"The Weight of Lies" was an absorbing and enthralling book (for me). A young woman decides to investigate a long ago murder that inspired her mother's novel that turned out to be a bestseller. She has more on her mind than investigating the murder but I don't like spoilers.
I liked reading this unusual novel but was distracted from time to time and would put it down for a bit. There was just so much going on. Don't let that deter you from picking the book up. I really did like the story and am looking forward to reading more by Emily Carpenter.
I received a copy of this book from the publishers via Netgalley for free in exchange for an honest review.

Another stunner from Emily Carpenter. The highest praise I could give a book is that it reminds me of either of my favorite authors - Kate Morton and Agatha Christie. The Weight of Lies had tones of each of them. The story-within-a-story reflects what I love about Morton's The Distant Hours. And the you'll-never-guess ending is so Christie.

The Weight of Lies had me bouncing from one theory to another, enthralled with the plight of Megan's character, all amid the lush backdrop of an island rich with Native American history.

Do yourself a favor and order this one today.

Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

I have to tell that I've only chosen this book by its cover. It's absolutely beautiful.

The story is about Megan who is kind of neglected by her mom, a successful writer who wrote a famous novel named "Kitten", about a murder, which has lots of fans, a sort of "cult". They don't get along and Megan is trying to understand what's the matter with this story, what if is not only Fiction? Lots of things and mysteries come up and Megan starts to question herself if she really knows her own mother.

This book was a grateful surprise to me, I really enjoyed the mystery and although Megan pisses me off at the first moment, I started to like her and understand her motivations. By the way, this is a book with in a book, I love the metalanguage in literature! I totally recommend this book!

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC.

The cover and premise intrigued me and I like the idea of a woman writing a tell-all of her famous author mother and the dark secrets she holds. Meg soon finds out not everything is what it seems and there is a crazy twist to the story-line at the end. I thought it was great!

I also like the idea of the story taking place on a privately-owned island off the Georgia Coast. Lots of good description of island life. All the characters were great and had their own unique personality. That is very important in storytelling.

Meg’s investigation of a murder that took place on the island long ago was fascinating to read about and made the story chilling and tragic. I’ve rated this story four stars.

Stephanie M. Hopkins

I have no words.
There wasn't a single dull moment with this one, I was constantly on the edge of my seat! It definitely gave off some Carrie vibes, but it held itself well on its own. I also enjoyed the chapter excerpts from the novel discussed by the characters, it contributed to the suspense.
I can't wait for Carpenter's next novel! I hope it's as thrilling as this one!

My Review:

What I Liked:

Plot. I'm a fan of originality and this mystery/thriller supplied that. The novel switches from the main characters POV to the classic cult horror novel written by her mother. The whole mystery surrounding the origins of the horror novel made it a compelling plot.

Twist/Ending. I felt that the novel veered away from predictable twist endings and I did not see the big reveal coming. I was completely overwhelmed by the end because the author put a bunch of twists and reveals in a short amount of pages.

Main Character. My favorite character was by far Meg, she is a flawed but compelling main character. I enjoyed the fact that the novel was solely from her point of view, besides the sections from the horror novel.

Side Characters. The side characters were also well crafted and it was difficult figuring out who the killer was. I struggled with unraveling the main mystery because I liked all of the characters and did not want any of them to be the killer. Plus, there was a ton of horses in the novel, so bonus points! :)

What I Disliked:

Pacing/Structure. I'm a fan of short chapters but I felt that some of them went too quickly and it made the story hard to follow. Plus, the horror novel sections before each chapter were choppy and hard to keep up with as well.

Information Overload. The last half of the novel bombarded the reader with twist after twist and it was a little jarring. It felt like too much was happening in a short amount of time. Besides that aspect and the pacing the novel was a good read.

I recommend checking out this thriller if you enjoy unpredictable endings and interesting plots.

