Many comparisons will be drawn between this book and Gone Girl, but Ellison takes the "wife disappeared" trope to a new, exciting level in this novel. Readers will truly be puzzled as to Sutton's whereabouts as the tale progresses, and each twist seems to indicate a different person had a hand in the events, which builds tension throughout. The book rapidly moves toward an astonishing and satisfying ending that makes for a fantastic reading experience.

Famous authors Sutton and Ethan Montclair seem to have a perfect life. When their infant son dies from SIDS, they are thrown into a tailspin and it seems they might not recover. One day, Ethan wakes up to find Sutton gone and all of her belongings still at home. A note from Sutton tells him that she needs time away, not to try to find her. As the days pass with no word from Sutton, Ethan decides to contact the authorities. This sets in motion an investigation that leads to some very surprising turns of event, and many secrets and lies begin to surface.

I loved reading this book. I love J.T. Ellison's writing, and this mystery was just so fantastic. With the beginning, the bit about not liking the current narrator and the dead body, well, I just had to know where things would go from there!

The fact that Sutton left without her wallet was a bit suspicious. The question was if she was doing a Gone Girl kind of thing, or if Ethan killed her. And a vague notion that maybe it was innocent, and something went wrong. But I just had to know what happened! In the now with Sutton's disappearance, and in the past, with their son.

All and all, Ethan and Sutton weren't the most likable characters, this is a mystery thriller, and they're human, and they definitely had flaws. It was just a matter of if any of those flaws made them a criminal. But when we had that climax and things came together, well, I really enjoyed how it turned out!

But that last scene? Oh, man, secrets and mysteries right up until the very last page! That last twist was exquisite, and just really elevated this book! I mean, to keep that secret, even when lives were at stake-I mean, to a mentally unstable person, but still-took guts!

Loved reading this book, it was just such a fantastic read!

Sutton Montclair leaves a note for her husband saying she needs time away and not to look for her. She has left behind her purse a cell phone. Sutton and her husband Ethan have been pulling away from each other for a long time. They had a child who died of SIDS. Ethan is afraid if he calls the police he will be the first suspect, but he is also afraid from the tone of the note she left that Sutton may have planned to harm herself.

This is a psychological suspense with all sorts of twists and surprises for the reader. I didn't like most of the characters, which might have been the authors intent. Ethan in particular was not a sympathetic character. The dislike I had for the characters is my reason for the 3* rating. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

I really enjoyed this more than I thought I would! There have been so many domestic thrillers making the rounds lately that the storylines are getting a bit overused, but Lie to Me had some nice twists! You're reading along, forming opinions of what's going on, then then the next section does a complete turnaround. I also liked that the "what", the "who" and the "why" were revealed at separate times. This added a nice element of suspense and the full story didn't come out all at once.

Wow, another great one by Ellison. Couldn't wait to figure out where this one was heading. Couldn't put it down.

4.5 stars! I LOVED this book and recommend it to everyone! I’ve always enjoyed domestic thrillers and this one made my top ten reads of 2017. Lie To Me is full of secrets, lies, and so many twists! I highly recommend this to all thriller lovers. Get a copy! You won’t want to put it down.

Thank you NetGalley, J.T. Ellison, and Harlequin for the opportunity to read Lie To Me. It was my pleasure to write an honest review.

This type of thriller really gets my interest peaked,nothing like being a fly on the wall in a couples marriage. I enjoyed Gone Girl, which this book has been compared to so I knew I would enjoy this too. Twists galore and I really enjoyed the way it was told from the perspective of both the wife and husband. It showed a dysfuncional realtionship with one of the most dysfunctional couples I have ever come across, I really enjoyed it and was not disappointed, a good page turner!

JT Ellison is one of the best writers of our time, and this book was beyond phenomenal. I was guessing the whole way through and couldn't believe the ending because it was nothing that I ever expected. But he ride all the way to the end was so worth it!

I read this as a buddy read and was so glad when I did because I was able to ask questions along the way and see what my buddy thought along the way! Which gave me a fresh perspective about the events and what was happening!

JT is definitely an auto-buy author for me and this just reinforces why I love her writing!

None of it was adding up. It was like trying to solve a puzzle whose pieces came from different boxes.

A wife disappears leaving just a note not to look for her. A husband is beside himself. He knows it looks bad. A newby detective that believes there is something more.

Sutton and Ethan Montclair's have it all. Each successful authors and each with secrets. A build up of secrets that come unraveled and a marriage that becomes exposed. When Sutton disappears, Ethan must find his wife before he is charged for any wrong doing. With Sutton's friends pointing fingers and the media at Ethan's door, will he find what happened to his wife.

The narration is starts with a confession. You don't know who is confessing but you know that a plan to destroy lives is taking place. Ethan takes the narration as he describes his marriage and how it fell apart. Sutton takes over as the pieces come together.

