Lies by T.M. Logan is a twisted psychological thriller about deception. At one point in the book, a character described the feeling that you’d get if one day you discovered a trapdoor under your carpet in the living room. That is the feeling I had when reading this book. The levels of deception were insane.

Joe Lynch saw something that he wasn’t supposed to. His intervention led to things spiraling out of control. Soon, the stalking and framing started. Someone hacked his facebook account. Someone else is posting from another account to taunt Joe. Then he is seeing messages on his phone and laptop that nobody else sees. Someone seems to be out to get Joe and they were doing a pretty convincing job to make him look like the bad guy.

Joe’s life was disintegrating pretty fast that I was convinced that there was no way out. The lies kept piling up. There were so many secrets that it was hard to guess the truth. Due to all the lies, I didn’t like most of the characters except Joe and his son. Joe seemed like a regular guy just caught up in a bad situation. Although some of his actions were really frustrating making him appear weak and naïve.

Lies by T.M Logan is a book that I think fans of psychological thrillers will enjoy. It had mystery and tension to the last page. I felt like some parts were slow although this could have been because I was so tense and curious about how it would all end. I just needed to find out the truth… and fast! I loved the ending and couldn’t have predicted it. Deception being a main theme, I kept trying to guess the truth but couldn’t do it until the reveal. The story being told from Joe’s perspective made me feel like I was going through the nightmare with him. I made discoveries at the same time that he did and we were both shocked by the twist at the end.

This is the third book that I have read recently about cyber stalking. It made me think about the impact of sharing our personal lives online and how easily this could be used against us.

I was torn between giving this a big solid 4 stars and the 2.5 stars I'm actually giving it ...

Overall - I thought this book was ok +.

First 50% had me wondering what the heck is going on. Joe; father, husband, school teacher is driving his son William home on a Thursday night when they spot his wife's car ... he decides to follow her and ends up in a situation involving another man (Ben). Emotions are high, things are said and it becomes a little physical ... Joe is forced to leave and when he goes back to make sure Ben is ok ... Ben is gone.

The real kicker to Joe though is that when he asks his wife (Mel) what she was doing meeting with Ben, she denies having been there. Hence the title "Lies".

What follows is a case of Joe being stalked by Ben as Ben uses Facebook to undermine Joe - casting suspicion on where Joe was, if Joe was involved in Ben's disappearance, ultimately involving the police. All of that felt a lot like an episode of "Luther" - only Joe isn't John Luther and he is not only confused as to why things are happening, but seems to stumble along as he tries to solve the mystery of "where Ben in hiding".

The reason I didn't rate this higher is simply because at one point the story turns. I get unreliable characters, but it felt like all of a sudden two of the characters just become completely different people. It was almost as though there was a story within a story and they just didn't connect for me.

I will say that I found this book reminiscent to In a Dark, Dark Wood]; fast paced, high tension, high suspense, with an ending (in my opinion) that just kind of happened to wrap things up. It also felt like it was a reminder to people to be careful as to how you use social media (Facebook, twitter, Instagram) since that's how Joe was being tormented and set-up.

Would I recommend this to friends - sure. A fast paced thriller that just veered a little off for me in the end.

This was a real edge of your seat read and I felt for Joe as this could happen to anyone. It is a book that features a lot of technology which is fitting for this day of age as we all have a smart phone, computer or tablet and has made me want to tape the lens of mine over!!
Joes life takes a turn for the worst when driving home after picking his young son up from school, whilst on the drive home his son spots his mum (joes wife) going into the premier inn underground parking area. After joes son nags to see his mum joe follows her and this is where life as he knows it will never be the same again.
This was a great read I thought all the characters were well developed and I didn't guess the truth at all.
I would like to thank netgalley and bonnier zaffre for this ARC I received in exchange for an honest review.

Joe has a pretty good life. A beautiful wife, a great son and a job he likes doing. Then one evening he sees his wife at a local hotel arguing with a family friend, Ben. After Joe confronts Ben they scuffle and Ben ends up unconscious. But to add to complications Joe's son has an asthma attack. Joe panics and rushes his son home for his inhaler. He goes back but Ben has gone....but where no one knows. It's as if he's vanished. Then messages start.....posts on Joe's Facebook page, strange emails and texts. As the search for Ben intensifies Joe learns more about Ben and his relationship with his wife and realises the perfect life he thought he had was built on lies.

