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A twisty psychological thriller that follows two women seeking to right past wrongs.

Julie Clark's thriller The Lies I Tell received high praise from our First Impressions reviewers, who rated it an average of 4.6 out of 5 stars. Clark is a New York Times bestselling author whose previous novels include the The Last Flight, also featured on BookBrowse.

What the book is about:

The Lies I Tell is a brilliant, twisted thriller that grabs you from the beginning. Meg is a con artist trying to right the wrong she experienced as a young woman. Kat, a writer, has been following Meg for years. She suspects Meg is a con artist but needs proof (Marion C). Kat holds Meg responsible for a violent attack in her past. Meg holds Ron responsible for the insecurity of her childhood. Along the way, Ron and other men are made to pay for their crimes against women. Kat investigates Meg's crimes. But were they crimes or justice? This book is about the perfect con, revenge, justice, complicated women, and motivation (Judith M).

Readers found Clark's novel engrossing from the start...

The Lies I Tell is a psychological thriller that will keep you guessing and have you shaking your head, and it's one that you won't want to put down (Elizabeth P). Incredible! A chilling ten-year plan of skillful revenge. Find a comfy chair, buckle your seat belt and delve into The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark. The author leads readers on a merry chase as crafty and resourceful Meg Williams plots a complicated con artist jigsaw (Beth B).

...and some praised it for constantly eluding their expectations.

Whew! Every time I thought I knew where the plot was going... Bam! Nope! (Patty S). I thought I had this all figured out only to realize I was way off. It was full of lots of twists and turns. I loved it! (Tara T).

A few reviewers felt there were minor flaws in the book's overall structure and craft...

The format of switching chapters between Meg and Kat should have worked better but sometimes foreshadowing or sequencing seemed off between the two. Hard not to give examples without spoilers so I'll just say this book definitely has good points — sections of good writing — and is not a bad read by any means, but for me, it just needed tightening up to be the suspenseful page-turner I was expecting (Connie K). The alternate voices for each chapter and the time shifts can be confusing if read in small doses (Lynn R).

...but many found it to be a satisfying balance between entertainment and intellectual reflection.

This novel is a lot of fun to read and also raises important questions about money, power, revenge, and justice in modern America (Rebecca H). What I enjoyed most was the insight into what makes a con work. I recommend this suspenseful thriller that will hold your interest to the ending. It will make you question, is doing the wrong thing for the "right" reason OK? The Lies I Tell is sure to be a great beach read this summer (Catherine H).

Overall, The Lies I Tell impressed Clark's previous fans and won her some new ones.

Wow. Julie Clark has done it again. I was so excited I got to read an early reader copy. I will be recommending this book to my book club and all my friends (Beth M). After reading Clark's The Last Flight, I became a fan and looked forward to her next book. The Lies I Tell was just as good, maybe better. I found Meg and Kat to be more believable than the two women in The Last Flight (Michele N). I didn't think Julie Clark could top The Last Flight, but top it she did! (Julia A). This book won't be quiet! Your mind will revisit the story time and again. I'll wager your next step will be identical to mine: I immediately ordered the writer's two previous novels and anticipate another memorable reading experience (Beth B).

This review was originally published in The BookBrowse Review in June 2022, and has been updated for the April 2023 edition. Click here to go to this issue.

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