I liked this book. I didn’t like it as much as his last book but this one was still good! It kept me on my toes. I would recommend this book!

Thanks to NetGalley and the
PENGUIN GROUP Putnam | G.P. Putnam's Sons for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.5 stars

I was so excited when I got the ARC for The Best Lies after absolutely loving Look Closer (you must immediately go read this!). David Ellis did not disappoint.

Leo Balanoff is a skillful liar with a lot of baggage and a strong sense of justice for the underdog. He is arrested for the murder of drug dealer/sex trafficker he is offered a chance to go undercover for the FBI. There were so many twists and turns. Highly recommend.

What a ride!
After reading Look Closer, I couldn’t wait to read this new book! I loved the writing style and unreliable characters.

This book was gripping, intriguing with some dangerous connections, complicated characters that will keep you busy guessing.

It was very entertaining with the twists and turns, I loved the shorter chapters and I definitely recommend.

Thank you very much David Ellis @putnambooks and @netgalley for this ARC in exchange of my honest review.
Publication Date 07/23/24

David Ellis author I’ve come to known in like this book didn’t really do for me the story. The characters couldn’t get into it but fast pace, chapters page turning multiple POV present past timeline I like the cover, but I was a bit disappointed in this read.

Rating: 2.5 stars ⭐️⭐️💫
—
Leo is an attorney with a complicated past. When a well known and very dangerous drug dealer is found dead, and Leo’s fingerprints are found on the weapon, it seems like a closed case. However, he may have an out - if he cooperates with the FBI to take down the drug dealer’s (even worse) boss and end the crime ring for good. Leo’s motives and personal ties to the drug dealer he supposedly killed make his path very complicated.
—
This was just too complicated for me. I had such a hard time following all of the legal things going on and everybody’s connection to each other. There were plenty of twists, but I felt like they just kept coming and coming, making the story even more complicated to follow. The twists and thrilling aspects also didn’t interest me as much as a typical thriller.
I do give kudos to the author for being able to lay out such a complex story that did all tie together in the end. I also admire how he built the main character and I found his family history very interesting. I’d recommend giving this a shot if you enjoy legal thrillers and don’t mind a complicated story, this one just wasn’t for me!

Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Group Putnam for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved David Ellis’s 2022 thriller Look Closer. That said, I may have went into this story with my expectations set too high.

The book follows a lawyer, an FBI agent, and a police officer turned security specialist. All 3 characters are connected, and the story is told through each of their perspectives.

I liked that each character’s perspective was distinctive and unique. The character development itself was a little lacking, but I appreciated that it was clear whose perspective we were hearing during each chapter.

What I didn’t like… the mafia angle. Why is the mafia always involved in these kinds of stories? The prime number obsession was interesting to start with, but I lost interest in that super fast. It became redundant and, well, just plain annoying. And I wasn’t a fan of Andi’s inner monologue whatsoever; if it achieved anything, this part just made it abundantly clear that a male author was behind the character. We get it, Andi is beautiful and hates being told that by every man she comes in contact with. We don’t need paragraphs of inner dialogue describing this in each chapter.

Overall, besides those few annoyances, it was a solid 3-star read. The Best of Lies may not have been the best of stories, but it was your average run-of-the-mill spy-based thriller and it was entertaining enough to keep me engaged. I don’t think it’s something I’ll remember in a year or so (unlike Look Closer), but it made for a fun and easy Summer read.

(Besides the mafia aspect. Please, please, pleaseeee stop slipping mobsters into books unless you throw that little detail into the book’s blurb).

The Best Lies
by David Ellis
Pub Date: July 23, 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Bestselling and award-winning author David Ellis delivers a fast-paced, twisty thriller that will surprise readers at every turn.
I have read Ellis and have enjoyed his writing. This one seemed confusing and too long to me.

A number of my friends haven’t been too thrilled with it, and I can understand their points of view. For anyone who read Ellis’ previous book Look Closer, this is a VERY different story. It’s kind of like when many loved Alex Finlay’s first couple books and then he switched gears and wrote What Have We Done. I loved that book, but for many friends they didn’t like how different it was in nature to his first two. Where I think this one matches Ellis’ first book is in how well he plays a twist and how deliciously complicated his characters are. As with his previous book, you just can’t trust anything you see and I love that!

