David Ellis is truly the king of using multiple POVs in the cleverest ways to deliver the craziest twists!

Leo Balanoff is a diagnosed pathological liar, and his fingerprints and DNA were just connected to the murder of a brutal drug dealer. When the FBI comes to him with an offer to go undercover to avoid going to prison for murder, he realizes he doesn't have much of a choice. Undercover he goes. What he doesn't realize is that his undercover assignment will cause him to cross paths with his ex-girlfriend, and maybe love of his life, Andi Piotrowski. Will his lying skills make it possible for him to navigate the twisted web he has woven?

It's best to go into this one as blindly as possible, because the real fun of a David Ellis book is the mental gymnastics you'll do keeping up with the shifting motives and revelatory backstories of all his characters. I LOVED trying to figure out how all of the players were connected and who was crossing who, and I still didn't have all the answers by the end.

Fans of espionage and con thrillers will absolutely devour this one!

Leo is an attorney whose finger prints end up at a murder scene of a drug dealer and human trafficker. The FBI is involved and gives him 2 choices; go to jail for murder or go undercover to catch this gang. He now has an FBI handler, Chris, who won’t let Leo out of his sight. It’s unfortunate because Leo just got his law license back after it being taken away for multiple years due to him doing anything it took to make sure innocent people weren’t stuck in jail. Will he be able to do the same for himself? Leo’s ex love of his life, Andi, also ties into this case.

This book involves, gangs, drugs, human trafficking, ripping children away from their mothers and selling them, going undercover, stealing corporate data to sell to the Chinese government, grief, lies, scheming, the one that got away, and more. Overall, this book was slow and predicable except 1 twist at the end. I felt like it dragged on without much action until the very end. The book goes back and forth between the past/present and is told from multiple character’s perspectives, making it challenging for me to keep up with. I was confused at some parts and found myself having to re-read small sections.

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I love David Ellis’s writing style, but this story was a bit of a mess for me.

We have quite a few POV characters and a timeline that’s all over the place. It’s confusing to sort out, especially through the first quarter.

Despite all this activity, pacing is oddly slow due to repetitiveness, as we get the same content from various viewpoints. The story took a long time to get going.

The last quarter is where things start connecting and the pace picks up considerably. Most of the reveals and twists didn’t surprise me, probably because I’d had a lot of time to sort through the why and how of everything. Still, I appreciated the way it all came together in the end.

You’ll need to designate all your obligations and chores to someone else, because once you start reading this you won’t be able to stop! Wow – so many lies, false identities, cover-ups, misdirection, false leads and just jaw-dropping exposés that it took all my concentration to keep them straight. The story puts pieces of the plot together with glimpses of the past for current day context. The protagonist, Leo, is one of the most amusing, frustrating and layered characters I’ve ever read. The plot takes place mostly in Chicago. He’s got quite a history as a suspended lawyer. He has a brother, Trace, and the former love of his life, Andi. He’s a bit obsessive compulsive about numbers, especially primes. I’m still counting how many steps from the chair to the fridge! It is perfectly puzzling plot to uncover the truth amid a myriad of bold faces lies. Kudos to the author for stumping me and a highly entertaining novel.
Thanks to Penguin/G. P. Putnam’s Sons Publishing for providing an Advance Reader Copy of “The Best Lies” by David Ellis, expected publication 07/23/2024, via NetGalley. These honest thoughts and opinions are mine given voluntarily without compensation.

Look Closer was one of my favorite thrillers the year I read it, so I’ve been anxiously awaiting a new book by Brian Ellis. When I saw this book, it quickly became one of my most anticipated thrillers of 2024.

I would categorize this as a crime thriller. We follow three different POV characters. Leo, an attorney whose fingerprints and blood were found at a murder scene, is the main character. I enjoyed Leo as a character and trying to figure what he was up to because it quickly becomes apparent that we can’t trust anything he says. Leo gets recruited to a sting operation by the FBI, which brings us to another POV character, Chris, his FBI handler. The third POV character is Andi, Leo’s ex girlfriend.

It was a fun, twisty time trying to figure out how these three characters’ stories would intertwine. There were a few reveals I guessed early on, but this book was filled with twists and turns that I didn’t see coming.

