The cover features the byline "A gripping psychological thriller full of twists". For that reason I was completely surprised when I began reading. It didn't seem like a thriller at all. At first it reads like a cozy mystery, then later it leans toward a woman's fiction type romance, then finally it turns the suspense up and you begin to think perhaps the byline was accurate after all...

The protagonist, Tom Bowman, was a very nice man. If anything he was too nice, with no discernible faults at all. I wish he lived next door to me. Alys Pierson was very enigmatic. The reader doesn't know whether the woman is just damaged from a traumatic past, or, as the elderly neighbour suggests, that she is 'evil' and just hides it well. Hannah Wilson, though likable, goes from demented thoughts back to lucidity several times per day. She is a woman whose word you really cannot trust for that reason alone.

The setting was well described and I could imagine living in the remote Yorkshire hamlet. The writing was compelling and the characters well wrought. If I had to classify this novel it would be a blend of three equal parts: thriller/cozy mystery/ romantic suspense.

The ending did have a plot twist, though due to my own personal skepticism, one which I guessed in advance. This did not mar my enjoyment of the novel at all. In fact I would heartily recommend it and look forward to more books by this author.

A psychological thriller + character(s) that you can root for. It has the right amount of intrigue mixed with narration that moves from past to present (and vice versa).

Thank you to the publisher for a free e-copy for review.

This book caught my interest from the description. But as I read it I found that it didn’t really turn into the “page turner” that I hoped it would be. It seemed stale at times. The description and scene setting were expertly done but the plot just didn’t grab me like I expected.

This was an OK read for me, it wasn't that gripping and I neither loved or hated it. Not one I would read again.

At first I thought yes,I love this,the concept the characters...but as I got a fair few chapters in I found it reoetitive in the relationship between Alys and Tom, I found I was distracted from the plot...I gave up as I couldn't see it going anywhere.

Fleet has a very nice descriptive writing style leaving the reader feeling like they are right in the midst of her story. While it was fairly obvious from the beginning who we should believe, it did not take anything away from the journey. As the pages are turned and the ending draws near, the reader thinks they know exactly where Fleet is leading us, but she takes us on a turn I didn’t see coming. My only regret is that the ending was quite abrupt leaving me a bit disappointed.

This book had a great storyline with strong characters. I really enjoyed it. I would recommend it.

Many thanks to Netgalley and Amanda Fleet for the copy of this book. I agreed to give my unbiased opinion voluntarily.

An enjoyable book with a good plot and characters. Shows how lies can poison everything

I was excited to read this one after reading the books blurb but sadly I found it slightly lacking and it didn't meet my expectations. I didn't really gel with the characters and I found the storyline quite slow at times, there were some good aspects to the book don't  get me wrong, at times the writing style and descriptions used were spot on and made me feel as though I was there with them, I liked the character of Hannah but I wasn't a fan of the others but that may well be the author's intention. It might be that it was just myself that didn't get on with the book so I'd still recommend you giving it a go and I have given this one 3.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 4 so its not a bad rating, sadly just doesn't compete with some of the other books in this genre also out at present.

I really enjoyed this book; set in the present day, but with some flashbacks to help you understand the characters a bit more. The book moved at a great pace with enough going on to keep you interested, but with plenty of time to set the scene. I love books with good characters in, and this really did. Tom, Alys and Hannah are all believable and were clearly created and developed with care. It is refreshing to read a book with a male character (Tom) in touch with his emotions, showing care for his neighbours – I really liked him. Sometimes the interactions between Tom and Alys seemed a little strained or odd which is a shame. The story did captivate me and kept me wondering which way it was going to end. I have to admit I did find the ending disappointing, but maybe it was the only option?
Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for an advance copy of this book.

Who should Tom believe the young woman Alys who has stolen his heart or the older senile Hannah that claims Alys has poisoned more than 5 people in the past and is not who she says she is. Good suspenseful novel with lots of twists and turns and an interesting ending with lots of who done it woven into the plot.

Be warned that this one bounces around a lot in time (which is sometimes distracting) but it's a well plotted tale of man torn between two women. No, not that way, between an older woman neighbor who claims his young female neighbor (aka the love interest) is a bad one. There's secrets, lies, bad behavior, not nice people, and some interesting possibilities. This is a well written and clearly carefully plotted novel. Honestly, there were times I thought Tom should walk away from both Hannah and Alys. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. This one seems to have engendered violently differing opinions- try it for yourself.

