I really enjoyed this book and I read it over 2 days as I just needed to know what had happened to Beth.

The Darkest Lies is an engrossing page turner, it's every mother's worst & most terrifying nightmare for a child to go missing.. This is a book that made me think as it could happen to anyone, I really did feel for Melanie.

It is so well written that it makes you feel like they are real people, that this is a true story written from the various individuals perspectives. I was gripped to the book.
This is the first book I have read by Barbara Copperthwaite and I certainly hope to read more of her books like this.

Thank you!

This is the first book I've read by Barbara Copperthwaite but will definitely check out another thriller by her. I loved how this story was told even though I see some readers that didn't. The mother, Melanie, is telling the story to her daughter, Beth. Beth has been attacked and we see how things are developed through what Mel is telling her. We also see what happened to Beth through snippets through her eyes. Melanie is grieving and feels the police aren't doing enough to find the attacker so she starts investigating on her own. Since she's not completely stable because of her grief, she's seems to be attacking everyone in the village with her accusations. She is a little naive in who she trusts but when you aren't thinking clearly, I can see where mistakes could be made. I enjoyed this mystery. It kept me hooked from the beginning, I loved the writing style, and I couldn't wait for everything to come together.

**Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

<i>The Darkest Lies</i> mostly alternates between a third-person narration of what happened to Beth, a second-person account of her mother's thoughts in the form of a journal to her daughter, and a mysterious third party with an obviously very nasty agenda. The book started well enough for me as I liked Beth's character and even though her family seemed perfect, as well as her relationship to them, I found it believable. As events progressed, I could feel her mother's anguish and found myself immersed in the story.

As Melanie begins asking around I was hesitant because at first people seemed to be telling the truth but it was just not possible to hit so many dead ends in a town where everyone seems to know other people, so the suspense definitely built up as Melanie realised some were hiding something but she didn't know what.

However, after a while the book began dragging and found myself progressively annoyed at Melanie's constant bad decisions and obliviousness at some hints that seemed obvious to me and she would either not realise or choose not to follow up on. I found her hero complex was just plain arrogance in disguise and her assumption that the police was doing nothing just because they could not share details of the investigation was frankly quite irritating. At some point I just couldn't wait for all the red herrings to be put out of the way and to find out something tangible, but unfortunately all that was saved for the last few chapters.

I find that when books advertise a big twisty plot I can't wait to get to it and end up not enjoying the journey much at all. From what I read in other reviews, other readers feel the same way. I did try not to let it affect me but, even though I enjoyed reading some descriptions, as well as watching Melanie realise that there was so much she didn't know about her daughter, not to mention Beth's own issues keeping other people's secrets, the fact is I got more and more annoyed with Melanie, and by the time I got to half the book (which by the way took me a week) I could not stand her. On the other hand, Jacob's character was just so hollow, which was a shame because he could have brought some balance to the book.

Things did get more interesteding in the last third of the book. I have to say what happened to Beth was an utter surprise and I did not see it coming but I could not say the same about the other major revelation. As the author goes through everything I had realised long before (even though the way things were said back then were not that accurate to throw the read off) and was so miffed that Melanie didn't at the time, once again I felt my attention drift and the urge to skim through the text became difficult to resist.

Also, it felt so pointless. Just a plot device for a book that wants to take on too much and show why the main character would devolve like that but it just felt like filler.
In the end, even though there were quite a few good things about <i>The Darkest Lies</i>, I found the build-up tepid and that the subplot contributed in a negative manner to the story, which made me finish the book with a bittersweet feeling.


<i>Disclaimer: I would like to thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.</i>

I found The Darkest Lies to be intriguing throughout, even though I thought I knew whodunit from the start. Barbara Copperthwaite crafts her writing so that the reader doesn’t know which way to turn – who to trust, who is covering whose back and who is telling the darkest lies. I found the first half much slower than the second, but I think this is so we are gradually drawn in, getting to know each member of the village and where we think their loyalties lie. I enjoyed the way that Beth’s chapters (the injured girl) are spread out initially, but get more and more frequent as the book goes on. It’s very difficult to write much more because of the risk of spoilers. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can’t wait until Barbara brings out her next one.