The Best Lies
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Somehow this complicated story is delivered in a beautiful easy way. I was constantly trying to figure out who was the puppet and who was the master. This was overall a great book!

Thank you NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP for this ARC. Pub Date Jul 23 2024

Thank you to #netgalley for this #arc
I really liked the first David Ellis book that I read and don't get me wrong, this one wasn't bad, it just wasn't the same.

Leo is an attorney who always seems to find trouble. He is now on to searching what happened to a drug dealer that caused trouble for everyone in his path. He has a tendency to get to close to his cases.

He has to decide going undercover for the FBI or going to prison. The story takes to long to unravel for me, it didn't really keep me "hooked". But I still recommend you give it a read for yourself LOL!

𝑹𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝑰𝒇 𝒀𝒐𝒖 𝑳𝒊𝒌𝒆:
💰 mobsters
🕵🏻 sting operations
👮🏻‍♂️ police perspectives
🍰 Multiple Layers
🧑‍🧑‍🧒 multiple POV (3)

𝑶𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝑻𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒔
Look Closer was easily in my top 5 books of last year so I was so excited to receive an advance copy of The Best Lies. This story follows a police officer, a lawyer, and a security specialist. I knew there had to be connections between all the characters lurking under the surface, it just a matter of how.

My expectations were maybe set a little high. I just couldn’t connect with the characters. Leo’s obsession with prime numbers just really got old after sometime. The middle of the story just creeped along for me. There were so many layers, pieces, and things developing but it was at a very slow place. It wasn’t until the last 25% of the book that everything started to finally come together and get moving. That being said, I still enjoyed it…just not as much as Look Closer! It’s a worthwhile read to add to your summer TBR once it’s officially released!




⚠️: Human Trafficking, Child Abduction, Death of Child, Cancer

3.5 rounded up - 4/5 🌟 The Best Lies is another twisty David Ellis novel about MC Leo, a pathological liar who has found himself between a rock and a hard place when he becomes the lead suspect in a high profile drug dealer murder case. Does he head straight to prison for murder, or make a deal with the police?

I absolutely loved Look Closer, so I had high expectations going into this book. I’ll be honest it took me until about 50-60% to get “hooked” in this one. I was left feeling confused and had to backtrack a few times to keep all the characters straight and felt that the timelines were off; it seemed to randomly switch back and forth, sometimes even switching inside a chapter. I do commend the author for creating such an intriguing, intricate, and twisty plot. There were so many dots to connect, it kept me interested and always guessing!

It was all explained and wrapped up nicely in the end with some juicy unexpected twists we all love! If you like legal thrillers with an untrustworthy narrator type trope then I would recommend this one!

Thank you to NetGalley, Penguin Group Putnam / G.P. Putnam’s Sons, and author David Ellis for this advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review 💙

- Pub date July 23, 2024 -

“Look Closer” is an absolute favorite thriller of mine so when I seen David Ellis had a new book I had to get my hands on it! And that cover?! I needed it!

This one was just as twisty and fun as “Look Closer” but may have been a bit too long? I found myself bored with it at times but when I wasn’t, I wasn’t! I did love the character building so in the same sense I’m happy for the length too!
I loved the multiple POVs, multiple timelines and David’s writing style! I cannot wait to read more from this author!

Thank you G.P. Putnam's Sons, Netgalley and author David Ellis for providing me an advance readers copy in exchange for my honest review.
Release date: July 23rd

Look Closer is one of my all time favorite thrillers. I was so excited to get my hands on THE BEST LIES! Once I started reading, I quickly became a little disappointed. The first half of the book was confusing and hard to follow. I didn’t fully grasp the plot until around the halfway mark. BUT from there, I was hooked and really enjoyed the chase to the end. The main character, Leo, was incredibly fascinating…he is a diagnosed pathological liar which that alone was very entertaining. I love thrillers with unreliable main characters and this one definitely hit the mark. The second half of the book was fast-paced, filled with twists that kept disproving my theories and the ending wrapped up nicely.

Overall, I liked it! Look Closer is still my favorite but I did enjoy this one!

Be sure to check it out! If you like unreliable narrators, mob themed thrillers, multiple POVs, and nonlinear timelines then this is gonna be a great pick for you!

David Ellis does it again! He is a master at spinning a very complex and satisfying tale that will keep you guessing right until the end; and also at creating immensely interesting characters that are very easy to become invested in.

