Deadly Lies

By: Chris Patchell

Narrated by: Emily Cauldwell, Kevin Stillwell

As a teenager, Jill Shannon fell victim to her stepfather's cruel abuse. Now, as an adult, Jill's made it - she has a successful career and a solid, if not static, marriage to Detective Alex Shannon. Together they live out what seems to be a perfect life in Seattle.

The vow she made as a teenager to never again be a victim lies dormant - until one day a reporter lures her to his hotel room under the pretense of an interview - and suddenly it all comes rushing back.

Jill seeks revenge on the reporter, triggering a series of events that leads Jill down a wormhole of retribution, forcing her to spin an ever-widening web of lies.

Meanwhile, Alex is on the case of a series of murders that began as cyber relationships. There seems to be a familiar fingerprint on these crimes, but Alex refuses to believe that the murderer could be so close to him.

For those who couldn't put down The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo comes a thrilling ride a la Mr. and Mrs. Smith, where husband and wife stand on opposite sides of a divide created by lies and rooted in a dark and deadly past.

©2013 Chris Patchell (P)2017 Audible, Inc.

Deadly Lies

Wow this book was amazing, from beginning to the end, with twists that you never saw coming to the end . Will definitely be watching this author for any other books, loved it. The narration was excellent.

A delicious read!

I loved the dual narration and double storyline! This was an intriguing and well paced story, expertly woven together. Excellent character development and emotional tie-ins, I highly recommend this book.

Gritty, Thrilling and Different!

This was a great thriller with an unexpected ending. It looks like there might be a sequel and I really hope so. The story is from the perspective of two characters, a husband and wife with their own story plots. I especially enjoyed the female protagonist. She had me saying many things in my head as she made one fateful choice after another. I found her to be very interesting and I want to see where her life goes from here.

If you enjoy books with edgy stories with true grit, ones that keep you guessing then you will love this book. I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. I will also note that although I got this one for free, I just paid for another of his book, "In the Dark" and can't wait to start listening. Chris Patchell has a new fan!

Just so heartbreaking, was interesting and real

I have so many mixed emotions on this story. I am torn between who should be left together and the outcome when the end comes. The ending is great but shocking, I still can’t help but think things could have been different if she could have gotten the help she needed. It is truly a shocking story of a young girl who was abused by the one who should have loved and taken care of her. The outcome of that story is very shocking, sad but you can’t feel remorse for the abuser. As that little girl grows up she puts the past behind her moving on to a better life with a wonderful husband who spends more time with his job then he does her. This leads to events that puts a tail spin on so many lives. As things get out of control Jill goes down a path of killing that she can’t get out of. Just when she plans to stop she makes a choice that will change her life forever.

I thought the two narrators did an outstanding job with Mr. Stillwell being Alex when the story was from his point of view and Ms. Cauldwell being Jill’s voice when it was from her point of view. There isn’t a mixture between the two narrators each take the chapter that pertains to their character doing the voices for all the characters in that chapter. I thought their many different character voices were wonderful. You always knew who was talking and what each was feeling. Their normal voices are very pleasant and I had no trouble listening to their narration. There are no background noises, no volume changes, not even when they changed over to let the other do the narration. I could not tell when they took a break it sounded like they were side be side with one taking over when the other left off with no breaks. There are no repeating of words just a very clear, and clean audio that I very much enjoyed. Their male and female character voices are very clean and clear, very pleasant and sounded like I pictures the character to be. The emotions they give them is outstanding I knew what each were feeling and who was talking with no problem. I know how hard it is for two different narrators to work together getting it all right from the tones, emotions, and volume. I have to give them a five plus for the outstanding job they did. I really can’t wait to hear more of their work.

The plot is wonderful, the author has no trouble keeping you hooked with many twists and turns you do not see coming. There are a few heartbreaking moments, a few shocking ones as well as a few smiles. This isn’t the type of story that makes you laugh it is serious and the author did a great job portraying the emotions of each character. My heart really went out to Jill and all she had to go through but it went out to her husband as well for all he had to deal with. I just have one question how can she be sure. Once you read the story you will understand that question. It is a very emotional read be prepare for your emotions to be all over the place.

The author said it is like Mr. and Ms Smith I do not see this, it does keep you on the edge of your seat waiting to see the outcome but I wouldn’t call it an action adventure, exciting or even very dangerous. What I would call this story is sad, horrible for so many people. The author goes a great job showing how man have to have control and will do anything to get the upper hand but the same can be said for some women. The one I feel the sorriest for his Alex, in the end he was the biggest loser and my heart broke for him. It is a very interesting story that keeps you invested. I really enjoyed it and would recommend you give it a try. There is one place I had a question and many other place I wish the outcome was different.

This author needs a larger Audible audience!

