I thoroughly enjoyed J.T. Ellison's latest psychological thriller "Lie To Me".
Nothing is as it seems in this suspense filled mystery about a missing wife (presumed dead) and her husband suspected of her murder.
Told in multiple points of view this well-written and well-plotted novel held me captivated throughout.
An addictive story with many twists and turns and never a dull moment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin/Mira for an arc of this novel in exchange for my honest review.

Authors Ethan and Sutton lived an idyllic life up until the tragic loss of their six month old son. Even though the death was ruled as accidental, each of them blames the other, and their marriage has been tense. Despite trying to get their relationship back on track, Ethan wakes up one day to a note from Sutton stating she's left him and tells him not to look for her. Despite the fact that their relationship has been volatile, Ethan thinks something is wrong - all of Sutton's things are still at home, including her cell phone, clothes, and wallet. 

As the police and the media start to speculate about what happened, Ethan finds himself at the center of the investigation. Did Ethan really have something to do with Sutton's disappearance? Is he being framed? Lie to Me is full of twists that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the thrilling conclusion! 

Lie to Me was told through a few different POVs, including Ethan's, the police officer's, and an anonymous POV that talks directly to the reader, and claims to know what's happened to Sutton in a viscous, spine tingling voice. I thought these POVs worked flawlessly together, and I loved each of them, which is something I can't say about every book that uses multiple POVs. The first half of the book had me absolutely gripped! About halfway through the book, the POVs change, and while I was interested, I started to wonder where the book was going with the POV shift, and I felt that there were parts in the middle that didn't hold my attention as much as the first half did. Luckily, that quickly resolved, and as the puzzle pieces started coming together, I was hooked again. 

This book is full of tons of twists that constantly left me guessing. I had no idea what to think, or who to trust, and I love books that can make me feel this way! Every time I thought I knew where the story was going, J.T. Ellison threw another wrench in the story and I was totally clueless again! The chapters were short - generally 1-3 pages, which made it really easy to tell myself "just one more chapter!" and then end up binge reading it. I absolutely loved the ending of the book, and was a huge fan of how everything came together. 

Lie to Me is a fast paced domestic thriller, that is perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn and B.A. Paris. This was the first book I've read by J.T. Ellison, and I can't wait to read more from her! Overall, I rated this one 4.5 out of 5 stars, largely because there was a part in the middle that I felt was a little slow. That said, I rounded up to 5 stars because of how much I loved the first half and the end of the book! Thank you to Netgalley, J.T. Ellison, and Mira for an advanced copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.

Lie To Me is the newest work from author J.T. Ellison, and admittedly, the first book of hers that I’ve read. Having just finished the book I can tell you that I’ll be looking at her entire backlist for more because holy moly, this book was one hell of an incredible ride. I loved every twist, every turn, every dark moment, on every page.
This is the story of two authors; Sutton and Ethan Montclair. This is the inside of their daily lives, the nitty-gritty moments in their marriage; the tale of the days inside the walls of their home. That all begins, however, after Sutton leaves Ethan. What comes after that moment are carefully laid pieces to a complex past, which involves pain, infidelity, loss, resentment, career struggles, and a disappearing act we are all left to figure out. As the story is unwound, I was questioning every player in this game I had no idea who was ultimately responsible for the state of affairs the Montclair’s were in. Did Ethan kill Sutton? Was she even dead or had she in fact left him? Who was to believe?
We get to figure all of that out, and more, as we follow the detective in charge of getting to the bottom of the mystery, and when all the cards are laid out on the table? Holy. Hell. It was one of the most suspenseful and well executed ending I’ve read. I’m still reeling. Oh, I should probably mention that the ending, while crazy intense, ends up being a happy one so not to worry!
One thing I have to give mention to is a part of this story that had me giggling. If you’ve been in the book world for a few years, you may remember the crazy tale of the blogger who gave a bad review, the author of the poorly reviewed book who showed up at the blogger’s house, and the brouhaha that ensued. That was definitely an instance of the truth being stranger than fiction and a similar scenario plays a part in this book. Loved that it was included!
If you’re looking for an unputdownable book, Lie To Me fits the bill! Thank you, Ms. Ellison, for one helluva read!

I would not call this a page turner, but a slow burning mystery. The author kept me guessing right down to the very end as to what was really going on. Toss in a few twists and this ended up being a very enjoyable read.

ARC from Harlequin, via Netgalley

Oh, goodness. This book has so many twists and turns and pivots I'm not even sure how much I can say about it. Yes, I liked it. No, I couldn't put it down, especially once I got past the 50% mark and things really picked up. No, I wasn't a huge fan of most of the characters (except poor little Dashiell, and probably Holly...) but I also didn't want the antagonist's plans to succeed, because OMG no one deserved the crazy-a$$ plan that individual had in store for them. Yes, I figured out whodunit pretty early on (okay, okay, so I was guessing--but it turned out to be right!), but no, I didn't have a clue what the motivation was or how it was all being put together.