This is pretty much a classic twist in the tale thriller. It's a bit different to the usual crop in that the narrator and victim is male, which whilst not a first it is refreshingly different enough to make a fairly standard thriller a bit more interesting. And whilst it's pretty standard it is also extremely enjoyable. The twist is a good one - you'll probably work some of it out but it's still extremely well executed. It's a perfect beach read.

How real is your reality?

How different would your life be if you had been five seconds faster or five seconds slower? Joe Lynch is driving home when his four year old son spots his mother’s car in the traffic. He follows his wife, Mel, into an underground car park of the Premier Inn hotel and witnesses an encounter between her and a family friend, Ben Delaney, married to one of Mel’s closest friends. An encounter where Ben is downright angry, his face dark with frustration. Not wishing to intrude, he retreats to wait for his wife in the parking garage. Joe misses Mel on her way out but bumps into Ben as he steps off the lift and confronts him about meeting Mel. Ben at first denies it and then whirls on Joe, grabbing him by his shirt and slamming him against his car while yelling “You have no idea, you big, daft bastard. You’re so dense that you haven’t seen it have you?” Joe shoves Ben, who stumbles, trips over his briefcase, falls and cracks his head on the concrete, lying there immobile with blood seeping out of his ear. Joe’s son witnesses this and it triggers an asthma attack but the inhaler is not in the car or in the bag. Joe has no choice but to leave Ben and rush home for the spare inhaler. When his son is stable, Joe returns to the car park but both Ben and his car are gone.

The next day Joe’s life changes and nothing will ever be as it was before. His reality becomes his biggest nightmare and he tries everything he can to put things right; things that will never be right again.
An explosive novel that grips you from the first page and blows your mind with an ending that you would never have imagined. It is expertly written by someone who is up to date with the latest technology and shows just how vulnerable we are to people taking over and manipulating our lives in cyberspace and the devastating consequences of these actions over which we have no control. After reading this book you will modify your privacy settings if you have a Facebook account!

Saphira

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.

Joe Lynch is happy with his lot in life. He has a wife and son that he loves beyond measure and everything seems to be damn near perfect. So when he happens to see his wife disappearing into a hotel car park, Joe thinks nothing of driving down behind her to see what she is doing. And it is with this simple choice, that Joe's life will be altered forever in ways you could never imagine.

From the very beginning, I really enjoyed the pace and punchiness of this story and the plot line kept me gripped throughout. With plenty of twists and turns, some of which I must admit I did guess, this sinister tale definitely made me shiver at certain points. I do have to say that there were many times that Joe really got on my nerves and I wanted to scream at him to stop being so naive and open his eyes!! But that is all part and parcel of this story - you will connect with the characters and feel real emotion towards them, even if it is annoyance. LIES by TM Logan is a compelling psychological thriller that reveals how terrifyingly easy the fabric of one's life can disintegrate into darkness and despair - how one simple decision can blow your world apart. It is an engaging read and I highly recommend it.

This book sets off at a cracking pace and doesn't let up.I had no idea what was going on and I thought it was clever and twisty.It makes you question and look at people in a different light,its shocking how people can lie and lead different lives from the one they appear to be having.I thought the pace and twists were great.No spoilers but I enjoyed it and would say it was well worth a read.Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for an ARC for an honest review.

Thank you to the Publisher and Netgalley for their advance copy in return for an honest review.

Joe Lynch and his son spot his wife driving into a hotel carpark, and make a snap decision to follow her in. This snap decision leads Joe to becoming a suspect in a murder investigation, and Joe must fight to clear his name, and his family.

This novel is a page turner. I had to keep reading it to find out what happened to him. The insight into technology, and social media, and how quickly its usage can turn ugly is brilliant. The blurb on the cover: ‘What if Your Whole Life Was Based on Lies?’ is a question Joe asks himself over and over again. How well does he really know his friends? How well do any of us know our friends?

Joe is trusting and naïve. He makes choices that are just crazy and sees nothing wrong with them. He makes rash decisions under pressure that I was left with: what? But that is the whole point of the book, Joe is losing it fast. Someone is out to get him.

The book lurches to an almost laughable ending though. The final revelation was almost like a comedy with over the top acting and predictable dialogue. Plus I had guessed it half way through the book. I think that might just be me reading into everything to much as I love this type of fiction.

It is a great read though and I did feel sorry for poor old Joe at the end of it.

I really enjoyed Lies. You're taken on a rollercoaster journey through the chapters with plenty of twists and turns thrown in to keep you guessing.

