Loved this. McDonald is quickly becoming a favorite and go to author. Read this along with some friends in the Traveling Sisters group on GR and had a great discussion. It is a good book club read. Just the right mystery and suspense for me. I didn’t guess The Who did it for a long time. A good twist too. I highly recommend it. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for my e-copy to review. I am planning on reading all of Christina’s this next year that I can.

Christina McDonald tests the levels of trauma someone can handle in one lifetime without splitting at their very core in her novel “Behind Every Lie”.

A magnificently complex, gripping and unexpected family story that left me breathless.

Stunning at every turn because of the thrill ride I was on!

With such flawless storytelling!

….waiting patiently for Christina McDonald’s next book announcing proudly I’m an über fan!!

Reader Whiplash
I fell in love with Christina McDonald’s writing last year with The Night Olivia Fell. I love Domestic Thrillers and shows including Big Little Lies, so The Night Oliva Fell was a fun fantastic read. I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to find out what would happen next. Because of this I couldn’t wait for Ms. McDonald’s next book Behind Every Lie.

I thoroughly enjoyed Behind Every Lie; it had all the aforementioned and so much more. There were so many characters and you never really knew until end who was telling the truth.
The feeling of Whiplash between some of these characters is what gave me the feeling of not being able to flip the pages fast enough, with one of these characters, seeming much shadier then the others. If you haven’t read yet pay close attention.

This was such a great read I look forward to Ms. McDonald’s next book next year.

I thought this was a very good, complex, fast-paced thriller that had me questioning everyone. Well worth the read. I look forward to reading more books by this author.

Christina McDonald’s Behind Every Lie is every bit as exceptional as her debut novel, The Night Olivia Fell (2019). McDonald’s ability to tangle together a chilling psychological thriller while weaving together multiple themes including the complicated, unconditional love between mother and daughter is truly incredible. Dynamic ,thought provoking, and wrought with tragedy Behind Every Lie is the electrifying story of Eva Hansen whose life suddenly shatters into pieces when she is found, struck by lightning, unconscious and covered in blood not far from where her mother has been murdered.
Struggling to regain her memory of what happened that night, she begins to gather pieces of the past and fill in the missing holes of her memory. Who can you trust when you aren’t even sure you can trust yourself. Behind Every Lie is a must add to your TBR list. Phenomenal...Blown Away…Unputdownable... totally worth the book hangover.

Christina McDonald is back with another thriller thanks to Behind Every Lie. Thank you to Gallery Books and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.


Eva Hansen wakes up in a hospital and she doesn't know what happened. Her entire body aches and she doesn't remember what put her in the hospital. Her fiance, Liam, tell her she was hit by lightning. Not only that she was hit by lightning outsider her mother's house and someone killed her mother. Eva has a history of not remember events so detectives are eager to question Eva. As she starts to look into her mother's murder, Eva gets more than she bargained for in return.


Behind Every Lie is a very quick thriller and I read it in no time. By the time I was done with it I felt underwhelmed. Christina McDonald did a good job laying the foundation for the mystery but it was also very formulaic and predictable by doing so. I wanted a little bit more out of the story and part of it to be fleshed out more, but that's my own personal preference. I think this is still a thriller that many will enjoy and is a good book to bring along to the beach for Spring Break or in the summer.

Talk about a dark cloud hanging overhead! Poor Eva! What could go wrong for Eva did go wrong!

Eva Hansen awakens in the hospital only to find that her mother has been murdered. And every eye is on her since she was found near her mother’s home. Only Eva doesn’t remember that night at all...since she was knocked unconscious when she was struck by lightning! (And that’s just the beginning).

Lol! I shouldn’t laugh...but Eva is one of the unluckiest characters I have ever come across! It’s a wonder she gets out of bed each morning! I think I’d be scared to!

This is my second read by Christina McDonald and while her previous novel The Night Olivia Fell was a five star read for me, this one just fell short. I can usually suspend my believability, but it was just a bit too much. That said, I will still be reaching for her next novel!

A buddy read with Susanne!

Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Pocket Books and Christina McDonald for an ARC to read and review.

This was entertaining but very predictable, and was a little heavy on the gaslighting for my taste as well. This is a quick, easy read and I really enjoyed the two POV’s from Eva and Kat, both held the pace steady. Kat’s POV delves into her past and I liked that very much, her storyline was excellent. Eva’s POV was in the present and focused on trying to solve her mother’s murder. Eva’s was the predictable one so it did not hold my attention as much. I do think there are plenty out there that will enjoy this book, and overall I am glad I read it.

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced copy to review.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Review: I have not read The Night Olivia Fell, but because everyone has raved about it I decided to give Behind Every Lie a chance. I requested it on Netgalley and was thrilled when I got that approved email. I enjoy a great thriller every once in awhile and this one was definitely enjoyable.

Three reasons why you should read this book:

1. Even though this one started out a bit slow (I wasn't really invested until about 18% in), once I got into it I was unable to put it down. I devoured the last 82% in one sitting as I sat on the edge of my seat biting me nails. This one was filled with twists and turns that were sprinkled throughout and that's a major part of its appeal.

