Lie or Die

By: Colleen Helme

Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King

Length: 8 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's Summary

Shelby has her hands full managing her new agency where she hopes to put her mind-reading skills to good use. Her first case to track down money stolen from a bank leads her into the lingerie business where nothing is as it appears.

She also finds plenty to keep her busy with the police department and Detective Harris. But all that pales in comparison to what she must do to help Uncle Joey, the local mob boss. He knows her secret and is determined to make her use it for his own purposes. When her husband, Chris, receives threatening notes, and his former client, Hodges, turns up dead, it is up to Shelby to determine what is going on and who is behind it all. It seems the past has a way of catching up with her. Soon, Shelby must use all her wits to stay alive, and her only option? Lie or Die.

©2012 Colleen Helme (P)2014 Colleen Helme

Fantastic entertainment!

Lie or Die is Book 3 in the 10 novel incredibly fun Shelby Nichols Adventures series. Audible classifies this novel as paranormal fantasy; do not believe it because it is a modern detective suspense thriller. For those who have not listened to the first two books in this series Shelby Nichols was a suburban housewife with two children when a bullet glanced off her skull. While recovering she suddenly found out that she automatically reads the mind of each person she encountered. Most people believe she had premonitions which makes her effective at solving crimes. But her husband Chris and gangster "Uncle" Joey and one or two others know that she reads minds.

In Lie or Die Shelby becomes a full fledged private detective as she is hired by a bank to hunt for the money from a bank robbery. She has several other cases going on at the same time.

Shelby Nichols has an odd and wonderful group of friends that include her lawyer husband, gangster "Uncle" Joey and his hit man, and Detective "Dimples" Harris. Author Colleen Helme does a great job of character development. Narrator Wendy Tremont King is the voice of Shelby.

The novels in the Shelby Nichols Adventures series are fun entertainment combined with great detective work and real suspense. They have my highest possible recommendation.

7 of 7 people found this review helpful

This is a "Can't Stop Listening" mystery adventure

This is the 3rd book in the Shelby Nichols Adventures. There are 6 books in the series now, and they do not have to be read in order, but I do suggest doing so for maximum continuity. If you jump in a few books further on, you are just going to want to start at the beginning anyway, so you might as well start there to begin with.

As I have been listening to the fabulous narrations of Wendy Tremont King, a very interesting phenomenon has occurred: Now when I read a new book by Colleen Helme the voice I hear in my head as I'm reading is Wendy's! If Colleen does a TV series or a movie, will Wendy star in it? Otherwise, I'm going to have one of those "That's not Shelby!" moments.

Wendy's narration of this mystery adventure novel with our heroine and psychic soccer mom Shelby Nichols is flawless as ever. Wendy has a unique and very high quality flair of dropping her voice an octave or so for male renditions. She goes beyond that though by her intonation, her inflection, and her affect. Yes, affect. You can clearly tell Shelby's husband Chris from Mob Boss Uncle Joey from Ramos the hit-man and for that matter from Detective Andrew "Dimples" Harris. That is part of what makes this audio book so engaging and so believable. Wendy is equally as attentive to the female characters. She nails it.

I maintain that as the series progresses, it gets better, the writing gets better, the characters get better, and so forth. But listening to Lie or Die again, I was struck by how well written it is. Everything is in there. Shelby and what happens to her is so believable that it is incredibly absorbing and addicting.

Some of what I really enjoyed the most about this particular adventure was the twists and turns that the plot takes. How recognizable some of the characters are. Like Private Eye Rob Felt, and how annoying he is! I found myself saying, "I know that guy!"

Poor Shelby throughout the complications of this book finds herself numerous times having to lie. It's a real Hobbs choice; she can lie or she might die if she doesn't! This causes a lot of angst for Shelby, who is basically a good and honest person. But sometimes she just has no choice. Hence the title of this adventure.

There is a lot of closure in this book. There is a lot of getting to know people better. Is Joey really that bad of a guy? Could a Mob Boss be other than that bad of a guy? Will Ramos learn her secret? What if he does? And what of her old nemesis, Kate? Can Chris win his case without getting beat up or killed? There is so much going on in this book, it literally keeps you on the edge of your seat for a non-stop thrill ride. This adventure has several main plots and sub plots interweaving and co-mingling throughout it that really add to the listening enjoyment.

I said closure, and one of the things that I like the most about this third Shelby adventure is that I came to find it almost natural that Shelby can read minds. I also liked the interactions and the developing relationships between the characters, there is such realism there and I really found that I could relate to them. Lie or Die has a lot of relationship evolution and resolution in it.

I listened to this book during a time of stress and angst in my own life, and I really was impressed by how much I could relate to what happened to the characters in Lie or Die. I believe that the interplay between the author and the narrator must be as finely tuned as a full symphony orchestra to really work, and I found this book incredibly satisfying. Oh My! Does it work!

I would recommend this book without hesitation or reservation of any kind for any readers that crave adventure and mystery in a very enjoyable edge-of-your-seat-cannot-put-it-down ride.

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Great series

I am glad I found this series. It is entertaining. The stories keep me interested throughout the books. I like the main character and root for her success in solving her cases. The narrator does a good job with the voices and I generally know who is talking. I also appreciate that the author writes compelling characters without having to resort to over the top sex scenes.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

Another Great Story

Shelby is such an interesting character. You can't help but fall in love with her charm. And it seems neither can anyone else.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

I am a true fan!