Did I mention twists and turns and pivots? So. Many.

There were a few bits toward the end that gave me pause, and at least one question from earlier that isn't quite answered to my satisfaction--hence the four stars instead of five--but overall this was one heck of a read. My first book from Ms. Ellison, but definitely not my last!

Rating: 4 stars / A-

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

3.5 stars. It took me a little bit of time to get into this one, but midway, things started to twist and turn and pick up. Not the most likeable of characters but it worked well within this storyline. The biggest complaint about this book was the amount of unanswered questions in the end in regards to abuse, the marriage, the baby. I was left with wanting answers but not in anticipation but out of confusion.

Wow what a book
Couldn’t put down
Highly recommend

Another great book from J.T.Ellison. Kept me interested from beginning until the last page. Enough twists to keep the story from being predictable. Highly recommend.

I've been on a mystery/thriller kick lately and Lie To Me did not let me down. The story of Ethan and Sutton is one of a perfect looking life - one of privilege, successful writing careers and the love everyone is jealous of, or so it seemed. Then one day Ethan is blamed for her disappearance, but it's not all it seems. One minute you think he did it, then you don't - the story has you flip flopping the entire time. There are so many facets to their lives and not everything is revealed at first. Ethan doesn't tell the police everything, he hides things that he thinks will make him look guilty (which only makes him look worse).

Honestly, I can see why Sutton could have just disappeared - her life was a hot mess. Her husband had an affair, she got pregnant when she didn't really want children, fell in love with her baby and then lost this little love, had a career meltdown and a stint in the psych ward. Pretty sure I'd want to get away from everything even for a little while. So it's easy to say she just left for some space, but when you realize she left everything behind including wallet, phone, laptop, clothes - something just isn't adding up.

The story is told mostly from Ethan's POV with some flashbacks of Sutton's. The two contradict each other so you never really know for sure what to think. Ethan had an affair, drinks too much and can't write a word lately. Sutton hides things from him as well including her accomplishments in writing and she only lets certain people know details of her life - almost hiding things on purpose. It makes you wonder what she's hiding. There is a third narrator whom is anonymous until the end and adds to the suspense of the story with their bitterness and chilling narration that makes you curious and turn the pages even faster in hopes of discovering their identity.

Of all the characters in the book, my favourite was the cop, Holly Graham. She's trying to become a detective and this is her first case to prove she has what it takes. I love that she doesn't jump to conclusions and takes her time weighing the evidence and not letting anything cloud her judgement. I think her character is what helps tie the story all together and keeps you grounded.

Overall, I can see why this book is compared to Gone Girl, but I feel like it deserves to be recognized on it's own. It most definitely is a psychological domestic noir story and filled with some great thrills and twists. I'll definitely be checking out more from J.T. Ellison.

I don’t know if there has even been a more perfectly titled novel than Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison. Lies permeate from the beginning to the end. You can’t trust anything you read from a character. You can’t even trust what you believed happened because you are probably wrong.

The story begins with an introduction to one of the characters in the novel. She introduces herself as a person that you are not going to like. She steals things, she kills things, and she hopes we enjoy the show.

Next a body is discovered. But before it’s discovered, we are treated to a description of the decaying process of the body.

After that the story begins with Ethan. Ethan wakes up and discovers that his wife, Sutton has left him a note. She has left him and does not want him to look for her. They’d been having some troubles since the death of their baby, so this doesn’t come as a complete surprise. However, she has taken nothing - her clothes, phone, everything is still there.

From then on the story is told to us from Ethan, Sutton and the mysterious evil woman. Nothing is as it seems. Everyone is lying and no one is particularly likable.

It was a good, solid psychological thriller. I had no idea who was doing what to whom. Plenty of twists and turns. Hard to put down.

This book was hard to put down. It's a psychological roller coaster! Just when you think you have things figured out another twist to the story is thrown in. Both Ethan and Sutton are emotionally a mess. Their quirky friends are a challenge to understand. A truly unexpected ending. Highly recommended!

Traveling With T’s Thoughts:

I blame Ariel Lawhon about this book. She talked about Lie to Me in Three Lies To Watch Out For and as soon as I read the description- an intense craving for this book hit me. I searched for it on Netgalley only to find out that it was not available at the time to request. Luckily, I didn’t have to wait long for the book to be on Netgalley!

This book is going to draw comparisons to other GIRL books. But let me say this: it’s better. It’s different than other GIRL books but with some slight not similarities, just broad ideas of missing women, unreliable narrators and lies.