Melanie Oak lives in a rural village with her husband Jacob, their teenage daughter Beth and dog Wiggins. They have a perfect life until one day, the unimaginable happens, Beth goes missing and is found, barely alive on the nearby marshes.

Living in such a tight-knit community, Melanie is convinced that someone must know who did this or at least saw something but no-one has anything helpful to tell the police. Feeling frustrated with the way the police investigation is going she takes it upon herself to question everyone and it doesn't take her long to start pointing the finger of suspicion at a number of locals.

Consumed with guilt and grief Melanie is doing more harm than good and then and old childhood friend returns to the village, but despite his help her life is still spiralling out of control.

The Darkest Lies is an engrossing thriller that had me racing through its short, snappy chapters. The chapters are divided into three narratives, Melanie and Beth are two but it was the third, sporadic one that gave me chills, as they were describing their disturbing thoughts and acts.

Following Melanie as she desperately tries to find out who is responsible for harming her daughter in such an horrific way and the visits to Beth's bedside makes for harrowing reading at times but it makes for compelling reading. Just when I thought I had a handle on who had done it another new piece of information was revealed that quickly proved that my suspicions were completely wrong!

This is a truly superbly written book with a impressive plot and an ending that I defy anyone to see coming!

If you're looking for a compelling psychological thriller then look no further than The Darkest Lies, I loved it to bits and whole again and I'm sure you will too.

Thirteen year old Beth goes missing and is found beaten almost to the point of death, her broken body lying in a freezing creek on the marshes near their home . Her mother Melanie tries to piece together what happened to Beth, she discovers that her innocent teenager has been harbouring some secrets of her own.

Although there was a lot I did enjoy about this book, I enjoyed the storyline and it did keep me wanting to read further, but although I could sympathise with Melanie (as a mother, how could I not) but I just could not fully relate to her and I also did not like her narration and found it a bit strange to follow.

I have been wanting to read this authors books for some time and look forward to reading some more, I did enjoy the story, just some niggly bits that were not for me.

First I have to address something that I knew threw some readers off: we are privy to the main characters every thought, but they're worded like she's speaking to her daughter the entire time. For some, this will make it easier to connect with her. For me, it was just a little awkward. It didn't ruin the book at all, but I may have a higher opinion of it without that.

Some parts were a little predictable, but there were many that I wasn't expecting. Often when I don't expect a twist, I don't buy it. This book made me buy it though. I also really appreciated the ending, and think the author made some bold choices in the last few chapters of the book. That certainly helped make up for the awkward phrasing for me.

Only thirteen, Beth has big plans for the night. Her loving parents think she's off to a sleepover with her BFF, but that's not where she's headed. Melanie and Jacob panic when they realize their bright and beautiful daughter is no where to be found. Even though it seems like forever to them, it's not long before Beth is discovered. She's been badly beaten and barely alive, in a coma and unable to give any clues about what happened to her.

Melanie becomes a woman obsessed. She's convinced the police aren't doing enough to find the culprit. If she can't make her little girl wake up, she'll damn sure find out who hurt her. She follows every lead and alienates friends and even her own husband. In the small village, everyone is a suspect... even people she's known for years. Beth is a smart girl, she wouldn't go off with just anyone... would she?

Chapters come mostly from the mother's perspective, but we slowly get details about the night Beth disappeared and brief but disturbing glimpses into the mind of an unknown killer.

I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley and Bookouture, thank you! My review is honest and unbiased.