This is he first book I've read by this author and I can't wait to read more. The perfect psychological drama which I can highly recommend.

Thank you to NetGalley, Barnes & Noble and the author for the chance to review.

I had high hopes for this book. A man stumbles on his wife someplace she shouldn't be and his life begins to unravel from there. Well, it was already unraveling but he didn't know it. Overall the story was solid but there was way too much foreshadowing. The book is a suspense/thriller so the reader already knows that "things" will be happening. Telling us seems like overkill and instead of building suspense, somewhat kills it. If you are able to get past the less-than-stellar writing quality, the story of the unwitting husband finding himself thrown into chaos is good. As it appears to me Logan's first book, I have confidence future offerings will have a bit more polish and finesse.

My review, as posted on Goodreads:

A child's first words, spotting mum's car: Then what? The first lie?
From such an inauspicious start, a very pacey novel unfolds.

Most of the story is told through the voice of Joe, a teacher who sees his wife Mel talking to Ben a family friend.

A scuffle in a carpark
A missing person
A suspension and plenty of suspense.
I liked the way each of the four main characters were developed as the story progressed.

This book has a twist that is well worth waiting for!
This is the first book by T. M. Logan which I have read, it certainly won't be the last.

My thanks to Netgalley and Bonnier Zaffre for a copy in exchange for this review.

Wow! Just WOW!!! I can normally see a plot twist coming but I never saw them. While most books have one or two this book had several. It kept me guessing the entire time. I never wanted to put it down and read it as I could. Now I want to read it again to catch see how it all plays out now that I know the truth.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone that likes suspense and plot twists. Sometimes I would feel like it was drifting off course only to be smacked by another plot twist. It is amazing how well ALL the loose ends are tied up at the end of the book so you are not left wondering why something happen.

Social media and technology play role a in this book which is very appropriately timed. Especially with how attached people have become to social media. However, it is about so much more!!

There is so much I want to say about this book but I don't want to give ANYTHING away. This is definitely going to be one of my favorite 2017 books!!

Joe Lynch is with his young son William in the car when he spots his wife in her car. He quickly decides to follow her. A decision he will later regret. Joe follows her into a hotel where he sees her having a heated argument with her best friends husband. Joe suspects his wife, Mel is having an affair. The story is narrated by Joe and he tells of how quickly his life goes on a downward spiral. The nightmare his life has quickly become.

The plot line is believable. It shows the disadvantages of social media and what hacking someone's account can do. This is a gripping tale but I found the ending a little disappointing. A good edge of your seat read.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Bonnier Zaffre and the author T M Logan for my ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a decent thriller of the very twisty kind that's popular at the moment, especially among British authors. Logan is a former Daily Mail journalist which might be worth knowing before you add to his spending money by buying a copy. It's not terrible, but to me it didn't do what it says on the tin, which in this case is to deliver a genuinely surprising and twisty plot that at the same time portrays compelling characters. Joe is fine as a protagonist, but it's not a pleasant feeling as a reader to always be two steps ahead of him. And toward the end I felt that as a reader I was also two steps ahead of the author, which is even less appealing when reader a thriller.

Lies by TM Logan was a great new psychological/domestic thriller. The cover alone is what caught my interest: "What if your whole life was based on LIES". Sounds interesting right away, right? Well, I was not disappointed!

When Joe Lynch sees his wife enter an underground parking ramp of a hotel in the middle of the day, he's intrigued enough to see where she's going. When he sees her in an angry altercation with family friend Ben, he naturally goes to her defense - and doesn't for a minute believe the accusations Ben makes against her. Unfortunately, just as the clash becomes violent and Ben is knocked unconscious, Joe's son has an asthma attack, and Joe has to take him to safety. However, when Joe comes back to check if Ben's alright, he's disappeared. And that's when Joe receives the first message.

This was an incredibly fast read and I couldn't put it down. I've been enjoying that a lot of thriller writers are embracing the new technology and incorporating it into their novels. Social media and technology are a huge factor in Joe's manipulation in this book. While it read at a good pace, I was not expecting that ending. I had a few guesses, but I was not prepared for this one! If you want a good cat and mouse thriller mixed with a psychological thriller, then you need to pick this one up!

I give this 5/5 stars!

