This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I have to say I’m conflicted.
The story was excellent – a family tragedy- the characters, especially the protagonist Nora McTavish, a Child protective services agent, fully developed and believable, and the setting, sound. While all those things come together nicely, I felt there was a great deal of explaining that went on from Nora’s POV. A lot of telling us what was happening or happened, not as much showing as I would have liked.

That aside, the premise – a perfect family on the outside, not so much on the inside – may be one we’ve all seen before, but Joe Hart brings a modern-day freshness to the story of the VOLK family. An influencer, foster children, and a few past tragedies that, dare I say Influence the present-day characters made this a thrilling story.

Nora, a violent past that has formed her present life will do anything to protect the people in her care.
Kaylee, a past tragedy that has formed her own present life wants nothing but the perfect family she was robbed of as a child.
Andrea, a foster kid with a horrible past that forms her present life is looking for a forever family.

These three women all have something to hide, something to lose, and wills forged in iron.
From a protagonist's viewpoint, they are all excellently drawn by Mr. Hart. Their motivations make sense and though the reader may not see it until the end of the story, their actions are all perfect for the story.

Excellent story. Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas Mercer for a chance to read and review this before it goes public.

4.5 stars.

This was another enjoyable read from the author. A fast read mystery with a good storyline and enough suspense to keep the reader turning pages. This is a book which I would recommend to all who like a good mystery.

I really enjoyed this book. An influencer adopts children, then horrifically they die in a plane crash. Social worker Nora is determined to find out what really happened. This story was suspenseful and intriguing. I knew there was more going on, but to find out the truth was shocking. Nora's storyline while relevant, was also a little reckless. She put herself and others in danger too many times. The ending was good, but I don't feel like the villain got their karma. Overall great read!

This novel started with a BANG! Then it plummets into heartbreak. Two chapters in and I'm in a whirlwind of suspense and distress. I'm a fan of Hart's but didn't expect so much intensity so quickly. Hooked pales.

"The voice was right. I’d made a mistake somewhere."

Nora is a CPS worker. Kaylee is an influencer showing off her family and their lifestyle on YouTube, including her three adopted kids. When on vacation the family's plane crashes, killing all but Kaylee, all fingers point to the oldest child. Andrea had a troubled history and a bad attitude . . .

I kept searching for other clues though. Andrea was the easy target, so naturally, it couldn't have been her. Her brother had some odd quirks that stuck out to me: kind, quiet, smart, bookish, overly tidy--signs of a budding serial killer. Then there was the husband. His reactions to things before the accident rubbed me the wrong way. And, of course, Kaylee. She had a muddled past of her own.

Nora takes on the task of figuring out the truth and it's a shocking end I never anticipated.

Where they Lie
by Joe Hart

4 stars

A thrilling and gripping tale.

This is an easy read, that slowly reveals who knew what, to a surprising climax.

Kaylee Volk, a vlogger celebrity is the only survivor a family plane crash. Nora McTavish who a child protective agent who placed three children with the Volk’s. As Nora investigates there are twists and turns into what went on behind the scenes in this picture perfect family.

Lives are threatened, and destroyed as the tale unwinds.

This title has been reviewed by www.books-reviewed.weebly.com

This title was provided by Netgalley and the publisher in return for an open and honest review.

#WhereTheyLie #NetGalley

Had me on the edge of my seat from the beginning! Binged this on a day! Thought I knew where it was going until a couple twists. Well be seeing what else this author has.

Full review closer to publication date!

I'd like to thank the publisher, Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for providing me with a copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is a disturbing and quite sad story. Told from the perspective of a CPS worker, you are yanked right into their world and are shown what they have to deal with on a day to day basis. This right here shows you a broken system, it shows the restraints these workers have and the appalling consequences it can lead to. I absolutely devoured this and loved everything about it especially the moral of the story. This is not for the lighthearted but for those like myself, you will love this. I highly recommend. Four and a half stars rounded up.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for this ARC.

I gave this book a 3.5 I really enjoyed it I read it within 2 days. I enjoyed his wrighting alot and I think the book was written very well it kept me intrigued I only gave it 3.5 because I felt like nothing happened . I kept waiting for something that never came if that makes since but I still enjoyed it just not what I was looking for at this time .

Now this was a twisty little thriller and no mistake.

The premise of the book is told from the PoV of a Social Worker, Nora McTavish, a survivor of childhood trauma, who tries to help those children she comes into contact with in her work. But when a famous Vlogger and her family crash in their private plane, she has to wonder if she missed something when she dealt with the family a couple of months before. It is then that her life takes an even more strange turn.

I started off not liking Nora much, to me she felt quite flat when it came to her emotions and all, but all that is a little more explained as the story continues through. I very soon started to root for her, and I got tangled in the mystery as I tried to work it out along with her.

Joe's writing is smooth, everything was clearing explained and what's more he left no plot holes or made his characters do anything that seemed out of their personality. A great little thriller that needs to be read to be believed.

