I am a big fan of The Night Olivia Fell and Behind Every Lie is another thriller with suspense, secrets, and a mother/daughter relationship to unpack.⁣
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I loved the alternating POVs and timelines; it switches between Eva, who wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning to discover her mother, Kat has been murdered, and Kat's mysterious past. This is very fast paced and I read this in two sittings.⁣
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These two have a complex history and there are so many twists and surprises but some I found to be so obvious and too convenient that it took away from my experience. Some of what these women went through also seemed so extreme - suicide, murder, gaslighting, rape, domestic abuse, disguises, obsessive stalker characters, etc.⁣
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This is my first experience with McDonald's writing - and I definitely enjoyed it! I am such a sucker for memory loss as a plot device - though I have to say that memory loss caused by a lightning strike is certainly new to me! I didn't know about that Lichtenberg figures could occur on skin until this book - looking up the images was certainly fascinating. Eva clearly comes off as an unreliable narrator from the very beginning, so she is a little bit harder to connect with. But McDonald does a good job of making her sympathetic as it becomes clear she has been through a lot of trauma in her life. I was glad that Kat's perspective was also included and I really found her character to be interesting.

As for the plot itself, it's certainly fast-paced. But it is a bit predictable... once the initial twist is revealed, the rest of the book falls neatly into place. But, despite this, it's still an engaging and exciting read. Plus there's something nice about having your predictions turn out to be right. I am curious to check out McDonald's earlier novel. This would be a great vacation read! I really liked the settings, too!

Christina McDonald has quickly become one of my favorite authors. The Night Olivia Fell inspired me to want to read this next book she wrote. If you love thrillers, being in suspense and not wanting to put a book down this book is for you. Behind the Lie shows how telling one lie can lead to another lie and how that can affect everyone. I have already purchased my copy! I already can’t wait to see what Christina writes next.

Feel very middle of the road about this book. On the one hand, it had a lot of things I like in a thriller, including enough information for me to feel like I could start piecing the mystery together while also still guessing.

But there was also quite a bit of dialogue that felt unnatural to me, as well as some events that simply didn’t make sense. Whenever I would come across one of these things, I felt like I was pulled out of the story and had to fall back into it. Overall, it was an okay thriller but not terribly groundbreaking.

Behind Every Lie left me a little undecided. On the one hand, it did hold my interest, and there were elements I liked, but there were also things I didn't care for. The story is told in dual POV and timelines, switching back and forth between Eva and Kat until the timelines merge into the present and the night Kat died. No, I'm not giving anything away with that tidbit since that's the foundation of the story - mostly. Both timelines were interesting, but Kat's had some lags in the beginning, and both timelines sometimes included a little too much of the mundane. Jumping back and forth between past and present sometimes works and sometimes doesn't. In this case, it was essential to keeping the story's secrets until the author was ready to give them up, or I think that was the reasoning, and it would've worked well had it not been so predictable.
The unreliable narrator is used here, which is something I see more and more lately. Sometimes it works, and sometimes not. In this case, it could've been very effective, but I'll refer back to the aforementioned predictability. When the clues are so in your face, any doubts about innocence or guilt go out the window. The same goes for any red herrings introduced throughout the book. It's a little too easy to figure out the who, what, and why of this one.
So, predictable? Absolutely, very much so. But, that's not necessarily a deal-breaker for me. Very often, I'll devour a book to the end just to see if I'm correct. I did finish this one, but not for that reason. Instead, it was the completely over the top elements that kept me reading. At around the halfway mark, I started to roll my eyes at the many things this family had been through. I mean, how much bad stuff can happen to one family or even one person? They say lightning never strikes the same place twice, and that may be, but Eva didn't need lightning to strike twice. Once was enough, and she had plenty of other bad to deal with. It felt like the author was throwing everything she had at us to see what would stick. Along with the crazy that was Eva's life came a number of twists, but big twists only work if you don't see them coming. I may not have had all the details worked out as far as how the big reveal would go down, but I did have enough that none of it was a surprise, including the very last twist, which was more about tying up that one loose end.
In the end, the characters were interesting. Not necessarily likable, but interesting. For me, the biggest problem was that the author needed to find that happy medium between being suspenseful and thrilling and going completely over the top. The story is a good one - not great, but still worth the read. I do think Christina McDonald shows promise as a domestic suspense/thriller writer, and I'll be interested to see where she goes from here.

If you’re looking for a quick read, with quickly developing characters and plot, this is one to grab. There were some great twists and surprises I didn’t anticipate, and some that I did. Like many fun thrillers, there are unrealistic elements, but these elements make for an enjoyable read that allows you to escape reality. This is one I’m glad to have on my shelf- though I don’t know how long it will stay there because my family and friends are already begging to borrow.

This is a true page turner. Love a story that starts off with a bang.
Eva wakes up in the hospital after being hit by lightning. With no memory of the day of the accident she is told her mother has been murdered.
Author Christina McDonald weaves a fabulous story full of thrilling twist and turns. The ending was a totally unexpected surprise.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher the opportunity to read and give an honest review.

