Where do I begin? Where They Lie by Joe Hart was not supposed to be my next review. I have a list a mile long of reads I am always excited to read and share my thoughts (as if they matter). Lately, I've been coming across titles that kinda just take hold of me and refuse to let go.

Where They Lie crashes onto the scene with a literal crash. Yes, pun intended. An unsuspecting sailing enthusiast, fearful of his choice to sail as a storm brews in the waters, is stunned by the (intentional?) crash of an aircraft.

Enter Nora McTavish. News of the private plane's "accident" leads Nora on a quest to understand what went wrong. As a child protective services agent, she's unable to look away from this tragedy. Unable to ignore the guilt she feels having brought this family together, Nora searches for the truth. Why did this family die and why was one of the foster children being blamed for the tragedy?

Before long, Nora's search for an answer puts her in danger.

Obviously! Or we wouldn't have this novel.

First of all, I enjoyed reading Hart's Where They Lie. It's a fast paced, quick read that grips readers that are forced to see where this thriller leads. Nora's narrative is impeccable and encompassing... as far as first person narratives go. No matter how intuitive our antagonist is, they leave a wake of thinly drawn characters along the way.

Nora is a complex, damaged character, who begrudgingly allows us pieces of her life. If anyone deserves their happy ever after, it is Nora. Yet, Hart offers the readers Kaylee Volk. Those who have read the book blurb know that she's a big deal in this plot.

Kaylee Volk, a social media influencer, chronicles her life as a foster parent to three teenagers ripped from their dangerous homes. After having won the foster kid's lottery, one of those teens are blamed for killing the entire family, except Kaylee.

Honestly, I only mention Kaylee because she, and her family are the catalyst that moves the story forward. What secrets are they hiding? Why would a young, rich, married couple insist on fostering teens? Why is death more enticing than keeping up the influencing charade?

Where They Lie was an interesting read that kept me interested even when I wasn't reading. But... my gripes are that the characters are as flat as the acting skills of your favorite influencer.

ALSO!

I'm not sure if this mattered to Hart but using the "influencer" trope will ultimately date this novel. Yes, this phenomenon of average people making a shi*load of money is beautiful, it's also not sustainable. Kaylee was exactly who/what I think of when I see "influencers". The cookie cutter image we all have in mind.

Overall, I enjoyed reading Where They Lie. Joe Hart is a solid fixture on my list of authors I must read if I'm in the mood to be hooked. A solid read but definitely not something that will stick with me for long. Since this seems to be the beginning of a series, I will definitely follow Nora and her subsequent novels.

Copy provided by Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley

Really enjoyed this story of a woman persisting in finding the truth about a foster situation, with unexpected turns,and methods. Really was wrapped up in it.

Such a fun thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. A one night read, Thank you to the publisher for the ARC.

I promise myself over and over again that I will stick to my thoroughly planned out list of books I need to read in order .

Do you think I stick to this list?

Nope.

Not when a book like Where They Lie was just approved .

I, like most of us blogger, get to the end of the month and fear missing out on just one more book. So instead of going to work like a normal human, I called out to read .

Don’t judge me .

The one thing I don’t regret is playing hookie when I just concluded another banger of a book. Giving this book ONLY five stars would be an insult . This book breaks every rating scale we have put forth.

If you want to know what I’m talking about you better run on over to your favorite bookstore and order this mind bending thriller.

The murder of an influencer’s family exposes the disturbing secrets behind the facade in a haunting novel of suspense by Joe Hart, Wall Street Journal bestselling author of Or Else.

Family is content for Kaylee Volk. Her vlogs celebrate a happy home with her husband and their three foster children, Bethany, Mason, and Andrea. Everything is perfect until the day the family’s private plane plummets into the ocean. Only Kaylee manages to survive—with a shocking revelation: Andrea did it.

This is particularly devastating for Nora McTavish, a child protective services agent who is already familiar with Andrea’s troubled history. Given Nora’s own traumatic childhood, how could she not have sensed the profound darkness festering within the girl? What did she miss? Could she have stopped Andrea?

As Kaylee struggles to cope with the crushing loss, Nora’s investigation begins. But her guilt soon turns to unease. Secret by secret, Nora pieces together a Volk family puzzle that’s more twisted than anyone saw—one far from the picture-perfect life Kaylee sold to the public. And the closer Nora looks, the more disturbing it gets.

This was just ok. I liked the suspense the book created but the story was bland and I just didn’t connect with the material or the characters

"Behind the Facade" by Joe Hart is a chilling and suspenseful novel that explores the dark secrets hidden beneath a seemingly perfect family. With masterful storytelling and shocking revelations, Hart keeps readers hooked from start to finish, delivering an unsettling and thought-provoking tale of tragedy, guilt, and the destructive power of secrets.

A close look at your family and would you really cover up for a crime that a friend or family member committed.

3.5 stars rounded down to 3.

Nora works for CPS, a job she was led to after a tragic childhood of her own. She takes a lot of pride in the work she does. But when the Volk family’s plane crashes, leaving influencer mom Kaylee as the only survivor, so has to deal with the fallout. She placed 3 children with this family, and the oldest, Andrea, is the one that caused the crash. As Nora tries to figure out what happened puzzle pieces start to come together in twists and turns.

This book had its moments as far as a good thriller goes. Some of the dark narrative was really strong, and some of the twists were unexpected. But there were also bits that felt like too much for me. The plane crash, Kaylee’s influencer status, and Nora’s past seemed wildly extreme. It was like it was all too much trauma competing against each other.

