Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced reader copy of this e-book in exchange for my honest review.

This is my first Joe Hart novel. I really enjoy their writing style- very quick and easy to read, not overly descriptive while still managing to convey a decent amount of imagery.

The plot had a lot of potential however I felt underwhelmed by this book. The secondary story of Nora helping Julia seemed to take away from the main storyline in my opinion. The character development was fairly weak and I couldn’t find a character to root for and most upsetting was the plot twist was easily seen from a mile away.

I will say there are some chapters that are extremely tense and Joe Hart did a fantastic job of making us feel that - for example, without giving spoilers- when Nora was in the park and again at the end of the book the scene on the beach.

Overall it is a quick easy read, the plot idea is great and it’s a solid 3.5 star book. I’d give the author another shot after reading this book.

This is again a book I recieved the arc of and the only thing I knew about it going in, was that it‘s a thriller. Been reading a lot of them lately, probably because I feel like thrillers are perfect in the fall/winter time.
But that also means that I have a lot of experience with thrillers and personally am quite critical especially when it comes to plot twists. The story of this book had sooo much potential but sadly it lacked a little depth as well as the the plot twist was lacking since I figured it out early on. His writing is amazing and so easy to read but I would‘ve preferred if the book was longer and the characters had more depth. The story line felt a little rushed because of how short this book was. I‘ll probably give the author another try with another book, since I actually liked his writing and again this one had potential to be a really good thriller.

In a first chapter that is both chilling and horrifying, a man out for an afternoon sail with his dog is nearly hit by a plane that then crashes into the ocean near him. He sees two people fighting in the cockpit and, in a window, the small face of a terrified child. Everyone on the plane is killed except Kaylee Volk, a well known vlogger, influencer and foster parent. She tells the ploice that her troubled teenage daughter Andrea fought with her husband and deliberately crashed the plane. Andrea had recently been the subject of an investigation by child services. Social worker Nora McTavish had interviewed Andrea and her brother after they had a violent fight at their home. She’s convinced that something was hidden under the story they told. Something dark, something that would turn deadly.

Where They Lie is a book that will stay with you long after you read the last page. Joe Hart shows the flaws in the child protection system, a system that failed Kaylee Volk and her family, other clients of Nora and Nora herself. These failures lead to emotionally damaged children, terrified wives and sometimes death. As Nora says “Someone once said we don’t have a justice system, we have a legal system. I think about that a lot.” You will too. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Thomas & Mercer and Joe Hart for this ARC.

This was an incredible read! Hooked from the first page, I kept guessing and guessing and still was mind blown at the end. To the point that I slapped a hand over my mouth! lol this was a turn pager thriller if there ever was one and I will definitely be reading more of Joe Hart’s work.

I was able to read this book early thanks to NetGalley! I can't say enough about this book. There was so many unexpected twists and turns. This book was about a social worker named Nora who goes above and beyond for her job. She had a traumatic childhood and has a passion to help people. She was notified of a previous case involving the Volk Family. Online the Volk family gives the impression that they have a perfect life that is until one day almost all of them end up dead in a tragic plane crash. I highly recommend this book!

“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.”

Where They Lie is my first read by Joe Hart, and I am interested in further exploring his writing.

I enjoyed the pace of the book, and his more streamlined writing style that isn’t overly wordy, the story of an inside look at an influencer family, and the twists the book takes you on.

A wonderful, somewhat dark, twisty mystery that unravels through the pages. I felt all emotions in reading this book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an eARC of Where They Lie in exchange for an honest review.

A few years back, I read The Unwilling by John Hart. I really enjoyed it, so when I received a copy of Where They Lie (in exchange for this honest review), I was grateful to Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley. When I began reading, it felt like something that wasn’t John Hart, with good reason: Where They Lie is by JOE Hart. I figured “whatever,” and started in.

As a former foster mother, stories involving foster kids always seem to have a bigger than warranted impact. In this story, a CPS worker named Nora McTavish begins an investigation into the fatal plane crash that took the lives of Kaylee Volk’s husband and three foster children, Bethany, Andrea, and Mason. Kaylee feels certain that foster kid “Andrea did it.”