My Rating:

4 Stars Out of 5 Stars

The story appeared straightforward, Meg is given an opportunity to write a tell-tale real life story about her mother and childhood. KITTEN is the book of her childhood and when she is given an opportunity to challenge both her mother and the book, she chooses it as a form of revenge. And mystery starts here...
I liked the premise of the story, sounded different. The book is mainly from Megan's point of view. I did like the way the author Emily Carpenter has written this book, there was a mystery which kept me reading. But sometimes, too much happened at once, which confused me, if it was in present or past.
The book had mystery, family drama with twists of lies. There was a bit of horror thrown in and Native American mythology. On the whole it was an entertaining and enjoyable read

Megan is the estranged daughter of the best-selling horror writer Frances Ashely. Although they’ve always played a happy pair in public, their relationship has always been complicated. That is why Meg agrees to write a tell-all book about her mother and the novel Kitten, that made her famous. While investigating the true story behind her mother’s novel, Meg starts uncovering the web of lies that surround not only the story of Kitten but also her own life.

This novel within a novel had me hooked since the beginning, it was suspenseful and I enjoyed the writing. However, the main character Megan was kind of hard to sympathize with, the characters kept making foolish decisions and some parts of the story were kind of predictable. Overall, this was a good southern gothic novel that I really enjoyed reading.

I liked the premise of the story being based around a book. I also really liked the setting of the isolated mansion on an island. But, I just couldn't get into the characters. I also thought the big twist was a little obvious. Definitely would read the author again, though.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for giving me a digital copy of "The Weight of Lies" by Emily Carpenter in exchange for my honest opinion.

The book centers on the main character Meg, who is the daughter of the famous, celebrated author, Frances. Her mother wrote the cult classic "Kitten" based on a murder of a child that took place on a private island resort where 19 year old Francis spent a summer. Since the book was published in 1976, fans called Kitty Cultists have been fascinated with the story; trying to figure out how much of the book is fiction and how much is true.

I had a hard time deciding how to rate this book. I was completely intrigued at some parts but found others downright tedious. From the beginning of this book, I felt very little sympathy for Meg, at times she was very whiny and pathetic and she mostly just got on my nerves. I liked the character depth and hidden motives of Frances and the interwoven chapters from her book "Kitten".

The last half of the book when Meg is on the island and has met up with Doro, things start to really pick up and get interesting. Overall it is a good mystery read that just takes a while to get to the twist.

This book was different from what I was expecting: I can’t really explain why, but I think I was expecting more of a modern investigation of a mystery type of book and I found something different. It wasn’t bad, though, but I didn’t find it as exciting as I was hoping it would be.

It might sound a bit crazy, but if I had to compare the vibe of this novel with other book I would say that, to me, it felt like a modern Victoria Holt’s novel. Years ago I read several of her books and I really liked them, even though I knew they weren’t actually quality books- just like the ones written by the main character’s mother in this one!-. Most of them had a naïve but brave young woman as the lead, the other characters seemed to hide secrets and their real intentions, including the romantic interest, and there was a key mystery, usually a murder or a disappearance, that had taken place in a remote location. See what I mean? Now take all those ingredients, add some modern devices like phones and computers and you will get this book.

Overall, I was entertained while I read it, which is enough for me, but I wasn’t extremely intrigued by the mystery or specially surprised when everything was revealed. Maybe I had been reading too many similar books lately, so I was almost unfazed while other readers may be really surprised by the outcome of the story. I told myself from the beginning that I should not fully trust any of the characters, so it was very hard to shock me, I guess.

Apart from the mystery, the book tackles some issues related to race and the treatment received by Native Americans both in the past and in the present, which adds interest and depth to the story.
I have read some reviews that said the “book inside the book” didn’t add to the story, but I don’t agree with that. It actually kept me guessing, trying to establish comparisons with what the other part of the novel was telling me.

All in all, I think some readers will love this story, although maybe not those who have read other books similar to this one. If you are looking for a mystery with intriguing characters and an eerie setting this might be perfect for you!

The Weight of Lies is a wonderful book full of mystery and thrills that really kept me on my toes until the very end!

So, let me start by saying that I really loved this book!!!