Well there was a lot going on with this book, and a long list of characters.I had to keep my wits about me as best I could to keep up.I guess the main character was Melanie the Mum in the story and she was both fastidious in her search for the truth and a little annoying at times but maybe understandably so,this was indeed a twisty tale, no spoilers from me but I couldn't guess the outcome.I would say it was well worth a read if you enjoy psychological thrillers then you should enjoy this

I absolutely loved the storyline of The Darkest Lies, the suspense and unknowing made the whole book so consuming and utterly unputdownable!! The only issue I had was I really struggled to form a relationship with the protagonist, Melanie, I really didn’t like her and found her quite irritating! She just came across so crazy and frantic as she ran around the village accusing every resident of something different every two minutes! I mean, I fully understand she was going through hell and trying to find out what happened to her daughter but it just made me want to scream ‘CALM DOWN WOMAN’ at her all the time and to leave the investigation to the police, as she was told numerous times!!!
Throughout the book I really truly believed I knew exactly what was going on and the idea that Melanie’s new friend was responsible for Beth’s hospitalization made me ridiculously tense!! There were so many clues dropped throughout the book which made me think I knew the direction it was heading! But wow, I was wrong! The twists in this book were fantastic and I definitely didn’t see them coming!
I particularly loved how I thought I’d reached the end of the novel and then it suddenly switched directions and the pace quickened once more and led to even more twists and turns as the story plunged deeper!! I felt like I got the ending I wanted which is very satisfying for a reader!
Overall The Darkest Lies was a very addictive thriller which grasped my attention until the very end, despite the tiresome mother! After reading this I also felt relieved that I don’t live in a close-knit community where everybody knows each other’s business and secrets are kept! Super excited to read more by this wonderful author!

This was a real page turner- drawing you into it's pages and refusing to let you go to sleep. Just one more page- I can't leave them here!!!!!!! A really chilling book centred around every parents nightmare. A 13 year old girl goes missing and no one in the village seems to have seen anything- but Melanie begins to suspect that everyone is hiding something.

We hear from Melanie, Beth the daughter and an unidentified monster who is really frightening. Melanie begins to wonder if she knew her daughter when a little pink notebook reveals some teenage secrets. Melanie is worried that the police aren't doing enough and decides to investigate despite being told that she must leave the investigation to the police. She is also horrified that the media seems to be ignoring them.

You are left wondering who might be responsible and who the chilling narrator is and what is in store next.

I really didn't want to put this book down and was desperate to find all the answers. I loved the way that things were leaked and revealed and you could feel the pain of Melanie's parents and the different ways that they were dealing with it.

Well, this was a book that started with a bang and didn't let up until right at the end, and beyond!
One night, Melanie is walking her daughter, Beth, to her friends house for a sleepover and she allows her to travel the last bit alone. A decision that comes back to haunt her as next morning Beth fails to come home, and what's more important is that she didn't stay with her friend. A search is undertaken, the police get involved and soon, Beth's beaten, broken and near dead body is found. The police action steps up. Who could have done this heinous thing to her? And why?
Disappointed with the apparent lack of progress by the police, Melanie turns investigator as she tries to come to terms with what has happened. Determined to get to the bottom of things, she takes it into her own hands. Will her antics help find out what happened or is she just muddying the waters?
Blooming heck. This book packed a punch and no mistake. Following both the official investigation as well as Melanie's own attempts to get to the truth, we hear from Melanie, talking directly to Beth, and follow her as she talks to all and sundry about what they know. We also hear from Beth, drip feeding her account of her own movements up to the incident. Then we also hear from an unknown voice...
Short, punchy chapters add to the frenetic pace of this thrilling ride. Add into the mix, secrets and lies from many of the supporting cast and, boy, I got quite dizzy trying to work it all out. And then, the climax, when we find out what happened to Beth, oh my! I never thought that in a month of Sundays. And when it happened, well, gob-smacked just doesn't cover it. But it doesn't just end there...
Ok so Melanie drove me nuts on occasion with her vigilante attitude and some of the things she did but then again, she's just a frustrated mum, trying to do her best for her daughter. Who am I to say what I'd do in that situation. There's no rule book for how to act when your little girl gets hurt. She was a little easily led though, but let's face it, she was somewhat vulnerable. Certain other characters initially yanked my chain a little too with the stuff they were hiding from others, their motivations and actions, but as the bigger picture was exposed, as the truth eventually came to light, the facades dropped and the reasons became much more plausible. I guess you could deduce from that that the plot was exceptionally well done and also very tight. If I am honest, and I have to be, I'd say that it possibly had a few too many suspects - the whole village it felt like - and was maybe a wee bit busy at times and with characters that were, on the whole quite horrid.
So, yes, the book did have a few cons for me, but the pros far outweighed them so I have granted it the full five stars, rounding up from 4 1/2 as it did keep my attention throughout and left me completely satisfied.

