Member Reviews
Was not for me. I had a hard time getting into this one. I couldn’t connect with any characters. I wish Joe had more of a backstory.
See link to goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2409724010?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All the lies begin to unravel at once, and Joe is blindsided by what he thought was a good life and good marriage. I really enjoyed the way this story turned one corner after another with yet another surprise. Intense and at times very frustrating. This is a well written thriller I believe people will love to read.
Book Description
What if you have the perfect life, the perfect wife and the perfect child—then, in one shattering moment, you discover nothing is as it seems? Now you are in the sights of a ruthless killer determined to destroy everything you treasure.
My Thoughts
Whenever my partner walks into the room and I am talking to no one but my Kindle, an author's words have succeeded in pulling me into his/her story. Not surprisingly, I may have said out loud 10 or 100 times “ oh no, she didn't just say that” or “ oh no he isn't going to fall for that” which in my book-loving world means I am loving or hating the characters and need to know what happens next. Those were the kind of reactions I had to Lies and if you have read and enjoyed a book with any lying, manipulative or unreliable characters, T.M. Logan's words will take you to a whole new level of furious page flipping.
Joe is just a really nice guy. Husband to Mel and father to Will, his entire world is turned upside down( more than once) when he sees his wife with someone and someplace that she just shouldn't be. Like any good whodunit, I had my theories regarding who was lying and what was really going on and I have to say I didn't even come close to figuring out the ending. This was a great psychological thriller and the fact that it is the author's debut novel was impressive. All I can say to the author is “ more please”. I can't wait to see what comes next.
Thank you, T.M. Logan, St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the complimentary digital ARC. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Lies.
Joe sees his wife, Mel, having a heated, clandestine meeting with her friend's husband, Ben. Afterward, Joe confronts Ben, and their altercation leaves Ben unconscious and bleeding on the ground. Upon witnessing that sight, Joe's son, William, suffers an asthma attack, and Joe rushes away for William's inhaler. When Joe returns to the scene, Ben is gone.
A thrilling opening! Gripping to the nth, but then the suspense wanes and the writing becomes uneven as Joe becomes the prime suspect in Ben's disappearance. The repetition, the inconsistencies, the technological errors... "Too many questions," as the narrative states.
When I learned the reveal, I thought it inconceivable that anyone would go to such an extent. (Not to mention: this is the THIRD British thriller I've read in less than as many months to have the same denouement. To be fair, this novel was released in the U.K. before the other two.)
I recommend the book to indiscriminate readers who like David Bell's writing style.
My thanks to St. Martin's Press and Netgalley for the ARC.
This really deserves a 4.5 stars! Loved it. Mr. Logan knows how to keep the pages flying. I feel sorry for Joe, and yet I keep wanting to scream at him when he puts himself in Ben's traps. Very cleverly done and certainly one of my favorite reads this year.
I thank the author, St. Martin's Press and Netgalley.com for the opportunity to read this hit of a novel.
Joe Lynch is Mr. Guy next door. He spends much of his time caring for his young son Wills, when he's not teaching high school English. On an ordinary day driving home, Wills spots his Mum's vehicle turning into a local hotel. The events that follow will leave you on the edge of your seat and unable to put this masterpiece down! LIES by T.M. Logan has a major stand apart from the typical psychological thriller... the main character is MALE. I haven't rooted for a main character this deeply since Gone Girl. Logan did a superb job developing Joe Lynch and turning him into someone readers would love and want to see succeed.
The author gives the characters in this book such strong descriptive personalities, I found myself detesting the hideously lazy, sleazebag wife Mel, and I want to yell at husband Joe to open his eyes, quit being such a pushover and grow a set. This kind of reaction to words written about a fictitious event tells me that’s some pretty good character development going on by T.M. Logan.
While I was a bit bored during some of the “running back and forth’s” Joe describes between himself, Mel, the police, his attorney and of course the ever-elusive jerk-man (we can all put a face on this character!) Ben, the plot kept me onboard and eagerly waiting for him to either: (1) admit to murder, (2) commit murder, namely his wife, or (3) decide to play cars on the floor with his son and overlook everyone’s indiscretions.
The ending did surprise me; I really liked that. I finished this book with a good feeling so it was all worth it!
(I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review. Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for making it available.)
Creepy, surreal kind of novel. Kept me guessing right up until the last few pages. A wicked lover's triangle with a murder and a wicked clever villain who I thought might actually get away with it. First book by this author but it won't be my last.
So may lies, twists and turns I couldn't put this one down!
