Absolutely loved this book. Julie Clark is an amazing Author and I will now be reading everything she writes. This one had me gripped from the first page!!!

TLDR:

The Lies I Tell is the newest Thriller by Julie Clark. She is best known for writing The Last Flight.

Notable elements:

- Fake Identities
- Investigative Journalism
- Revenge vs. Justice
- Multi-Timeline

What I liked:

- Investigative Lens — I enjoyed having Kat’s exposé perspective to inform my opinion of Meg.
- Respects Victims — There are a number of content warnings mentioned below, but Clark does a fantastic job focusing on agency and strength, encouraging a safe space for any reader.
- Moral Ambiguity — If you looked up “Moral Ambiguity” in the dictionary, the definition would be “Meg.” I don’t regret being completely invested in her cunning.

Reminds me of:

- A Kiss After Dying by Ashok Banker
- Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Content warnings:

Sexual Assault, Toxic Relationship, Pedophilia, Date Rape, Infidelity

Final thoughts:

I really enjoyed The Lies I Tell! Julie Clark leverages the moral ambiguity of her characters to dismantle expectations and create a suspenseful, psychological/domestic Thriller.

Julie Clark's previous book, The Last Flight, was one of the best suspense novels I read in 2021 and her follow-up novel about a scam artist did not disappoint. It read like a house afire and I ended up reading it too far into the night. I do have a few quibbles but they are mostly on the practical side, such as having the ability to check real estate listings online or phone calling for account balances but maybe that's just me. I would love to talk more about this book but the less you know going into it, the better.

Anyway, if you haven't read LAST FLIGHT, give it a try then get a copy of this in case you are in the mood for a sleepless night. This is perfect for fans of Ocean's Eleven and Frank Abnagale's CATCH ME IF YOU CAN.

4.5 stars, rounded up.

Tense and twisty, The Lies I Tell got me thinking.

“I spend hundreds of hours on observation and research….When I’m done, I know everything I possibly can about you, and most of the people around you. By the time you’re saying nice to meet you, I’ve already known you for months. Does this worry you? It should.”

She’s been Meg, Maggie, Margaret, Melody. She’s been a college student, a life coach, a real estate agent. Over the years, Meg has perfected the art of the con. She knows how to get what she needs and disappear before she gets caught.

Kat's life was upended 10 years ago, and she’s always blamed Meg. And when Meg comes back into her orbit, she’s determined to expose her for what she’s done. But as they draw closer, she doesn’t know what to believe about Meg. What is her end game this time? Whom has she targeted? And is she going to get the best of Kat again?

I found this absolutely fascinating and compelling. I loved Julie Clark’s last book, The Last Flight, and this has cemented her as an auto-buy author for me. There were twists I anticipated and twists I didn’t, and in the end, the book definitely surprised me a bit. Meg and Kat were fascinating characters.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Landmark for an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review! The book will publish 6/21.

The Lies I Tell is a suspenseful thriller about a con woman and the woman trying to expose her. I really enjoyed the character development and the twist and turns throughout.

Loved this suspense story about a con artist and a young journalist trying to uncover her story to make a name for herself. This was propulsive and we will definitely be reading more from Julie Clark!

When con artist Meg Williams returns to Los Angeles, struggling reporter Kat Roberts is even more determined to expose her. Ten years earlier Meg ruined Kat's life. This cat-and-mouse chase, between these two women, is so refreshing and at times intense, making Julie Clark's sophomore novel just as compelling as THE LAST FLIGHT, her debut. For fans of Samantha Downing and Lisa Jewell. One of my favorite thrillers of 2022

As thrillers go, The Lies I Tell, did a good job of keeping me on my toes. Kat has been waiting a long time to expose the woman with many names, Meg, Maggie, Melody, so when she suddenly reappears, Kat is ready. Meg isn’t your traditional villain though and I found myself cheering her on as she attempts to take down a politician who ruined her life many years ago. Full of good twists and turns that keep you guessing, this was a fun ride.

3 for neutral, was unable to access my netgalley account for months, until today. Because of this, I was unable to see which books I needed to read. I apologize for the inconvenience and hopefully will not have any more issues in future.

The Lies I Tell was not what i was expecting, in a really good way. it had a engaging, original plot and was very well paced. the perfect, fast, engaging read when you need a distraction in. your life.

I really enjoyed The Last Flight, so was excited to dig into this one. We're introduced by con woman Meg immediately via Kat, a reporter who is pursuing her for a yet-unknown reason. What ensues is a game of cat and mouse, where we are constantly left guessing who's the cat and who's the mouse. Plot and structure was a swift-moving, though I had a number of issues with the plausibility and motivations that propelled the characters.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author and publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC! I enjoyed this story. It kept me guessing and had a great ending. I rate it a 4.1

The Lies I Tell is a phenomenal thriller from start to finish. Filled to the brim with twists and a captivating plot, this one is sure to keep readers hooked. The characters are well-developed. The story is incredibly fast-paced. This is one not to be missed! Highly recommended! Be sure to check out The Lies I Tell today.