2. The character of Eva Hansen is just one of those characters you'll like and root for as the story unfolds. She was well developed and her lightening strike makes her one of those unreliable characters that make thrillers so enjoyable.

3. This one has an alternating story line with multiple POVs that slowly reveal the truth. The further Eva digs, the more she remembers. As the story unfolds more possible outcomes reveal themselves that will keep you guessing.

If you enjoy an intriguing character driven novel, this gem is definitely for you. This one is an addictive page turner you don't want to miss.

All I can say about this novel is that is was absolutely addicting! There were no slow parts or times when you felt it was just dragging on. It really kept my interest until the very ending and never let me down. I feel like I just got off some crazy emotional roller coaster ride, and I have to wait a minute to catch my breath! Fantastic! Brilliant! Everyone is my online book group was talking about how great this one was, and so it made me that much more excited to finish it. Thanks to the author and to the publisher for letting me read this advanced reader's copy in an exchange for my honest review.

Behind Every Lie is the second novel by Christina McDonald, and since I absolutely loved her 2019 release,The Night Olivia Fell, I was eager to give this one a try. It didn't end up hooking me in quite as much as her first book did, but it's a solid thriller in its own right.

Eva and her mother Kat have had a difficult relationship for as long as Eva can remember. It's not that they don't get along exactly, but Eva often feels unable to live up to Kat's expectations, so there's a certain distance between them now that Eva is grown up and out of the house. They still meet for dinner quite often, and Eva knows she'll eventually have to introduce Kat to the man she's engaged to, but for now, she's content with things as they are.

When our story opens, Eva is waking up in a Seattle hospital. She's been struck by lightning, and doctors aren't sure what long-term effects this will have on her mind and body. Initially, Eva's memories are pretty jumbled. She can't remember why she went out in such a bad storm. Something tells her it had something to do with a text message she received from her mother, but she's unable to locate the message on her phone. She's urged to give herself time to recover before trying too hard to remember what happened, but that turns out to be impossible.

Not long after Eva wakes up, a police detective comes to talk to her. It seems Kat has been found murdered in her home, and Eva was struck by lightning only a few blocks away. The detective wants to know why Eva was in the area, and it soon becomes clear he suspects her of killing her mother. Everything in her tells Eva she couldn't have committed such a terrible crime, but how can she prove her innocence when she has no memory of the night in question? Her fiancé urges her to get a lawyer and keep a low profile in hopes the police will move on to another line of inquiry, but Eva's not sure that's the best plan. Instead, she decides to leave the hospital and head to London, where Kat used to live. Maybe there she'll find answers to the many questions she has about her mother's life and her mysterious death.

The narrative moves back and forth between Eva's perspective in the present and Kat's some twenty-five years earlier, but we end up spending most of our time with Eva as she struggles to uncover the many secrets Kat has been keeping. The recent trauma she endured causes Eva to experience a number of significant physical and emotional changes. These changes, when coupled with the shock of Kat's sudden and violent death, give our heroine quite a few obstacles to overcome, and I found myself fully invested in her struggle. McDonald does a wonderful job showing the reader how confused and distraught Eva feels as everything she thought she knew about herself and her mother is called into question. There's nothing stereotypical or melodramatic about what she goes through, something I appreciated a great deal.

I didn't always love Kat's character. She's very aloof and prickly, making it hard to empathize with her when the story is told from her perspective. She's one of those people who is obsessed with her own brilliance, so I found myself a little frustrated by her inability to disentangle herself from certain rather shady goings-on. I wanted her to use her stellar brain power to make things right rather than going to extreme lengths that didn't always make sense.

The mystery surrounding Kat's death was pretty easy for me to solve, but that didn't end up detracting too much from my overall enjoyment of the story. I love when an author can catch me completely off guard, but I know that's not always possible when someone reads as many of these types of stories as I do. Much of this novel's strength comes from Eva's journey of self-discovery rather than from the mystery itself. If you pick this book up expecting to be utterly wowed by the big reveal, you might end up a little disappointed, so I'd advise setting all of your expectations aside if you can and appreciating the story for exactly what it is rather than what you were hoping it could be.

Behind Every Lie isn't the best thriller I've read recently, but neither is it the worst. It's a solid if flawed story that highlights the role past trauma plays in our everyday lives. I'd recommend it to those readers who don't need to be blown away by a story's twists and turns and to those who enjoy watching relatable women come into their own personal power.

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This was a solid thriller that kept me guessing until the end. It was a fast-paced, well-written, and entertaining read with great suspense and a satisfying ending. I thought the characters were developed well but left out enough details to keep the reader questioning each character's motive.

So I love Christina's writing.
I loved the secrets, lies and the way the story unfolds, while some if the story was kind of predictable I was sitting on the edge of my seat!
Eva wakes up in the hospital with out the memory of how she got there and then she finds out her mother was brutally murdered!
I really enjoyed the story told by the different perspectives! Over all a great book and would definitely recommend!

