Small Town Mystery Thriller

Behind the Lie is a well-crafted thriller that combines elements of mystery, suspense, and domestic drama. Its strengths lie in its complex characters, engaging plot, and the author's skillful writing. The novel's exploration of themes such as trust, betrayal, and the impact of the past adds depth to the story. However, some readers may find the pacing to be slow at times. Overall, it is a compelling read that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers and crime fiction.

This is a great mystery book! It is the second in a series, but works wonderfully as a standalone. Of course I love the thrill and mystery of the entire story, but my personal favorite part about this book is the strong female leads. Both Laney and Holly are incredibly well written and very relatable. Props to this author for writing a thrilling story while also writing deep, relatable characters!

3 stars

The moment you open this book, you will be on a nonstop ride. Hang on tight because you might not be able to predict the next turn. This is a great read and you won’t be disappointed.

This one was just ok for me. It did have a good amount of characters and suspense. Thanks to NetGalley for the privilege to read and review this book.

Solid read and lives up to the last book by this author. Great characters and writing style. Not too predictable.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed Behind the Lie by Emilya Naymark. It wasn't the fastest paced book, but the story slowly reveals itself like peeling layers of an onion. The writing was excellent. The plot was compelling. It held up well as a standalone. Laney, a former NYPD detective, turned small town private investigator, was a likable lead. I really have little more to say. This was a very solid read, and I can't wait to see what Laney (and company) get up to in upcoming books.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This book was so intense from the very first chapter and never lightened up. There were so many situations throughout this plot that just left me in shock. Now I love a good, suspenseful book so this one was great for me! I would recommend this one if you are looking for a fast paced, quick read!

A transplant to the upstate New York hamlet of Sylvan, all Laney wants is a peaceful life for herself and her son. But things rarely remain calm in Laney’s life—and when her neighborhood summer block party explodes in shocking violence and ends with the disappearance of her friend and another woman, she’ll need all her skills as a PI to solve a mystery that reaches far beyond her small town.

Behind the Lie was an intense roller coaster of emotions and actions.  Laney's life both as a private investigator and as a single mother collide and intertwine and she often can't figure out how to unwind the two.  However, it does a lot to show you Laney's character in how she balances work, a moody teen, and all of her baggage.  It's not always easy for her, and she sometimes makes the wrong choice, but I was rooting for her throughout it all.

There is so much going on in this book, cases Laney's working, what Holly's doing, Alfie's past, etc., that to see it all come together so smoothly in the end blew me away.  The author did an amazing job of tying it all together and giving us a bit of a hint at a future.  I was also surprised to realize that this is the second book in the series, so I immediately hunted out and purchased the first so I can find out what the heck happened with that poor boy of Laney's.  

This twisty and fast-paced mystery was exactly what I needed.  While I'm anxious to dive into the previous book, I'm also hoping that there will be more of Laney, Alfie, and the rest soon.

I hadn't read the first book, but could follow this. I would encourage you to read the first one, first, though, but not essential.
Intriguing book, reading on to understand what went on.
Thanks to NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Behind The Lie by Emilya Naymark

P.I. Laney Bird is in a fight to save lives —including her own — after a neighborhood block party.

This was an intense, thrilling mystery. Very intriguing. What desperate people will do. I enjoyed this book.

Behind the Lie by Emilya Naymark is the second in the Laney Bird series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Crooked Lane Books,  and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


Series Background:    (Warning – May contain spoilers from previous books)
Laney Bird is a former NYPD detective, whose career ended when her cover was blown during a racketeering case against the Russian mob.  Her marriage ended around that same time, and she now lives with her teenaged son Alfie in a small town.  Alfie is a little different, and it can sometimes create issues in the mother-son relationship.


My Synopsis:   (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Lacey has now been living in Sylvan for four years, and finally has one friend she can count on, her neighbour Holly.  However,  Lacey's job at the PI office is busy, and dealing with her son can be a chore.   Holly has been busy too, so they haven't been seeing as much of each other.

But then the neighbourhood block party gets out of control, two people end up in the hospital, and Holly is missing.   Things get worse when Laney discovers that it was her own gun that shot one of the neighbours.  Then there's Alfie....who seems to have again found an inappropriate friend, who may be involved in this whole mess.  But of course, Alfie isn't talking.


My Opinions:   
I am not sure this series is going to work for me.  This is the second book, and again, I struggled to get into the story.  However, it didn't take quite as long this time around, and I actually ended up enjoying it.  (At least it wasn't about the mob this time).

The story went back and forth with Holly's life before and after the block party, so eventually we learned the full details of what went on.   The plot was good, and moved along nicely, if sometimes a little slowly.  The actual mystery was good.  To be honest, Holly may have been a good samaritan, but her actions certainly didn't endear her to me.  Drugged or not, mentally ill or not, I just didn't like her.  I liked her husband.

I like the relationship between Laney and her son.  As well, I like both Jack and Ed.  So generally, the characters are growing on me.

So again, the writing was good, the story interesting, but it is just lacking something.  I know I may be in the minority on this one, but it didn't have the thrill factor.