Without giving to much away. It reminds me of Gone Girl but with a twist. A baby that mysteriously dies and the reader not knowing the whole story until the very end. A prose that leaves a trail of secrecy, deceit and ultimately a game changer that you don't see coming.

A Special Thank You to Harlequin and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review

Ethan and Sutton Montclair are two fiction writers who lead an outwardly idyllic life in Tennessee: million dollar renovated house, both successful in their writing genres, and both attractive, healthy, and seemingly in love. But when Sutton goes missing and Ethan becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance, their perfectly crafted life cracks and frays under the police and media scrutiny. In the months leading up to her disappearance, their infant son has died of SIDS, Ethan has writers block and has revealed that he had a one night stand affair, and Sutton is having her own professional problems with the fallout from an interaction with a bad review by a blogger went way wrong. It’s no surprise that their marriage is crumbling, and those around them have many things to say.

Told in Ethan’s perspective with flashbacks to Sutton’s, you never know who’s accounts of events to believe. Ethan holds things back from the police right away, and the young, idealistic beat cop Holly Graham doesn’t jump to conclusions and accuse him of murder right away like her colleagues. While Ethan knows that his past affairs and womanizing won’t be seen in a good light, he definitely knows that his rocky marriage as of late to Sutton won’t paint a pretty picture of innocence either–especially since he’s more of an alcoholic and control freak when it came to their marriage than he let’s on. Both of them blame the other for the death of their son, and the crack in their marriage widens even further.

Sutton gets her say too, and her side of the story often conflicts with Ethan’s side. She’s held back a lot of her professional accomplishments from Ethan since he’s always had an air of snobbishness towards her romantic fiction writing. Sutton was careful to only say certain things to specific friends, so when they speak with the police, none of them have a accurate picture of who Sutton is or if she might have gone off on her own–but they all think that Ethan might have harmed her.

My favorite character was Holly Graham. Even though this is her first case where she gets to work as a detective, she’s competent, quite capable, and her gut instincts are spot on. She doesn’t let her coworkers tell her how it is, and I really enjoyed her parts of the book. She follows the case through all of the leads–whether they lead her in the right direction or not–and she’s always thinking ahead to find the end goal. You know from the start of the book that there is a dead body in the woods just waiting to be discovered, but the mystery is exactly who is this person, and Holly won’t rest until she gives this nameless person an identity so she can hunt down the killer.

I give Lie To Me a five out of give. With unreliable narrators, you don’t know who’s telling the truth about many things. I really enjoyed trying to figure out what happened to Sutton and whether or not Ethan had something to do with her disappearance. The tension was heightened with the addition of an unknown person’s point of view, and their short chapters certainly ramped up the sense of danger and the sinister side of the story. J.T. Ellison does a fantastic job of letting you get to intimately know each of the main characters–even if they aren’t that likable. Lie To Me was reminiscent of Gone Girl, and I didn’t want to put the book down.

To the outside world, Sutton and Ethan have the perfect marriage. Two authors, each successful in their own right, who together seem to have it all. But the reality of their marriage is anything but perfect and certainly isn't happy these days. Ethan's latest book deal has been cancelled and their relationship is on the rocks after the death of their child.

And then Ethan wakes one morning to find Sutton gone. All of her things - her purse, her computer, her phone, her clothes - are still there but Sutton is missing. And then Ethan finds the note: she's left him and doesn't want him to try and find her.

Ethan wants to respect her wishes, but he fears something terrible may have happened. And when her friends suggest maybe Sutton didn't leave at all but that Ethan may have done something, Ethan knows he can't sit idly by.

If you're a fan of domestic noir/thrillers, you're going to absolutely love this latest from J.T. Ellison. Love it! There's a definite Gone Girl feel to this one. A missing wife, a suspected husband, the niggling feeling that our narrator can't be trusted... But don't worry, Lie To Me definitely stands on its own.

Ethan, when the story begins, is no perfect hubby. In fact, he's kind of a dick. I say this because in the very first pages he's musing over how he needs a hottie on his arm because he himself is a hottie and Sutton has kind of let herself go of late. What!? But even as Ethan does his damnedest not to endear himself to the reader, it's kind of impossible not to sympathize with him as suspicions turn his way.

And Sutton hasn't helped in that regard. The picture she's painted to those around her definitely doesn't put Ethan in a good light either.

The did he or didn't he would be enough to grab any reader's attention, but there are chapters narrated by someone unknown as well. Someone we're told from the start we're going to hate. Who is this person!?

Lots of interrobangs here, you'll notice. Because this is a book that deserves more than simple question marks and exclamation points. Lie To Me is super good, y'all. The pacing is intense and the story keeps you guessing all the way to the end. If you aren't reading J.T. Ellison yet, this is definitely the perfect place to start.

