From the moment I began, I was drawn to Marissa’s mystery. This is a read that had me so curious and had me saying, let's get down to the nitty-gritty, stat! It also tapped into some pretty twisted and dark places. The epitome of being at a crossroads between moving on and seeking revenge. Yep, that is Elle's book right here.

The last 25% of the book for me was the true stand-out star. I couldn't put it down and by the time it was down to the wire I wanted more, which is why I gave it 4 stars. All in all, I enjoyed my time with this book, the murders and clues were fascinating and kept me engaged. The trauma, oh the trauma! :/ i couldn't even begin to imagine what that would be like. The story as a whole was eerie and heartbreaking! I recommend!

LIES WE BURY - ELLE MARR 3/5 ⭐️

LIES WE BURY follows Claire Lou, who is attempting to go through life normally while dealing with the demanding shadow of her childhood past. Claire, previously known as Marissa, was born to a woman held captive in a basement. When a string of murders happen, Claire finds a way to be right within the action with the police. What she finds at each crime scene is shocking: a piece from her childhood that very few people would have had access to. While Claire investigates, she learns just how few people she can really trust as she dives into the secrets of her past...

I think the premise of this book was really good, but it missed the mark on making it a *great* book for me. I really struggled through this one, but I think if you are able to push past the first 100-150 pages, then you’re good to go! It was easy to tell that there was a ton of thought that went into this book. For a person who is a seasoned thriller/crime reader, I think the suspect is fairly prevalent, but seeing how the final chapters play out is thrilling nonetheless.

RELEASE DATE: APRIL 1

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exhange for an honest review.
"The Lies We Bury" by Elle Marr was a well written, dark & disturbing mystery/thriller.
It had me hooked from page one & kept me guessing until the dramatic ending.
I will definitely be reading more books by this author.

The premise for this sounded so good and, while I did enjoy the book, I thought it could have been even better. Marissa (Missy) Mo who, now goes by the name of Claire Lou, was one of three children born in captivity to three different women who were abducted and held captive by a guy called Chet. Twenty years ago, when the two older girls were 7 years old, the remaining woman captive and the three girls escaped. Naturally none of them escaped unscathed as PTSD and other issues have plagued their lives. Claire is the only one who seems to be able to live a somewhat normal life.

When she accepts a job as a photographer for the Portland Post however, her troubled past starts leaking into the present. A series of murders in central’s Portland basements, linked by what is known as the Shanghai tunnels, all have eerie reminders of her past. A favourite toy placed strategically, a braided friendship band, a scratchy old blanket - these things mean nothing to investigators but to Claire they mean someone knows knows who she is and that someone is targeting her personally. Claire has been at great pains to hide who she is. Too much of her life already has been public property and she is suspicious of even those who mean her no harm.

A journalist, Shia Tua, is writing a book about “where are they now” as the 20th anniversary of their escape, and Chet’s conviction, approaches. Claire alternately trusts him and suspects him of setting her up. She has serious trust issues, but you would wouldn’t you? She is also getting notes with cryptic clues about future victims. What with trying to stop any more deaths, fending off rabid media attention and dealing with all the memories bubbling to the surface, Claire can’t see what has been in front of her the whole time.

As the book races to its chilling conclusion Claire is unsure whether she she will become the next victim or the major suspect for all the murders. One thing is clear - the answer lies in her past, if only she can unearth it.

This book had a steady, if not fast, pace throughout. I thought the characters were very well portrayed and their thoughts, reactions and mannerisms all seemed very realistic (although I have no experience with such things). The story itself, while not creepy, had some eerie undertones. While you are aware that triggering events were happening to the women, these were never described and there was no gratuitous violence or abuse. In fact, if anything, I think all this careful drawing a veil over the worst of the abuses turned the story a little “vanilla”. The premise was good, everything was well done but, for me, it lacked just a little oomph and the ending... the ending didn’t quite work for me. Nevertheless a well written book that I enjoyed reading. Thanks to Netgalley, Thomas & Mercer and Elle Marr for providing a copy to review. My opinions are my own.

