2.5 I really hate giving these half star reviews, but sometimes it's relevant. This author has made me feel the same way I felt after I read her last book, story idea good, descriptive scenes good, dialogue and character development horrific.
Violent, devastatingly painful events happen to the characters in this book and their emotions, actions and thought processes don't seem to reflect those experiences. It's shoddily done and brings down an otherwise good book.

This book was so well done. I loved to hate Liam. I’m not sure why, but something about him rubbed me the wrong way from the start. Eva loved him, but I didn’t. I enjoyed how it went from the past to the present through the characters. It made it easy to stay with. Thank you Netgalley for this early reading.

WOW!! Right from the beginning the twists started. Eva, a young woman has gone through a lifetime of lies & betrayals. I enjoyed the way the author went back through the years with Kat. It made for a very interesting story where you could try to figure out all the lies. Character development was also well done to the point that I was very anxious about Sebastion Clarke, He is a very creepy and scary guy. Liam also was so obsessed and over protective. This was such a good book. It kept you turning the pages because you wanted to get to the next twist. Highly recommend.

I'm gonna be honest here........

Behind Every Lie is somewhat like a tossed salad in which you crouch in front of the refrigerator and throw in every ingredient within your reach. Doesn't matter if it's palatable. Just flip it into the bowl and give it a good toss.

Christina McDonald introduces us to Eva Hansen, a talented potter who rents space at the Crafted Artisan on Whidbey Island near Seattle. Life seems to be going well as Eva is newly engaged to the handsome Liam Sullivan, a successful property developer in the Seattle area.

As readers, we will soon come to find that bad mojo sticks to Eva like velcro in its grasp. McDonald takes us into an early chapter in which Eva is caught out in a hail storm one evening stumbling in the darkness as she's covered in blood. But whose blood is it and why can't she remember where she's been and what has just transpired? A lightning bolt finds its target on Eva's back and she slams to the sidewalk in a blackout.

Next scene is in the hospital where Eva is recovering. She's just been told her mother was murdered that night. Police gonna be givin' ol' Eva the side-eye from now on. Her fiance Liam can't make sense of it either.

Then McDonald flips us back twenty-five years earlier to London where we begin to lock in on Eva's mother, Kat. That's where this novel begins to ooze out all those lies mentioned in the title. In fact, the whole book is wallpapered in lies until the ending. Bring a rake.

I found McDonald's earlier novel, The Night Olivia Fell, to be quite good. That's why I was so excited to pick this one up. Behind Every Lie seems to suffer from overkill and from the weight of trying to keep the reader at a panting level throughout the read. We trip over too many threads and too many implausible situations that don't mesh well. Hitchcock kept his viewers so engaged and transfixed on a simple thread that the unexpected was exactly that. Too much is just too much.

I'd like to see what Christina McDonald has in store for the next one. I received a copy of this book for an honest review. My thanks to Gallery Books and to Christina McDonald for the opportunity.

This is the second book I have read by this author. The first, her debut book, The Night Olivia Fell was truly spectacular. In this book, Behind Every Lie, I enjoyed this book, her second book also very much. This is more a psychological thriller told by Eva, the daughter and Kat, her mother. It basically goes back and forth between each of them and their POV. So, if you read the blurb, Eva wakes up in the hospital, struck by lightening but as managed to survive but her memory at this point is blank and finds out when she wakes up that her mother is dead and appears to been murdered. The detective assigned to the case appears to believe that Eva is responsible. So we are taken on a journey via the two POV's going back to 25 years earlier where Kat was originally from England. About 50% into the book, there is a big reveal but the twists and turns keep on coming. So even though there is this big reveal there is so much more to come. The suspense gets more intense with many more reveals. I do not want to continue with my review because I do not want to give away any spoilers. I truly liked this book but I did feel it was a little contrived. Hence, the four stars but all in all I would highly recommend this book if you are a fan of this genre of books. I want to thank net galley for an ARC of this book for an honest review and I look forward to this author's next book.

<insert eye roll here>

Cheese and rice, but poor Eva suffers everything but a house falling on her head in this thriller that seems to feel compelled to heap every possible tragedy on the characters. From the opening pages, I struggled with this one. It just felt like too much - too much drama, tragedy, misdirection, uncertain menace, questionable decision-making and coincidental and disbelief-suspending detail. And if you think that list is long, wait until you get a load of the parade of horribles that comprise the story!