Shelby is growing into her abilities and sometimes she can actually keep her mouth shut. She is no longer the pawn of Uncle Joey. In this book Chris's life is threaten and Shelby and Uncle Joey work together. She has developed a sense of crime procedures. It adds to the enjoyment of the story and I no longer have to pull out my hair over her stupid things.e

I won't analyze the story. There is enough stuff out there. For me, I am anxious to what will happen in the life of Dimples.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Great Series

Loving the series so far. Characters continue to grow, story is fun, well paced, interesting.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Collen Helme does it again.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

It was hard to put it down once I got started.

Any additional comments?

Helme's first 2 books were a good read, but I think Lie or Die is were she really found her stride. I found myself getting more and more suck into Shelby's world. It was hard to put it down once I got started.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

I love this author!

Where does Lie or Die rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

It was great, one of my favorites!

Which character – as performed by Wendy Tremont King – was your favorite?

Wendy has become Shelby by now for me, I wasn't sure what I thought of this narrator at first but now I can see no other person narrating

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made me laugh, as all of the Shelby Nichols adventures do!

Any additional comments?

From the very first Shelby Nichols book I listened to I was hooked. They just keep getting better and better. As soon as I think I have found my favorite one, I listen to another and it becomes my favorite. I highly recommend these novels!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Lie or Die is Fabulous!

Would you consider the audio edition of Lie or Die to be better than the print version?

I read Lie or Die before I listened to it and I loved it both times. It's hard for me to say which I enjoyed more, but it was fun to go on walks and workout while listening to the book! I can't walk my dogs and read, but I can certainly walk and listen! Wendy does a great job narrating, so that makes it very easy to listen to.

What did you like best about this story?

I honestly didn't know how Shelby would get out of the mess Uncle Joey got her into. This is a fun, funny read and I loved listening to it! I love all the characters in this story. I love reading books that take me away from my real life and let me forget about all my worries. I definitely got lost in the world of Shelby Nichols!

Which character – as performed by Wendy Tremont King – was your favorite?

I really like Shelby. I think Wendy has that character's voice down pat. :)

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes, even though that wasn't possible!

Any additional comments?

This is an awesome series whether you listen to it, or read it! I love these books!!!!!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Shelby's Becoming a Detective

I received this book for free from Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

My Initial Reaction...
I continue to enjoy Shelby's adventures! Lie or Die was a bit more active detective work on Shelby's part than the others and I loved seeing her solve her cases!

The Narration...
Wendy Tremont King IS Shelby for me at this point. Her voice just matches the personality perfectly. Otherwise, she's an okay narrator. I'm not blown away by her male voices - they lack a bit of masculinity as female narrators often do, but they are not bad at all. There we no accents to trip her up like in the last book, so this was a more solid read for me.

The Characters...
Shelby is THE reason to read this series. In Lie or Die I got more of the spunky, honest-to-a-fault, suburban housewife turned detective. I particularly love Shelby's inner dialogue when she's thinking about what she'd LIKE to do to someone and the ways she talked herself out or into doing those things. She's up against a PI in Lie or Die and he keeps following her around - making himself a nuisance - and I laughed my ass off seeing Shelby interact with him and deal with him. She's got quite the personality.

My favorite thing about the characters in Lie or Die was the personal development on the part of Chris - Shelby's husband - and, as a consequence, their marriage. He's been struggling, as I imagine any husband would, with Shelby's ability to read his mind. But what has bothered me in the previous books were the things Shelby would hear... Chris didn't see her as the strong woman she is. But in Lie or Die I think he's finally getting it. Sure, he's still super protective of her, but he's also letting her be super protective of him. They're much more of a team, even if Shelby still has to hide things from him (I LOVE the way she rationalizes when to lie to him BTW. It felt very familiar). The result is my loving their relationship that much more!

The Story...
So with Lie or Die Shelby's finally opened her own private consulting business! We've seen this coming since book 1 and I felt really giddy when I realized it was finally happening. Shelby's case is to find the missing money from the bank robbery we learned about in Fast Money and Lie or Die took on a stronger detective feel than the previous books for this reason. Shelby's having to actively find and put together clues - and she's good at it! I have to say, I worried that this would make me like the series less since I am NOT your procedural girl. But Lie or Die never felt procedural - probably because of Shelby's personality and the mix of family life.

Of course, there's always more going on in Shelby's world than just one case. As usual, she's also working with the police. This time Dimples has called her in to help with an FBI (or was it CIA? IDK, all the same to me...) case and it definitely upped the stakes. I love seeing Shelby working with the police, since this is where we get to see some truly great moments where her abilities do good for people, rather than corporations or the mob.

Speaking of Uncle Joey - he's landed in it again too - and what do you know, this time the problem's are pulling in Chris! The case he's working on involves Uncle Joey and as a result, he's facing threats and real danger. I loved this twist because now more than ever Chris is learning to work with Shelby, rather than fighting her powers.

Concluding Sentiments...
All-in-all Lie or Die was another great installment in the Shelby Nichols Adventures and I can't wait to see what messes Shelby lands in next time!

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Brilliant!

Wendy Tremont King did an excellent job of bringing the characters to life in this brilliant read.