Now…. on to the part that really made me draw a comparison to Gone Girl and a confession: I LOVED GONE GIRL. I still love it. The book, the set-up, the movie. I love Amy in the literary version and film version. And while some may wonder why a nice girl like me thinks Amy is the cats pajamas- it has a lot to do with how badass she was. She set her husband up perfectly and then un-set him up just as well. And each time he thought he was gaining the upper hand, she was 15 paces ahead of him. Characters like that do not come along often and I enjoyed the hell outta Amy. In reading Lie To Me, there is a character that gave me the same type of thrill that Amy did- but maybe even more- because this character when we meet *it* ( being careful with my pronouns) is not asking you to like *it* like Amy was at at first- this character knows from the beginning that you won’t like *it* and is not shameful or upset about that at all. This character knows how *it* works and the chapters that readers see from *it’s* point of view were some extra-damn good chapters.



What I liked:

Cover. I love covers like this.

The setting. Nashville is not my home town, but I used to have a college roommate that lived in the area. So, I became familiar with Nashville, but also Franklin- because we would spend weekends shopping, eating out, and just enjoying the city.

The lies. I don’t like liars in real life, but I LOVE liars in fiction. 🙂



Bottom line: J.T. Ellison writes a book that keeps you guessing in all the best ways. If this book ISN’T on your radar- you are totally missing out!



*This book was sent to Traveling With T for review consideration. All thoughts and opinions are mine alone.*

**This book is a September 2017 #FuturisticFriday selection from Traveling With T.**

Lie to Me, a standalone psychological thriller by bestselling author, J.T. Ellison, tells the story of Ethan and Sutton Montclair, both successful writers, who are madly in love with each other, yet hate each other at the same time. They recently lost their only child to SIDS, Ethan has a major writer’s block, and Sutton chooses to disappear, leaving a note for Ethan asking him not to look for her. Things, however, are not as they appear, and there is a sinister force that occasionally speaks during the story, making readers unsure of what is really happening. Told first from Ethan’s point of view, then Sutton’s point of view, this dark thriller has a way of keeping readers in the dark as to what has really happened in this couple’s lives.

Ellison has done an excellent job of developing her characters. However, Ethan and Sutton aren’t particularly likeable – they are spoiled, self-centered, entitled, and reckless. The sinister voice that appears occasionally throughout isn’t likeable either, and admits to having no qualms about lying, betraying, hurting, and even murdering – a human nightmare that has inserted itself into the lives of Ethan and Sutton without their knowledge.

The suspense begins to build during the first chapter, and doesn’t stop until the dénouement, which is unexpected and will generate a positive reaction from readers. While the story flows – Ellison is an excellent storyteller – the characters are so unlikeable and their actions are so disgusting, it may make this novel un-enjoyable for some. Most readers want the characters to come out whole in the end, but it’s hard to want either Ethan or Sutton to win. Of course, no one wants the sinister voice, who will later be revealed, to be the final winner, but for some it may get to the point that it doesn’t really matter what actually happens. Ethan and Sutton have had no qualms during the course of their relationship to tell each other lies, and a relationship built on lies and deception cannot have a good outcome. The damage done from the untruths may not be possible to overcome.

While this book is well-written, suspenseful, and has a fascinating storyline, it may also serve as a social commentary on the millennial generation and the consequences of the selfishness and entitlement that they are known for.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

What a page turner! I was hooked from the start.
It was a bit scary and a sad, but you have to keep reading to find out what happens.
A couple who you think is so in love, who suffer loss and are dealing with grief and sorrow.
Each dealing with it in their own destructive ways.
The author is a great storyteller and this was so real, that I could see it happening to anyone.

I have mixed feeling about J T Ellison's Lie To Me, the first part of the book felt long and drawn out. The second half was much better. The thing is both characters felt cold and unfeeling to me for most of the book. I thought the end was good, but l didn't believe his change was permanent.

I love it when I prove myself wrong because when I read the blurb about this book I assumed I wouldn't like it because my track record with psychological thrillers has been dismal this year. But when a very trusted reading friend emailed me to say I HAD to read this, my ears perked up and just like that I was tempted. I have to say, from the very first page I was hooked! Ellison began the story with just the right level of creepiness by using an obviously disturbed narrator to start the story and of course I was consumed with finding out who it was and how he/she figured into the picture perfect marriage of Sutton and Ethan...or was it actually one of them? The puzzle had begun and I was on board to solve it.

