What Lies Below is a suspenseful, well written mystery and though there were a few points that strained my credulity, I quite enjoyed it. The plot moves quickly, which I like in crime fiction, and the atmosphere is eerie and tense. I would read more by this author!

I found this book to be really good, but found it hard to believe that so many of the characters were addicts or alcoholics. That being said, it was a well written, multi level mystery, with a touch of the supernatural. Would like to see Gilly in future books!

Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union for this book.

What would you do if you lost everything. If your world was turned upside down by one person’s actions. If your best friend, husband, was killed in a senseless act. You lost your baby because of that? Would you seek revenge? Would you turn to anything to help you forget?

What if your child was taken. Kidnapped. And you had no idea where she was or who had her. Only that you was not there to protect her.

Gilly’s whole world was crushed when her husband was killed in a convenience store robbery gone bad. She was 26 weeks pregnant and it caused her to go into early labor. She lost her baby and her husband. She turned to alcohol and at times drugs to forget. To escape that pain. She ends up in a small town in Texas trying to start a new life. To escape the things in her past. She’s finally clean and sober and needs a new start.

Jake is a single dad. He has custody of his baby girl. A three year old daughter who is his world. Then the unthinkable happens. She’s taken. Someone has her and he is desperate to get her back. He taught her to never go with strangers, but what if it’s her mother. She would feel safe going with her mom. Jake races to find his daughter before it’s to late.

Gilly has had dreams her whole life. Dreams of things that happen before they happen. She dreamed of Zoe being taken from her preschool. Saw the person, and the car. But only in a dream. Would anyone believe her? She had to try and help.

This book will keep you on the edge and rooting for a father who loves his little girl more than life and for a woman who lost everything. It kept me turning pages when I should have been doing other things. It’s an emotional story of what ifs and who dunits. It’s a story of lost loves, lost lives. Mental illness. Desperation. Desperation to find a way to keep your family whole. Desperate acts that cause so much pain. Is forgiveness in the stars for anyone who does such awful things. I have to believe maybe we all are capable of forgiving to some degree. I hope anyway. This is a very good story. One you won’t forget.

A 5 star book. I loved it. I loved the start, middle and ending. It was well written. I love Barbara Sissel’s books. I’ve enjoyed a couple and have a few more to read. She knows how to weave a story and pull you in from the start and hold her hostage until the very end.

This novel was suspenseful and hard to put down! I enjoyed the way the tone was suspenseful throughout the whole story and I enjoyed how the characters were portrayed. Gilly has had to deal with the aftermath of her husband being murdered. She struggled for years with addiction dealing with her pain and loss. All of her life, she has had dreams where she sees bad things that will happen in the future. Now, she is finally starting over in a new town. And then a young girl is kidnapped there and Gilly had a dream about it. Gilly and some of the others are forced to face their pasts in order to move on. This novel addresses the bonds between people, especially between mothers and their children. It also looks at loss and grief, as well as addiction.

Gilly is trying to put the past behind her, but the memories refuse to stay buried...

Gilly has moved to Wyatt, Texas hoping to move on and put the murder of her husband and the loss of her daughter behind her. She meets a young single dad, and his daughter Zoe - who come into the cafe where she works each Wednesday morning for breakfast. Gilly has dreams, disturbing dreams about things that are going to happen. Sometimes they come true, sometimes they don't. But the newest dreams really bothers her. Zoe is being taken by a woman. When she gets to work and discovers that the dream is true, she is frightened. She knows that her past could catch up with her and she could become the prime suspect.....

This book was fantastic! I read it in one sitting. I could not put it down at all. There are some adult scenes, and language throughout the book.

This book will keep you guessing through all the twists and turns that it takes. A missing girl, a frantic community, and the one person that no one can place - yet will break the case wide open...

A huge THANK YOU to Lake Union Publications and NetGalley for the chance to read this book! It was amazing!