My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

Barbara Copperthwaite's Flowers for the Dead was one of my top reads in 2015 when she achieved what you'd think would be impossible and created a serial killer the reader can feel sorry for. I have to say that I did not have the same kind of sympathy for the culprit in this novel!

Melanie and Jacob face what must be every parent's nightmare when their 13 year old daughter is found badly beaten and close to death on the marshes near their home. As the police begin to investigate, it soon becomes clear that Beth had been keeping secrets from her parents. With Beth lying in a coma and the police seemingly making no progress in the investigation into what happened, Melanie takes matters into her own hands and begins to try to find her daughter's attacker herself.

The Darkest Lies is mostly told from the point of view of Melanie in the aftermath of the attack. It is hard not to feel sympathy for her as she becomes increasingly frustrated with what she sees as the lack of progress in the police investigation. She is convinced that in the small community, someone must know what happened to her daughter and has been telling lies. As the story progressed, it seemed that almost everyone had secrets and was lying, including Melanie and Jacob. As Melanie uncovered many possible leads, many of the residents seemed to potentially have been involved in some way. Some of the decisions she made as she became convinced of first one, then another person's involvement were so bad and put her at such risk that I was almost despairing. Although when the police didn't seem to be listening to her, I could understand her frustration.

The book is written with short chapters which made it a really fast-paced compulsive read for me. The story kept changing perspective just at the point when I NEEDED to know more, particularly in the later chapters. Interspersing Melanie's account and chapters from Beth's point of view in the lead up to the attack, were chapters from the perpetrator. These made for rather unpleasant and uncomfortable reading as they described the thrill that person got from killing animals and wanting to kill children. I had guessed (for once!) who the person behind these chapters was but that didn't spoil my enjoyment of the book at all. And although I had guessed that part, Barbara Copperthwaite had plenty surprises and twists that I certainly hadn't expected!

The Darkest Lies is a real page-turner of a read, full of dark secrets and lies. I found it unexpectedly emotional in places and a very compelling read. It's a fast-paced thriller with plenty to keep the reader hooked right up until the final very dramatic chapters.

This book is billed as a completely gripping psychological thriller with a twist you won’t see coming and I have to fully agree!  I spend around 80% of the book being certain I knew who was responsible and what had happened only to turn the next page and start to doubt myself - the ending was superb and I almost felt myself reeling when I'd finished the book...  and that for me makes a book an excellent read!!  I loved the slow build up of the story and the pace, a creepy book at times that was full of suspense - loved it, 5 stars!!!  The book was released today so you can grab your copy now!!!

I’m a huge fan of Barbara Copperthwaites previous books, especially Flowers For The Dead, so I was delighted when she signed with the publisher Bookouture and I have been waiting patiently for her first book with them. Thankfully, I have been rewarded for my patience with The Darkest Lies- a darkly addictive and creepy page turner that had me on the edge of my seat. And it came with one of the most perfect covers I have seen this year so far!

I have always loved thrillers that centre around family dilemmas but The Darkest Lies took my emotions and wrung them dry very quickly indeed! I connected straight away with the character of Melanie when her daughter Beth goes missing. So from the very start I became immersed in her search for first her daughter and then her daughter’s attacker. I think it was the way that she spoke to Beth as if she was right there beside her, trying to keep their relationship and memories alive whilst realising that the daughter she though she knew had been keeping secrets from her. By using that style of narrative, Barbara absolutely nailed it with her portrayal of a grief stricken mother trying to reconcile the daughter she knew with the teenage girl who has started to lead her own life away from her family’s influences. It can be a difficult time for parents when their little girls are so desperate to grow up that the acceptance of their peers becomes more important to them than their parents. But they need to test their wings before they fly and sometimes this involves secrets, lies and putting themselves into situations without thinking about the dangers they could face. Whilst reading this, the fears I went through as a parent to 3 teenage girls all came flooding back, remembering the nights lying awake and unable to sleep until they were all safely tucked up in my nest once more.