Eva is determined to clear her name when she is suspected of killing her mother. On the night of her mother's murder, Eva was struck by lightning, and she doesn't remember anything from that night. As Eva tries to discover what happened that night, she learns her mother had secrets.

Told with alternating points of view - Eva and Kat, Eva's mother. Eva's story is told in the present day, while Kat's story tells about the past. Eva is an unreliable narrator, since she's been struck by lightning and can't remember what happened the night of her mother's death. Eva does have vague memories of being with her mother, but it's unclear what happened that night.

Every person in this book is keeping secrets and telling lies, so Behind Every Lie is an apt title for this book. There is a complicated backstory and a lot of twists and turns. An entertaining read for fans of psychological thrillers. Suspenseful, dramatic, and intense.

I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the emotional intensity of alternating perspectives of mother and daughter over time and trying to figure out what was going on with the plot. However, I was bothered by the improbability of some of the plot twists (i.e. main character losing her memory due to lightning strike right after her mother is murdered). If you can look past the improbabilities, Behind Every Lie is a fun read.
Thanks to NetGalley, Pocket Books, and the author Christina McDonald for an advanced digital review copy. This story will be published February 4, 2020.

Thank you to NetGalley and Christina McDonald, for allowing me an ARC of the book for a voluntary review.

I couldn't wait to read the follow up book, by the author who wrote the Night Olivia Fell...as far as I am concerned, the author has another winner!!

If you enjoy a book that has you flipping for rooting from one character, to another, and then hearing about all of the secrets, and lies that everyone has, this is the book for you. Read this one when you have a couple of hours to do so, as you definitely won't want to put it down.

The story is very well written, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!! 5 out of 5. Can't wait for the next one by Christina McDonald.

Gripping page-turner highlighting the lengths a mother will go for a child, including lies she takes to her grave, and what a child will do to find the truth, even if her memory tries to block it. McDonald introduces characters at ideal moments and provides twists to reveal tragic past experiences. Written in different POV and bounces from past to present, adding to the intrigue and suspense.

I enjoyed the author's previous title: The Night Olivia Fell, so I was interested in her latest offering. Overall, it was an interesting book. It didn’t have a huge twist at the end but enjoyable nonetheless.

Disoriented, Eva Hansen wakes up in the hospital shocked to learn that she has been struck by lightning and her short-term memories erased. Even more devastating, she’s told her mother was murdered, and her unconscious body was found near her mother’s house. Detective Jackson of the Seattle Police Department focuses on Eva as a suspect.

Flashes of memories intrude on Eva’s waking moments, but she doesn’t know if they are reliable or a symptom of the lightning strike. Eva fears that Detective Jackson might be right, that she might have lost control and killer her mother. She decides to travel to London, her mother’s hometown, in the hopes of uncovering the secrets that may lead her to the truth. Someone else, though, is just as desperate to stop her.

I couldn’t put down 𝘉𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘓𝘪𝘦, told in multiple timelines through both Eva’s perspective in the present and her mother, Kat’s, point of view from the past. The book goes beyond a thrilling mystery to explore layers of motherhood, trust, and the consequences of lies and betrayal. Both main characters are multi-dimensional, overall likeable, but at times frustrating and at times heartbreaking. I liked this even more than 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘖𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘢 𝘍𝘦𝘭𝘭, so definitely think fans of McDonald’s earlier novel will love this as will those who enjoy books by Lisa Jewell and Nicci French.

With a title like Behind Every Lie, it’s a pretty safe bet that you’re in for a read filled with twists and turns, and author Christina McDonald does not disappoint. Behind Every Lie opens with a young woman named Eva Hansen frantically running down the street. She is clearly afraid, possibly in shock, and is covered in blood. She stops for a moment, to take stock of her situation and then everything abruptly goes dark. When Eva awakens, she is in the hospital being treated for, against all odds, a lightning strike. Eva has no memory of what happened to her leading up to the moment she was struck by lightning, which becomes a real problem when a police detective shows up at the hospital and tells her that her mother has been stabbed to death. Eva was found near her mother’s house and covered with blood, so she is automatically the prime suspect. Even with no memory of what happened that night, Eva is sure there’s no way she could have killed her own mother so she flees the hospital and sets out to find the real killer and clear her name.

Those who follow my reviews know that I’m a sucker for a story that features a dual timeline and McDonald uses one here to great effect. The story unfolds from both Eva’s perspective in the present and her mother Kat’s perspective in the past. As Eva uncovers more and more details about her mother’s life, the more she realizes her mother lived a life filled with secrets and lies and that by extension, Eva’s entire life has been nothing but a lie. She also realizes that whoever else knew about her mother’s secret could very easily be the person who killer her.

Unreliable narrators can be hit or miss for me, but I really like the way it was used here. Eva is unreliable quite simply because she has amnesia brought on by the lightning strike. I loved the twists and turns that each returning memory added to the story, especially when the doctor said that she couldn’t necessarily trust those memories at first. The bits and pieces Eva keeps remembering have her doubting her own innocence even as she’s finding evidence that there may be a real killer out there somewhere.

