The Lie - A Review

THE LIE by C.L. Taylor

Jane Hughes is happy with her life.  She has a new boyfriend, an animal shelter job she loves and a tiny cottage she calls home.  Although it’s the life she made for herself its not really her life because she is not really Jane Hughes.  Jane Hughes is someone she made up when she couldn’t cope with her life after what happened on a horrendous holiday that should have been “the trip of a life time” and ended up being the worst nightmare she could have imagined.  Four friends left for the vacation and only two returned.  Someone knew her secret, but who was it?  When she begins getting strange messages, texts and calls she begins to suspect everyone.  Is she going to lose the life she worked so hard to create?  Is she going to lose her life?

There were many aspects to this book that I enjoyed.  The exploration of how Jane’s friendship with her traveling companions began to break down was interesting.  The mystery itself was a good one and like Jane I suspected everyone along the way.  I didn’t figure things out until the big reveal … then all the clues started to fall into place.  The writing was good; the terror and angst the girls felt was palpable.

Despite all that I felt the pace of the story could have been a little faster.  I didn’t mind the story being told in two time lines, but what happened on that mountaintop just seemed to drag out.  Yes, there was always something going on but some of the action was repetitive … the same situation happening to different characters.  Although I knew the past mystery was going to be revealed and possibly the answer to Jane’s current mystery was to be found in what happened on that mountain but even that couldn’t stop me from tiring of the tale of the spa/commune.

Credit where credit is due – the last quarter of the book did have me turning the pages quickly, anxious to find out the truth and what would happen to Jane.  There was even a little twist that I really didn’t see coming.

Three and a half stars for this one. 

“I received this book at no charge from Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley in the hopes of that I would give the book an honest review.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR (from www.cltaylorauthor.com)

CL Taylor is the Sunday Times bestselling author of three psychological thrillers – THE ACCIDENT, THE LIE and THE MISSING.

C.L. Taylor was born in Worcester and spent her early years living in various army camps in the UK and Germany. She studied Psychology at the University of Northumbria and went on forge a career in instructional design and e-Learning. She now writes full time and lives in Bristol with her partner and young son.

17/30