One of the main reasons I think I liked it, was the mystery surrounding a young girl’s death over forty years prior, which had served as the “inspiration” for the murder/mystery best-seller by MC Meg’s mother, Frances Ashley. Honestly, Frances Ashley’s book came off as a sort of cheap knockoff version of Truman Capote‘s In Cold Blood–in the sense that it was basically the story of a real crime (though there happens to be a major embellishment I will not mention here)–and the reason it worked, was because it came out in a time when America was really into books and movies about creepy kids (think Rosemary’s Baby and the like).

Ashley’s book, therefore, becomes a cult phenomenon, which leads to her becoming extremely wealthy, and eventually leads to her partying, trust-fund daughter Meg resenting her. It’s really stereotypical, with Meg pretty much screaming poor, little, rich girl, but it does help lead up to Meg’s eventual decision to write a tell-all about her mother, which happens to include a new investigation into the murder that inspired her mother’s best-seller…

It’s when Meg finally makes it to Bonny Island–the very island the murder had taken place on, and the very island Frances had been when she’d first met the inspirations behind her novel–that the story really takes off. I had had no problem learning a bit of Meg’s back-story, as well as that of her mother, but when we are finally able to start digging into the mysteries of Bonny Island, and the resident that is said to have inspired a particular character in the novel, then we’re able to really start feeling the thriller aspect of this book.

And were there thrills!!

I absolutely love the idea of the MC having the sense that there’s someone on their trail as they’re investigating…someone who’s combing over the evidence they discover, in an attempt to eventually throw some sort of wrench into their investigation, and finally, someone who will have the MC feeling a strong sense of discomfort, thus becoming a real, possible threat in the end. Yup, all the hallmarks of a Lifetime thriller, I know, but we are all allowed our guilty pleasures, aren’t we?

One more thing, before I finish this review, and besides the fact that I did love the small cast of characters, I just didn’t really feel the need to go too in depth when it comes to that…is that I loved the way Frances’ book, the infamous Kitten, is somewhat shared through excerpts in-between chapters of main storyline. It really helps you get a sense of why her book was considered horror, and why the person who is the inspiration behind the fictional
Kitten
becomes such a fascinating character that you just can’t seem to stop thinking about.

Well, there we are with my review. As I’d already mentioned before, I really loved this book, so that being the case, I will be more than glad to recommend it to others.

This book took me by surprise, I couldn't believe that I like it so much.The story was compelling from the beginning and you feel like you are a part of the story.

Meg Ashley has a complicated relationship with her mother to say the least. Frances Ashley is the author of Kitten, a best selling horror novel partly based on events Frances was witness to. The novel is the source of Meg's trust fund but her mother's lack of interest in her life and well being has left them estranged and barely on speaking terms. When a directionless Meg is offered the chance to put her side of the adored Frances' parenting abilities into a book of her own she jumps at the chance, even if it means visiting the island where the grim events of Kitten took place many years previously. Frances soon gets wind of what's happening and the secrets and intrigue of Bonny Island come spilling out.

This was a really enjoyable ride of a book. It's got the gothic element of an island where communication with the outside world is dependent on elements, a mysterious old hotel which seems to hold the secrets of its guests from years gone by and the brooding stranger who Meg feels an instant attraction to. It's part mystery, part horror and with a healthy helping of family drama thrown in too. Excerpts from the book Kitten start each chapter and as is always the case when there's a book within a book I find myself wishing that it was real! I love the idea of the books obsessive fans, and who wouldn't be with the real life mystery behind the story waiting to be solved.

This is a skilfully written suspense novel with a genuinely original and interesting plot. I was racing towards the end wanting to know what happened and I look forward to reading the author's other books. Recommended.

I received a ARC from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.

Very intriguing story about a daughter (Megan) and her troubled relationship with her famous author mother. Megan is asked to write a tell-all about life with her mother and the truth behind her most famous novel. She travels to the small island, where her mother’s novel was set, in an attempt to uncover secrets about the real-life crimes her mother wrote about.