3 1/2 ⭐️‘S
Twenty years ago a woman and three girls escaped captivity and their captor/father was sentenced to jail. In three days he will be released. Something none of them were prepared for. Claire (Marissa) is back in Portland near the rest of the family and has finally landed a coveted job as the crime photographer of the Portland Post. When a string of murders start to point to Claire, she tries desperately to discover who is trying to frame her? A good domestic drama but the killer is quite easy to figure out. There was a nice final twist I didn’t see coming!

Born in captivity with two other sisters, but raised by three different women, Claire is trying to move on from the past but the past is soon becoming the present. Who will stay in the basement emotionally and who will climb out and stay out. This is a dark mystery that will keep you in suspense until the very end.

Finally a story to read late into the night. Here's a tip: leave your lights on, and maybe start to think about those who you hold close. We follow Claire (Marissa) in a dual timeline, which I love because that usually means we get two explosive plots twists! Born into a captive life, the first 7 years she is hidden away to everything. Twenty years later Claire is working successfully as a photographer, when she decides to take on a job photographing a string of murders through Portland. With the grusomeness of the present it's hard for Claire not to remember her terrible past. Everything about the crime scenes are familiar to Claire, and shakes her to the core, and then she sees a note left just to her... Claire begins to realize that it's time to face her past because it's the one thing that can still break her.

A tale that forces the past to come alive, Marr beautifully paints a haunting story that will leave you breathless and wanting more. Lies We Bury is emotional, thrilling, scary, and explosive. I found it to be an addictive read that was absolutely unputdownable.

This story kept me up. Full of action and twists and turns, I could barely keep up. I was totally pulled in from the beginning, and I'll try to tell you how without giving anything away. The story goes back and forth between Marissa's past, and what she remembers of it, and the present, where she's trying to start fresh as some murders pop up. And she has people harassing her. Also, her relationship with her family is strained and she doesn't trust anyone really.

What I loved about Lies We Bury is how it maintained that creeped out, amped up feeling you can get from a really good suspense story. And every time a bit more was unravelled, I was surprised. The end was great and intense, and I would totally read more by this author.

Rating: 4/5
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas and Mercer for this copy.

If you are looking for a thriller, this one is for you! This one keeps you guessing until the end, I definitely did not have this one figured out, and that is one thing that I love about thrillers. This was so well written I loved everything about it. It was a read in one sitting book for sure, once I started it I did not want to stop reading it.

Marissa escaped from basement captivity, and is trying to move past the trauma. But as a photographer covering a string of murders, everything seems too familiar. Is someone sending her a message? Marissa is going to have to revisit her old memories to save herself again.

Special thanks to the author and the publisher for a free, electronic ARC of this novel received in exchange for an honest review.
(Can also be seen on www.mysteryandsuspensemagazine.com)
Marissa Mo was born in captivity, raised by three different women over the course of her early life, until she was finally able to escape with her three sisters. Now, Marissa (who has changed her name to Claire) is twenty-seven and trying to overcome the demons of her past, living in Portland and working as a crime reporter for a local newspaper. On the twentieth anniversary of her escape (which also coincides with the release of her captor, a.k.a her father, from jail), Claire begins to be taunted by a perceived stranger; notes left on her car and on her shower mirror at home taunting her with memories of her past and pieces of her childhood showing up in places she never expected. Claire begins to wonder if she will ever be able to escape her past, and when she quickly becomes a suspect in a string of murders, she knows she has to deal with her family skeletons if she wants to clear her name.
“Lies We Bury” is the second novel by author Elle Marr. Her previous thriller, “The Missing Sister”, topped the Amazon charts when it was released, and I have no doubt that her sophomore novel will do the same. Fraught with tension and insurmountable suspense, “Lies” is gripping and addictive.
The novel is told from Claire’s perspective, in alternating timelines (present day and twenty years ago when she was held captive), with Claire narrating both as an adult, and as a child. Claire’s childhood description of the underground lair and her psychopathic, sadistic father/captor, Chet, is deeply disturbing, and the innocent way in which it is told resembles Emma Donoghue’s smash hit, “Room”. The tragic and heartbreaking events experienced by Claire and her sisters are painted with a child’s brush- and it instantly pulls as the heartstrings.
As an adult, Claire is likable and endearing and she immediately garners sympathy from the reader. Her adult relationship with her sisters is honest, too, broken and dysfunctional and yet full of love and devotion.
When Claire is targeted, many promising suspects instantly jump to mind, and it is through the creativity of Marr’s writing that so many tantalizing possibilities exist. Not only is the ending believable and satisfying, but, even better, you won’t see it coming.
“Lies We Bury” is dark and compelling, and it will pull you into its web right from page one. Marr’s writing is addictive and page-turning, and I was so invested in the outcome, that I did not want to put this one down.