Lie To Me is excellent all around and one I highly recommend for any thriller fan!

The lies are definitely all over this story. I couldn't tell who was lying and who wasn't between this couple. Then there is someone who you don't know doing some background narration and saying all kinds of things. It was cray, cray. Then when the author lets you in on the narrator of the background . . . YOWZA!! I didn't see that coming.

Cray, cray with lots of action and lots of twists, I definitely enjoyed this one.

Thanks to Harlequin and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

I will admit that it took me a while to get into this book - I started it as an e-book from Netgalley and then ended up downloading the audiobook from Hoopla (free copy from my library) and restarted and finished the book using that modality. It is often easier for me to finish an audiobook since I can multitask (i.e. run, laundry) while reading. Overall, I have to say that I enjoyed this novel. At times, it felt too long and drawn out. Many of the characters (most, in fact!) are toxic and hard to like. There is a lot of foreshadowing to allude the reader to what is going to happen, all while not quite giving us all of the background information. I did appreciate all of the plot twists - some really caught me by surprise (multitasking!) and that made this a 3.5 star read for me.

RATING: 2 STARS
(I received an ARC from the NETGALLEY)
(Review Not on Blog)

This is a bit of Gone Girl rip off. I was not a fan of Gone Girl, but I would rather read Gone Girl again then Lie to Me. There was no suspense in this one and I didn't like the half twists. I am going to leave it at that. I am giving up on Ellison's standalone novels. I am going to try the second book in her Taylor Jackson series as I hate to give up!

Why This Book
I selected Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison, when it was available on NetGalley about 3 months ago, after enjoying a prior book by this author. I'm glad I did as it was very engaging and twisty. I chose it this weekend because I am trying to get to a '0' count on NetGalley TBR books and other ARCs so that I can start 2018 with a clean and fresh slate to choose new reads.

Approach & Style
I read this ~400 page book on my iPad through Kindle Reader over ~5 hours in one day. It is written in third-person POV from a few different character perspectives, including the killer, the husband and the wife. It switches back and forth a few times, but is usually clear and clean when it does.

Plot, Characters & Setting
Ethan and Sutton, both authors jealous of each other's work, have been married for a few years despite fighting a lot. They lost a baby a few years ago and there might have been an affair or two, it's unclear at first. Sutton leaves a note that she needs space and no one should look for her outside their Tennessee hometown; Ethan thinks there is foul play and begins to check with her friends and family. Eventually, he loops in the cops and a full investigation opens. It's difficult to provide anymore details without giving away the plot, but there are tons of twists involving bloggers, reviewers, friends, family and murders in another country. Nothing is as it seems and you never quite know who to trust.

Strengths
The cast of characters is varied and diverse. You get a sense of love and hatred from almost all of them. The sub-plots are nicely woven into the overall story. The drama and suspense are at a good level -- not too over-the-top, not too weak. The writing style is strong and inviting.

Concerns
The two main characters aren't very likable. They both seem to treat each other poorly, which makes readers uncertain about rooting for them. Ultimately, the he said / she said dilemma leaves you thinking at the end that there are a few too many open-ended situations. While some intensity and far-out plot points are necessary to keep the thrills high, there are a few pieces that either fell too short or went a bit too far for me. Not enough to have a problem with the work, but enough to hold it back from being a true stellar read. Overall, it's a typical twisty thrill ride, but because of solid writing and good characters, I'd recommend it to others as a good read.

Author & Other Similar Books
It's very similar to Gone Girl. VERY similar.

Questions & Final Thoughts
I like these types of books. I turn the pages quickly. I get invested. I like the balance between reality and chaos. The author is a good writer. It's a definite recommend from me for a quick weekend read, but it's not the "oh my god you have to read this book" type of situation.

About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I’m Jay, an author who lives in NYC. My debut novel, Watching Glass Shatter, can be purchased on Amazon. I write A LOT. I read A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog, where you'll find the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge – words and humor. You can also find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators.

From my blog

Another great one by my favourite author. The Dr. Samantha Owens series books are my #1 favourite but I enjoyed this standalone also. Nothing is as it seems but this goes with the title Lie to Me. One lie continuous into life and death consequences. What is the lie - you will never figure it all out and the little part you do, HA, nothing to do with what it really is, this was executed well.

The ending is shocking but I really don't think believable but the ultimate retaliation plan gone wrong on so many levels. Betrayal, murder, lies, marriage, friends, relationships and more lies.

Sutton and Ethan are successful writers, but there a marital problems, deciding to have a baby, possibly some abuse and it all becomes to much. Does Sutton leave, get murdered or did she commit suicide? She leaves a note saying do not look for me but Ethan knows something is wrong. The police are unsure who to believe.