Overall though, I enjoyed the story enough to keep going, and although I saw some twists coming, I was pleased with how the end came together. I’d recommend this for fans of thrillers like Gillian Flynn.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an advanced copy of this book.

I didn't enjoy this book. It didn't really hold my attention and every time I put it down it was even harder to pick up.
I did finish it, but won't be reading this author again. Wasn't a fan, and I hate having to suspend disbelief for a book to make sense.

Where They Lie is my first novel by this author. I enjoyed the plot and the pace. I would have liked more character development, but the twists and turns kept me invested. I’ll be looking forward to book two.

There was a lot of twists and turns in the story, and really enjoyed the story. This is part of a series, and I will read more in future.

Very twisty thriller with a great plot! This is about a famous blogger whose private plane crashes and she is the only survivor left of their family ( her husband and their 3 foster children perished). The case worker starts looking into the case and discovers all is not what it appears with the family. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Where They Lie by Joe Hart is an engaging thriller that demonstrates both the good an the evil of mankind. Nora had a father who showed her the dark side of life and a brother whom she desperately wishes she could bring back to the living. She becomes a social worker in order to aide those children who lead a neglected life in horrible surroundings. According to Nora, "Everyone has something to fight for. But not everyone has someone to fight for them. " So she does her best to place children in loving, caring families. However, two of her families are in trouble. One has an abusive husband and the other has reported some problems with the children. When the entire family except for the mother dies in a plane crash, Nora strongly believes something isn't resonating the way it should. While attempting to provide safety for the abused mother, she researches the dynamics of the family who were killed and discovers some disturbing details.
#ThankyouNETGALLEYforthisthriller! #greatread!

Where They Lie by Joe Hart

Nora McTavish suffered a traumatic childhood. One that has caused severe survivors' guilt due to the death of her older brother. Today she makes her living as an agent for child protective services to not only help relieve some of the guilt she has felt but to also help other children that are suffering.

Kaylee Volk is a vlogger and influencer. Her brand is her amazingly perfect family - her husband Josh and their three foster children, Andrea, Mason, and Bethany. One day, while taking a trip in their private plane, it crashes into the sea. Kaylee is the only survivor and she claims that it was Andrea that caused the crash.

Nora can't believe it. She's the one that placed Andrea in their care. Did she miss something? Was Andrea more disturbed than she believed her to be? Nora takes it upon herself to delve further into the Volks family dynamics and what she stumbles upon is far from perfection.

This was a great start to a new series that Joe Hart is writing, and I cannot wait to read more from this author. Nora is taking her job seriously and I like how she goes above and beyond for the kids she needs to place. i can really relate to her need to find the answers when it comes to these kids that have been though their own trauma's.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a free copy of Where They Lie for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and TLC Book Tours for the gifted book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Procedural thrillers, tragic backstories, crime series

This was a good read. It started off too slow and remained very slow. It's a short read. It somehow dragged in some spots and felt rushed in others. The writing is engaging. I enjoyed Nora as a character, though I was left wanting more. The characters needed to be fleshed out a bit. The case was very interesting. I did not predict that! The ending was a bit unbelievable. I do recommend it.

Great thriller! So glad I got a chance to read this. I liked how the plot was written. I will definitely read more from this author.

Nora lived through a tough childhood and now serves her community as a CPS worker. She tries to make a difference. But when a social media influencer's family is killed, she knows there is more to uncover.

I knew early on that this book wasn't going to be for me. The main character described her cop boyfriend as "well-hung" in her head...... Not a thought that I think most women think independently. It really felt like the author didn't know how to write a female main character because she was just awful to read from.

I went in to this book thinking that the focus was going to be on the fact that this was an influencer family but the family could have had any profession and it would have been just as believable.

It took a lot of suspension of disbelief to get past the fact that Nora was just able to go into crime scenes and interview people as a CPS worker (especially because this family wasn't on her caseload).

The ending was not satisfying at all. Maybe, since this will be a series, that some closure will happen but I won't be continuing.

I tried really hard to get into this one, having to pick it up and set it aside multiple times before I was finally able to get through it. The premise of this one is interesting; however, the execution just falls flat.

To begin with, a lot about Nora doesn't make sense at all. Sure, she has a tragic backstory, and it's her motivation for going into social services, but aside from that, I didn't feel a connection to her. She has a boyfriend, who, from all appearances, cares about her, but all she can think about is how much she doesn't like him. She doesn't like him doing her dishes, but she doesn't like him touching her unless, of course, they are sleeping together, but then she doesn't like him spending the night either. She consistently says she needs to talk to him about this or that but never actually follows through. She also drinks a lot, which on its own wouldn't be a huge deal, but she rarely takes the time to sober up before getting behind the wheel of her car, which is a huge issue for me.

Then there is her habit of investigating what happened to Kaylee and her family despite the fact that she is not a member of law enforcement and therefore has no reason for doing so other than to fulfill her own curiosity. Seriously. She questions people, she visits crime scenes, she takes things that could be considered evidence, and no one cares? No one stops her? But she's also supposedly an overworked social worker, right? So what is going on with all of her other cases? Are those families being ignored so she can appease her curiosity?

But still, I suffered through hoping for something, anything to boost the star rating on this one, but then it ended in a way that still has me shaking my head. However, even though this one didn't work for me, it may work for others so if it appeals to you, give it a chance. You may enjoy it more than I did.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I enjoyed other books by Joe Hart, but this one was NOT doing it for me. The main character, Nora McTavish, is meh to me... I could take her or leave her. The plot didn't draw me in either. I honestly did not care about the family who died in the plane crash or who actually caused it. Overall, a mediocre book for being in the thriller genre.