Joe Lynch loves his life, his wife Melissa (Mel) & their son William. Beth Delaney is Mels' oldest friend and her husband Ben is part of the package. When Joe suddenly finds himself spinning out of control over the disappearance of Ben, it is a series of unraveling lies that prove the case against Joe.
This book kept me in such suspense that I cheated and skipped ahead a dozen chapters to the end so I could catch some sleep before finishing the book! I never do that!!
Thank you to Netgalley & St. Martins Press for an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review. Lies is a psychological thriller, a genre which I love to read. While the book held my attention and I wanted to get through it, I found myself really disliking the main character Joe for his naiveté and actually all of the other characters in the book too. Unfortunately I found the ending to be disappointing too. The information regarding the use of technology through the book however was both interesting and scary!
Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.
Joe and Mel, happily married for 12 years. They don't lie to each other. Period. Oh, wait. . . . yes, they do. Lots o' lies, untruths by the score. Social media and tech savviness play a big part in this tale of misdirection.
This was a real page-swiper for me. Good tight writing, nicely paced.
It’s not often that I get surprised by huge plot twists but I am happy to admit that this one blindsided me. I know that a book has sucked me in when throughout the day I’m guessing different possible outcomes for the ending. I was doing that with this book, and he best part was that I never guessed correctly. Not even a little bit close. My only complaint was that Joe was just so naive and clueless about everything that I was annoyed with him the entire book. Everyone was right about him he really was just a good guy, Good Old Joe.
This was my first read from this author, T.M. Logan, and the book description definitely had me interested from the start. The story was interesting in the fact that I kind of knew how it was going to end... by was very surprised by the ending. "Lies" had a great deal of mystery and I think that's what captivated me the most.
The plot of being set up for a crime you didn't commit is always a great read because I enjoy going through the ride of a detective trying to figure it out. This was a quick read in the fact that I really needed to know after each chapter how we were going to get to the conclusion. The demise of the main character Joe was a bit painful to read and sad how fast someone's life and go downhill in such a short time span...but it's also what kept it really interesting. I would read another book by the author in the future.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for the ARC.
This is a debut psychological thriller written from the protagonist’s point of view. From the outset Joe is manipulated by an external force, in this case his four year old son, William who he is driving home after school. Spying ‘Mummy’s car’, William persuades Joe to follow Mummy and give her a surprise. From such happenstance follows a rollercoaster of lies and deceit because Joe sees his wife Melissa meet (and argue) with Ben, their friend in a hotel. Joe challenges Ben and an altercation breaks out leaving Ben prostrate and bleeding on the car park floor. Meanwhile, William has a severe asthma attack and Joe drives home quickly to get his inhaler. On returning to the car park, Ben has disappeared.
The background is set. On the one hand there is Joe, a nice enough man in love with his wife and devoted to his son. He is the dependable one, not particularly ambitious, doing the bulk of the childcare while Melissa is a bit of a high flyer. Their friend Ben has a different social standing because Ben is the millionaire, hard-headed, bullish businessman; all in all, a bit flash. Whilst Beth, his wife is the happy, contented, stay at home wife, controlled somewhat by her husband.
Step by step, the unravelling of Joe’s life evolves but there is another culprit associated with this and it is technology. Obviously someone is out to ruin Joe’s life and they do so through manipulation of his phones, google and Facebook.
So, what did I make of all this? I was totally immersed in the plot and the characters. In all honesty, sometimes I was exasperated by Joe (particularly in the first half of the book) and all due to his devotion to his wife – wake up and smell the coffee! Didn’t see how it would all turn out, not a clue! Absolutely loved it. If only there were another phrase to say ‘couldn’t put it down, a real page turner’. Read this, you will not be disappointed.
Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for providing an ARC via my Kindle in return for an honest review.
4.5 out of 5 stars!
I don't think that I have read a more appropriately titled book in a long time.....if ever. The title [book:Lies|33652433] (St. Martin's Press, January 2017)certainly says it all. The book begins with a snap decision made by the main character, which leads to a little lie, which leads to bigger lies....and so it goes. I was mesmerized by this book from beginning to end, and yet the story was highly believable. I could see myself, or others falling into the trap that Joseph and his wife Mel found themselves. In addition, the reactions of those around them were true to life. The characters were definitely interesting and well thought out. The author's portrayal of the villain was exceptional.