Kaylee makes her income from her online video blog, which provides all sorts of information and advice about how to have a happy home life. Nora, whose own background and familiarity with Andrea’s issues make her wonder if she missed something and ponder whether she might have been able to stop/help Andrea. The more she digs into the whole family, which had been put forth as an ideal picture-perfect bunch, the more she uncovers family secrets that become more troubling by the day.

It’s a well-done, twisty thriller by a fairly prolific author, none of whose books I had read…but I will definitely look for more of his work after reading this four-star surprise.

Another great, but kind of depressing, book. I say depressing because of the subject. The book itself is written superbly. I received it from Thomas & Mercer via Netgalley and it'll be out on the first of May 2023.

The life of influencer Kaylee Volk is turned upside down when their private plane with her husband and three foster children crashes into the ocean. Only Kaylee survives and she has a shocking revelation: her eldest foster child, Andrea, has crashed the plane. The child protective services employee Nora McTavish is in shock. She knew Andrea and she just can't believe what happened. That's the reason she starts her own investigation...and secret after secret is uncovered.

The author, Joe Hart, is very capable of giving the reader the uneasy feeling about child care and foster families. The horrible practices that can occur do leave an awful impression and makes you feel so sorry for children who are put through such a system. The story is well thought out and you end with all the answers to the question you get while reading. The characters are described vividly and you sometimes second guess yourself because you just don't know who to believe.

All in all, an absolute great novel that leaves you with a somewhat bitter aftertaste, especially because of the ending.

4,5/5⭐

Thank you for the opportunity to preview Where They Lie. I could not put this book down. Hart tell an intricate story of family drama, mystery and distinction that will tug at your heart while trying to pull it out at the same time. In depth interesting characters and a relevant subject kept me invested till the end
The crash of an airplane in the ocean with a wealthy family on board kicks off this novel. A social worker who had investigated an incident can’t let it go. Something is not right so she starts her own investigation and in doing so becomes a target. Something is very wrong and she is determined to find out the truth.
Excellent. I could not put this book down. 5 stars

The story keeps you hooked up from the start to the end. As a early childhood educator and a mom found aspects of the book very interesting and some very sad. Really liked the plot and the characters. Definitely recommend it.

What a twist!

This was such a fun and fast read, it was a bit weird and not as greatly written and constructed as I would have wanted, but the plot was very surprising, and the characters were very well written, this thriller was extremely character oriented actually.

The plot was kind of interesting and had good misleads, it kind of made me spiral in doubts, sometimes.

In the beginning, the main character failed to get me to like her, she was all over the place, and not in the interesting, attractive way. But I did get to a point where I was rooting for her all the way.

All in all, if you're into twisty, character based thrillers, you would love this more than I did!

A huge thanks to Netgalley and Thomas & Mercer Publishing for an eARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. I was not the intended audience for this book even though I do love and read a lot of mystery/thrillers. I did not like the opening. A fictional plane crash should not be boring and the opening about the plane crash was. I did not like the main character, I believe she was weak and did not jump off the page. I wished the book was told from Kaylee's and Andrea's point of view, alternating between the two. The plot twists were not that strong to me.

What I did like though was the commentary on foster homes and families, abuse and YouTube family content creators. I do love the idea of a book talking about the lies, creepiness and weirdness of most YouTube family channels, so if it focused more on Kaylee and Her family and Andrea I would have loved this book more.

I do recommend this book for those who like a mystery thriller involving families.

Joe Hart is a hit or miss author for me. Sometimes I just love his books, and others are a bit of a miss. So I am cautious about what I read from him.

This story sounded really interesting. A murder of a family via plane crash - and it turns out that maybe this was done on purpose? Woo hoo - count me in.

So I had some really good thoughts on this book, and some not good ones. Therefore, I am going to just spill and let YOU decide if it is worth a read.

THE GOOD
The story was really interesting and caught my attention from the beginning.
There was real drama and I love a good revenge story!
Joe Hart can write and write well
There were some real issues addressed such as domestic violence, social media and its impact.


