James Patterson is at his best in this book about a couple struggling to continue their lives after the husband saved a life while risking his own. David Coleman became a hero but his own identity may have been revealed when video footage of his daring rescue goes viral. His wife must try to untangle the mess she finds her family in as they are harrassed by break ins, fires, dead rats, and spray paint. Her friend, Jake, now on the small town police force tries to help and is surprisingly close to solving what is going on when the FBI steps in. I really enjoyed this fast paced novel that is full of interesting characters. Great writing and a superb plot in a hometown setting. Thanks to #NetGalley#JamesPatterson#DavidEllis#LiesHeToldMe for the opportunity to read this book and give a fair review.

Lies He Told Me is a fast paced, hold your breath, no one better interrupt me read because I cant put this book down.

I apologize to my dog , next time I pick up a James Patterson/David Ellis book I will walk you first.

When David dives into the icy water to rescue a driver who plunged off the bridge, his whole world and that of his family are about to change forever.

Marcie his wife and two kids are everything to David.

Marcie thinks she knows him well.

Secrets, lies and deception and a hidden past are the name of the game.

Strange things happen around the house and the breaking point is approaching fast for David.

All their lives are in danger.

James Patterson and David Ellis are a duo to reckon with ( I am a big fan of both authors) and they take the reader down a twisted path that has you guessing to the end.

Dont miss Lies He Told Me , clear your schedule and hope no one interrupts your reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and Little Brown and Company for a heart pounding read.

Wow! Once started, this book was unputdownable!

It’s been quite some time since I’ve read a James Patterson book. There was a time I devoured every one of his books on the market! And that was no easy feat! They were coming at me faster than I could read! So I stepped away for a bit.

But after seeing this latest stand-alone with David Ellis co-writing I knew this was the perfect opportunity to jump back into the world of JP!

And it did not disappoint!

David and Marcie are living a quiet life with their two children in Marcie’s quaint hometown. David makes a decent living running a popular bar and Marcie has established a successful family law practice. But lately, odd things are starting to happen. A coffee pot in the drier, a BBQ ignited and bursting into flames in the middle of the night, just to name a few.

So who would have any reason to cause such havoc with this suburban family?

This book has it all! Blistering action from start to finish! Short chapters to keep you glued to the pages and convincing yourself “I swear, just one more…then I’ll go to bed.” Ha! Good luck with that!

And don’t plan on getting comfortable, because our two authors have thrown in a doozy (more than one actually) of a twist!

Looking for that fast, non-stop thrilling read? You’re search ends here…. This is the book for you!

⚠️ Go in blind for best thrilling experience.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company.

My Thoughts

From its beginning the characters, setup and settings made for a solid story and the further I read the more that opinion was validated for me.

For every time I thought I had things figured out and every time I was proven wrong kudos to the author duo and their ability for creatively keeping me guessing from chapter to chapter.

A great way to spend your day reading something that just kept getting more interesting all the way to a satisfying conclusion.


Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

[EArc from Netgalley]
On every book read as soon as it is done and written up for review it is posted on Goodreads and Netgalley, once released then posted on Amazon, Barnes and Nobles as well.

Marcie Bowers is married to David Bowers and they have two children. They live in a small town, Hemingway Grove, IL, where David owns the popular pub in town and Marcie practices family law. After David heroically saves someone when a car crashes through a guardrail on a bridge and goes into the water, David becomes the local hero and the video of the rescue goes viral and is being shown on newscasts. Shortly after that, strange things start to happen at the Bowers house - a coffee pot ends up in the dryer, a kid’s lunchbox is in the middle of the lawn, the dog goes missing and reappears, and the incidents escalate and become more frightening. Marcie begins to suspect David’s past might be holding secrets she had no idea about. I really don’t want to give any more of the plot away - the story really pulls you in and offers some twists and great characters. I couldn’t put it down! I give the book 5 stars out of 5!

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. The book will be published September 30, 2024.

Maybe I picked it up and put it down too many times. I will perhaps try again later. This book has promise but I had to DNF at 32%. Thank you NetGalley for the ARC!

As the book opens the husband saves someone from certain death falling into the river. He’s a hero, but doesn’t want any publicity. We meet the wife and the kids and hear about their jobs and town. You start wondering where is this book going? And then it happens everything change! This is a great book!

I haven't read a book by Patterson in a while, but decided to give this one and try and I don't regret it. This was a good mystery, filled with twists and turns. I enjoyed the pacing and the way the authors developed the mystery. This definitely made me want to pick another Patterson book again sometime soon. Thank you netgalley for this arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

Get ready for a roller coaster ride, page turning thriller of who can you trust in this book!! The suspects pile up and all comes to a crashing ending that only Patterson & Ellis can deliver.

