Lie With Me: the gripping bestseller and suspense read of the year: An absolutely addictive crime suspense thriller for 2024 from the Sunday Times bestselling author

O, what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive! - Walter Scott. A great quote that sums up a not so great story. Paul, the main character and narrator of this tale, has to be one of the most unlikable characters that I've ever come across. He's arrogant, womanizing, lazy, manipulative, and deceitful. I came to the conclusion pretty quickly that we aren't actually supposed to like Paul, and that's okay, but there needs to be something that pulls a reader in and gives them a reason to want to know what happens to a character like that. Not only was that key element missing, but I didn't find a single character in this book to be remotely likable. The story crawls along at a snail's pace until the very end. Then, we get a big twist and an almost conclusion. Sadly, I couldn't find it in me by that point to care one way or another what might happen to our hapless narrator. The subtitle on this one claims " the gripping bestseller and suspense read of the year," which rather suits the general theme of this tale. In fact, the only thing that kept me reading was my own OCD-like penchant for being unable to leave a book unfinished.

Things are not always as they seem and this book is one of those things. The author weaves a beautifully written tale of about a man who thinks highly of himself and has had a life lead on the backs of others. Uncaring, pompous, self-imposed, just prime for them. He was all they knew and needed them to be. He was perfect. Loved the story and how the author played this so well. There is never a hint, never a reason to doubt. The characters are well played and everything they need to be. He is his own worst enemy and so are they. Lies and smoke screens. What’s the truth what’s the lie? I haven’t read this author before, I do love her style.