A small-town PI finds violence hitting much too close to home in this Laney Bird story.

I love Laney Bird as a protagonist, and I love the way Naymark has built such a solid small town. However, this one just had a lot going on in the beginning. I ended up purchasing the audio book and that was much easier to blow through.

I would recommend this series (or at least I hope it'll be a series) highly to fans of Linwood Barclay's Promise Falls.

2 1/2 ⭐️‘s
Laney Bird is a private detective in a small New York town after retiring from the NYPD. When a crime takes place in her quiet neighborhood at the close of a block party, her best friend is missing, two men are injured and two houses are in shambles. The next day no one is talking, but Laney is out to find answers. Who are the secretive young couple that moved into the neighborhood just a few months prior? Why is the husband in the hospital with a gun shot wound? Why is Holly, Laney’s BFF accused of the crime? As Laney digs into these questions she find the case she’s working on to be connected, but what exactly is that connection? With little to no suspense, this book had enough for me to keep turning the pages, but the story was not that compelling and the ending was a let down.

The second novel by Emilya Naymark, Behind the Lie continues the series of former NYPD detective Laney Bird. It begins with Laney, now a small-town private investigator, attending her neighbourhood summer block party. When a truck crashes into the front door of a house in the blocked off street, bodies are discovered. So, Laney’s quiet life turns into a search for her missing friend and her son’s possible involvement. The narrative jumps back and forward between Laney in the current day and her friend Holly’s life prior to the explosive end to the block party. An enjoyable enough read for a three-star rating, but unfortunately the two perspectives and time leaps did not flow seamlessly. With thanks to Crooked Lane Books and the author, for an uncorrected advanced review copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given, without undue persuasion.

I really struggled to get into this book. It is book about a PI who gets involved when there is a death at a block party on her street. I enjoy crime novels but the PI angle did not interest me for this book. I’m sure this is a wonderful book for many people but I did not like the writing style.

Why does Oliver drive his truck into his home during the neighborhood block party and where has his wife Holly gone? That's the drama that starts this twisty novel about good intentions gone very very wrong. Laney, a former NYPD detective now working as a PI in Sylvan, thought she knew Holly, a woman devoted to her large family and community but did she? No she did not. Turns out Holly has a big secret that has led her into a dark corner with the mysterious Vera and Step. Laney finds herself on the hunt for Holly and, at the same time, trying to understand- and stop- her 15 year old son Alfie's new relatonship with a 23 year old woman. This moves back and forth in time and between Holly and Laney to tell a tale which kept me turning the pages even when it went (perhaps more than a little) over the top. I'm a fan of Laney (don't worry if you missed the first book) who Naymark has taken care to round out- she is, for example, always trying to feed Alfie. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC. A good read and I'm hoping to see more from Naymark.

Since reading this book, I have realized that there is a story before this that has Laney Bird in it too. Knowing that makes a lot more sense. I did enjoy this story of Laney Bird and I do like the small town vibe and the other characters that were in it.

I always like a good mystery and suspense and this story was no different. A suburban neighborhood with dark secrets always wins me over.

Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane books for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion

What would you do if you were asked to do something that you knew was wrong? What would you do if you were offered money to do it? A lot of money. Money you really, really need.

That’s the situation faced by Holly DuBois. And there’s no one she can talk to. Not her husband Oliver or her closest friend and neighbor, Laney Bird. Laney has left the NYPD and, with her 15 year old son Alfie, moved to Sylvan in the upstate. She’s working as a private investigator and looking forward to a quiet life but she doesn’t get one. When a block party ends dramatically with a car driven into a house, a man shot in a neighbor’s house and her friend Holly kidnapped, Laney tries to understand what is behind this violence. She’s also juggling a missing person case with Alfie’s mysterious behavior and older girlfriend. Will she be able to see Behind the Lie before she becomes another victim?

Behind the Lie combines Russians, corporate espionage, the promise of a longer life, trafficking and so much more. The plot boils over with action and suspense. Laney is a strong character and I hope to see her in a series. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and Emilya Naymark for this ARC.

Behind the Lie is my first read of the author. It meshes nicely private investigator with psychological suspense, and I particularly enjoyed the characters, especially protagonist Laney Bird. I enjoyed it as a standalone but since discovered that Hide in Place is the first book starring Laney Bird, an ex-cop turned private investigator and recent transplant from New York to small-town Sylvan. Laney is also a single mum and her relationship with teenage son Alfie is challenging, he’s hiding stuff from her. In Behind the Lie, she is hoping for a peaceful life and ends up with anything but when her neighbourhood block party turns deadly. Laney is implicated but worse still, she’s worried about Alfie’s complicity and her missing friend. While Laney is on the case, the “then” part of the story shows the lead-up to the melting pot day of the block party. Meanwhile, as Laney unpicks those dark secrets, she is turning up the heat on the danger for her, Alfie and others, propelling things to a fight for life at the conclusion. Having enjoyed Behind the Lie, I’m tempted to go back to the first instalment in the Laney Bird books and look forward to more in the series or by the author.