This book starts off slow but picks up steam as it goes on. It centers primarily on Ruby, who is reeling from the brutal death of her mother when her sister Sophie's boyfriend makes a romantic advance on her. Because everyone has been through so much, they agree to not tell anyone, but another murder occurs which causes Ruby to question everything she thinks is true.

I had a really hard time getting into this book over the first 30% or so- I felt that it was slow paced and somewhat repetitive. After that point, the tension picks up the rest of the book is a faster read. I did figure out who the villain was, but there were a few surprises here and there before all was revealed.

Overall, this was an OK book- the ending was somewhat satisfying but the slow burn and the predictable ending likely won't make it super memorable for me. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to netgalley for allowing me to review this book.

I loved this book, started off a bit slow but it soon got going and then I was keen to finish it. I love the mystery of the italic chapters which had me guessing it was Ewan or Mark, without saying anything that will spoilt it for others I must admit I was sent down paths I thought I knew who the killer was. I did get it right about 3/4 way in but I didn't know that and the book kept my attention until it was confirmed.

I have never read Jane Isaac books before so looking forward to reading others by this author.

Ruby and Sophie are sisters and still struggling after the death of their mother. She was murdered. They decide to have a memorial for her, and it also would have been her birthday. So, when Ruby walks home after. A little worse for wear she is followed by Sophie’s boyfriend Ewan who tries to force himself on her and kisses her. She pulls him off her and they both decide to keep the incident secret.
But the next day a body is found of a woman near where they were the night previously and their photo that has been photographed by a dash cam in the paper, they decide that Ruby goes and tells the Police but not all the truth to what happened that night. These actions a serious of events. Also, when they found out the details of the women’s death, that it is somehow linked by her own mother’s death.
This is Jane Issacs first psychological thriller she has written. I did like the premise of this story and the characters were well developed but, I thought the story dragged on too long. I also did guessed who the killer earlier on and found the ending a bit predicable. 3 stars

This is an edge of your seat story, that takes you on a ride and keeps you guessing so you keep turning the pages. I'll definitely read more of Jane Isaac's books! Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a fantastic book which I could not bear to put down and stop reading. The storyline had me gripped and I was shocked by the twist at the end even though I read so many of this genre I seen a part of it coming quite early on in the book.

This was a fairly good read. In places it felt slightly formulaic in its plot choices. Nevertheless, it is a book I'm sure many will enjoy.

Sophie and Ruby are still not over the brutal murder of their mother, Aileen. A year has passed, and they are trying to move on. Ewan, Sophie’s boyfriend, sees Ruby walking home drunk and kisses her. They both agree that it was a mistake and to keep it a secret. But their secret is struggling to stay hidden when there is a murder on the same night.

Questions then play on Ruby’s mind: is this murder connected to the murder of her mother? And does Ewan have something to do with it?

I found the plot intriguing. I was hooked from the moment I read the Prologue. I enjoyed the character build up and thought Ruby, in particular, was very relatable. I felt for Sophie – she was trapped in an abusive relationship without even realising it. Ewan was controlling and a narcissist. And narcissists often have creative ways of isolating their victims – keeping them away from their support networks. The portrayal of their toxic relationship was good.

I felt the realism and tension in this book, and it genuinely kept my interest the entire way. Grief is a central theme in this story, and it did, at times, make me feel extremely sad. To lose a loved one is difficult enough, but to lose them like the way Ruby and Sophie lost Aileen was awful. I think their shock, pain, and trepidation is skillfully expressed.

I had my suspicions on who the killer was, and I was right, but I never guessed the motive! That sprung out of nowhere at the end. I liked the flow of the story and enjoyed how the mystery unfolded.

Overall, I had a great time reading this book. It is incredibly well written and worth the few hours it took to read it.

Great storytelling with a definite thriller vibe. Starts off slow, but finds its pace as the story unfolds. It feels slightly different from what I've read of hers in the past but Jane Isaac does not disappoint!

Really enjoyed this book, kind of twigged that something was up with Lewis about half way through but couldn't have pin pointed it. Great style of writing. Would recommend

this book was a good one. not my favorite thriller ever, but not bad either. and i would say it has stalker/obsession over people kinda vibe which is always creepy af.
however, i found Sophie, one of the 2 sisters, sooo annoying and naive at some parts. i also didn't really like the idea of this particular person being resposible for the deaths, it just didn't hit right. like it was meh for me, yk? and the whole ending wasn't really as good to me tbh, the way everything unfolded. i wanted to be shocked, confused, played with (like some thrillers do with readers' heads), but i was reading it with such a poker face lmaoo.
i think the start of the book to the middle were the parts that really made up for it.
and PLEASE can they not spoil anything in the synopsis??? i think i would of liked it SOOO much better if i didn't already know that Ewan was a dickhead & has something up his sleeve. so disappointed about that :/
however, i did enjoy the book, i loved how close the sisters Sophie and Ruby were and their relationship with their mother as well. the family drama is everything to me lmaoo.
i do recommend this if u wanna get into this genre, but avid thriller readers won't find anything marvelous in this book 🤷‍♀️

This was captivating right from the start; you are thrown right into the midst of the story and gripped straight away.
As other reviewers have said, the story is quite a slow burn, but it is worth persevering with as it is full of twists and turns and has a fantastic ending. There are many red herrings along the way, and it is tough to guess which direction the story will end up in and who is behind all the madness.
I can’t say the characters were very likeable, especially the two sisters. Ruby was very abrupt with everyone, and her relationships with friends didn’t go two ways. She was all about getting favours and talking about herself; she was very self-involved. Sophie was just annoying, not listening to anything Ruby tried to say and putting her blind faith in someone she had only known a year.
Other than the bad character development, this was a thrilling read. You honestly don’t know who the bad guy could be, but you do suspect everyone. I thought it had the perfect recipe for a Psychological Thriller.
Overall a great read, and from what other reviewers have said about this author’s crime books being even better, I will have to go and hunt down her back catalogue.

