driving home one day with his four-year-old son William when they spot his wife’s car pulling into a hotel garage. Joe assumes Mel is there for a work meeting, but William wants to surprise his mother, so eventually Joe agrees. After he parks his car in the garage near his wife’s car, he spots Mel in a heated discussion with a family friend (Ben) in the hotel restaurant. Joe decides to go back to the car and wait for Mel to confront her, but he misses her before she pulls out. He decides to confront Ben. Joe and Ben argue. Joe pushes Ben, who falls and hits his head on the garage floor, rendering him unconscious. William, who has snuck out of the car, begins to have an asthma attack upon seeing blood on the ground. When he doesn’t find any of their spare inhalers, Joe decides to rush home to take care of William with the intention of going back to check on Ben once he’s taken care of his son. When he returns to the garage, Joe discovers that Ben and his car are gone, and that’s when the drama ensues.
***SOME SPOILERS AHEAD***
I have to admit, I really struggled with this book. All the time I was reading this, it reminded me of a Lifetime movie. The gist of it is this. Joe (and the reader) believes that Mel is having an affair with Ben. Mel eventually admits to a lapse in judgment two years ago where she kissed Ben at a wedding but claims it went no further. Since then, Ben has been obsessed with her, and what Joe witnessed was the culmination of Mel telling Ben that they wouldn’t be together. A couple days later, Ben’s wife Beth confronts Joe and Mel at a restaurant, showing nude pictures that Mel sent to Ben, proving their affair. What the author expects us to believe is that Ben does not want to give Mel up, so he fakes his death and frames Joe for his murder. Joe is determined to prove his innocence, going against his lawyer’s advice at every turn. I won’t give away the “twist” ending, but you probably get the idea.
The story deals heavily in social media and hacking references (although I don’t consider guessing someone’s password to be “hacking”), basically relying on the idea that what has been deleted from the Internet is never truly gone and no Internet-enabled device is truly safe. But one of the things that bothers me about this is that the police are so determined that Joe is a killer in this story, but he’s not tech-savvy at all. Ben, on the other hand, has amassed his fortune creating online apps, so when Joe makes the case that he is being framed by Ben, I would think that would have a ring of truth to it, especially since they can’t find a body.
Joe makes one bad (stupid? unbelievable?) decision after another, digging himself into an increasingly deeper hole until we get to the twist ending, which is really far-fetched so the author has to spend the end of the book having the characters explain the situation. I like a nice wrap-up ending, but not when the actual villain has to spend time telling the main character what they did and how they did it. If the villain wants to kill someone, they’re not going to explain themselves first, but this becomes a necessary element so that the villain can actually be caught.
This book has a lot of 4- and 5-star reviews, so clearly there are some people who found this exciting and believable, but I was not one of them.