Lie to Me

By: Jess Ryder

Narrated by: Lorraine Coady

Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's Summary

A gripping psychological thriller with a shocking twist!

We're going to tell our story and then it will all stop and Mummy will be safe. You want Mummy to be safe, don't you?

Three minutes. That's all it takes for Meredith's entire world to fall apart when she watches the videotape of her four-year-old self with Becca, the mother she's never known.

Meredith can't believe what her eyes have seen. Yet what if her memory has locked away the painful reality of her childhood? Can there be any truth in the strange and dangerous story her mother forced her to tell on camera?

The search for answers leads Meredith to Darkwater Pool, the scene of the murder of a young woman, Cara, over 30 years ago. What could possibly be the link between her mother and the victim?

To find the truth Meredith must search through a past that is not her own. The problem is, she's not the only one looking....

A dark, compulsive psychological thriller that will keep you up all night. Perfect for fans of Paula Hawkins and Louise Jensen.

©2017 Jess Ryder (P)2017 Bookouture

Unique premise held up by good storytelling!

I enjoyed Lie to Me mainly for its characters. Each one, whether a minor player or one in a more "starring" role, was well-written to the extent that they all evoked some type of feeling In me, from minor dislike to sort of irritating, to "wow,she reminds me of myself!" Or noticing an appreciation for a good sense of humor. The story is told from different POVs, some positioned as historical to show the background - is there, after all, a lie? Who is behind the lie? And who is the liar trying to protect?

Sometimes our actions have terrible consequences despite our best intentions and most fervent beliefs, those we would fight to the death for. So many things get tarnished over time that no one can put the shiny back into it. For some, no justice can be found. And throughout the plot is the undercurrent of mental illness, and misunderstandings about what happens to those who live with it and the people closest to them.

Overall, well-done, highly readable and enjoyable. The characters often had a flair for the dramatic, not over the top, but appropriate to showcase how the mystery develops. I look forward to seeing more of Jess Ryder's work on Audible and I recommend "Lie to Me."

20 of 20 people found this review helpful

Just plain weird, and crazy people everywhere!

This started out to be a really cool concept - but then the second half of the book fell flat. I thought the author was leading up to something dramatic and interesting but then it ended up, well I don't want to spoil anything, ended up a bunch of uninteresting nothingness... The "twist", if you can call it that, was visible a mile away - so no surprise. I was hoping to be shocked and surprised as the story progressed but there were a few loose ends not tied up, and I was more like "huh?".
The narration was great, she put a lot of emotion where it mattered.

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

Refreshing

What did you like best about Lie to Me? What did you like least?

I did like that it wasn't a carbon copy, cookie-cutter, suspense story. It was creative, thought out, and decently written. The pace was good. You had time to get to know the characters but it didn't drag a whole lot. Jess Ryder did something not easily accomplished. She simultaneously unfolded the past and pushed forth the present. The only regret is that the ending seemed a bit rushed.

What did you like best about this story?

The cast

Was Lie to Me worth the listening time?

It most certainly was.

Any additional comments?

Destined to become a classic?? No, But definitely worth your time.

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

Good story, Narrator was a bit distracting

If you could sum up Lie to Me in three words, what would they be?

Mysterious, Curious, and Intriguing

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

I love a good mystery to solve in the present that has its roots in the past and when Meredith finds an old video tape in the loft she is drawn into an unsolved murder case that she has never heard of before. But as she watches her four year old self on the old VCR, she is shocked by the story her mother has coerced her into telling on camera and becomes determined to uncover the truth.

What aspect of Lorraine Coady’s performance would you have changed?

My one problem was with the narrator… there seemed to be background noise or heavy breathing… something. It was a bit distracting. I found myself trying to figure out the noise. I wasn't a fan of the narrator.... although I'm not sure if it was the narrator of what it was. There was some type of noise going on and it drove me batty!

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

I loved the way I became very quickly wrapped up in this book. Jess Ryder has a wonderfully warm and engrossing writing style that just grabs you from the start. Just as you are fully invested in Meredith’s story though, the plot flips back in time where we meet Cara. We are aware that Cara is eventually murdered so it was very creepy watching the events that would gradually lead to her death. But who is telling the truth and why can’t Meredith remember more about her childhood with her mother?

Any additional comments?

There were plenty of plot twists here to keep my interest and I stayed up late into the night desperate to find out what secrets were about to be uncovered. I really liked her internal monologue and how there was so much emotion captured.

3 of 3 people found this review helpful

it's a book

In my opinion the story never really got going. The plot was good but had potential to be so much better. partly that might because of the narrators voice, it was very calming and so it's possible that in my mind it never felt exciting. Its not bad and it's not great, 3🌟

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Great book!

Loved this book. The characters were interesting and even though the time jumped back and forth between present time and thirty years ago it was done in such a smooth way it was almost like the watcher in the story who was knitting. It pulled the characters together. It was suspenseful but more than just a mystery because you cared about all of the people in the story. I will be looking for other books by this author.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Not enjoyable

I did not even finish this story and long before I gave up on it, I really wished the main character would be murdered next.

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Can't Actually Recommend at Any Price

The beginning set up was interesting; it offered the potential for mystery and suspense. At some point after that, the story line drifted away from relevancy to just filling space. Many of the middle chapters could have been consolidated into one or two. The end picks up again, but there was never a level of suspense that typical "page turners" have. I was somewhat curious about the outcome, but mostly I just wanted to be done with it. I hung on in hopes of finding out what happened to Becca-the mother of the main character.

I almost always set my playback speed to 1.25. This book dragged so much in the middle I actually set it to 1.7. I didn't want to miss something important, yet I wanted to bypass the, "yada, yada, yada".

The narrator was pretty good and dealt well with the many voices. I only paid a few dollars for this book, so I don't feel ripped off. Still I can't recommend someone else fork over any money for this book when there are plenty out there that are inexpensive AND much better written.

3 of 5 people found this review helpful

Meh.

First, the narrator was awful. She has a lot of heavy sighing & long pauses after things she says. I guess she was trying to portray contemplation or something but it was awkward. I ended up putting the narration speed to 1.45 & it was a little more bearable.
Next, the story was pretty boring. Nothing very intriguing at all & the end was just meh. I gave it 3 stars b/c I was able to finish the book but in all honesty, i'll never listen to it again & if you were to ask me in a week what it's about, I wouldn't remember it.

Choppy

Too many loose ends. At least the prologue left the reader with some resolution. Plot twists were obvious and farfetched. The characters were annoying and none were compatible except for Alice and Isabel. I gave the story 3 stars for originality. I have had a run of bad luck on book choices this month so I waded through this one.-.

fantastic read<br />

Superb thriller, couldn't stop listening to the story. Great twists and an unexpecting ending!
recommend this book.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Meh!

What would have made Lie to Me better?

A better story and characters

What was most disappointing about Jess Ryder’s story?

Just a bit meh and jumpy, I kept tuning out as I was bored or lost track of where the story was trying to go.

What do you think the narrator could have done better?

The narrator was good, just the content was rather dull and ill thought out

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Readable with some loose ends

Listened and enjoyed but it was a bit unreal in some places and the story went off plot in some points but its was ok

Good story

I’ve read the other books by this author and preferred them. It’s still a good listen though.

Disappointing

Having read The Ex wife by the same author I was ready to enjoy another great novel - I was really disappointed. I found the plot far fetched and disjointed......and all rather dull.

Average

Struggled to get through it but the ending was good! Not as good as the silent wife which I listen to before this.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful