Where They Lie is my first novel by this author. I enjoyed the plot and the pace. I would have liked more character development, but the twists and turns kept me invested. I’ll be looking forward to book two.

There was a lot of twists and turns in the story, and really enjoyed the story. This is part of a series, and I will read more in future.

Very twisty thriller with a great plot! This is about a famous blogger whose private plane crashes and she is the only survivor left of their family ( her husband and their 3 foster children perished). The case worker starts looking into the case and discovers all is not what it appears with the family. Thank you to net galley and the publisher for an ARC of this book

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author, for an ARC of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
The synopsis of this book sounded interesting to me so I requested a copy to read.
Unfortunately, I have tried reading this book on 2 separate occasions and during this 2nd attempt, I have
decided to stop reading this book
and state that this book just wasn't for me.
I wish the author, publisher and all those promoting the book much success and connections with the right readers.

Where They Lie by Joe Hart is an engaging thriller that demonstrates both the good an the evil of mankind. Nora had a father who showed her the dark side of life and a brother whom she desperately wishes she could bring back to the living. She becomes a social worker in order to aide those children who lead a neglected life in horrible surroundings. According to Nora, "Everyone has something to fight for. But not everyone has someone to fight for them. " So she does her best to place children in loving, caring families. However, two of her families are in trouble. One has an abusive husband and the other has reported some problems with the children. When the entire family except for the mother dies in a plane crash, Nora strongly believes something isn't resonating the way it should. While attempting to provide safety for the abused mother, she researches the dynamics of the family who were killed and discovers some disturbing details.
#ThankyouNETGALLEYforthisthriller! #greatread!

Where They Lie by Joe Hart

Nora McTavish suffered a traumatic childhood. One that has caused severe survivors' guilt due to the death of her older brother. Today she makes her living as an agent for child protective services to not only help relieve some of the guilt she has felt but to also help other children that are suffering.

Kaylee Volk is a vlogger and influencer. Her brand is her amazingly perfect family - her husband Josh and their three foster children, Andrea, Mason, and Bethany. One day, while taking a trip in their private plane, it crashes into the sea. Kaylee is the only survivor and she claims that it was Andrea that caused the crash.

Nora can't believe it. She's the one that placed Andrea in their care. Did she miss something? Was Andrea more disturbed than she believed her to be? Nora takes it upon herself to delve further into the Volks family dynamics and what she stumbles upon is far from perfection.

This was a great start to a new series that Joe Hart is writing, and I cannot wait to read more from this author. Nora is taking her job seriously and I like how she goes above and beyond for the kids she needs to place. i can really relate to her need to find the answers when it comes to these kids that have been though their own trauma's.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer for a free copy of Where They Lie for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions in this review are my own.

Thank you to the author, Thomas & Mercer, and TLC Book Tours for the gifted book! ❤️ #gifted. My review is comprised of my honest thoughts.

Read this book if you like: Procedural thrillers, tragic backstories, crime series

This was a good read. It started off too slow and remained very slow. It's a short read. It somehow dragged in some spots and felt rushed in others. The writing is engaging. I enjoyed Nora as a character, though I was left wanting more. The characters needed to be fleshed out a bit. The case was very interesting. I did not predict that! The ending was a bit unbelievable. I do recommend it.

Great thriller! So glad I got a chance to read this. I liked how the plot was written. I will definitely read more from this author.

Nora lived through a tough childhood and now serves her community as a CPS worker. She tries to make a difference. But when a social media influencer's family is killed, she knows there is more to uncover.

I knew early on that this book wasn't going to be for me. The main character described her cop boyfriend as "well-hung" in her head...... Not a thought that I think most women think independently. It really felt like the author didn't know how to write a female main character because she was just awful to read from.

I went in to this book thinking that the focus was going to be on the fact that this was an influencer family but the family could have had any profession and it would have been just as believable.

It took a lot of suspension of disbelief to get past the fact that Nora was just able to go into crime scenes and interview people as a CPS worker (especially because this family wasn't on her caseload).

The ending was not satisfying at all. Maybe, since this will be a series, that some closure will happen but I won't be continuing.

I tried really hard to get into this one, having to pick it up and set it aside multiple times before I was finally able to get through it. The premise of this one is interesting; however, the execution just falls flat.

To begin with, a lot about Nora doesn't make sense at all. Sure, she has a tragic backstory, and it's her motivation for going into social services, but aside from that, I didn't feel a connection to her. She has a boyfriend, who, from all appearances, cares about her, but all she can think about is how much she doesn't like him. She doesn't like him doing her dishes, but she doesn't like him touching her unless, of course, they are sleeping together, but then she doesn't like him spending the night either. She consistently says she needs to talk to him about this or that but never actually follows through. She also drinks a lot, which on its own wouldn't be a huge deal, but she rarely takes the time to sober up before getting behind the wheel of her car, which is a huge issue for me.

Then there is her habit of investigating what happened to Kaylee and her family despite the fact that she is not a member of law enforcement and therefore has no reason for doing so other than to fulfill her own curiosity. Seriously. She questions people, she visits crime scenes, she takes things that could be considered evidence, and no one cares? No one stops her? But she's also supposedly an overworked social worker, right? So what is going on with all of her other cases? Are those families being ignored so she can appease her curiosity?

But still, I suffered through hoping for something, anything to boost the star rating on this one, but then it ended in a way that still has me shaking my head. However, even though this one didn't work for me, it may work for others so if it appeals to you, give it a chance. You may enjoy it more than I did.

DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. This has not affected my review in any way. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are 100% my own.

I enjoyed other books by Joe Hart, but this one was NOT doing it for me. The main character, Nora McTavish, is meh to me... I could take her or leave her. The plot didn't draw me in either. I honestly did not care about the family who died in the plane crash or who actually caused it. Overall, a mediocre book for being in the thriller genre.

A good solid mystery/thriller with an interesting plot. And it's the start of a series featuring the main character Nora McTavish who has a tragic backstory herself. I'll be checking out future installments. My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing an advanced copy for review. All opinions are my own.

I am a big Joe Hart fan, having read all his books so far, and happily surprised at how he can jump around in different genres and still write thrilling stories. I'll admit this one was not one of my favorites of his but that probably stems from my dislike of Nora, the main character. She is so moody and angst-y, and goes above and beyond what a CPS agent would ever do to learn about what happened to foster children she had placed.

Kaylee and Justin Volk are only in their 20's and yet they are supposedly stellar foster parents, willing to take in abused and neglected children. Kaylee is social content creator- influencer- who features her "happy" foster family as her topic. The next couple of sentences are not much of a spoiler, since it is revealed in the short first chapter. A private plane crashes into the ocean, and a witness observes people fighting at the controls through the window. That plane belonged to the Volk family: Kaylee, Justin, Andrea, Bethany, and Mason. Only one family member will survive the crash. Sounds intriguing, right? It is absolutely something of a thrill ride, suspenseful. Unfortunately I was able to guess most of the ending (maybe because I live and breathe thrillers and mysteries and have gotten pretty good at guessing story outcomes). It still didn't take away my interest in the story, and my need to see how the plot would be tied up.

I see that this is the first in a series featuring Nora, CPS agent/child advocate. I know I've said that I didn't care for Nora that much. She seems to have PTSD from what happened in her miserable childhood and dwells in her head much of the time. She takes every case of abused foster kids seriously (as she should), but she then becomes an amateur sleuth who takes reckless chances with her own safety. Regardless, I will definitely read the next book in this series, as I enjoy Joe Hart's work and it is always worthwhile to read.
Recommended, 3.5/5 stars, rounded down but hopeful about enjoying the next one..
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my digital copy of this for review.

An influencer's family is murdered and secrets dark secrets are exposed in Where They Lie, the first book in the Nora McTavish series by Joe Hart.

Kaylee Volk liked to vlog about her happy family with her loving husband and three foster children. She painted a pretty picture of their perfect life. Then their private plane crashed, and Kaylee was the only survivor and said that one of her foster children, Andrea, caused the crash.

Nora McTavish, child protective services agent, is familiar with the family and Andrea's troubled past. She can't help but wonder, did she miss something?

The beginning of this book instantly grabbed my attention. That is how you start a book! I couldn't help but be drawn in and wanted to see where the book was heading. As I was introduced to Nora, I felt for her as she has a very tough job, and she was looking inward to see what she missed.

This book went from gripping to good. Although this book was good, it failed to wow me. The middle slowed down greatly, but things did pick up and the ending was very good.

This was a solid 3 stars for me. The beginning and ending were shocking and intense.

The first in a new series revolving around Nora McTavish, a child services officer. The character, the troubled back story that led her to child services and her less than perfect personal life are an excellent choice for a series lead. Joe Hart has given us the foundation story, leaving lots of room for some great stories ahead.
WHERE THEY LIE starts with the death of a family. After their plane goes down, the mother, the only survivor, tells the investigators that the crash was caused by their eldest foster child. Enter Nora McTavish, the child services officer that placed the three foster children in this family. What the world sees is the perfect family of a social media influencer that has been destroyed. What Nora sees is a surprising number of questions that have no answers. As she investigates, the questions multiply. The reveal comes after a fast paced build up that places Nora and those around her in danger. Not many will be able to predict THAT ending. A great start to what looks to be an excellent series.

EXCERPT: Roger scrambled for his binoculars, which had fallen dangerously close to the boat's edge, and jammed them to his eyes.
The aircraft rose once more, a bird catching a powerful updraft, then it banked hard to the right and angled down irreversibly. It seemed to hang there for a split second, an image of its bulk suspended over the expanse of rough sea forever seared into Rogers's mind, before plummeting through a swath of rain into the ocean. A spume of water cascaded up silently in the distance and fell, the rough sea resuming its indifferent rolling.

ABOUT 'WHERE THEY LIE': Family is content for Kaylee Volk. Her vlogs celebrate a happy home with her husband and their three foster children, Bethany, Mason, and Andrea. Everything is perfect until the day the family’s private plane plummets into the ocean. Only Kaylee manages to survive—with a shocking revelation: Andrea did it.

This is particularly devastating for Nora McTavish, a child protective services agent who is already familiar with Andrea’s troubled history. Given Nora’s own traumatic childhood, how could she not have sensed the profound darkness festering within the girl? What did she miss? Could she have stopped Andrea?

As Kaylee struggles to cope with the crushing loss, Nora’s investigation begins. But her guilt soon turns to unease. Secret by secret, Nora pieces together a Volk family puzzle that’s more twisted than anyone saw—one far from the picture-perfect life Kaylee sold to the public. And the closer Nora looks, the more disturbing it gets.

MY THOUGHTS: When 'Where They Lie' is good, it's very, very good, but when it's not . . . it failed to keep my attention.

The beginning certainly grabbed my attention with a private jet crashing into the ocean, a child's terrified face pressed against a window.

Then, it's a bit of a seesaw ride. There's ups, and downs, and occasionally it gets stuck going nowhere. There were several places I skimmed pages until something caught my interest and I would start reading again.

I didn't find Nora particularly likeable or relatable, although I did admire her devotion to her charges.

There's a particularly good suspenseful section towards the end of the book that had me holding my breath and furiously flipping pages.

Where They Lie isn't a bad read, but neither is it anything special. Not special enough for me to want to continue with this series.

⭐⭐.7

#WhereTheyLie #NetGalley

I: @joe_hart_author @amazonpublishing

T: @AuthorJoeHart @AmazonPub

#contemporaryfiction #familydrama #mystery #suspense

THE AUTHOR: Joe Hart was born and raised in northern Minnesota, where he still resides today. He’s been writing horror and thriller fiction since he was nine years old. When he’s not writing, Joe enjoys reading, working out, watching movies with his family, and spending time outdoors.

DISCLOSURE: Thank you to Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley for providing a digital ARC of Where They Lie by Joe Hart for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own personal opinions.

Where They Lie by Joe Hart is a psychological thriller and the first in a series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Thomas & Mercer, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Nora McTavish is with the child protective services.  Her own history of an abusive childhood makes her an ideal agent.  She really cares about her clients.

When the Volk family's private plane crashes, Nora worries.  She always thought there was something wrong in the family.  Kaylee Volk (a vlogger), and her husband Justin (investment broker) have three foster children.  Bethany, Mason, and Andrea.  Nora had been called to the school when 17 year old Andrea beat up her younger brother, but both assured her everything was okay.  She had followed up with the required instructions and plan to make sure nothing happened again.  She never heard anything more from the family.

But now, Nora is concerned.   What did she miss?  Apparently someone saw a struggle in the cock-pit, and there was no MAYDAY call.  Only Kaylee is alive, and she says Andrea crashed their plane.