Leo Balanoff is a lawyer, master of deceit and so very clever. He's fiercely loyal to those he loves and not afraid to do what it takes to right wrongs - including breaking the law now and again. Leo is accused of killing a very bad man. His DNA is at the crime scene and other than cutting a deal to go undercover for the FBI he's looking at a murder one charge. It seems like an impossible situation.

The twists and turns in this book will keep you up later than you'd probably like. Hooked from page one!

Thank you for this amazing read David Ellis! And many thanks to NetGally and G.P. Putnam and Sons for an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Long Goodbye

What lurks in the dark devious corners of the highly competitive international pharmaceutical business? Especially when an innovative cancer-fighting formulation is at stake:

“Project Nano. The game changer. The white whale. Not quite ready to submit for FDA trials, but, when it’s done, it will be the biggest thing QCI (Quigley Crowe International) has ever produced. One of the greatest innovations in cancer treatment in decades.”

David Ellis’ 2024 twisting mystery, “The Best Lies”, creates layers of well-developed tangled histories of the primary characters with cat-and-mouse games among private sector security, local police and FBI agents, shadowy local hoods and a quirky smart defense attorney.

Set in Deemer Park, a fictious suburb of outside of current day Chicago, the narrative shifts between back story snap shots for the main characters and quickly moving developments to stop a theft of industrial secrets:

• Leo Balanoff, the local defender with a checkered history and penchant for immediate mathematical-like analysis and skills
• Trace, his childhood friend and quasi-brother, coming clean from drug dependency, after both endured a dark upbringing involving child kidnapping and trafficking
• Andi Pietrowski, former police officer now head of security for QCI and still enamored of her college love, Leo, despite their split several years prior
• FBI Special Agent Chris Roberti, recovering from his own bout with cancer and willing to take risks to fulfill his mission

Though different, the story atmospherics recall “The Long Goodbye”, the 1973 film with Elliot Gould and Jim Bouton based on Raymond Chandler’s 1953 novel.

How will these relationships come through two murders with unexpected revelations in personal histories and still escape determined police pressure to arrive at a solution?

My advice: this tale is one you may want to read in one sitting.

I received an ARC of The Best of Lies by David Ellis and I really enjoyed it. I will say it’s very different than the other book that I have read by the same author, Look Closer. However, I did think this book was well written and it definitely was entertaining. I recommend this book if you are thinking about trying it when it comes out!! Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

I have heard so much about David Ellis' Look Closer and I haven't had a chance to read it yet. I was excited to receive this ARC of his as everyone raves about him. This was a fast paced book with many characters and while confusing at times with all the different points of view, it definitely kept my interest. This book is a must for anyone who loves police procedural/mob type books.

Leo Balanoff is diagnosed as a pathological liar, when his fingerprints show up on a murder weapon used to kill a drug dealer what is he supposed to do? Accepting an offer from the FBI put Leo in a difficult position but what's even harder for him is having to come into contact with his ex.
This book is definitely full of shocking twists and turns that left me jaw dropped. I had to keep reading to find out what trouble Leo was going to get himself into next. This is a fast paced read that I had to finish in one sitting because I just couldn't put it down. The multiple POv's were a great way to see things happening from everyone's point of view. Definitely a great read!

Im extremely conflicted on this one. I really enjoy David Ellis. His books are incredibly clever and very twisty. This one was no exception. I can appreciate how well-thought out this plot was.

Unfortunately, espionage/police-procedurals are not my genre and it took me a long time to make my way through this. In fact, it kind of put me in a reading slump. I don't know if it was the length, or the fact that the story took a really long time to start gaining momentum. I'll continue to look out for titles from this author, however.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for proving a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This gripping page-turner follows Leo Balanoff, a pathological liar and Chicago attorney who finds himself accused of the murder of a crime boss. Leo is faced with the choice of working undercover for the FBI to take down a drug dealer or go to prison for murder. THE BEST LIES was well written and smart and had me constantly questioning the character’s motives. This propulsive plot will keep you off-balance in the best way. Readers are left partially in the dark as to what is happening which makes the series of slow reveals completely worth the payoff.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-are drawn to smart thrillers with an abundance of twists
-like not knowing which characters can be trusted
-find stories with a large cast of characters and many time jumps entertaining

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: July 23, 2024