This was so beautifully written, realistically full of emotion but with an unexpected darkness and a fascinating twist to the tale! The last few chapters were breathtakingly shocking with developments I hadn’t been expecting and the final pages were absolutely brilliant, leaving me with goosebumps!

I can highly recommend The Darkest Lies for an engrossing, tension filled thriller that will tug at your heartstrings and leave you emotionally drained. I loved every minute of it.

This is a difficult review to write, so let me start out by saying I loved the story... It kept me engaged throughout the entire book, I couldn't wait to see what happened next and even though I had guessed the who the "bad guy" was at 51%, imagine my surprise when I realized I tied that "bad guy" to the wrong "bad thing".

The first line of the book description is pretty accurate. "A mother desperate for the truth. A daughter hiding a terrible secret."

Thirteen year old Beth disappears on a Friday night after her mother Melanie delivers her to the doorstep of her best friend's house for a sleepover. She is found barely alive in a local marsh the next day. Feeling as though the police aren't putting enough effort into finding Beth's attacker, Melanie takes matters into her own hands and launches an amateur investigation of her own.

Despite the engaging story, there were quite a few things that I found annoying.

- I just didn't really like any of the characters. Even as a mother, myself... I couldn't relate to Melanie at all. I know she was in pain because her daughter was near death and in a coma, but I still found her annoying and I felt bad about it.

- There was one major inconsistency that bothered me. Melanie kept willing Beth to wake up from her coma, however, her coma was medically induced after surgery in an effort to control bleeding and swelling in the brain. I cringed every time she silently begged her to wake up.

- I wasn't a fan of Melanie's narrative. There were some parts where she was addressing Beth, but there were other parts that just weren't things you would say to your thirteen year old daughter. So it seemed to bounce between talking to her daughter and telling a story to us, the readers. Either one would have been fine, but drifting in and out of either/or without a clear line between the two was frustrating to me.

- Mind reading. "Glenn's eyes stayed on me all the way out of the door, silently wishing me luck." (spoiler: At that point I already knew that Glenn was a bad guy... I highly doubt he was wishing her luck...). How does she know that's what he's thinking? It's one thing if the author is the narrator telling the story from a universal point of view, but when the narrative is coming directly from a character - mind reading is annoying to me.

All in all, I still give this a 3.5 stars out of 5 because I stayed engaged and enjoyed the story line. I did see that the Barbara Copperthwaite has 2 other books out and I am going to give them a try because she is obviously very good at creating engaging stories.

Thank you to Barbara Copperthwaite, Bookouture, and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of this book.

The Darkest Lies by Barbara Copperthwaite.
OMG hell's bells what a read. I was shocked. Melanie walked her daughter Beth to her best friends Chloes house. But what she didn't know was that Beth has lied to her and is sneaking or somewhere. In the morning Melanie phones Chloes mum Ursula to see if Beth wants to go shopping with her. But she's not there. Melainie is in a panic.... Someone has abducted her daughter. This was an absolutely fantastic read with brilliant characters. It was like I was on a rollercoaster ride. There was so many suspects. I was gripped from start to finish. Even read it at the bus stop and on the bus. Just couldn't put it down. This is a must read and I would highly recommend this book. Definitely worth more than 5*. Netgalley and bookouture.

You know that age in every teenager’s life where they start to become a little bit rebellious? Telling little white lies, sneaking out, hanging out with crowds they know the family wouldn’t approve of? It can be a scary time for parents, who knows who’s out there? The Darkest Lies is every parent’s worst nightmare and follows a mother who finds her world shattered when her daughter goes missing.