2 stars

Tom Bowman moves to a pretty little village and away from near London. He plans to open a cooking school in his home and sets about hiring workmen to build him a new kitchen to achieve that task. He meets Alys the neighbor woman who is about his own age. She is a strange woman, given to wild mood swings. His neighbor on the other side is Hannah an elderly woman who shifts from living in the past and the present. At first meeting, she takes a dislike to Tom thinking he is the man who killed her sister some years earlier. At the second meeting she is fine and invites him into the house and has tea with him.

And then the story gets a little boring. I decided that this book is not for me. The characters are unlikeable and wander aimlessly through life. I just couldn’t get into the book. I did not finish it.

I want to thank NetGalley and Joffe Books for forwarding this book to me to read.

I'd like to think that I was an author in another life. I am definitely not one now and as much as I love to read, I don't have the necessary skill set. I do however have the utmost respect for anyone who can take an idea and not only craft a story but publish it as well. Taking your creation and exposing it to public view has to be daunting.
The short summary I read for this book sounded like an interesting mystery. It just didn't check that all important box of mine, needing to know what happens next. While I cared about the main characters to a certain degree, their actions and dialogue just felt flat. I wanted to like Tom, the baker, who in theory seemed like someone who would be a great friend. His interactions with Alys and Hannah and every other character just seemed off and I couldn't relate. As for Alys, what can I say, she was a total hot mess! Again, a character that I should have either felt sorry for and rooted for or despised because of her wicked nature. She didn't inspire either emotion in me though, sadly again, she just felt one dimensional.
There aren't many books I don't finish and I did read this one to the end, but with no sense of urgency. I would give it 2.5 stars if I could, but since I can't, rounding will make it 3 stars. I do appreciate the author's idea and for someone else, they might see something in the characters that I just missed.
Thank you, Amanda Fleet, Joffe Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Tom Bowman is a chef who moves to a small village to teach cooking in his home. This has been his dream ever since his girlfriend of three years left him for another woman. Tom now has trust issues ... and hates the thought of being lied to again.

Tom's life is about to throw him a curve ball. First he meets Alys who has a secret. She's in hiding following an abusive relationship with a drug dealer. She really doesn't want to get involved with another man ... she also has trust issues. But Tom is so sweet, and kind, everything that she's ever wanted.

Then he meets Hannah, an elderly woman suffering a bit of dementia. She, at times, is convinced that Tom is the man who caused her sister to commit suicide ... 50 years ago.

*Hannah hates Alys, and warns Tom that he is in great danger from the woman he’s falling in love with. Who should he believe and who is poisoning his mind with lies?*

This is an excellent psychological thriller. Is Alys really someone else ... someone else that poses a real danger to Tom? Or is Hannah seeing and feeling things from long ago and hasn't a clue?

This is very well written with interlacing stories go from past to present and back again. The characters are well defined. I especially liked Tom ... so likeable. Hannah, as an old woman, was a bit of a hoot when she couldn't remember that Tom was her neighbor. Alys was a puzzle and puzzles are always challenging. The author was leading me down one path and then all of a sudden she did a 180 and led me to such a surprising ending.

Many thanks to the author / Joffee Books / Netgalley for the advance copy of LIES THAT POISON. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

The tagline ‘a gripping psychological thriller full of twists’ had me requesting a review copy of this story with barely a glance at the blurb.

It pains me to review a book negatively, but I also refuse to inflate one. In all honesty, this story was an uphill battle for me to keep reading. Not only because it was less than gripping, but the characters were the most unlikable people I’ve ever encountered. The interactions between Tom and Alys were painful. I can’t say which character annoyed me more.

I’m not even going to get started on the way the hint of an eating disorder was handled. I'll suffice to say, as someone with intimate knowledge of such a complex disorder it rubbed me the wrong way. I which the adult scene had been fade to black - Tom going through the motions while she laid their like a cold fish was cringe worthy.

The timeline jumped around so much, I felt like someone was playing ping-pong in my head. It goes something like this, April 2017, April 2012, May 2015, April 2017, June 2015, April 2017, April 2012, June 2015…. And ends on 13th September 2017. A date that is still a week away.

I’m giving this story 2 stars, 1 for it being a labour of love, and 1 for being well edited.

Copy received via NetGalley