Wow this book was undeniably good. I couldn’t believe how this ended. The whole time i thought Andrea did it and it ended up being someone else that did this horrible tragedy. Then at the end gets engaged to someone other man with children. I honestly don’t know how this woman sleeps at night with what she did. It was wrong. She should go to jail for what she did but all the evidence is hearsay and won’t hold up in court.

Thank you to netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for the opportunity to read and review this book. I loved it!!!

I was engaged all through this book. I gave it four stars for that; it felt sometimes that there was a little too much going on and I felt like I only half knew the characters. I did like the format of including the videos from Kaylee. I wish I had more character development with the foster kids. I feel like I was missing bits

This book was a lot better than I anticipated. I literally started reading this in the afternoon today and couldn't put it down until I finished it. I was literally hooked from the first chapter, which is very rare. The chapters were short, (another plus for me) intriguing and suspenseful, making you want to know more. This is the first book from Joe Hart that I've read, and I'm pleased to say they have gained a new fan! This is also my first review for NetGalley, so thank you for my advanced copy of this amazing book! Can't wait to review some more.

This story pulled me in from Chapter 1 and kept me engaged throughout. It is a page-turner and evolved at a steady pace. This is the first book I have read from this author, and he has a new fan!

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Thomas
& Mercer and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.


Realistic, well-paced and shocking in the right places.

This is my favorite Joe hart book so far!
Very good suspense and interesting characters.
Where They Lie is one hell of a psychological thriller that will definitely keep you turning those pages.
I have always had a spot for murder + influencer’s kinda books and I must say this one kept me intrigued the whole way through.
A murder mystery that kept me guessing. Characters who held my attention and the writing is great as always.
A story to keep the reader engaged right to the very end with a twist or two along the way.
A wonderful, thrilling read.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Thomas and Mercer,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

You just never know what people are capable of. I really enjoyed this story and watching events unfold. This novel takes some twists i did not expect. It showed that we don't actually know what's going on behind closed doors even if someone is sharing their lives on the internet. I recommend giving this novel a read when it releases in April of 2023. Thank you NetGalley for my advanced copy of Where They Lie by Joe Hart

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.
Wow really enjoyable read totally gripping and totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer
I just reviewed Where They Lie by Joe Hart. #WhereTheyLie #NetGalley

Thank you to NetGalley for the arc. This review is wholly my own.

The characters are likeable for the most part and you're invested in the pretty early on, which is great writing by the author to get you hooked in the very beginning so that you don't become bored from the get go.

The book was written well and checked off all the boxes.

The twist ending was great.

Compared to other books in this genre, it wasn't "amazing," but it was pretty good and I would likely recommend it.

Review of “Where They Lie” by Joe Hart *Some Spoilers*

The Bad

- Weak World, Weak Characters
o Nothing was fully fleshed out
o The main character’s understanding of her trauma and motivations felt very surface level and did not add any intensity, gravity, or weight to her character
o Her backstory felt very haphazardly put together – the cohesion was lacking, the corporal ghost of her brother added nothing to the plot, and the entire subplot felt like trauma porn
o Speaking of characters that added nothing to the story, the little brother in the Volk family was only there to show that Andrea was a normal teen and that Justin had anger issues
o Julia and her son, Sam, showed a true depiction of what happens across the US and how people in DV situations need support and community to leave and start again. I loved these characters, but the problem is that they were irrelevant to the plot and did nothing to influence, change, or challenge our main character
- Weak Writing
o In the beginning, it felt very tell-not-show. The reader was spoon-fed what to think/interpret/glean from certain situations and scenes
o The main character, whose name evades me now (a sign of a weak character) felt unrealistic. She was definitely a Woman Written by a Man, if you catch my drift. Her emotions were felt and understood by her, but instead explained to the reader. Her interest in certain things and detachment from others was consistently and conveniently explained away by her previous trauma
o The setting was so unimportant and de-emphasized
- Unexplored Potential
o The rise and impact of family channels over the last decade is so interesting and worth diving into – the author barely acknowledges that it’s a part of the story other than using it as a story-telling technique in certain situations (in older books, these would be diary entries)
o This could’ve been an opportunity to dive into how family channels influence and effect the psyche of their children
o The dissociation between the public image of the Volks and their reality could’ve been utilized in a more powerful way that added weight to the story, but it falls short
The Good
- Well-Paced
o I don’t think the story rushed anything and I don’t think it spent an inordinate amount of time on anything either
o In the second half, the story chugged along at a good pace that kept the reader going and curious
- The (first) Twist
o Well-done, realistic, slightly unexpected but not without foundation
o Interesting and topical to the situation and the dangers of a predatory foster system
- The (second) Twist
o Also surprisingly enjoyed this. The moment that you think that the main character has succeeded is flipped on its head a moment later
o Realistic and shocking, but again, not without foundation that was well-laid in the beginning of the book

All in all, not the greatest read. Wouldn’t recommend but I didn’t hate my time with the book. I just think some more time and thought could be put into developing this into something great. 2/5 stars.