I’m going to come right out and say that this book was frustrating for me. The synopsis really caught my eye and the idea for the plot is intriguing. Unfortunately, issues with the protagonist as well as a shaky and highly predictable plot made for a mediocre experience.

The narration in this book was a little bit weird and I had a hard time getting used to it. It is primarily told using first person point of view though switches regularly to second person as Melanie speaks directly to Beth in her inner monologue. It was just uncomfortable to read.

What’s so bad about first person point of view? See the issue for me with first person narration is that it’s easy to end up alienating readers if it’s difficult to relate to the narrator, and boy did I dislike Melanie. To be blunt, she was really annoying. She was self-centered, mean-spirited, often blinded by her own hubris, and near the end has a bit of a messiah complex going which I found completely ridiculous. She was constantly complaining about the police’s incompetence, throwing herself in the way of the investigation despite being asked multiple times to back off before she could destroy their leads. “I couldn’t go home. I was too furious, too desperate to prove I was right and the police were wrong.”

I get it, she’s consumed with guilt and grief over what happened to her daughter, over not being able to protect her. Desperate people tend to lash out and do stupid things, but I just couldn’t believe anyone would be so foolish. Melanie’s antics do lead up to something important in the plot, but honestly she didn’t need any help making a fool of herself. Before all the crazy came out she was constantly breaking down every female character she encountered, often focusing in on their looks and finding ways to insult them. Neighbors, police officers working on the case, teenagers, it didn’t matter. There are numerous examples of Melanie exhibiting this jealous personality throughout the course of the book.

She spends more time going on drunken rampages pointing fingers at everyone in town, harassing the police, treating her husband like garbage while emotionally cheating with a friend, and avoiding actually seeing and being there for her daughter. While her awful actions over the course of the book is an important aspect of the plot, I just couldn’t justify it because she never learns and remains stubborn even after being told off multiple times. Add on top how stereotypically reckless she acts at the end instead of seeking help from the police because of course she doesn’t need them and I just couldn’t dig the story.

I liked the central idea around the dangers of teens sneaking out and trusting strangers, but the story meandered so much it kind of gets lost in Melanie’s mental collapse and crazed search for the culprit. The plot attempts to use some misdirection to keep the reader guessing but the construction was just sloppy, and the actual culprit isn’t even the character that Melanie cares about the most. Every “bad” character is so blatantly obvious that the advertised twist is really easy to see. I kept on reading because I wanted to know the how and the why. I think there was potential here, and if the author wanted to stick to the narrative that Mel is actually really nice and is just being manipulated then why does she remain every bit as petty and controlling? She is still unable to see past her own emotions and unable to learn from her mistakes. I wished that this could’ve ended with more character growth for the main character.

I have read one of the authors books before and enjoyed if, but this one was a stretch and the wordiness of it turned me off.

The Darkest Lies just sounded too good to ignore and I can now say this story definitely didn't disappoint. What at first glance looked like another missing girl/brutal attack case, turned out to be so much more than that. Nothing and nobody is as it seems and you will find yourself shocked as you slowly start finding out what really happened to Beth that night and what secrets she was hiding. The ending was definitely a huge surprise! I did see some things coming and had my suspicions, but overall the plot twists were more than satisfactory. The writing style is enjoyable to read and adds to the whole suspense and mystery around what happened to Beth. I really liked the setting as well and the important role the marsh played in the story. I did have mixed thoughts about some of the main characters in The Darkest Lies and I'm still not sure if I liked some of them, but this mostly didn't distract from the story itself. I did wonder about Melanie's reaction to what she saw Jacob do with her own eyes... And I found her a bit naive in general. But it really easy to forget about that with so many plot twists to keep you busy. If you like suspenseful reads that will surprise you, you are in for a treat. Because you won't believe what really happened the night Beth went missing... And the web of lies and secrets that has been cast over the small town. Recommended!

A real great edge of the seat book full of twists and turns, another fantastic book by this author.