Member Reviews

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview The Stories you Tell by Kristen Lepionka. This is my first read by thie author and it is a series book.
When Roxanne gets a call from her brother, Andrew, in the middle of a cold night, she is irritated but goes to see him. Andrew is distraught about a woman who was at his apartment but left mysteriously. Andrew is acting strange, but that's usual for him. He wants Roxanne to help find her and make sure she is ok.
This is what Roxanne does and so she sets out to find this woman, but finds out alot more.
And soon the police are looking at Andrew because this woman can't be found and Andrew looks like a prime suspect.
Solid plot, good characters.

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It's true - a late-night phone call is never good news!

In The Stories You Tell, we see how Roxane Weary receives a call from her brother Andrew, whose evening was interrupted by an urgent visit from Addison, a hip young DJ and one-time fling, who turns up at his apartment scared and begging to use his phone. She leaves as quickly as she appeared, but now Andrew is worried—especially when Addison never makes it home and her friends and family demand to know where she is.

As the police begin to suspect that something may have happened to her and that Andrew is involved, Roxane tracks Addison’s digital footprint as she goes deeper and deeper into the events preceding her disappearance.

A captivating mystery that will keep you guessing until the very end.

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I love a good detective series and this one did not disappoint. It was a quick read with lots of twist and turns and the characters were easy to connect with.

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I've enjoyed this series in the past, but this one seemed different. The story just dragged or just wasn't all that exciting. I did want to know how it all played out, but it wasn't very engaging getting there.

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I love this detective series. It's been quite a long time since I actually read a mystery/thriller novel that's part of an actual series but I just can't seem to stay away from Roxanne. I will say that some thing are a little repetitive with Roxanne's personal life but I'm still enjoying it so that's not really a negative from me right now. I'm glad to know there are more books coming, and I can't wait to dive right back into the next novel and see what mysterious adventures await Roxanne (and Tom).

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This is the second book by this author that I have read. Mysteries are my favorite genre, but I couldn't relate to the main character or get involved in the storyline.

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I love this one. So good. I couldn’t put it down! This author has quickly become a favorite of mine. Read this, you won’t be disappointed!

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A fantastic third book to a fantastic series. I am so impressed with how Lepionka continues to build intricate mysteries with twists and subplots and relevant issues, all the while developing Roxane Weary. She's one of my favorite sleuths in fiction, and I hope we can see many more books about her.

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Minotaur Books and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Stories You Tell. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.

Private investigator Roxane Weary gets involved in a case regarding a missing woman after receiving a worried phone call from her brother Andrew. As Roxane digs, she uncovers connections to a seedy dance club and a questionable query from a policeman on disability leave. Does Addison's digital footprint hold the key to her disappearance?

I liked the investigative aspects of this story, but the rest was just more of the same. A huge fan of police procedural thrillers, I found The Stories You Tell to be too involved in Roxane's personal life to be a great addition to the genre. Regarding the plot, certain aspects were predictable, but realistic, as to the current climate in law enforcement. I wish the author had taken a leap away from Roxane's issues and had decided to focus on the case at hand. Readers new to the Roxane Weary series will be able to follow along, although the certain plot mentions from the previous books may bring a moment of puzzlement. Overall, The Stories You Tell was an average read and just does not stand out among the many police procedural thrillers.

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The Stories You Tell was my first book by Kristen Lepionka, and it was a quick read with relatable characters. I loved the character development. Overall, I look forward to reading more works by this author!

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I thank you for the opportunity to read and review this book. This author was new to me and I was not let down. It was a great story and very well written. The characters were easy to relate to and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I highly recommend this to everyone!!

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I read THE STORIES YOU TELL in a couple of days, the last 50% in one sitting.

I love this series, and this was a great book, maybe even better than the second. The mystery was twisty and addictive and I never saw the ending coming, which is always good. I love that this feels realistic, like this stuff could actually happen.

Also. Team Tom. Always. And I have a feeling that Kristen might also be on his team. Right? RIGHT?

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Just finished The Stories You Tell By Kristen Lepionka. I enjoyed this book this book but would have enjoyed it more if I had read the first books in the series. I was not acquainted with Roxane Weary, her brother Andrew, Tom and her closest friends including Catherine. I think that all these people have a strong emotional attachment and history which I missed out on. However I learned by just reading this book that Roxane is very strong willed and determined to solve whatever problem she faces. In this case, her brother Andrew calls her and requests her help. An old friend , Addison, has disappeared and he is worried about her. The rest of the book is about Roxane's determined search to find her and help her brother.

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I loved this book, I didn't get a chance to read the books before this one, but i have heard great things. This book is gripping, very dark, and complex.. I was hooked and couldn't stop reading it.

