This story is about Megan, the daughter of a famous author, Frances, who wrote a book many years ago called Kitten. The story unfolds as Megan tries to write a memoir about her awful relationship with her mother and also about how the story of Kitten came about. She finds out along the way all the secrets and lies of her past.
Now, I really liked the plot and the alternating Kitten chapters. I loved how the book kept you guessing until the very end. However, I felt it read a lot like a YA mystery which isn't a bad thing but not what I was expecting. Also, I found Megan a bit annoying at times, but it wasn't bad enough for me not to be interested in what happens next. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a fun mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley and Lake Union Publishing for the ARC.

4.5/5

The Weight of Lies is a well-crafted mystery. It starts with a bit of a slow burn but has a very southern gothic noir feel to it. The book revolves around Meg Ashley, daughter of Frances Ashley. Frances Ashley is a best-selling author of cult-classic Kitten. Frances and Meg have a very strained relationship, to the point where Meg is convinced to write a tell-all memoir about her life and her neglect from her mother.

Meg is determined to have a life outside her mother's, where people don't just assume she got a job because of her mom or where she is being used based on her connections. She realizes this will be the end of their relationship and has come to terms with it. Her mother is immortalized by her fans, but they don't know the Frances that Meg does.

As Meg begins her research on how Kitten was written, she starts uncovering details and doesn't know who to believe. Her mother always said the book was a work of fiction, but the more Meg digs, the more it seems the story is non-fiction. However, there are many sides to the story, now she needs to figure out which is the truth.

This book had me glued to the last 30 pages, I couldn't wait to see what unfolded. I look forward to more works from Emily Carpenter.

Meg Ashley grew up with a successful author for a mother.  Her mother, Frances, wrote a murder mystery novel that was extremely popular and brought attention to herself and Meg from as early as Meg can remember.  The book was so popular that it maintained a cult following throughout the many years since it was published.  Meg and her mother are not close and though having everything a person could want much less need, Meg resented her mother and the book (she never even read the book).

When the novel begins, Meg is approached to write a tell-all style book about her mother.  She agrees and goes to Bonny Island, Georgia (the setting of her mom's book) to write about her life with Frances.  Once there, Meg sees that not all is as she assumed.  She meets an interesting set of characters who each have their own agenda.  Part way through her visit her mother arrives.  Her arrival kicks the action into higher gear.

This book will keep you guessing as to who is a good guy or bad guy and who is guilty of murder.  It turns out Frances' book is not entirely fiction.  I really enjoyed this book a lot and look forward to reading more by this author.  She is skilled in laying out a mystery that is not obvious and maintained my interest throughout.  When not reading, I found myself wondering what was going to happen next and wanting to get back to the book to find out.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read an advanced copy of this novel.

3.75 Stars. Overall, this book was very suspenseful. I did not enjoy the alternating chapters of the "book within the book". They were a distraction and IMO did not add anything to the book's storyline. However, I did enjoy the writing and will definitely read more by Emily Carpenter.

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Wow. A book that keeps you guessing until the last page. A classic thriller.

Oh. My. God. Lies, lies, lies. When to trust, when not to trust... This book is AMAZING. There are so many twists!!! I couldn't have predicted the end. At all. Read it!!!!

I really liked the book. The storyline grabbed my attention right away and I haven't read a good mystery thriller in a while. The twists were unexpected and it provided for a good read. The only thing that I wasn't satisfied with was the ending where the main character Megan forgave her adoptive mother so quickly after not being on good terms with her for her whole life.

This is a really well done page turner! There's a story within the story, there's secrets and lies, there's a creepy inn, and best of all there's an intrepid character in Meg, who I think, surprises even herself with her dogged search for the truth. I liked this more than I expected. It's atmospheric, it captures the horror novel/movie craze and fans, and it actually kept me guessing. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This would make a perfect beach book (or travel book or lie on the couch on a rainy day book!). Looking forward to more from Carpenter.

Wow! This was such a unique mystery as it alternated between the main character searching for the truth and excerpts from a book within the book. It made for such an interesting read and one that hooked me from the beginning.

4.5/5 *s. I became a huge fan of Emily Carpenter with her first novel, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls and this second novel did not disappoint. Although these two novels are extremely different, they do both have the southern gothic feel.