The Best Lies by David Ellis
Rating: 4/5
Pages: 384

David Ellis' new book was one I knew I had to get my hands on! I absolutely loved Look Closer, so was looking forward to diving into this new book. The Best Lies centers around Leo, a lawyer and pathological liar, who is wrapped up in multiple storylines including a biotech heist, a murder, and human trafficking, while also seeking justice for his client who was murdered.

I enjoyed this novel and Ellis' writing style. He brings twists out of nowhere and I can see this becoming a tv show in the future. I also loved how fast paced it was and how quickly I was able to get through it. The characters were also developed very well and the different POV helped the reader get into their minds.

If I have a critique, it would be that the plot is extremely complex. It did take me some time to get ahold of the story and truly understand what was going on. Not sure if that was Ellis' intention, but I feel like that could overcomplicate things for a ton of readers who may give up halfway due to the confusion.

Overall, great read an thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for providing me with this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion! Look out for this title hitting shelves July 23, 2024.

THIS BOOK. First of all, I can’t express how happy I am that I was approved for this one on Netgalley! David Ellis is definitely on the path to auto buy and auto read! I read Look Closer earlier this year, five stars of course! This one was AWESOME. THE TWISTS! The connections the turns that just LINED everything up! How someone can make such a weasel so damn likable and you are absolutely rooting for this character to lay their plans perfectly! Damn! Seriously read this! I loved this book and absolutely binged the crap out of it.

Wow! Absolutely loved this book! When I saw David Ellis had a new book coming out, I was genuinely excited. His book, Look Closer, is one of my favorite books so I couldn’t wait to read The Best Lies. I love his writing style and the way different characters intertwine throughout. The plot was excellent and starts off fast paced. And just like with Look Closer, you want to like certain characters but you don’t know if you should (haha). Mini twists and big twists and all when you aren’t even expecting a twist. Easy 5 star rating from me.
Thank you David Ellis, NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for an early ARC edition to read for review.

I enjoyed this thriller and it kept me guessing, which is hard to do know. I think this is a popcorn thriller and would be great for a vacation or beach read.

Look Closer was an excellent 5 star book so I was looking forward to The Best Lies. While it was an okay book, it didn't wow me the way his previous book did. There were a few surprises, but the pace was a little slow; however, the premise is very intriguing and Leo is an clever character with his uncanny ability to manipulate any situation. Seeing how he managed to turn the tables on gangsters was the coolest part. If you enjoy the author's previously co-authored books with James Patterson be sure to pick this one up, but readers only familiar with Look Closer may end up slightly disappointed. Thank you to Putnam and NetGalley for the DRC in exchange for an honest review. 3 stars

3.5 stars. The Best Lies is an entertaining and twisty thriller that is either very cleverly plotted or too convoluted for its own good (I'm still on the fence?). The story focuses on Leo, a lawyer with a troubled past, and his involvement with both a scheme to steal biotechnology secrets to sell to China and his desire to seek justice for a former client who was murdered before she could testify against a Chicago crime kingpin. Those two storylines are, of course, connected and also involved with child trafficking, high-tech security, double/triple agents (?), cancer treatment, violins, and lost love. Basically, there is a lot going on.

This was my first book by David Ellis, and his writing style made for an easy read. The chapters are short and jump around between different POVs and timelines. Cliffhangers are abundant, and the shocking reveals are so numerous that they pretty much get old by the end. In the end, this was a fun and diverting escape from reality that would make for a great summer read.

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.


I am truly shocked more by my rating than the thrill of this book.

What I liked:

- Towards the end the book was better paced, and I was more into it.

- The only POV I liked was Leo's - I could have just read his POV the entire time.


What I did not like:

- The multiple POV's and timelines - it was over-kill for me and I didn't enjoy it. And I am typically a person who loves multiple POVs in thrillers, it usually gives it more thrill and picks up pacing for me - but not in this one.

- The majority of this book was setting up the story and I hated it, I was so bored and felt like I was forcing myself to pick this book up.

