lie to me
We’re going to tell our story and then it will all stop and Mummy will be safe. You want Mummy to be safe, don’t you? Three minutes. That’s all it takes for Meredith’s entire world to fall apart when she watches the videotape of her four-year-old self with Becca, the mother she’s never known. Meredith can’t believe what her eyes have seen. Yet what if her memory has locked away the painful reality of her childhood? Can there be any truth in the strange and dangerous story her mother forced her to tell on camera? The search for answers leads Meredith to Darkwater Pool, the scene of the murder of a young woman, Cara, over 30 years ago. What could possibly be the link between her mother and the victim? To find the truth Meredith must search through a past that is not her own. The problem is, she’s not the only one looking… A dark, compulsive psychological thriller that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Louise Jensen.
Jess Ryder knows how to write a mesmerizing story that will hook your attention from the first chapter and pull you across the emotional spectrum as the story and characters unfold. Ryder is the pseudonym for Jan Page who happens to have over twenty years’ experience as a screenwriter, playwright and award winning TV producer, all of which shines through her first ever debut crime novel.
I loved her characters as she made them intriguing, easy to fall for and really created a great father-daughter relationship between Meredith and her father.
Her storyline was really good and her talent definitely showed through when just as you think she’s going to use some cheesy, stereotypical, over done plot device she makes a left turn into something better. When you think you know who the murderer is I promise you will be wrong because the real one comes out of the wings as Ryder knows how to play up red herrings for all their worth.
Her story line shouldn't be able to get any better but wait until you reach the conclusion which was simply charming and aided by the alternating points of view. She added so much depth to her plot by using the different time periods and alternating character stories which may seem confusing at first but level out.
This was billed as a psychological thriller and it really doesn’t feel like that as it feels firmly entrenched in the standard crime genre but that didn’t make it any less good you just need to alter your expectations going in.
I felt it was a strong debut and hope to see more in this area from her in the future.
Thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for allowing me to review this book.
*synopsis and pic from netgalley.com