I like this unique concept of a book within a book. A mystery from the past is interwoven with excerpts from a horror novel. This added suspense and intrigue to the story. As Meg uncovers the truth behind her mother’s lies, her life is put in danger and she must decide who she can trust. This book is not short of drama, complicated relationships, unexpected lies (and truths), with enough twists that keep the reader guessing right up to the end.

I loved this book! The Weight of Lies is a story of deception, lies, and murder. I’m finding it difficult to do a review without giving too much away. I’ll do my best to just set the stage of what is to come without any big spoilers.

Megan Ashley is in Las Vegas when an unexpected letter arrives. It’s a birthday invitation from Frances Ashley, Megan’s mom. Frances is the world-famous author of the best selling book Kitten. Frances was only 19 years old when she wrote Kitten and the fortieth anniversary is right around the corner. Megan hasn’t spoken to her mom in three years and has no intention of attending her mom’s birthday party until she reads that Edgar isn’t doing well. She immediately drops everything and finds the first flight home. Edgar is her mom’s agent, Megan’s rock. She has no father, so Edgar means everything to her.

When Megan arrives at her mom’s apartment in New York she find Asa Block and no mom. Asa is Frances’s new personal assistant and has to break the news to Megan that the party has been cancelled and her mom is in Palm Springs. Asa has been eagerly awaiting Megan’s return to NY. He has a most unusual proposition for her – he wants her to write a memoir of her life, her relationship with her mom, and the truth behind the story of Kitten. This unexpected opportunity catches Megan off-guard, and before she knows it she is off to Bonny Island, the place that inspired her mom to write Kitten. She is eager to uncover the truth about her mom and finally gain an understanding of her mom’s past. She was finally going to meet the real Kitten – Dorothy Kitchens.

This book has an unusual format that I have personally never seen before. It alternates between present day and excerpts from the book Frances Ashley wrote, Kitten. This format worked really well in the telling of this story, as well as aiding in increasing the intensity of the present day storyline.

The further I got into this book and as the layers started to get peeled back, I realized it was going to be much more complex than I had originally thought. It reads like a mystery within a mystery. Even Megan was confused:

<em>“I had no idea what anyone around here was up to.”</em>

The book kept me thinking throughout. Where did the truth lie? Was it with Frances, Dorothy, or somewhere in between?

This is my first Emily Carpenter book and definitely won’t be my last!

*Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing , and Emily Carpenter for the opportunity to read and review this book for my honest opinion.

This read like it was originally a YA soap opera,not a bad thing per say,but not what I was looking for,I was so bored by this that I forgot about it for a couple of months after reading the first 30 %.

Meg is an obnoxious brat that read a a teenager despite being 24.Granted I have known women like this.The romance wasn't needed and seemed there to pad the timing. The secrets and mysteries were eye rolling obvious and ridiculous.Mind you I am not someone who figures things out that fast.The mom was about as bad as her daughter.

The whole thing was plausible.and not pleasant to read.

Was thrilled to receive an ARC of The Weight of Lies as I am a huge psychological thriller fan (and let’s be honest, the cover of this book is on point). Overall, I would give The Weight of Lies a solid 4 stars.

I enjoyed the plot as it was not one I’d heard before. A lot of psychological thrillers can feel repetitive and it is hard to bring something really new to the table. Bonus points for creativity!

This story is about Meg, the daughter of a famous author (Frances). Frances wrote cult classic fiction “Kitten”, where fans everywhere believe and hypothesize is actually based on a true story. Frances’ “Kitten” was inspired by one summer spent as a nanny on Bonny Island. Meg and Frances notoriously do not get along. In an attempt a getting back at her mother, Meg agrees to go to Bonny Island and write a tell-all. Bonny Island is the perfect setting for a creepy, claustrophobic thriller.

The story took a little while to pick up the pace and at times felt slow moving. But if you stick with it, you’ll be left both surprised and satisfied. Would recommend The Weight of Lies to all my fellow psychological thriller fans!