Ethan calls his mother in law and all the best friends with worry only to be accused by many on hurting Sutton. There are so many lies and you want to blame someone, but who is to blame. Another exciting part of the book is you hear from a voice, but whose, who are unsure.

"But I also know right from wrong. I know good from evil. I may be compelled to ruin the lives in front of me., but I could walk away if I want. Couldn't I" Kindle 1%

When it comes to lies, everything you read is a clue. Sutton reads this.

"Life is full of confusion. Confusion of love, passion, and romance. Confusion of family and friends. Confusion with life itself. What path we take, what turns we make. How we roll our dice."
Kindle 54%

This is the perfect, who did it book for those that love a good psychological read. There is so much going on something that pulls at your heart, I'm sure you won't figure it all out.

This has been the year of marriage, dark, disturbing relationship reads. I have enjoyed them. Which one was your favourite?

Thanks NetGalley for another amazing read.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy of this great suspense novel.

This book served up plenty of twists and a good side-dish of creepiness in the short chapters told by the twisted character I could NOT guess!

I had about a dozen guesses of how the story would end and I was wrong on all of them.

I looked forward to reading this book every night and thought it was very cleverly written.

They built a life on lies

Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. The couple seems made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.

Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.



* * * * *



LIE TO ME started out as a rather straight forward well written murder mystery but about half way through the book, it turned into so much more. Then it became one of best written crime dramas I have ever had the pleasure of reading.


The pacing is tight and the characters are magnetic even when you are not sure whether they are the good guys or the villains. All the clues fall quite nicely into place. Perhaps a bit too nicely. It sends up having so many false starts and twists that I needed a seat belt for my own safety. I have to warn my readers to not start this book late at night as this is a story that demands to be read in one sitting.



I highly recommend LIE TO ME to any of my readers who enjoy suspense and crime dramas. This is one of the best! There is some sex and violence but nothing too explicit. .



*** I received this book at no charge from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review. All opinions expressed within are my own.

Lie to Me is an intriguing psychological thriller following a marriage that is not quite what it seems. Everything comes to a head when Sutton disappears only leaving behind a note saying not to look for her. Ethan knows something isn't right and calls the police who begin investigating Ethan for Sutton's murder even though there is no body. Prepare for a twisty ride that will keep you on the edge of your seat. If you enjoy thrillers or mysteries, this is a perfect one to check out today!

Sutton and Ethan Montclair seemed to have it all. Two wonderful writing careers, a wonderful marriage, and a beloved baby. Then the baby died, the marriage began to flounder and die, and the careers seemed to self-destruct. Now, Sutton is missing and presumed dead in J.T. Ellison's latest thriller Lie To Me.

Sutton Montclair is or was a well-known and beloved historical romance author. Ethan Montclair is a renowned literary fiction author. They met, fell in love, and promptly got married. They moved to Tennessee, purchased a lovely old Victorian home, and life moved on. The Montclairs were happy until they weren't. Their infant son died from SIDS and their marriage never seemed to recover. Sutton had an apparent breakdown and was subsequently hospitalized for treatment. Ethan had an affair and sought forgiveness. An online author vs. blogger disagreement seemed to have derailed Sutton's career and Ethan has hit a major writing block. Just when it seemed as if their lives were getting back to normal, Sutton disappears without a trace. Ethan contacts the police because he fears for his wife's safety. Sutton's friends are all in fear that Ethan may have harmed Sutton and say so to the police. Then a body is found. All of the evidence that the police have found seem to point to Ethan as the guilty party, but looks can be deceiving...or can they? Is Sutton dead? Did Ethan kill her? Did Ethan abuse Sutton before she left/was murdered? Or is there something more sinister going on and, if so, will the police ever be able to unravel the twisted threads of truth from the secrets and lies?

I read Lie to Me in one sitting folks, okay, it was two sittings but that was only because a migraine caused severe visually disturbances and I couldn't see clearly for a few hours. Regardless, I devoured Lie To Me. Is this a good read? Folks, this was an amazingly good read (okay, it was a great read) and I've read a lot of good and great reads lately. I can't get into too many specifics because it will give away the storyline, but I can tell you the story is told in multiple perspectives including Ethan and Sutton. I can tell you that both Ethan and Sutton are keeping secrets from one another. There's one police officer/detective in the story, Holly Graham, that doesn't take everything at face value and is key in discovering the truth (no, I'm not going to tell you what happens, stop asking!). Since I can't tell you too much about the story, I can tell you that this is an exciting psychological thriller read that features enough twists and turns to induce motion sickness. The primary and secondary characters are realistic and relatable. The storylines are not only plausible but believable. Ms. Ellison is one of my favorite authors and she has crafted another taut thrilling read with Lie to Me. At this point, all I can say is go, grab a copy of Lie to Me to read. You will not be disappointed.