- The strange way this was written - Leo was in first person, everyone else was in third. It was hard enough to keep track of everything with the POVs and timelines.

- This was more of a crime fiction than a thriller/mystery.

What do you do when you find yourself between a rock and a hard place? Sometimes you try to split the middle and hope for the best. This fast-paced novel should appeal to fans of gritty suspense.

In the past, I had only read David Ellis and his work as a collaboration with James Patterson. “The Best Lies” felt like my true introduction to his amazing mind in a solo endeavor.

I have two friends that I regularly have buddy reads with and they raved about him and told me to run to request this. I listened and am thoroughly glad I did. I enjoyed every moment of this one.

From the unreliable narrator to the never ending twists. With a main character that is a known pathological liar, readers are sure to keep guessing until the very last page.

Thank you NetGalley, David Ellis, and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for this ARC. I quickly added his backlist to my tbr.

In "The Best Lies," attorney Leo Balanoff gets embroiled in a murder case with his fingerprints on the weapon. Will he be believed by the FBI or used against a drug syndicate? This brings him back in contact with his ex, Andi Piotrowski, a former cop.

The book is packed with drama, maybe a bit too much so in the latter half. The story unfolds through three characters' viewpoints, interspersed with past flashbacks. Despite twists and action, the book didn't fully win me over. It falls in the category of liked but not loved. I'm still interested in reading more from David Ellis in the future.

Rating: 3.5 stars.

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a while.

The twists and turns are amazing. You don’t know what to believe and who to trust in the book.
The end and how everything connects is so good.
You aren’t sure whether or not to trust Leo but his character is so good.

Couldn’t recommend this book more!!!

David Ellis didn’t disappoint

The Best Lies is an action packed procedural crime thriller following Leo, a criminal defense attorney who also happens to be a pathological liar. This book has no shortage of characters to keep track of, which can get confusing at times and you’ll want to pay attention to the alternating timelines, but it’s definitely an intense puzzle that keeps you guessing throughout. Who can you trust when it seems like everyone is crooked and unreliable?

This is a far different novel than Look Closer, a previous novel from David Ellis that shot him to fame with psychological thriller readers in 2022. The Best Lies gives off more Harlan Coben vibes with the organized crime, mobsters, and sting operation plots. It definitely won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’re looking for an in depth story that keeps you engaged and questioning everything you know, this is definitely a worthwhile read!

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for the opportunity to read this digital ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my e-ARC of The Best Lies!

I read almost half of this but unfortunately it just wasn’t working for me. It’s touted as a thriller but it felt more like a crime novel with a lot of POVs and I found it hard to come back to. I will definitely check out more from this author in the future though!

📚 Review: The Best Lies 👓
Ok this book was great!! I finally got out of my 3 star ⭐️ slump. Yay me!! This book took me a while to read because I started it at such a busy time for me and I didn’t have much time to read it. So that was a bummer because this was one of my most anticipated reads of the year. Look Closer is one of my all time favorite books ever, so I was so excited to get to this when I saw it on @netgalley. Here’s what I have to say right from the start. If you are expecting this book to be just another Look Closer, you may be disappointed. I thought that and I was wrong. This book is a different type of book, and stands on its own. I will say that I loved it so much though. The elements of David Ellis’ writing style still comes through in this book. There are a few main characters that you follow from their POVs throughout the book. But of course, you can’t trust anyone and they can’t trust each other either. You’re left wondering the whole time who is playing who here. I just loved it. I don’t want to tell too much. Go into it blind. I always say that but a lot of times I think it’s best. You don’t get any preconceived notions. Just know that towards the last half of this book, things became as just as exciting as you would think, everyone twisting everything around and you’re left trying to figure things out. And of course there are some twists that you will not see coming. This was different than Look Closer, but indeed another ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 stars for me!! Fans of Look Closer will want to grab their copy as soon as it comes out.

Pub Day: July 23, 2024
Thank you to @netgalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Have you been lucky enough to read this one yet? What were your thoughts?

DNF
To many unbelievable twists and turns with unbelievable characters. It all felt implausible. I love his book A Closer Look and was hoping for the same but not this time.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy and n exchange for a honest opinion. 2⭐️