What Lies Below by Barbara Sissel a story of heartbreak and asks the question of what we might be capable of doing when our world is destroyed. While the story is fast paced, the characters are well developed and the emotions ring true. It is also a beautiful story of hope and love. This story made me loose sleep, wondering about the charcters, what happened and what will happen! Absolutely loved this #FiveStar #mustread

*Received an ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This is a fast-paced thriller. You really won't want to put this book down so I suggest starting this when you nothing to do. This book won't disappoint you!!

WHAT LIES BELOW by Barbara Taylor Sissel is a fast-paced and gripping thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The story centers around Gilly, a woman who has lived through the tragedies of her husband’s murder, her newborn’s death and her own descent into alcohol and drug abuse. A dramatic event serves as a wake-up call for Gilly and she attempts to get her life back on track by getting sober and leaving her home and career to start fresh in a small town where no one knows about her or her past. When a local child is suddenly abducted, Gilly is unwillingly dragged into the public eye when she reveals to a friend that she has had a dream where she visualized the abduction. Gilly suddenly faces skepticism and even suspicion from the locals. Desperate to get his little girl back, Jake begs Gilly to try to help find Zoe. There are so many layers to the plot. Every time I was sure I had figured out what had happened, another twist was thrown into the mix and I was proved wrong. As much as this is a thriller, it is a story that packs an emotional punch. Themes of love, family, guilt, regret and forgiveness are woven throughout. I totally enjoyed this engrossing book and I look forward to reading more from Barbara Taylor Sissel. Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read an early copy.

I started this book with a bit of hesitation as I am not a fan of the supernatural mixing in with my mysteries. (It is hard to solve a who-done-it when some random illogical thing can throw everything off course.) But the author did a terrific job of letting Gilly's ability play a part without overtaking the central story: the disappearance of young Zoe Halstead. Intertwined with this was Gilly's backstory: losing her husband in a robbery gone wrong and her own subsequent drug addiction. This all made for a solid book. While I'll admit I was quick to determine the "who-done-it" I don't think it took away from my enjoyment. The characters, the setting, and the writing were wonderful! In fact, during most of the book I felt like this had the potential for a nice series. There were so many people in Wyatt that I'd love to get to know more.

DNF at 43%. I feel bad because this book has so many good reviews but I had read this story before so for me was nothing new.

Gilly has premonitions she would rather keep secret. She pities herself because "why can't I be normal"? - Mind you, in a world where we want to be different...

Gilly knows she didn't take the child but... wait, those blackouts... did she or didn't? Yes, the blackout card and victim feelings... I have read them all before.

Thank you Netgalley for providing me with a free copy of this title

I was fortunate to receive an early NetGalley copy of What Lies Below by Barbara Taylor Sissel. And I tell you this book will take every reader on one heck of a roller coaster ride. This fast-paced, jaw dropping thriller will have you begging for more.
Gilly O’Connell has a gift that no one understands. She dreams of events before they happen and after losing her husband and daughter this tragedy breaks her, and Gilly becomes addicted to alcohol and drugs. As Gillian tries to run from her pass she takes up a job as a waitress in Wyatt, TX.
Not to long after Gilly's nightmares start and she dreams of about Zoe a little she is fond of abduction. All the residents gather to find her, and among the residents is Gilly. Afraid to reveal her dark gift and what detail she holds of this horrific crime Gilly holds on to what she knows because she fears no one will believe her and see her as a suspect. This novel is riveting and suspenseful! I highly recommend.

I am trying to catch my breath after reading this non-stop, fast paced suspense filled novel. I wanted to keep reading from the beginning sentence to the very last one. The story pulled on my heart for the desperation of a father, Jake, who's daughter is kidnapped, to Gilly, who's life had been turned upside down by tragedy. She comes to the small town of Wyatt to escape the past and finds herself the in the center of suspicion of a kidnapping. Who can she trust? Can she even trust herself? Does she listen to the voices and dreams she's afraid to share because of judgement? Can she confront the past without the demons of self doubt taking her down? Does she want to keep going or give up? So many questions that kept me reading and reading wanting to know what happens and where it leads Gilly to. Even though she was trying to make a new start one line came to her in clarity....."You can't outrun your past." Now she had choices to make. There was so much suspense in this book. My heart was racing and I wanted to yell warnings. There were twists I didn't expect. This is a great novel. I haven't read any other books by Barbara Taylor Sissel before but I will eagerly read more. TY Netgally and Lake Union for the opportunity to read this book.