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I enjoyed the first book in this series, but this one just didn’t grasp me. I don’t know what happened, but I was bored for the first 40% and therefore just could not continue with it. It seemed a bit repetitive and uneventful for me. Thank you for the opportunity!!

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The Stories You Tell is part of the Roxane Weary series and is my first read by the author. I wasn't familiar with the character of Roxane, but I quickly got a feel for who she is. Roxane is not perfect, and the story only benefits from her imperfections. She drinks, is too nosy for her own good and struggles with relationships; however, she has good qualities as well. Roxane is a natural at detective work with great instincts. She loves her family and wants to protect them. She is not afraid of confrontation or its consequences. I felt both respect and sympathy for Roxane and found her relatable in many ways. Because I didn't read the series in order, I was confused about Roxane's relationship with Tom and about Tom's involvement with her father, especially her father's death. A satisfactory explanation is given but not until near the end of the story. Tom is an interesting character. He's obviously carrying a good amount of grief and guilt, but he's hard to read otherwise. Honestly, the entire dynamic between Roxane and Tom is difficult to pin down because it's just not clear how they really feel about each other. My biggest complaint about the story, though, is Roxane and Catherine. They are romantically involved, but it's an odd pairing. They are nothing alike, and by the end of the story, it's crystal clear that Catherine is nothing but a narcissistic b***h. Now, as for the actual story, it's a convoluted look into the lives of seemingly normal people, and I felt disgusted about the things people will do. There are plenty of lies, evil doings, dead ends and betrayal here. This story is also an excellent example of the unstoppable all encompassing power of social media. Roxane wonders at one point if any of this would have happened without social media. I think definitely not. The anonymity of it is too alluring. You can be anybody and do things you would never really do as yourself. The mystery here centers around an app called BusPass, like Tinder, and a missing girl. Roxane digs deep into this digital world, and the results are shocking. Is anyone who they appear to be? The Stories You Tell is a psychological thriller with an unforgettable heroine. I was on the edge of my seat until the end, and I highly recommend, especially if you like a strong female lead. It's a must read for your tbr!!

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This is the first book that I have read in this series but I am hooked. Nothing is as it seems. I love the character of Roxanne and look forward to more installments.
Many thanks to St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

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I very much enjoyed Roxane Weary in this novel, third of the series but completely stand alone. I need to get the first two now... Roxane and her brother Andrew (along with older brother Matt whom we see very little of) are the adult children of a deceased Colombus, Ohio policeman. Andrew does his best to keep his small upscale community in MaryJane and Roxane is a private detective, though in this novel she is working mostly to clear her brother Andrew, and for the local manufacturer of high-end women's exercise clothing, Gail Spinnaker, who suspects there are inferior knock-offs of her product on the market, from an unknown source. Roxane sets up four separate private mailboxes and orders the SpinSpo clothing from various retailers who are selling SpinSpo performance apparel on internet markets. About all she can do until she has a clue is to check those mailboxes daily, check out the quality of the sportswear received and document the purchase, which gives her lots of time to do what she can to clear Andrew of the suspicion involving the disappearance of an old girlfriend who's last known location, where she called her father for help and whispered to his voicemail, was from Andrew's apartment. The duffle bag of marijuana the police found in his living room she can do nothing about.

This is a well-told mystery with lots of heart. The locale is well defined, the people well rounded, and the story well hidden. I enjoyed the road trips in and around Columbus - my husband is from Washington Courthouse - and the communities of Bexley and Hocking County, the shenanigans on the dating site BusPass were a hoot, and I thoroughly enjoyed Tom Heitker. I can happily recommend this series to friends and family. Kristen Lepionka is an author I will follow.

I received a free electronic copy of this mystery novel from Netgalley, Kristen Lepionka, and Minotaur Books. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my honest opinion of this work.
pub date July 9, 2019

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The Stories You Tell is the final installment in the Roxane Weary trilogy. I think it could stand alone, but having read the first two books in the series, I would recommend going that route for maximum entertainment. Roxane Weary is a contradictory, complicated, layered character, and though this installment doesnt have as complicated a mystery as the first two, it makes up for that in the story's focus on family dynamics and character relationships. I'm probably not doing Kristen Lepionka's talent justice, but I am riveted by her writing. The protagonist is a hard drinking, tech savvy, bisexual, daughter of a policemen. The story is related in the first person. The dialogue is witty. I highly recommend the entire series for maximum entertainment value.
I received my copy through NetGalley under no obligation.

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This book was enjoyable, and I think it would be even more so if I would have known it was part of a series. I loved the main character, so I'm definitely going to go grab the other books!

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