This is pretty dark so readers need to expect to feel drained rather than uplifted at the end of it. It’s an interesting premise and I was constantly second guessing myself as I tried to work through the mysteries. This will appeal to readers who enjoy M.A. Hunter’s work.

📚 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊 / 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝗪 ⁣📚⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣
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Title: #LiesWeBury⁣
Author: @ellemarrauthor⁣
Publisher: @amazonpublishing #thomasandmercer⁣
Pub Date: 4/1/21⁣⁣⁣
Type: #PhysicalBook #ARC (thanks for my gifted copy, @mbc_books)⁣⁣⁣
Genre: #Mystery #Thriller⁣
Must Read Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⁣⁣💫⁣⁣
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𝘚𝘺𝘯𝘰𝘱𝘴𝘪𝘴:⁣
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𝐈 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲…⁣
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𝘛𝘸𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘨𝘰 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘔𝘰 𝘦𝘴𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘣𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘯—𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘩𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘥 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸𝘯. 𝘈𝘵 𝘵𝘸𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘺-𝘴𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢’𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘺𝘰𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘶𝘮𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘱𝘩𝘰𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘴 𝘢 𝘫𝘰𝘣 𝘤𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘣𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘗𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥, 𝘪𝘵’𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳.⁣
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𝘌𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘢𝘳. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴. 𝘚𝘢𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘬𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘰𝘺𝘴 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘣𝘦𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘥, 𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘩𝘢𝘥 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥. 𝘈𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘰𝘵𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘻𝘦𝘴 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢’𝘴 𝘣𝘭𝘰𝘰𝘥: 𝘚𝘦𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯, 𝘔𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘺.⁣
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𝘛𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘳’𝘴 𝘯𝘦𝘹𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘔𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘢 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘨-𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘨𝘰𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦’𝘴 𝘩𝘪𝘥𝘥𝘦𝘯 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘴𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘯’𝘵 𝘣𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘭𝘰𝘯𝘦. 𝘚𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘬.⁣
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𝐌𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:⁣⁣
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The number one thing that drew me to this book was the stunning cover! Little did I know that I'd be completely and utterly consumed with the haunting story that lie within. This book captivated me and I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough. I'll be grabbing a copy of her debut novel, The Missing Sister ASAP. I've fallen in love with her writing and need more!⁣
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Elle Marr is a thrilling and masterful voice to contend with. As a lover of this genre, I always worry that I'll pick up a book and be disappointed because it is cliché. Let me tell you folks, there is NOTHING cliché about Lies We Bury and I absolutely loved its originality. I'll be thinking about this one for a long time and wouldn't be surprised if it pops up in my dreams. The storyline, characters and blockbuster ending will certainly get under your skin...

Thank you Netgalley for this eARC.
I started this book but put it down, twice.
I gave it another chance and tried to read it for 3 days but ended up Dnfing it at 49%.
I was interested in the past story but as the book progress I lost all of the interest so maybe it was writing and pace which made it hard for me.