Like others, once I started reading this one, I couldn’t put it down; nothing got done until I was finished with it. Two perfectly imperfect and flawed characters, each having to deal with every parent’s nightmare: losing a child, either by death or kidnapping. What’s worse is having a “gift” that shows you something bad is going to happen, but feel helpless to stop it. The characters were so well written, I could feel my heart breaking for them as they dealt with the situation they found themselves in. Each had their own demons, guilt, and anger to overcome as they moved forward. There were so many twists and turns, you have to hold on tight.
When I finished this one, the first thing I wanted to do was to find my kids and hold them tight. Once you start this one, be prepared to forget everything else because you won’t want to stop reading it.
#NetGalley #WhatLiesBelow

What Lies Below was an absolutely riveting read. It was definitely unpredictable. It was a little slow-paced at first, but the mystery and suspense picked up a lot more towards the end. The ability to make readers feel some form of pity for a 'villain' in a novel is something special, and Barbara Taylor Sissel has managed to do just that. Zoe was an adorable character, and the pain of losing a child was portrayed so well in this novel. I was super captivated by this, and I can't wait to read more of her works!

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this ARC!

I was lucky enough to get an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

When a little girl gets kidnapped from a small Texas town, the residents gather to find her. Among the residents is a recovering addict who has prophetic dreams. While slowly revealing the elements of her past, the search for the child rages on. Fast-paced, well-written, and intriguing - I didn’t see the end coming. Great read!

Gilly's lived through a lot- and she's coping as best she can both with her recovery and with her visions. Little does she expect that Zoe will appear in one of them and later go missing. There's some interesting twists in this, not only for Gilly but also with Zoe's dad Jake. This is dark at times but it never goes over the top. A quick read, it's well written and carefully plotted. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

I wanted to love this book more than i did. It was not bad just didn't connect like i wanted to. I am also not a huge fan of the supernatural sort, so adding in that Gilly had dreams/premonitions of what would happen in the future didn't interest me. I did enjoy the thrill/mystery aspect of it. I was kept on my toes trying to figure out who abducted Zoe, the little girl. Overall the book was written very well and held enough mystery and thrill to hold my interest till the very end.

Thanks NetGalley!!!

Intense & suspenseful, & complex characters!! Highly recommend this one if you love a great suspense-filled read.

Today my Saturday plans got totally changed. This morning I decided to start What Lies Below and just read a couple of chapters. Here it is in the early evening and I have just finished the book after spending the entire day reading - cooking and cleaning can wait for another day! WOW - what a fantastic book. I was so invested in Gilly's life that I just couldn't stop reading.

From the first page, the reader falls in love with Gilly. She has had terrible things happen to her - the loss of her husband and baby and the use of drugs and alcohol to help her cope. She has moved to a small town and joined AA to help her live her life but every day is a struggle. In the past, she has had dreams that came true and when her current dream of a child being abducted comes true, she has to face the skepticism of the police and her own desire not to become involved to help find the little girl. I can't say much about the plot without giving away a possible spoiler but I will tell you that the twists and turns keep coming and just when you think you have some answers, you find out that you were totally wrong.

This is a fantastic book that keeps the reader turning pages to find out more about Gilly and to find out if the abducted little girl is found. I absolutely loved it and think that this fast paced thriller needs to be on everyone's tbr list. It's a MUST READ!

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read and review.
While a decent read, at times I found it to be dragging on and I couldn't wait for the book to be over. I couldn't get vested in the story until around 70% in, then it became a slam dunk! The plot, while a little complicated, was interesting. Writing I found to be decent but a little repetitive. The characters I liked. They were flawed and honest, interesting and unpredictable.
So this one gets 3 stars from me, but you be the judge and read it for yourself!