We all know the old saying, that "Honesty is the best policy." But is it really? Is it actually necessary to be truthful 100% of the time? If you really think about it, there seem to be a few situations in life where being honest simply isn't worth it. The characters in these page-turners take full advantage of those types of situations. But, as they find out, you can't hide from the truth forever.
Lies...
...between mother and daughter
A mother's cult classic. A daughter's scandalous memoir. A final showdown.
Step into the world of a mother-daughter rift that has Frances and Meg Ashley entangled in a family drama that ties in past and present. Meg is a reformed socialite. She has never felt that her mother was involved in her life or fit the mold of what a good mother should be. Frances is the world-famous author of "Kitten." Frances doesn't seem to realize there has been an issue with her parenting skills, despite not speaking to her daughter for several years. When Meg has the opportunity to write a scandalous tell-all about their relationship, she jumps at the chance. Meg is forced to dig through her mother's past and the real-life events that inspired the novel. Now, she must determine who to trust and who is feeding her lies, while attempting to solve a forty-year-old murder mystery.
With a deliciously creepy atmosphere (a run-down hotel on a mostly-uninhabited island), a cast of suspicious characters, and a book-within-a-book mystery to solve, Carpenter serves up just the right balance of fast-paced, binge-worthy writing with lighter suspense and tension.
...between husband and wife
A perfect husband. A perfect marriage. A perfect lie.
Claire Daniels is madly in love with her husband, Alfie. He is everything she's ever wanted. He dotes on her and could not be a better husband. Alfie, on the other hand, can't stand Claire and dreams of being free of her. When the conversation turns to starting a family, everything begins to spiral out of control.
Alfie needs a plan...
Alternating between the perspectives of Claire and Alfie, Lake gets into the heads of both characters. It's so well done and we can't help getting all fired up as Claire fails to see what's in front of her face. And Alfie is so arrogant and confident in his cruelty; his dark mind is a horrifying place to be, but it's also irresistible.
Lake's latest is a page-turner with short chapters (I love them!) which had me flying through the book as I tried to piece together what was really going on.
...between friends.
Someone told a lie. Someone knows the truth. Someone is watching.
When Sasha North comes into seventeen-year-old Ellen's life, Ellen falls under her spell. As she is welcomed into Sasha's family, she doesn't see the darkness that lies beneath their bohemian lifestyle. Not until a brutal attack changes all of their lives forever. Now, as adults, they share the same flat. They also share quite a twisted past that they don't talk about anymore. Until...Sasha disappears. Suspecting the worst, Ellen desperately searches for her friend and when long-buried secrets re-surface, Ellen realizes she may not know Sasha--or what she's capable of--at all.
As the story unfolds, we discover there are a lot more than three lies between old friends. And through twists and turns, those lies are revealed for what they truly are.
Marshall's characters are full of depth and feeling, within a narrative that covers a lot of very socially relevant subjects, most of them emotionally resonant and thought-provoking.
These were the best reads! They were so engrossing they made me forget everything but the worlds their authors had created!
We all lie. Admittedly, most of us do so only occasionally. But we still all do it. Yes, even you. And, even though we all lie sometimes, we can still be honest. Right?
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