As the questions swirled and we are given slivers of information and detail into the marriage of Ethan and Sutton, I found myself completely and totally entertained by the level of intrigue and shadiness the author was creating. We first hear from Ethan and there were times I thought 'Oh I like him, I trust what he's saying about his wife ' and then in the next paragraph I would think 'No, he's lying.' J. T. Ellison was messing with my head and I was loving it! About halfway through we get to hear from Sutton and then things really get twisted. What I loved was that this isn't just your typical he said/she said, this is also a puzzle of the best jigsaw kind and I was addicted to sifting through the tiny pieces the author scattered until I could establish my theory surrounding the who, what and why regarding the crimes in this story. An extra treat for me were the scenes set in Paris...the bars, the streets, the people...I could see it all thanks to the vivid prose of the author. So, I have J. T. Ellison to thank for showing me there are still psychological thrillers out there that can leave me so thoroughly entertained!

4.5 stars

Lie to Me
J.T. Ellison
MIRA, September 2017
ISBN 978-0-778-31364-9
Hardcover
Also available in trade paperback and ebook

From the publisher—

They built a life on lies

Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem 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.

Are Sutton and Ethan Montclair a so-called normal couple? My word, we can only hope not because they’re about as shallow, selfish and generally unpleasant as any two people can be and perhaps the best thing about them is that they’re tied to each other, thereby saving two other people from horrible marriages.

Once upon a time, this power couple probably cared about each other but even that is doubtful as Ethan admits to himself that he pretty much picked Sutton to be his wife because she looked and sounded good. Still, he is initially sorrowful when he finds her farewell note…until when he realizes she may have done away with herself and his next reaction is intense anger that she did this to him. We don’t know much about her yet but, clearly, he has conflicting feelings about her and that makes him just a little more human, more likeable or, at least, worthy of our compassion. Maybe.

The fact is, this is a too perfect couple and it’s really no surprise that the police would suspect him of harming his missing wife, even beyond the suspicions that naturally fall upon the spouse in such a case. One detective, Holly Graham, isn’t so sure and she’s about to become intensely important to both Ethan and the absent Sutton.

As I followed the story, my emotions were a roller coaster, switching back and forth between sympathy for Ethan and certainty that he’s not to be trusted. At the same time, there were musings from someone else who was distinctly unbalanced so was it possible Ethan really was innocent? As the hunt for Sutton intensified, so did the tension and there were moments that were downright creepy and unnerving. When the truth finally came out, all the twists and turns had turned my stomach in knots.

Of course, I always find myself up very late at night when I pick up one of Ms. Ellison’s books and this is most certainly not an exception. Be prepared to miss a night’s sleep 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2017.

What a trip LIE TO ME was! From the first scene, nae the first character introduction, I was completely hooked on this mystery. LIE TO ME kept me guessing til the very end. This is my first J.T. Ellison book, but it will not be my last. The story starts with this line:

"You aren't going to like me very much"

That character remains anonymous throughout most of this story. Then we meet Ethan, who is married to Sutton, on the morning he finds Sutton has left him. Ethan and Sutton are both authors and they have recently lost a son. Things have been rocky, but they love each other. So when he reads Sutton's Dear John letter he can't believe she is really gone. He tries to enlist all her friends in finding her. He is reluctant to go to the police due to the scandal from last year and how guilty it might make him look. Once he calls the police he finds himself the prime suspect when a burned up body is found wearing his wife's wedding set. The questions mount as the death of their son gets further scrutiny. Did Sutton kill her own son and then herself?

This story starts with Ethan and I believed him wholeheartedly. He seems to have been blindsided by the death of his son and his wife's disappearance. Every time I convinced myself he was completely innocent, something else came to light that made me question myself. There was an affair and maybe Ethan had this coming. There are multiple POVs in this story and each one adds to the mystery.

Both Ethan and Sutton are famous authors. Ethan just a little more seriously taken since Sutton writes mostly steamy romance. There is a little competition between them that becomes even more obvious when Ethan's writer's block keeps him from writing. Sutton has also been through and/or done something that is catastrophic to her career and so they both have to find other avenues to use their talents to keep their family afloat.

I found all the side characters to this couple really interesting. There is Sutton's mother, who gets quarterly payments even though she treats them both terribly, a detective who is sure Ethan is innocent, and many close friends of Sutton who are split on whether Ethan killed Sutton or is just laying low somewhere. The main mystery is Sutton, but so much more comes to light that each character really comes into question.

This is an enchanting thriller that had so many twists and turns. I had no idea how this would wrap up but I am completely satisfied with the jaw dropping conclusion. If you enjoy a good domestic thriller with a lot of mystery, I highly recommend LIE TO ME.

Ethan & Sutton seem to have it all. Perfect house, perfect marriage. Until Sutton disappears and Ethan is eventually arrested for her murder. And then Sutton turns up in Paris and is arrested for a murder of her own. I could not put this book down! So many twists & turns, perfectly paced timing, loved the different viewpoints. My initial suspicion turned out to be correct in the end, but not after second-guessing myself. And not for the reasons I thought.