This is a WOW kind of book!
This book starts out ok and then begins to build and build until it hits the end and leaves you completely speechless.
Alex Shannon is a detective working in cyber crime. The daughter of a former flame is missing. After working the case he comes up with a suspect but when he (along with back up) honored to the person's house, no one is there. The teenage girl is later found dead.
Alex's wife Jill had been abused by her stepfather. When an affair at work ends badly she visits the exec at his remote second home/hideaway. He says some nasty things to her and with out thinking she hits him in the back with her fist. He fall down an icy set of stairs and died. This seemed to unleash something in her that sets off a series of retribution. Where does she hook her prey you may ask? Get ready.... on line!! Can you see where this is going? So, that part is a little predictable BUT it's the rest of the story you will not see coming and I won't spoil this for anyone.
Book two on this series will be released 2/7/18.
Both Emily Cauldwell and Kevin Stillwell narrated. They did an excellent job.
I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this book.
If you found this review helpful please indicate so.
Thank You.

WOW! You'll never predict the ending twists!

Deadly Lies is Book 1 of the Jill Shannon suspense mystery/thriller series by Chris Patchell. I do not know when or if there will be a second book in the series. I'm unsure that Jill Shannon can properly be called the protagonist of this very intense suspense novel because her cop husband Alex is certainly a more likable and heroic character. The female/male narrating pair works very well.

Thanks to Audible listener Shelley for her review of this book which convinced me to purchase it and other novels by Chris Patchell.

Wow! What a rollercoaster ride!

The thrills this audible book gave me kept me wanting more! Thanks for the ride! Made my road trips enjoyable!

Heroine Serial Killer

This one is a bit of slow build and took me awhile to get into, but I have to say that the more I learned about the characters and their back story, the more my curiosity was piqued about where the story would go. From the beginning, Jill is not a likable character. She's cold and seems to have little regard for others. Of course, it doesn't take long to figure out that we aren't supposed to like her. I was left with a bit of a head scratch about Alex's jumps in logic in his investigation, but it certainly makes for some rising tension. The story is part vigilante/serial killer thriller and part crime drama, and the conclusion kept me enthralled and was certainly jaw-dropping, I didn't expect that development. I'll be interested to see where it all goes from here.

Emily Cauldwell and Kevin Stillwell were outstanding with the delivery of the story

Wow, quite the ending!

If you’re looking for a murder-mystery with a mystery for an ending, read on! This is a mid-sized book for an adult reader with a good imagination. This way you’ll be very surprised when you realize that you didn’t predict the ending.

Not The Book I Expected, But Okay

The Publisher’s synopsis really drew me in here–I’m a huge fan of thrillers and mysteries and loved both the book (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and the movie (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) that Deadly Lies had been compared to. While I didn’t find this book to be quite as gripping as they had suggested it would be, I didn’t hate it. I found it a bit predictable at times and exciting at others. While I had been intrigued to read a book centered upon the lives of a husband and wife duo, where one spouse is a Detective and the other is seeking vengeance, I didn’t expect the degree of separation I encountered between the two characters or their stories.

Patchell expertly develops two strong main characters with distinct personalities and sprinkles in a supporting cast of coworkers, family members, victims, and villains. A dichotomy of sorts is established from the very beginning, as the book essentially tells two separate stories that sporadically intersect, much like the lives of our two main characters, Alex and Jill. This decision, reinforced by the use of dual narration, emphasizes the couples’ strained relationship and aids in the weaving of Jill’s dramatic ever-growing web of secrets.

During the first half of the book, we learn about Jill’s childhood traumas and find her husband, Detective Alex Shannon, investigating the disappearance of a teenager (who happens to be the sister of his former significant other) while Jill travels for business and finds herself in some hot water. Her need for revenge surfaces after an unfortunate encounter (no spoilers here) and continues for the remainder of the story, intersecting with Alex’s investigation only by chance, when a colleague asks for his assistance with another case.

If you’re looking for full disclosure, my frustration comes primarily from how much I really struggled with Jill’s character and a bit with how quickly the book was “wrapped up” at the end. While initially, I was sympathetic to Jill’s childhood traumas and her “always working husband, I didn’t find her character particularly likable for the duration of the story–she shared responsibility for her shaky marriage, made a series of poor decisions, especially for an educated, intelligent, successful woman, was short and snippy with well-meaning relatives, and overall a bit disappointing. Some of the hot water she found herself in would have been avoidable if her ethics were stronger, while some were unavoidable, resulting from the actions of those around her. I really wanted to like her–I wanted to root for her and her marriage, especially when she fell victim to the reporter (I won’t tell you how here) and began planning for some good old-fashioned vigilante justice. There was just something about her that made her hard to like…

The book’s conclusion was interesting–I felt like it was a bit rushed and would have appreciated a bit more but I also think Patchell carefully balanced the reader’s need for closure with his need to leave them intrigued enough to pick up book number two. Overall, Deadly Lies wasn’t as suspenseful and thrilling as I had hoped it would be but it was a good story with interesting characters and amazing narrators. It left me thinking I might give the second book a shot, especially if Cauldwell and Stillwell return to read it to me.