In The Weight of Lies Meg Ashley is the daughter of a famous horror author Frances Ashley. Although Meg has lived a privileged life, her relationship with her mother was not to be envied. She is lured into writing the story of her childhood growing up with Frances Ashley. In doing so, Meg travels to Georgia where Frances' famous horror novel, Kitten was set. I loved how this book intersperses excepts from Kitten throughout. It's intriguing trying to distinguish fiction from reality. This novel is full of suspense, family secrets, and bits of horror. What a fun read!

There are so many raving reviews about this book. I wonder if I read a different book. I really struggled finishing it because I found it so horrible.

There is enough said about the plot in other reviews. I just keep it short. The book begins strong. Although I disliked whiny Megan immediately I enjoyed reading it for the first chapters. But as soon Megan arrives on Bonny Island the story goes south. I got the feeling I was reading a YA book. The story was so unpretentious. Megan got to the Island to learn more about her mother and the story behind the real Kitten. She meets Dorothy, the role model for Kitten. But instead of talking they do nothing. Strolling around the island and eyeballing Koa, the handsome native guy who is working for Dorothy, that’s all she is doing. She is running in circles from each person to the next Dorothy doesn’t want to talk, Koa got his secrets, her mother Frances is not very talkative. But they all keep telling they have to talk. So just please do it! But no, not really. And Megan changes her opinion multiple times a day. The plot became extremely chaotic.

I also disliked the obvious love story. This was so YA book-like. Just awful.

The alternating chapters from the real Kitten book were way too short. I did not know what to make of them. I did not think they were necessary.

I must admit I somehow did not get this book. Knowing the end I just can’t see why Frances acted as a mother as she did. But then I did not bother to think about it all properly. I was just glad I finished it and I don’t have to deal anymore with the whiny and spoilt Megan, who acted defiant as a teenager and not as the 24 year old woman she was supposed to be.

I am disappointed by this book. I have no idea where all those good reviews come from. For me it was a totally chaotic story, very simple in its writing and more like a YA book than one for adults. I could go on for a while ranting about this book and chew on details I did not like. But I leave it at that. I am just sorry for the wasted time reading it.

This book felt as though it had been written just for me! It has all the ingredients I love in a story - an old murder, family secrets, flawed characters - there is even a spooky old house located on a private island. Perfect!

Forty years ago, Meg Ashley's mother Frances became an overnight sensation when she wrote a cult horror novel called Kitten. (Think female Stephen King and the success of 'Carrie'). Since then, Frances Ashley has become an extremely wealthy, much-loved author. Unfortunately, Frances is also a complete megalomaniac and a terrible mother. A clue to their relationship is that whenever Frances phones Meg, a picture of Ursula from The Little Mermaid pops up on Meg's screen!

The person Meg is closest to is Edgar, her mother's literary agent, who has become almost like a father to her. So when Edgar dies, and her mother simply jets off to marry yet another in a long list of husbands without telling her, it is the final straw. Offered a huge sum of money to write a tell-all account of growing up with Frances Ashley as her mother - and the true-life murder that inspired Kitten, Meg accepts, packing her bags and heading off to the private island of Bonny (Georgia, USA), intending to solve the decades-old murder. Will her plan go horribly wrong? You bet!

One of the things I liked best about this story is that it is clear Meg is being manipulated - you want to shout at the book, 'No, don't do it!' - but who is doing the manipulating? Frances's bitter assistant, who arranges Meg's book deal? Doro Kitchens, the woman Frances based the character of Kitten on all those years ago? The handsome Koa, Doro's employee, who has his own reasons for being on the island? Or even Frances herself?

Another thing I loved about the story was that I couldn't work out who the murderer was, not even at the very end! And there was a final twist I didn't see coming.

It's hard to categorise the genre - another thing I liked about the book. Part psychological suspense, part classic romantic suspense, part gothic. There is a murder mystery and a hint of the paranormal - and the end seemed to come straight out of an 80s scream queen movie. It reminded me of Daphne du Maurier and Shirley Jackson, with a bit of Stephen King, but although it gets a little bit bloody towards the end (and slightly over the top - just hold on and enjoy the ride!), it is not really gruesome.

Anyway, I loved it. It's one of my favourite reads this year and I've already downloaded the author's earlier book, Burying the Honeysuckle Girls.

It starts with an envelope, delivered to Meg Ashley, a young woman holidaying with friends in Vegas. Meg is terrified as soon as she recognises the sender, because she knows what it will contain:

"A bomb. The kind that explodes without making a sound. The kind that destroys."