THE BAD
It felt like Joe was telling us how the characters felt, not letting us feel it or decide for ourselves.
It also felt like this was a book about a woman being told by a man. Men might understand how a woman might react or feel, but many don't actually GET it.
It felt like many of the characters were there for no reason - like the brother.
I felt like the important issues that were addressed could have been given more attention - more of a platform.

Overall, I liked the book. However, in about a week I will probably forget most of what I read and in 6 months I will think "did I read this book?"

I do want to thank the author, the publisher and #netgalley for the ARC which did not impact my review.

As a longtime fan of Joe Hart I’m always excited to see a new book of his on the horizon. Whether its horror, mystery, sci-fi or a thriller, which I feel is a definite strong suit for Joe Hart, I know I’m in for a good read. Personal favorites, The Liam Dempsey series and Obscura were excellent and still stay with me. Where They Lie is yet another great read, and one I won’t forget any time soon.
The writing is fantastic, and the plot is excellent. It kept me guessing well into the final chapters, and I couldn’t put it down, nor did I want to. Joe Hart took his time to build his protagonist, giving her depth and a backstory that is deeply constructed. As we learn about Nora’s youth and the horrors she has survived it is impossible not to become connected to her, and feel her pain.
Where They Lie starts off with a bang as the scene of the plane crash is told in a griping fashion. Then the mystery is laid out before us, taunting us to try and solve this puzzle. As Nora works to answer who and why behind the tragedy there are plenty of tense moments, and one in particular that had me flipping pages until the outcome was exposed. I was shocked as key elements of the mystery became clear. And I was further stunned at the conclusion, which I sure as heck didn’t see coming. For me, Where They Lie is one of Joe Harts best. For fans of his work, I highly recommend this one along with my favorites previously mentioned.

3.5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this eARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This is my first read by Joe Hart. Overall, I enjoyed this book.

The pacing of the novel was enough to keep me captivated with minimal slow parts that left me wondering when we would get answers.

Nora was a good MC/Narrator but sometimes her back story overshadows Kaylee’s story.

I look forward to seeing what comes next from this author.

Trigger Warnings: Child Abuse and Domestic Violence.

This was an excellent book! New to me author and I can’t wait to read more! This was non stop good! So glad I could be able to read this early! It will be a hit!

3.75/5 ⭐️

Note: I feel like this book should come with a trigger warning as it covers a lot of sensitive topics- ie; child abuse and domestic violence.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I felt like it went at a good pace that kept me intrigued. There were a few very suspenseful chapters that I just flew through! The plot was different than most stories that I’ve read before. I was, however, able to guess two or three of the plot points.

One specific chapter really got my nervous! It was chapter twenty. During the chapter, Nora thought someone was on the porch and she saw something go past the kitchen window. Then she wondered if her basement door to the outside was locked…The whole scene made my heart race. Maybe it’s because I was reading on my phone in the pitch black, but I thought it was a job well done!

Thank you Thomas & Mercer and NetGalley for a copy of Where They Lie in exchange for an honest review.

Full disclosure: I found myself slagging through this book and felt that even had I finished it, I wouldn't be able to give it any review that wasn't bitter and biased, so I gave up while still ahead.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

A social worker acts as a detective to uncover the secrets behind mysterious deaths in one of her cases.

Married couple Kaylee and Justin Volk foster 3 children. Obviously, they have some struggling. Until once, 4 of them were died in air crash. Only Kaylee survived. And she appeals with shocking news  - Andrea, the older child, did this.  And Nora, a child protective service's agent, wants to find the truth. 
This book consist of a lot of triggers. Mostly everything will come up near child abuse and neglect. Lots of characters were physical or emotional traumatized in the past. It's interesting to see how different each of them worked with the own trauma. Nora, I think, has the deepest wounds.  
As for the plot, my predictions were wrong. But the twist in the end was good. Also, I liked the relationship between Nora and Byron. For me, they were perfect. The tense in the book were constantly increasing, each new chapter added the tension. It was not overhype, just a good, steady one. This book is perfect if you like to read about child protective services or foster family.