Big thanks to Bonnier Zaffre for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

LIES! i really liked this book from the moment i started it, LIES is about that moment in life where you make the wrong decision that moment when you think should i or shouldn't i but then you do and that turns out to be your biggest mistake! this story is about Joe he is a happily married man and father or so he thinks!

after picking up his 4 year old son william from school when there driving home Will spots his mums car going in to a hotel car park and he asks his dad can they go see his mum, after much begging from young Will, Joe decides to follow his wife in to the hotel car park ( a decision that will change his life forever a decision he shouldn't of made) after finding his wife in the hotel with a friends husband Joe wonders what is going on after waiting in the car for his wife Mel to come out he misses her as she drives off, but Joe seeing there friend Ben come in to the car park he goes and confronts him about why he was with his wife mel in the hotel room after a heated argument with Ben Ben tells Joe he has no idea what is going on with his wife because his good old reliable joe! so they get in to a fight and Joe hits Ben and he hits his head on the floor but at this moment his son Wills starts to have a asthma attack but after not finding his pump in the car Joe makes the wrong decision do drive home get his sons pump then come back! but after coming back Ben has gone and so is the bracelet that come off in the fight!

that's when it all goes Wrong! someone posts a photo and message on Joe's Facebook from his account using Joe's phone that he left behind after releasing its Ben that's doing this he soon finds out that this is not just a game for Ben it's Revenge!!! but Revenge for what? for the fact that Joe's wife Mel broke things off with Ben in the affair that they have been having ? because Ben wants Mel all for himself! but after many lies that Joe's wife Mel has told him can he really trust her and what she says? also with Ben's Wife Beth showing evidence of intimate moments Mel has shared with Ben! can Joe really Trust Beth? can he really Not trust his wife? the only person he can trust is himself! like i said i did really like this book i could not put it down i had to keep reading to find out what happened next! but saying that a few things about LIES bothered me,

when i was reading the book i couldn't help but thinking why would Ben go to such extreme lengths for just wanting Mel? that was on my mind when i was reading it BUT then there is a twist! then there was the police i thought that they was so fast for blaming Joe for a murder even when there was no body and they did not even take in what joe was saying they just wanted an open and shut case but i know that does happen it just bugged me a bit.. the ending of LIES i felt a little let down after reading the book not putting it down i was really exited what will happen how it will end then it did and i felt oh is that it? there was nothing more from the police where they should of said sorry to joe and few other things.. but other then that i loved the book i would read it again and again and would recommend it to friends!! thank you to the publishers and Netgalley for my copy :)

Compelling read with an unexpected ending! Really enjoyed the story line even if i didn't like many of the characters :)

Poor Joe finds his wife at a hotel with his friend, Ben, who is clearly upset with her and Joe is completely confused as to what is going on. Joe confronts Ben when he's walking to his car which leads to an altercation rendering Ben unconscious. Leaving Ben on the pavement to tend to his son's asthma attack, he fights with his guilt until he decides to go back and check on him. Ben has disappeared and that's when the game begins.

I found this book to be extremely fast paced - I almost read it in one sitting but then life happened. It brings up social media and technology being a factor in corruption and manipulation, which I'm finding lately to be a theme among thrillers... and for good reason given this day and age. While this book trods along in an expected manner, it's the ending that threw me for a loop. I certainly did NOT see that coming and for that, a 5 star rating.

You like fast pasted, engrossing thrillers with a touch of psychological chill? Here's your next read!
6 likes

I was given an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest and independent review.
A well constructed, nicely paced psychological thriller. I liked the way the various characters were portrayed and empathised with Joe, for the situation he found himself in.
The implications of social media and the existence of various computer software as part of the plot (no spoiler alerts) was interesting.
This book did not go in the direction I expected but it was an enjoyable read.
3.5***

If "Lies" is T.M. Logan's debut novel, I can't wait to see how he improves! This book is a fantastic read!! True psychological suspense all the way. The pages seemed to turn themselves as I raced through to find out what happened.

Joe thought he had a perfect life, married to Melissa whom he loved, a young son Will whom he adored, a teaching job that fulfilled him. And he did, until Will said he saw mommy's car, Joe realized it WAS Melissa & he made a fateful decision to follow her to an unexpected place. From that moment on, he realized that everything he believed about his marriage was a lie. Worse, his whole life began to unravel quickly as someone tried to set him up as the prime suspect in a murder. Within a week (only one week!), he was in danger of losing everything he cared about.

One decision, many lives changed forever. Wow! And I sure didn't see the twist at the end coming! Well done, T.M. Logan, well done! I look forward to your next book!!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for allowing me to read an e-ARC of this fantastic book!