Behind Every Lie grabbed me from the opening scene and kept me riveted to the end. If murder mysteries, dual timelines and unreliable narrators are your thing, be sure to add Christina McDonald’s Behind Every Lie to your must-read list.

I had read Christina McDonald's book - The Night Olivia Fell, and it was very good, so when I was invited via NetGalley to read her newest book, I did, of course! I wasn't disappointed. Eva wakes after being struck by lightning, to find out her mother is dead, and she is a suspect. She flees to London to dig deeper into her mother's past, unearthing her mother's hidden secrets, and having the distinct feeling she is being watched. The story is told alternating between her and her mother's perspectives, and is very easy to follow. Definitely a page turner! Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for the advanced copy. I can't wait to read more of Christina's work in the future.

I love Christina McDonald’s style - telling the story from both sides of the story, meeting in the middle in an explosive, unexpected way. I was certain I knew what was happening about 2/3 through the book, but I was SO WRONG!

The story of love and the choices that make sense at the time, loss and putting yourself back together. Truly beautiful ending.

2.5 stars
I am in the minority with this book. No one is more disappointed than me. I really enjoyed the author's first book, the emotional "The Night Olivia Fell" and was hoping for the same feeling with this one.
Nope.
This book was too much of a mess for me. Too much going on, too rolling-my-eyes-are-you-kidding-me moments. I had suspicions about one character from the beginning and it turns out I was right. There is a dual timeline in this story, which a lot of the time doesn't work for me. Eva wakes up in a hospital bed after being struck by lightning and learns that her mother has been murdered and she may have killed her. But, she can't remember. (Gasp!)
Then, it is Kat, Eva's mother, who tells her story from 25 years ago. I figured it had something to do with Eva (duh) and continued reading. I had to suspend disbelief too much in this book and the finale/realization was just a little too over the top. (especially regarding Eva's fiancé, Liam.)

Thank you to Gallery Books and NetGalley for providing me with a digital arc in exchange or my honest review.

Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald is an interesting type of murder mystery thriller. The main character Eva wakes up in a hospital not knowing where she is or anything that's happened in the last 24 or so hours. She has burns covering her body and a huge headache from being hit by lightning. Sometime during those hours, her mother was murdered. Eva is so confused, especially when the police start asking questions and the questions turn out to be about her and what happened during that time. Eva realizes she needs to find out what really is the truth of her mother’s past and that might shed light on the murder. Only then she finds out nothing she thought she knew was accurate.

The story goes back and forth between Eva’s life now and her mother’s (Kat’s) life from the past. Each chapter highlights a different part of the story like building blocks. Pieces of information slowly are revealed which leads to more questions and surprising answers. Not everything is as it is believed. Interesting complications lead to more questions.

Behind Every Lie held my attention. I liked the characters. I liked the plot line. I liked how information was slowly revealed. Quite frankly, I read the book in one sitting, because I wanted to know how it was going to come out. Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald was a good read.

📖 Book review! ⁣
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Phew! Cosmo and I are tired after staying up late to finish this one. ⁣
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Thank you to @netgalley and @gallerybooks for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.⁣
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📖 Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald⁣
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.2)/5 (Above average) ⁣
Goes with: A hot cup of tea and the lights ON! ⁣
Pub date: Feb. 4 2020⁣
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Brief synopsis:⁣
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Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. She is suspected by police, and can’t remember what happened.⁣
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Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. She soon finds out some family secrets and starts to question who she is and who she can trust. ⁣
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Review: ⁣
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This book was definitely more fast-paced than her last, but I felt it was too fast-paced at some moments. I wish there was more build-up and reaction to the many plot twists. ⁣
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The shifting storylines were well done, and I did like Kat and her character development. Every chapter created more questions which I enjoyed. It kept me engaged (hence the all-nighter) and I’d recommend it to those who love domestic thrillers. ⁣
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Who has read this one or is planning on reading this one? ⁣

Christina McDonald’s “Behind Every Lie” is a spellbinding, edge-of-your seat psychological thriller. The main character, Eva Hansen, awakens in the hospital after being struck by lightning the same evening her mother, Kat, is murdered. Eva has no memory of that evening, and she becomes the prime suspect of the police. Through the course of the novel, Eva tries to recover her memory and to clear herself of her mother’s murderer.

The story is told in alternating perspectives (Eva’s and Kat’s), as well as in alternating timeframes. These alternating viewpoints were well-done and definitely added a great deal to the storyline. They also came together quite well so that the mystery surrounding Kat’s death could be deftly explained by the novel’s end.

The pacing of this novel was good, and there was an abundance of twists and turns to keep up that pace — perhaps even too many of them, with some of them bordering on the unbelievable. All in all, though, this was a very enjoyable, quick read and definitely a page-turner which held my interest throughout! I look forward to reading other of McDonald’s works.