After all, she has been in that situation many times before, summoned by her famous author mother Frances Ashley, the one person who can cause Meg’s knees to shake and toes to go numb as soon as she hears her name uttered. After three years of running away, Frances has tracked her down, and she knows there will be no escape.

I absolutely loved Meg’s voice, and she gripped me pretty much right from the start. It is obvious that this girl has led a troubled life in the shadow of her overbearing mother and Frances’ famous novel Kitten, which has given them both the means to live a life of carefree luxury – at a cost. Based on the true murder of a little girl when the author was only nineteen, the book propelled her into overnight stardom in the 1970’s and influenced many of Meg’s childhood experiences, including her troubled relationship with her mother.

"We needed each other – possibly even loved each other in some strange, flawed way – but it didn’t matter. We were doomed to destroy each other."

Angry and bitter over the latest betrayal by her narcissist parent, Meg sees an opportunity to get even and lay her childhood demons to rest when she is offered to write a tell-all story of her troubled childhood to be published at the 40-year anniversary of her mother’s cult classic. A book which Meg has never even read, perhaps as one of her futile battles of will with her mother. Visiting the small island on which the original murder took place, Meg finds that all may not be as straightforward as first believed. What is fiction, and what is truth? Little does she realise that by digging for the answers to that question, she may be putting herself in danger.

Carpenter writes a great story, and I loved the clever way in which she intersperses the present with passages out of Frances Ashley’s book “Kitten”, which added a spooky, gothic quality to the story. I could fully understand the (fictional) hype surrounding this book within the book, as I would have loved to devour Kitten myself and buy into the whodunit aspect of the story. As it was, the story of Kitten is slowly being unravelled at the same time as the present time mystery. It all tied in so seamlessly that I was absolutely spellbound and loathe to put the book down, even when the clock struck 2 a.m. and I knew I had to work the next day (apologies to my colleagues who had to deal with my book hangover!). And boy – there was certainly a lot of suspense! The plot, the setting, the characters –all were unique and interesting. I am raving, I know, but after reading a few quite uninspiring mysteries I can appreciate a gem when I find it. The author certainly knows how to create atmosphere, and she does so with seemingly innocent scenes, highlighting details that highlight the dark and sinister undertones in even the most mundane encounter. The island, the big spooky mansion, the wild horses and the island’s inhabitants all have their part to play in a mystery that soon took on a whole momentum of its own – and nothing good could possibly come out of it!

Perhaps the only tiniest misgiving I had with the book was related to the ending – not because it wasn’t good, or twisty, or surprising, but because it read like a runaway train clattering crazily into the distance. There was so much going on! I felt as if the author tried to pack in as many twists and turns at the very last minute until my head was spinning. Who, what, why, how???? I think that a simpler explanation would have equally well for me in this case, as the Kitten story alone added so much depth and mystery that it didn’t need anything else to make this book great. If anything, it distracted from the brilliant atmosphere the author had created by including excerpts from Kitten (and from the final bombshell in Chapter 20 of Kitten). But this is a minor quibble, and I am sure that many readers will enjoy the frantic pace. Perhaps I should re-read it in broad daylight, when my brain is still working at capacity, to fully appreciate how neatly all the twists tie in at the end.

The Weight of Lies is a tense, atmospheric and multi-layered mystery with a Gothic feel, and the added bonus of being two books in one! To be totally honest, I was wishing for a copy of Kitten in my sweaty little palms, and am sure I would have been one of its followers, caught up in the vibe. I am grateful to the Goodreads community for putting me onto this great read. If you are looking for a slightly disturbing, well-crafted and twisty mystery, don’t look any further! Highly recommended.

A great read! I thoroughly enjoyed this book, absolutely could not put it down. Good character development and plot twists and suspense and thrills, with a touch of horror and romance. It would have gotten 5 stars if the last 20% of the book hadn't been so predictable and I really didn't think the excerpts from "Kitten" added all that much until the last third of the book or so.

I really enjoyed the book within the book here with The Weight of Lies and found this be an interesting, engaging, and entertaining read. A mystery from the past is interwoven with excerpts from a horror novel, revealing the stories in parallel timing adding suspense and tension to the story. There is some family drama, complicated relationships, hidden lies, unexpected truths with plenty of twists and turns that kept me interested in this unique story right to the end.