In addition to fascinating characters, the flow of the story really intrigued me. The plot was full of interesting plot turns and twists, some of which I could see coming, but most of which I did not. That is what drew me to the story the most. I confess, I am a sucker for plot twists, especially when they surprise me and as each one was revealed, I found myself more and more intrigued. By the time that I got into the meat of the story, I had a hard time putting the book down. This book definitely will go onto my highly recommended list and is one of the best books that I have read so far in 2018.
The only downfall, if any, was my desire to skip ahead a few time, hence the 4.5 and not 5 star rating. In all truth, though, that rating might be more due to my desire to know if I was on the right track figuring out the next twist rather than any problem with the way the author laid out the story.
T. M. Logan is a "first time" author for me, and I would definitely give him a high five. I am putting his first book [book:29 Seconds|36217426] on my list of books to find and look forward to reading more by this author.
When Joe Lynch's young son spots his mother's vehicle entering into a parking lot of a hotel he begs his father to turn around and go back to see her, they decided to surprise her...but they wind up being the ones who get surprised. Once they arrive they spot her speaking with a family friend Ben Delaney, and from the looks of things it's not a pleasant conversation, when they get a little closer to them they begin to hear them having a heated argument, so Joe tries to intervene. Which causes a little scuffle, punches are thrown, and Ben winds up hitting his head and is knocked unconscious, in the mean time Joe's son starts to have an asthma attack, which causes him to panic and flee the scene to get his son help. When he returns to the scene later to check on Ben and ensure that he is alright, he discovers that Ben and his car are both missing. Shortly there after he starts to receive threatening messages from Ben, Ben wants revenge and he will stop at nothing to get it... the peculiar thing is, Ben's wife reported him missing a few days before. And now Joe is the number one suspect...
Between the pages of this book you will discover a well written psychological thriller that is riddled with crafty little twists and turns that will toy with your mind, and make you question everything and everyone you meet. I have to say this was quite an impressive debut, once I cracked the cover of it I couldn't bring myself to put it down, and just when I thought I had things figured out, I'd turn the page and be hit with another blow, and stumped all over again! If you are looking for your next thrilling literary escape, look no further, Lies is certain to give you everything your after, and much more!
I requested an advanced copy of this title from NetGalley and I am voluntarily leaving my honest opinion.
Wow - this one was weird and surprising! I sort of saw The Big Reveal coming, but not entirely - and that's largely only because in the post-Gone Girl era, it's becoming de rigueur to suspect the least suspecting suspect... This was a fast-paced, quick read. It always amazes me how quickly things fall apart in stories like this - how someone's life is undone in a span of a week or so. Joe has everything (or so he thinks) and then bit by painful bit, he loses everything (or so he thinks) in a trickle-down that is engaging even as it's painful to witness. The characters and plot were what I've come to expect from this type of thriller - entertaining even if not exactly novel. It was a fun binge-read with just enough suspense and tension to keep you going until the end.
Thank you St. Martin’s Press for sending me a copy of Lies by T.M. Logan. Pub date September 11th! This was a fast paced read for me. The story is told through Joe Lynch’s POV.
Joe Lynch lives a simple life. He’s married to the love of his life, Mel and adores William, his son. He loves his part time teaching job. Teaching part time allows him more time with Wills. Joe is not the richest guy but he is okay with that.
One day, Joe picks up Wills from school and they notice a car that looks exactly like Mel’s. The closer they get, Joe realizes it is Mel’s car and decides to follow her into a car garage to surprise her. Little does he know, what happens in that car garage will forever change Joe’s life.
Joe is shocked to find Mel and a family friend, Ben in a very animated conversation. Ben looks angry and Mel looks upset. He decides to get out of the car to check on Mel but she leaves too fast. Joe confronts Ben and things turn violent. Ben is knocked out on the ground and is bleeding from his head. Joe turns to find William having an asthma attack. He decides his son is more important at the moment and speeds home for an inhaler. Once Wills is settled, Joe feels the need to go check on Ben to make sure he’s okay. When he returns to the car garage, Ben is gone and so is Ben’s car. Oooo!
I did enjoy this story but there were a few times I wanted to slap Joe to wake him up. I thought I knew where the end was headed but I was wrong! The ending twist got me good. 4 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Well, this was one crazy ride of a book. This is one that once you pick up you want to race through it to find out what happened/ whodunnit. This book seems to rely on the hope that all of the thrillers the reader has read recently have unreliable narrators- thus leaving you to wonder how much you should believe your narrator, especially since the book is called Lies. In the end, a really fun read. I did manage to guess the who, but not the why, so still a surprising end.