Christina McDonald first came on my radar with The Night Olivia Fell. I absolutely loved this book and it was one of my favorites of 2019, so when I saw her newest novel, Behind Every Lie, I knew I had to get my greedy little hands on it. Although, I admit to being a little worried it wouldn’t live up to the emotions I felt with the Night Olivia Fell. Oh, how wrong I was! Once again, McDonald brings her talent as a writer and gifts her readers with another emotionally charged story that you will not be able to put down.

Eva Hansen wakes up in a hospital after being struck by lightning only to find out that her mother has been murdered and the police look at her as a suspect. Eva can’t remember that night and her memories are unreliable. Could she have killed her mother and not remembered? Determined to get to the bottom of the mystery, Eva goes in search of clues, but what if all the clues point back to her as being the killer?

The story is told through dual perspectives in the present with Eva and twenty-five years ago with her mother, Kat. Little by little the story unfolds and while I may have guessed most of the story, the “why” really was not answered until closer to the end. This kept me engaged with the story flipping the pages needing to find out the truth. This is a fast paced domestic thriller with alternating story lines. There is a lot going on and while I did find it to be a bit much at first, I realized once it is all tied together how necessary everything was that takes place in this story. I think with everything going on it really laid out a solid foundation for both Eva and Kat.

Mother and daughter relationships can sometimes be tricky and McDonald showcases this with Eva and her mom, Kat, who may not have always had the best relationship. But, as I read more into their stories everything starts to become clearer and in a way I could sympathize with both women. Eva and Kat are both such different characters and yet share some of the same subtle characteristics. Eva doesn’t seem to have much of a backbone, especially when it comes to her fiance while kat had her own troubles in her marriage. Eva was a hard character to like at first, but she really comes into her own as the story progresses and I love how everything just finally clicks for her and how Eva finds herself through the process. Much can be said for Kat as well who is not necessarily a bad mother, but she has a hard time connecting and showing affection. But, as you get into the story the “why” slowly gets revealed.

There are parts of this story that may be hard for readers with such triggers such as rape (off scene) and emotional and physical abuse. The writing behind it really was superb though and not overly in your face. But, it is a warning as sometimes it might be hard for readers to see in a story.

Once again, Christina McDonald has blown me away with a gripping and twisting domestic thriller that I absolutely devoured in a matter of hours. Another five star read from me and one I highly recommend.

Another mysterious and captivating story. I typically can guess endings of books yet this one had me guessing ( and second guessing) till the end!

The exciting start grabbed my attention immediately!

And the setting of Whidbey Island brought back wonderful memories of one of my favorite vacations. That area is gorgeous.

I thought the book was a bit predictable, but I love Christina’s writing style. I receive her newsletter and she’s the most generous, thoughtful and engaging author I know of. She’s wonderful at interacting with her readers.

<b>My Rating:</b> 3.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
<b>Published:</b> February 4th 2020 by Gallery Books
<b>Pages:</b> 336

<b>Recommended:</b> Yes

#NetGalley #BehindEveryLie
@Christinamac79

My review can be found on: Goodreads, Twitter, Amazon, BN.com, Pinterest and BookBub.

I received a free e-copy of Behind Every Lie by Christina McDonald from NetGalley for my honest review.

Eva wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning a few blocks from her mom's house. She doesn't remember what has happened or how she came to be in the hospital. But, her mom has been murdered and Eva is the main suspect.

A fast paced thriller that will leave you on the edge of your seat!

There are so many "lies" in this novel it was hard to keep them straight- or attributed to the correct protagonist. It was a very predictable story including the "necessary " lesbian relationship. This relationship was never developed- just hinted at- and as far as I could tell added nothing to the story at all. I would not recommend this book.

Eva Hansen and Liam Sullivan are now living together after dating for 18 months. Liam is a successful property developer and Eva paints and makes pottery.

After spending an evening out for dinner with her mother, aunt, and brother, Eva wakes up in the hospital where she is told she was struck by lightning, but she cannot remember anything. Then she learns that her mother has been murdered and she herself was found not far from her mother’s home covered in her mother’s blood.

The story delves into the past of Eva and her mother. It is a very complicated story and, quite frankly, one I found difficult to believe. So much drama! This is why we call upon the police to help with difficult situations.

I read and reviewed her other book and found that to be good, but again, profoundly dramatic. I have to hand it to the author for having quite an imagination. I know that a lot of readers enjoyed this book as will many others. I’m sorry to say that I found it exhausting.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Whoa! This book knocked me out of the water! Seriously. Once you read the first page you'll be drawn in, unable to put the book down. You'll lose sleep, but you won't regret it.

The story begins with a girl, her bloody hands clasped on her mom's throat only she can't remember what happened.

So begins an emotional ride that will make readers question everything they think they know. You'll question who you can trust when you can't even trust your own memories.

Christina McDonald takes you on a turbulent ride where readers will experience the true meaning of love between a mother and daughter. This book will leave you asking yourself, how far would YOU go to protect someone that you love?

Even better than The Night Olivia Fell! I can not wait to read what Christina McDonald writes next, I'll read anything she puts out.