The story is told from the perspective of resentful and neglected Meg who is estranged from her Mother who has written a famous novel that has many cult followers. At first to spite her mother Meg agrees to write her own novel based on her Mother and her relationship with her. Revenge turns dangerous as she is drawn into the mystery of the past that is based on her Mother’s novel “Kitten” Meg goes on a truth seeking mission to uncover the truth behind Kitten. As she digs up the past, things start to get dark and creepy as she uncovers lies, and begins to question who she can trust and not trust.

I loved the southern gothic feel here with the isolated island and the old mansion turned hotel that added to the creepiness and danger to the story. I highly recommend for thriller lovers who might like to change things up with a little drama to the story.

Thank you NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and Emily Carpenter for a copy to read and review.

I saw several rave reviews on The Weight of Lies and knew that I had to read it. While I did like the story, it ended up falling a little short of my expectations.

I liked the concept of the story. Any time a book or movie centers around a writer, I’m in. I am also a sucker for cold case mysteries. I had many theories about what really happened and kept changing my mind from chapter to chapter. Carpenter really did a good job of keeping me guessing and ultimately surprising me with an unexpected twist. I also really enjoyed the excerpts from the book that was inspired by the mystery Megan is looking into. It paralleled the story really well and I thought it was a really clever narrative device.

While it started off a little slow, it did eventually suck me in once we got further into the story. The island – and some of it’s inhabitants – was pretty creepy and I really felt Megan’s paranoia. I liked Megan, but she frustrated me often. For being as paranoid as she was, you would think she’d be a little smarter. I kept wondering why she wouldn’t password protect her computer. Or how inner monologue would go on and on about how certain people were liars and untrustworthy, but she just kept trusting them anyways.

Overall, I enjoyed The Weight of Lies, but it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. The mystery played out to it’s conclusion well, but I thought the actual ending of the book was pretty anti-climactic. I think I was expecting a more horror-inspired ending and was kind of disappointed it didn’t go that route. Also, while there is some good psychological suspense, I was expecting more. It was still a well-done, enjoyable book, though, and I think fans of the genre will like it.

Overall Rating (out of 5): 3.5 Stars

I started this book in late afternoon and read into the wee hours because I HAD to know who the villain was. A one sitting read is rare for me but I could not stop! Emily Carpenter's latest novel was unputdownable. I didn't stop reading until "The End"...at THREE AM! I was engrossed, anxious, and dying to know who did what and why.

The Weight of Lies is a complex and layered psychological thriller that is sprinkled with twists, numerous culprits, an eerie setting and a mystery that is slowly revealed to the reader. And don't forget the cool cover picture.

Ohhhh ya, this is a great read.

The story is told via alternating chapters which is a common enough story-telling method but instead of two characters telling the story, half of the chapters are excerpts from Kitten, the cult classic novel that launched the career of Frances Ashley 40 years ago, and the other half are from the perspective of Meg, Frances' daughter. With their tempestuous relationship, there is no love lost between mother and daughter so Meg decides to dig into her mother's past to write a tell-all book and uncover the truth behind Kitten. Are the rumours that the book was based on a real-life murder true? If so, how/why was her mother involved?

In many suspense reads you'll have several culprits with two or three that have any real possibility of being the 'baddie'. But The Weight of Lies had so many twists and potential villains that I kept changing my mind about who was taunting Meg and what really happened on Bonny Island all those years ago. The characters, generally speaking, weren't an overly likable bunch (especially Meg and Frances) and had baggage (with a capital B). But my lack of warmth towards them, surprisingly, didn't bother me and only added to that eerie feel.

The story is set on Bonny Island, a small island off the coast of Georgia, which is as beautiful as it is creepy. Sure, it's a pretty setting filled with beaches, forest and wild horses. But there's another side to Bonny Island - it's got a creepy, insular, lonely, Southern Gothic feel to it which is a great backdrop for the twist-filled ride filled with family secrets, lies, omissions, tumultuous parent-child relationships and even a wee bit of romance.

This book is an excellent summer pick and checks off a lot of the 'great read' boxes. It's an atmospheric, chilling read that will keep readers on their toes and have them changing their theories about who is lying and who is telling the truth.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Lake Union Publishing for providing me with a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

Fantastic! Thanks to Lake Union and NetGalley for the ARC. I was in a total reading slump, unable to finish anything until I picked this up. I didn't know anything about this author and I think a positive Kirkus Review led me to the title. I'm so glad. I enjoy plot-driven works and this fit the bill., keeping me spinning and guessing until the end. And I was surprised. The author was or is a screenwriter, I believe, which shows in the pacing which added to my enjoyment of the novel. Definitely pick this up for your summer reading lists.