Meg, is a con woman; she spends years honing her craft for her biggest con of all.

Kat, an investigative reporter; she believes she is a victim of Meg's. collateral damage in a con.

Julie Clark weaves a masterful tale; I was never really sure who was getting conned or who the victim was or the hero, perhaps a Robin Hood type tale.

A clever story, a quick read. I recommend this book to readers of all genres.

The Lies I Tell

This was a terrific revenge book with lots of twists and turns! I love a book that has a clever woman manipulating things to right the wrongs that have bestowed her!

Megan was robbed of her childhood when her mom was conned by Ron Ashton, a man swindling them out of their home. This happened when her mother was terminally ill and when her mother died Megan was forced to live in her car. Through the years she has done what she needed to in order to survive and someday get her revenge on the man that devastated her life so long ago.

Kat’s life was changed by Megan when she answered her tip on an investigation of a school administrator that was having inappropriate relationships with his students.Kat suspected Megan’s involvement in bringing his crimes to light after she drained his bank accounts. Kat found herself in danger when following up on the tip and then Megan’s trail went cold until she resurfaced ten years later.

My thoughts:
Megan’s style of conning people is that of a modern day Robin Hood stealing from the rich to give to the poor ( or more deserving). I liked the way she brought evil men to justice, and the way she befriended Kat in her own way. This was a fast paced novel and kept me turning the pages! Their are a lot of plot twists and turns

“The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who’s telling the story.”

Clever, twisty, and totally propulsive.

I couldn’t help but devour this duplicitous cat and mouse game between Meg, a con artist, and Kat, the journalist set on exposing her.

Clark’s sophomore novel solidifies that she is #masterclass at developing multifaceted female characters that are dynamic. In the midst of so many thrillers with unreliable (read: crazy, alcohol/drug fueled) female leads, Clark writes strong and savvy protagonists that are worth rooting for--- yep, even the con artist!

And the plot… that juxtaposition between revenge and justice… not only was it unputdownable, it also gave me a lot to ponder. Add to that themes of taking down the patriarchy, you’ve got a solid suspense/thriller worthy of praise.

Oh @julieclarkauthor …I can’t wait to see what you do next!

Many thanks to my partner @sourcebooks for this #gifted copy.

Meg Williams is a con-artist moving from town to town changing her name each time. Now that she's perfected her game, she's come back to town to get back at the one man who she feels has ruined her and her mother's life by taken everything from them back when Meg was a child.
Kat Roberts is a journalist who has been looking for Meg for years. She feels that Meg has ruined her life. Each woman is out for revenge. Who will get there first?
Chapters alternate between Meg and Kat's perspectives.
This was a good book; not my favorite.

I absolutely loved this thriller! Julie Clark does an amazing job creating stories that are fast-paced and twisty without being too scary or gory. The Lies I Tell is a cat-and-mouse story of a con artist and the journalist who is trying to expose her - by creating a con of her own. Meg has gone through multiple identities, jobs, and marks throughout her life, where she has created long-game cons to gain capital and seek revenge. Kat has been waiting ten years to get her own revenge on Meg, who upended her life years ago. As the two grow close, Kat begins to wonder who Meg's current target is and the lines between reporter and story and friendship start to crumble. I loved the alternating POVs and both female leads. It was easy to see the motivations of both, and I struggled to pick a side! This story is about justice and identity, and I couldn't put it down.

I loved The Last Flight by Julie Clark, but this one quickly became my favorite of hers. She's going to be an auto-buy author for me after this, and this was one of my few five-star thrillers of 2022.

This is the first book I read by Julie Clark and I definitely was not disappointed. It’s a little bit different than a typical thriller which is a nice change.

We have two main characters Kat, a journalist, and Meg, or Melodie, or Maggie… she has more than a few aliases. Each is a strong woman in her own right and they both have a goal and I wouldn’t even try to stop them.

Kat believes that Meg is a con artist and wants to expose her. While Meg definitely is not what she appears to be on the sirface wh I , her reasons go far beyond anything Kat could have imagined. Meg has returned because she has someone that she actually wants to expose. At a glance, it appears that the two women have become friends but you know what they say about keeping your friends close, but your enemies closer.

I was definitely surprised at how things turned out. The story felt like a slow burn but a good one. If I had to sum up this book in one word it would be Karma.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book. My review is voluntary. #TheLiesITell #JulieClark #NetGalley

I really liked The Last Flight so I was looking forward to reading The Lies I Tell. It did not disappoint! This was a great con artist story. I liked Meg's chapters more than Kat's. It was fun going back and forth between the two and I couldn't wait to see what happened at the end!
Thanks to NetGalley for the arc. All opinions are my own.