I really liked When Olivia Fell - it was a moving and complex story about the relationship between a mother and daughter, as well as a psychological thriller, and it's precisely that complexity that intrigued and hooked me. I was delighted when I saw that McDonald had a new book. True, from the beginning it seemed a little overly-similar to other amnesia books of recent vintage, but I was willing to overlook that - until I realized that the characters were utterly unlikeable, in nearly all their forms, and that the torturous circumstances of all of their lives felt like a soap-opera melodrama...

This book felt like it was trying *REALLY HARD* to be everything possible in a thriller of its type. There were just so many things going on - past, present, and future - that it was overwhelming to read them all. On top of that, Eva and Kat are, frankly, difficult characters to relate to or feel empathy for - despite all of their sufferings, and hating to sound like I'm victim-blaming, it was difficult to gin up any sympathy because they made so many poor decisions and/or were so wishy-washy so often. It meant I was annoyed when something else horrific happened, rather than concerned or worried - and that made the read tough for me because I simply could not find myself falling into their point of view. And in a book that alternates POV between two characters, both of whom I dislike, the resultant read for me is rough-going...

This one just felt like it was trying too hard. It got much better in the end - there were a couple of revelations I did not see coming, and the pacing evened out a lot. That, coupled with a handful of decisions (and explanations for decisions) that felt like they finally made sense, meant that the pages flew by and the story became more enjoyable. It wasn't enough to drive me to four stars, because it felt like too little, too late, but it did help. If the first 3/4 of the book had followed that tone/pacing, this would have been a phenomenal read. As it was, I can only go with three stars. I'd still try McDonald's next offering - she's a strong writer and compelling relater of complex relationships when she's in her stride...

Eva wakes up in a hospital after being struck by lightning and learns that her mother has been murdered and that she is a suspect. If only she could remember the events that led up to her being struck! The back story and the events leading up to the murder are filled in for us in alternating POVs (Eva and her mother, Kat).

While I enjoyed reading this novel and found the relationships to be authentic, I felt like there was a lot going on which made it a little difficult to keep track of the details and to really connect with the story. I also found the twists to be predictable.

Thank you to Christina McDonald, Gallery Books and #NetGalley for allowing me to read an advance copy of this novel in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Eva has always had a strained relationship with her mother Kat. Shortly after she meets her for a birthday celebration, Kat is murdered and Eva is struck by lightning outside her house and can’t remember what happened. Eva comes under suspicion and she decides to go looking for answers despite the objections of her overprotective fiancée.
The story alternates between Eva in the present and Kat’s past.
The author throws in a lot of plot twists and the story will keep most readers engaged.
Thank you to #netgalley and #galleybooks for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I enjoy Christina McDonald's writing style and loved The Night Olivia Fell. Behind Every Lie was not as pleasing to me. While I enjoyed the two main female protagonists Kat and Eva, as well as the narrative which switched between the past (Kat's story) leading up to today (Eva's predicament) as a means of exploring and explaining both of the women, this book had "too much".

By that I mean that there were too many lies, too many deceptions, too many betrayals, too many bad guys, too many hard to believe coincidences. It's the Murphy's Law sort of thing that you hear about all the time - if something can go wrong, it will. That can be true - but not all at the same time to the same characters!! Geez, enough already!! Plenty of twists, turns and surprises (you just couldn't possibly be ready for all of them!) but again - too much.

I would suggest McDonald pare down the number of tangents and coincidences in her next offering. Making a taut, well-tuned, believable storyline holds my attention and my admiration far longer. Unfortunately, I will remember this book for all the wrong reasons.

My thanks to NetGalley and to Gallery Books for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Behind Every Lie is kept me on the edge of my seat. I enjoyed reading this suspenseful mystery by Christina McDonald. Behind Every Lie is an intriguing story unfolding in thrilling layers, flashing through time. I found Behind Every Lie to be a fascinating read indeed! I will publish my full book review of this captivating murder-mystery thriller closer to the book’s release date.

Another incredible novel by this author. McDonald is fast becoming one of my top authors. Will write a further reviewer closer to release. Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC

Intense, face-paced, entertaining, emotional roller coaster, filled with love and hate. Be prepared to stay up all night reading this physiological thriller. Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald will have you reading with the lights on!

I love Christina McDonald’s writing style. Two of my favorite quotes from the book are below.

“I’m not entirely certain one can ever become unbroken, But I do know we can be strong and brave and broken and whole all at the same time. It’s called being human.”