Nora is determined to figure out what really happened to this family, even if she gets fired for trying.

Meanwhile, she is also trying to help another mother in need, and still dealing with her own traumatic past.


My Opinions:
This was a really amazing read.  It was fast-paced, and well plotted, with a number of twists.  It was hard to put down, and hence was a very fast read.

The book truly showed how rough some families have it, and was therefore rather depressing.  It touched on children in foster care, mothers in abusive situations, and the fact that often children get the bad end of the stick.

I loved Nora from the start, and kept thinking she would make a great protagonist in a series.  Much to my pleasure, I found out that this is indeed, going to be a series.  Now I can't wait for the second book!

I am definitely going in search of other books by this author!

I've added Joe Hart to my automatic list. I see his name and I buy the book. Where They Lie was almost a skip for me because I am so tired of reading about "influencers" and I hate that the time is given to this ridiculous trend. I found myself glad to meet Nora. She joined CPS because she knew what the system could be like. She'd been there. Even so, the job is wearing on her. When a family dies and it may be the fault of one of the children she placed in the family, it pushes her over the edge and she goes way beyond to try and find out what happened.

I am of two minds here. It was fairly obvious what was going on at times and it was frustrating to wait for Nora to catch up. However, there were some truly tense scenes that were written so well I could look past that. I was truly creeped out. The anticipation and the feeling of being watched were perfectly written.

This is the second book I have read by Joe Hart and I enjoyed it. Looks like it is the first book in his new Nora McTavish series, and I always like to get into a series at the start - not that I need another series to follow, but I'm putting this one on my list to watch for the next book.

Description:
Family is content for Kaylee Volk. Her vlogs celebrate a happy home with her husband and their three foster children, Bethany, Mason, and Andrea. Everything is perfect until the day the family’s private plane plummets into the ocean. Only Kaylee manages to survive—with a shocking revelation: Andrea did it.

This is particularly devastating for Nora McTavish, a child protective services agent who is already familiar with Andrea’s troubled history. Given Nora’s own traumatic childhood, how could she not have sensed the profound darkness festering within the girl? What did she miss? Could she have stopped Andrea?

As Kaylee struggles to cope with the crushing loss, Nora’s investigation begins. But her guilt soon turns to unease. Secret by secret, Nora pieces together a Volk family puzzle that’s more twisted than anyone saw—one far from the picture-perfect life Kaylee sold to the public. And the closer Nora looks, the more disturbing it gets.

My thoughts:
Not a bad beginning of a series. Nora McTavish is a social worker for child protection services. She has some issues from her past she has to deal with herself, but she tries to help others due to her past. I did like the character. The plot centered around Kaylee Volk who is an influencer, and the social media aspect here is currently relevant although I wouldn't like my life posted all over the place for just anyone to see. The loss of her family was tragic and the plot was interesting to follow. The ending was kind of unbelievable though.

Thanks to Thomas & Mercer through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on May 1, 2023.

I have read a few of this author's books - The Dominion Trilogy and the Liam Dempsey series, as well as a couple of stand alones - so I was quite excited when I saw he was off again with a new series featuring Nora McTavish, a child protection officer.
Kaylee Volk is an influencer, she vlogs about her "perfect" family - husband Josh and three foster children Andrea, Mason and Bethany. One day their private plane goes down, crashing into the sea with Kaylee the only survivor. When she wakes up she proclaims that it was Andrea who caused the crash.
When Nora hears this she is devastated as she was the one who placed Andrea withe the Volks. She starts to wonder what she missed, whether that last session could have gone differently, what could she have done to prevent what happened? So much so that she starts her own investigation...
I do love an amateur sleuth book. Especially when the protagonist is somewhat green at it, or has a quirky job. This book ticks that box with Nora being a CPO. This gives her some access to information and also access to people. Her reasons for being a CPO stem from her own childhood, which we learn more about as the book progresses. After this series opener I am still undecided about my own relationship with Nora but I have a suspicion that we have the potential to grow closer as the series goes on.
The writing is tight, the book isn't that long but it is long enough to get the story across to the reader without padding or waffle, which is refreshing. The story is a bit ott and I did have to accept a few things, rolling my eyes a bit too, but, on the whole mostly credible. And delivered a shocking ending.
All in all, a good solid foundation of a series opener. Looking forward to the follow up. My thanks got to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.