Everyone in Hemingway Grove, Illinois, knows David and Marcie Bowers. David owns the local pub. and Marcie is a former big-city lawyer who practices family law. When David jumps into Cotton River to save a drowning stranger, he’s celebrated as a hero. For most people, newfound fame is a lifeline For David Bowers, it’s a death sentence and for Marcie Bowers, it’s a test. Past lives and secrets come back to haunt them both. Fast paced read and a great book.

This was a great thriller, hooked me right from the start. It had so many twists and turns the plot kept me guessing till the end. WOW! This is a must read. The characters were well developed, the plot developed slowly over the course of the book. Excellent story.
I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This story starts out decidedly non-Patterson-like, with a happily married couple and their two children living the dream, when the father becomes a hero by publicly saving a life. Weird things begin to happen around their house, and danger rears its ugly head. The plot is fast-moving and fascinating, with twists and turns everywhere. Thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company for providing an ARC.

This book was very enjoyable and reminded me of some of my other favorite James Patterson books. The chapters were short and fast-paced, the cliffhangers and twists were well-written, and the characters were likeable. I also was a fan of the ending -- it wasn't perfectly wrapped up in a happy ending, so I really enjoyed that aspect.

If you like an easy read, I suggest this one!

When everything you thought you knew. Is no longer the truth. Now you must figure out what or who you have been dealing with this whole time.

I could not put this book down. There were so many twists and turns and smoke screens. Lies, deceit and the past all come back to haunt David and Marcie Bowers. Marcie was a big time lawyer who dealt with some pretty serious criminals and David owns the local pub. David plays hero to help a person whose car has plunged into the river. Suddenly, David is thrust into the spotlight and strange things start to happen to their family. Does Marcie really know who she married? Is David's past going to catch up with him? Patterson and Ellis did not disappoint with this novel. I want to thank NetGalley for this arc. My opinions are my own.

Lies He Told Me
by James Patterson and DAvid Ellis
Pub Date: Sept. 30 , 2024
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Ellis is a good writer!
An attorney and mother of two discovers her husband has a secret life—and it might cost them all their lives. Everyone in Hemingway Grove, Illinois, knows David and Marcie Bowers. David owns the local pub. Marcie is a former big-city lawyer who practices family law. When David jumps into Cotton River to save a drowning stranger, he’s celebrated as a hero. His muscled physique, shaved head, and piercing blue eyes are broadcast on every news outlet. For most people, newfound fame is a lifeline. For David Bowers, it’s a death sentence. For Marcie Bowers, it’s a test. A wife knows the difference between a loving family man and a cold-blooded assassin, right?
I was excited to see this one and was ready for a good read. Patterson and Ellis did not disappoint with this book, that is for sure. I kept thinking I had it all figured out and then another twist would pop up and I was all wrong. I really enjoyed this read as I know you will too.

This was one of the best crime thrillers I have ever read. So many twists, turns, and misdirections I couldn’t possibly have guessed at all of them. Very well written plot and story development with extremely likeable characters and a plausible storyline. The fact that Champaign, IL is my hometown and all of the little mentions of it and the University of Illinois were fun. Very quick read because I couldn’t put it down.

Thank you to the authors, NetGalley. and Little, Brown, and Company for the advance reader copy. This is my honest review. Publication date Sep 30, 2024

Wow! What a book! The twists and turns were so unexpected. This one kept me enthralled and excited to read the next chapter!! I love a good James Patterson book and this one was one of my favorites of his, ever!! A must read!

This was such a surprise! 

I love David Ellis, and I'll admit I don't normally read James Patterson often. But this duo sounded great (I read their previous book Invisible, which is why I picked this one up) and the plot sounded great!

Wheeeeeew. Right off the bat, you have short chapters, mysterious characters, mob bosses, and an intriguing plot that kept me hooked. There's something about these short chapters that was literally like crack. You wanted to keep reading and kept saying, "Just one more chapter!" Then before you knew it, you're halfway through.

Some parts felt super obvious, until you got to the end. There were so many layers to this, I loved the fast paced story and finding out who the heck David Browers was!

The onlyyyyyy complaint I have is that I wish some of the chapters had character tags, only because you have different POV and it's told in third person, it would have been helpful navigating the short chapters and different views about which character you were on.

Also, mini spoiler, I definitely thought the money was hidden at the bottom of the lake, that's why David saved the man... because if the car went down and sank, they would have had to send a rescue team and possibly seen the money.

But what a thriller! I will be reading this duo from here on out.

This book grabbed me from the start and I didn’t want to put it down. Lots of twists and turns and I didn’t know what was going to happen. Loved it.