“We aren’t defined by our tragedies, by our history, by our mistakes, but by pieces of love and sadness and happiness, and the whole range of human emotions we feel.”

I love reading mysteries and thrillers in between all the historical fiction I read. Absolutely love this one. I don’t want to write any spoilers so just take my word, if you want to escape and be totally entertained and maybe even get choked up at the end make sure to read Behind Every Lie. It will be out January .6, 2020. Thank you NetGalley, Christina McDonald and Gallery Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Christina McDonald's book Behind Every Lie is very mysterious and suspenseful. The book is told through the eyes of Eva Hansen. Eva has dinner with her mother and later on, that night is struck by lightning. When she regains consciousness she learns someone has murdered her mother and that the police consider her a person of interest. Eva does not know anyone that would want her mother dead. But she must do a little investigating and find the murderer before the police arrest her. I would definitely recommend this book.

It must be difficult to be an author. You’re often compared to your last work regardless of what you put out. I try not to be a reviewer that compares work to work as each individual novel stands on its own.

However, I do tend to go into a story half expecting a similar outcome or a similar story and theme. The story was so much more than I expected.

Written with short chapters that flash between past and present, mother and daughter, we piece together the truth or what we expect is the truth as the story goes along.

This is a type of psychological thriller that offers so many possibilities as to how the story could go that you easily get completely caught up. Everyone seems suspect and it’s tough to determine what the real story is and what is the lie.

And when those lies start coming to a head, several of them will catch you by surprise.

McDonald killed it with Behind Every Lie. Intense, intriguing, and highly illuminating when it comes to what people will do for love. Murder, mind tricks, gaslighting, secrets, trust, strength, and healing. Complex layers of emotion wraps you up tight and does not let up until the end.

Fabulous story with so many surprises along the way!

A fast moving thriller you won't want to put down! Christina McDonald keeps you guessing to the very end!!

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with a digital ARC of this title via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Suspense isn't my usual book choice, but every now and then I enjoy a fun murder mystery. This seemed to be just the thing. I must say the beginning was a little confusing to me, but once I got in to the story, I was able to follow the different perspectives and enjoy the story more. I enjoyed trying to figure out the truth along with the book, but have to admit that I did not guess the ending. It was an unexpected and well done surprise. There was a little language, but luckily minimal swearing with no graphic details about the murder or rape. Overall, this was a fun mystery suspense.

I feel like this was the author's first attempt to write an "edgy psychological thriller". I know those books are big sellers these days but this felt forced to me. I wish she had stayed at the emotional heart of the story--the daughter and mom part--vs trying to make it into a twisty thriller. Maybe the next one would be better? I didn't dislike it but I felt like the author was trying a genre that wasn't a great fit for her.

I loved this book! I didn’t get a chance to read The Night Olivia Fell, but now I definitely have to pick it up! This was a great thriller and I especially loved the different points of view. This is the type of book that you think you know where it’s going, but you actually have no idea! I love being surprised by an ending and this one definitely did the trick!


Behind Every Lie is about Kat and Eva, a mother and daughter that have a complex relationship. They both have secrets and one begins to come out. Eva is hit by lightning and when she wakes up she finds out her mother has been murdered and she is a suspect in the case.

Eva tries to learn about her mother by going to London and searching her memories to find out what really happened. She begins to learn that her mother had secrets and starts to piece together what happened. There are so many interesting parts of this story and I was guessing until the very end. It does have a satisfying ending, which is something I like in a book. If you like a good and twisty thriller, this ones for you!

TW: Domestic violence

Thank you to Netgalley and Gallery Books for this ARC!

My first words after I finished this book were, "wow". My second action was to run to Goodreads and look to see when her next book was out and to make sure I have read her previous ones. The Night Olivia Fell was one of the best books I read recently, so I couldn't wait to get my hands on this one. It did not let me down. If anything it made me hungry for more. I need more books right now! The book revolves around Eva waking up after being struck by lightening, with her mother dead, and no memory of what has happened. As she goes searching to dig deeper and learn more, she discovers that everything is not what she thought it was. From Seattle to across the pond she chases the leads to regain her memory.. But the question is, does she really want to know? An edge of your seat suspenseful thriller, this is one you do not want to miss out on.

Behind Every Lie is the latest book by Christina McDonald.  The story is told with two different points of view and back and forth in time. Ms McDonald gives us extremely likable characters and makes the reader feel like we must know what happens next. Some edge of your seat moments. I want to thank Net Galley and Simon & Schuster for an early copy to review.