Since I loved Elle Marr's previous novel, THE MISSING SISTER, I was thrilled to receive an advance copy of LIES WE BURY, and could not put it down. Both dark and heartbreaking, it is a story about facing the haunting pain of our past and not letting it define us.

Marissa Mo spent the first seven years of her life as a captive in a basement prison. Now twenty-seven, she is smart, damaged, and working under a new name as a freelance photographer. When she takes a job with a Portland newspaper, she finds herself covering a series of bizarre murders that are all nightmarishly familiar to her, and her past comes back to haunt her.

The story is terrifying and atmospheric. Deftly, the author weaves the past and present together, creating a fast, heart pounding thriller where everyone is suspect, and nothing is what is seems. The characters and writing are wonderful, as is seeing how this courageous character faces the fears of her past and learns to reinvent herself. It’s a fabulous read – well done and five stars!

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this early release in exchange for an honest review.

I read the blurb about this book and was instantly hooked. I thought it sounded like a really promising thriller, but I’m not sure it lived up to my expectations. That being sad it wasn’t a bad book, I did enjoy it but I just hoped for a little more. The premise was great - the narrator was born in captivity as her father kidnapped women and impregnated each of the three. This led to interesting family dynamics that continued when they escaped when Marisa (who goes by Claire through most of the novel) was 7. Claire has moved back to the Portland area and gets a job as a freelance photographer, but she soon finds herself getting creepy notes from someone leaving bodies in the underground tunnels of Portland. The twists weren’t that surprising I had figured out the killer pretty early on in the book. I think part of what disappointed me as the character narrator was not developed as fully as it could be and she was not a very likeable character. It was hard to feel engaged in the story because of this.

Holy cow, wow! What an emotional, thrilling read! Completely heartbreaking, but also darkly thrilling! Well written, with development of characters done in a manner that really lets you get involved with them! I found it to be a bit dark, and possibly triggering for some, so if you are one that has triggers, you may want to see if this one will cause problems! Lots of suspense, lots of emotions, and of course thrills and shocks! Highly, highly addictive and unputdownable, grab your copy ASAP, it’s not one to miss!
Will use low amazon reviewer number on release date and spread around platforms!

This book drew me in right away, a smart, damaged, spunky and determined heroine. she with her family escape from a nightmare situation and as an adult, keeps getting clues to murder that are related to her. As she tries to figure out the murderer and prevent more deaths. And not get herself set up as the killer. I did guess it part way through and there was one section that was confusing for awhile, as to who was speaking. It did become clear, IOverall a very good read and will read more by her

Whoa! Hold on to your seats, readers. This book will grip you and hold you in a vice and you won't want to put it down until you're finished. Part ROOM, part murder/mystery/thriller, Marr deftly weaves the past and the present together, creating a spectacular story filled with tension and chills and so much emotion...well, I was "captured" and holed up in my room until I finished it.

This is my first [author: Elle Marr] novel. She has written one other novel “The Missing Sister” which reviewed mixed reviews. Readers seem to love or hate it.
When I saw one reviewer described this story as “Room” (by [author: Emma Donoghue]) meets mystery, murder, and twists. I thought this sounds like something I would like. I love psychological thrillers with twists and Little Jack in “Room” was great!
Story of Marissa Mo now Claire Lou was born in in a basement while in captivity; (Thus the “Room” connection.)
Marissa/Claire has been trying to move on from her seven year trauma. Now has a job as a freelance crime scene photographer for a Portland newspaper. Her past comes back after a series of murders happen in locations similar to what she experienced. Story has a dual mystery ~ past and present.

Although the story had me wondering and had me hoping that this nightmare would end for Claire; it was a bit disappointing for me. I am sure it was the “Room” connection. That story was about how 5 year old Jack and his mom survived a horrible situation but also there were funny situations that happened many times throughout the story; THERE is nothing the least bit funny in this story.

Want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for this early release granted to me in exchange for a honest professional review. Opinions expressed in this review are my own.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 1, 2021