Book Review: Lie To Me by J.T. Ellison

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  From the moment I closed Tear Me Apart by J.T. Ellison, I was hooked on her writing. I began to collect her novels and have created quite the little TBR of her thrillers. After reading the synopsis for her 2017 novel, I was ready to dive into this juicy read. What I found was a domestic suspense novel that pulled me in immediately.

  Lie to Me is a stand-alone novel written by J.T. Ellison and it is published by MIRA Books. In this twisty mystery we are introduced to Ethan Montclair, a struggling author. After writing the book of his career he has been mainly speaking at events and signing autographs. His latest novel is at a stand-still, but his wife Sutton, an author in her own right, has begun to outsell his works. They are recovering from the death of their baby boy and tensions have risen within their home. One morning Ethan wakes to discover a note from Sutton stating that she has left and for him to not look for her. He is at first not worried since she has disappeared before, only to be found at a friend's home. But the hours tick by and Ethan fears that Sutton's growing depression may have lead her to harming herself. He calls the police, summoning officer Holly Graham to the scene. She begins to investigate the case under the supervision of her superior in the hopes of making detective. What she discovers does not add up. Then Sutton's body is found, burned beyond recognition. 

  Ethan is arrested and his and Sutton's friends are questioned, implicating him as an abusive husband. Sutton's long-standing feud with a book blogger also comes into light as footage of Sutton is discovered showing her vandalizing his home. The case begins to take a turn for the worse when autopsy results return for Sutton, sparking Baby Montclair's case to be re-opened. Did Ethan murder his wife? Or could Sutton's blogger nemesis have killed her out of revenge? The stakes are high and the truth is bubbling to the surface as Ethan Montclair's future hangs in the balance.

  There is a lot to be said about Lie to Me. But the twists are so shocking at times that I have to be careful not to spoil any of the plot. This novel had me thinking that I was heading in one direction, then it veered off course and became another book altogether. This worked well for its narrative, since Ellison managed to blend both storylines together seamlessly for the finale. From America to Paris and back I was treated to a clever twist on the domestic suspense novel. Flashbacks aided in telling Ethan and Sutton's story. While a devilishly apathetic third party reveled in the couple's despair, coaxing the reader to go further for the truth. This third party begged the question of not only their identity, but what association they had with the Montclairs. I found these chapters to be a bit addicting as I waited for this person to add more fuel to the fiery embers of this smouldering tale. When I reached the finale I was not only stunned by the revelations, but satisfied that after four hundred pages I was given such an amazing pay-off. 

  I enjoyed this novel in part with the audio presentation read by Matthew Waterson (Ethan's story), Saskia Maarleveld (Sutton's story), Sara Naughton (Holly's story), and Julia Whelan (Apathetic Third Party's story). This team took an already clever and thrilling novel and added a brilliant three-dimensional narration that had me captivated. I am a big fan of novels read by an ensemble, and this was one of the best I have heard. Excellent work all around. 

  In the end I cannot say too much about the story, but four stars later I encourage you to open this fantastic book and see for yourself what I am talking about. J.T. Ellison has a way with the genre that deserves attention. She will steal your Summer TBR away and make it her own. 



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