This was a really good read for me . I was invested straight away , it was fast paced and I couldn't put it down .
Ruby & Sophie are sisters who recently lost their mum who was murdered by her boyfriend . Sophie carries feelings of guilt after introducing them and Ruby keeping everything to herself . After a memorial for her mum , sophies boyfriend kisses Ruby after walking her home ,around the same time another woman is murdered , is there a link to the death of their mum and what is Ewan , Sophie's boyfriend hiding and why will he not tell the truth to the investigating officers . Good twist and an exciting conclusion

This is a brilliant read, quite different from Jane’s usual criminal theme, but it is well worth reading.

The characters are likeable, even the villainous ones, and it just shows you can never really trust anyone, whom you think you know.

There are a few red herrings, and Jane keeps you guessing, with a good twist at the end.

My thanks to Jane, Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

I really wanted to like this book. The premise and description sounded so promising! However for a “thriller” this book was a tad boring. Not much happened. The beginning of this book was so slow I almost didn’t finish this book. I will keep an eye for the next book as I’m not writing this author off. Just a bit too slow for me. Still a ⭐️⭐️⭐️

I really enjoyed One Good Lie. The plot follows two sisters that become engulfed in figuring out who killed their mother. The story was slow at times however it did pick up towards the end. I love mystery/ suspense novels and I feel like overall this one was very well written.

The characters were well developed and quite realistic. The book started off strong but rambled for me along the way. I figured it out early on. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This is a well paced mystery with a decent twist to make things interesting. .I found the characters difficult to warm to, though. The link between the mother’s murder and future events was really clever and tied the whole story up in a way which was very satisfying - no loose ends.

No, this ain't it, sis. This one was slow and boring. The character development was off for me, I couldn't connect with the story, and I didn't find it enjoyable. I would love to try the author again, but maybe with a different tone.

Thank you Netgalley and Canelo for the eARC.
Ruby and Sophie have lost their mother to a strangling and are both still traumatized, but have finally held the wake, after which Ruby decides to walk home to clear her head. She bumps into Ewan, Sophie's boyfriend, who unexpectedly tries to kiss her. When a young woman's body is found stabbed close to the area, the police are asking for help from the public, but Ewan convinces Ruby not to talk to the police. Sophie is still raw emotionally and it's obvious Ewan doesn't want her to know he was out that night, especially not after the gaffe with Ruby. Ruby wonders if Ewan has something to do with the murder?
It's a good psychological thriller, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I enjoyed her detective series, which are all solid 5+s. The misunderstanding between the sisters and Ewan's controlling ways made me impatient with all 3 of them, but overall it was a good psychological thriller with a satisfying ending. Jane Isaac is one of my top 3 favorite authors and I definitely recommend this book, but hope she continues with her series: they are seriously excellent!

Jane Isaac, One Good Lie, Canelo, 2021

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with this copy in exchange for an honest review.

A chilling prologue introduces a female victim and her captor – a man who is known to her. Subsequent chapters introduce male and female characters, two of whom must be those featured in the prologue. Who are they? What has caused this event? Will the incidents leading to the capture be worth following to find the answers? What will happen to the victim and her captor?

Jane Isaac begins her novel well, and that chapter one, seemingly beginning the incidents leading to the prologue happened only nine days earlier, enhances the dramatic tension. Here Sophie recalls her mother, Aileen, from a year that has passed since she was murdered – already the events of the prologue are given yet another historic possibility, suggesting that it could have its roots in the murder. Ruby, Sophie’s sister is introduced -the sisters are arranging a memorial for their mother on what would have been her birthday. The sisters are shown to have different attitudes to the event: Ruby wants simplicity, wants to put everything behind her; Sophie has wanted to enhance the catered event with touches of her own. But then, Sophie has a guilty conscience.

Another murder; a stalker whose thoughts are provided in brief italicised chapters; the introduction of Sophie’s partner, Ewan and her former husband and father of their two children, Greg; her counsellor; her friends at the children’s school; Ruby’s questionable boss and her loyal work mate; her former partner, Tom; friend Lewis, and Becky the bookshop owner who sometimes work together; and the sisters’ aunt Bridget are introduced.

The new murder brings in the police, one of whom was involved in the investigation of Aileen’s murder. Ruby becomes embroiled in the investigation, involving her with the police and the victim’s father. She also follows up a personal investigation as events overtake her. One of these is her guilty conscience. Ruby has lied.

The beginning of the novel is compelling. However, I found that the deteriorating relationship between the sisters was unrealistic. The motivation for their feelings and behaviour towards each other and the police investigation needed to be stronger. I also found the explanation for the pursuit of the victim and her eventual capture a little contrived. There needed to be more development of the trauma leading to the various characters’ need for support or erratic, sometimes violent, behaviour. I have not read this author’s detective stories, which I understand have been her forte, and wonder whether this novel fits more effectively into that genre. It is, unfortunately, not amongst the best that I have read in the psychological thriller/suspense genre.