A dark thriller which had me utterly hooked! I didn’t know what or who to believe and I really couldn’t have guessed that ending! Fabulous!

Overall I enjoyed the book. I liked the idea of an actress going undercover for the government in order to catch a killer. I also liked how Claire’s experiences in New York City, of been overwhelmed by the big city and being a bit lost, no doubt mirroring those of many young women, were described.
Just as with J.P. Delaney’s best selling book "The Girl Before", I felt that in the middle of the book, the story dragged on a bit. Sometimes the theatre script format that gets used sporadically throughout the book was a bit distracting. However, I liked the author’s insights into Baudelaire’s work and life and felt his poems were translated well. I particularly enjoyed reading the killer reveal and the ending, confirming my hunch.

Believe Me” is built around French writer Charles Baudelaire’s book of poetry, “Les Fleurs du Mal” or “The Flowers of Evil.” I had no knowledge of his writing and doubt many readers will.
I believe it would be very interesting. Most of the time the plot was exciting, fun, and twisty and full of turns. Even though it wasn't the deepest mystery I have ever read, it did keep me hooked until the final end was revealed. Anyway the end was weird. This novel feels like a false start: a really good concept that just didn't get well executed.

I started by loving this book and the main character. However she changes her views so often that you don’t know what is the truth and which version to believe.
I understand that given the title of the book that this is intentional but I began to lose my interest in what Claire thought.
It twists and turns and sends you one way and then the other which is good in a storyline but it happened just too often for me to enjoy it by the end.
I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Claire had not had the best of starts in life and when her first big break comes she is treated so badly that she ups sticks and moved to New York hopng for a break in her first choice of career as a actress. When that doesn't work out to well with no green card that every actor or actress needs in America she takes classes and excels in the classroom. But the only hope a agency give her is with a law firm trying to catch cheating spouses, well husbands in actual fact, it's easy money for some one like Claire who is a very good actress. After some good results she is introduced to a client who's action cause concern and then for the first time the husband rejects the offer and it goes pretty much downhill for Claire from here which I guess is what she has been used to all her life, a orphan from London sent to Leeds where she was bounced from one foster care family to the next four more years than she cares to remember.
If you like dark thrillers then this is for you and though it touches on some BDSM it is not all about this but it is based on someone or some bodies that are very much into it. There are some spectacular twists that you will not see coming which will have you gripped to the edge of the book and you will not want to put it down which for some that is just as well as it might take a while to get to sleep after you have put it down.
There are some great characters in this book that make a mark but you will not know how to take them and that is good because who wants a thriller where you really know who is good and who is bad or who is just plain evil. Believe me this is one book you will not want to miss and I thank NetGalley for a copy but would happily pay for a book this good. You will get your moneys worth plus some more in my view that is.

Wow! This book has so many twists and turns and keep me guessing time and time again as to who was the innocent party and who was the killer. Up until the final plot twist I really didn’t see it coming. I read this in a day and a half and I couldn’t put it down! Fantastic and very cleverly written and I shall be highly recommending it!

Claire is a talented actress hampered by unwise relationships. She works uncover as a honey trap for cheating men, a role which she is good at but at the same time revolts her. Her life is suddenly changed by the death of one of her clients which plunges her into a murder investigation. I liked the style of writing, at times it mimicked a film script which mimics Claire’s ultimate desire to be acting on stage or for film. I also found her character intriguing – when was she acting and when was she not? There are numerous unusual twists in this novel and I didn’t expect the ending! Highly recommended read.

CONTAINS SPOILERS

I loved Delany's previous book and was delighted to receive publisher approval to read this through Netgalley. However, this wasn't in the same league as The Girl Before, and the author's explanation at the end that this is a rewrite of a previous unsuccessful novel is telling. The Baudelaire references become a bit clunky and an academic studying him would be too obvious a suspect for murders committed in his 'style', particularly when one victim was his wife. The police operation to try to uncover the murderer stretches credulity just a little too far and Claire's dubious past makes her far from the ideal candidate to be part of it. There are episodes in the book that are ridiculous, including an incident in the theatre that has no repercussions and a discharge from hospital at the behest of an obscure academic with no medical training. These negatives are disappointing as this had the potential to be a really good book and the author is adept at creating pace and intrigue. Perhaps the publishers were too keen to get another book out?

Another great book from the author. Love her style of writing. Very believable characters and story plot. A must read!

Nothing short of sensational. I have read book headlines with 'full of twists' etc and at the end of the book you wonder if you missed them! Not with this book, superb from beginning to end with lots of twists you don't see coming especially a big one about half way through which I definitely did not expect. Keep the title in mind as you read through because you do not have to believe it. Only minor criticism is that I found the build-up finale somewhat melodramatic and I would have preferred a more down to earth location (no pun intended here!) Other than that a book you will not forget and I sincerely hope a film comes from the book as visually it would not lose any of the drama and false trails. Ten out of five.

A very readable book that keeps you involved right to the end. There are many twists and turns that leave you at a loss in trying to guess where the truth lies.

Wow. Wow. Wow. Wow.

There is little else to say.

Twisty, turny, exquisitely written. It gripped me and I finished in a day - not bad when I have “real life” to partake in too. Possibly my novel of the year.

I’ve enjoyed the rest of Delaney’s work, but this blew me away.

I nearly gave up at 80% through this book,as it just seemed so totally unbelievable.
I didn't care by that point who killed Stella.

I made it through to the end,and none of my thoughts on it changed.

Claire is an actress. British, living in New York and desperate for work. Any work will do which leads her to working for a divorce firm. When someone she has been following is murdered the police enlist her help and acting skills to get the suspect to confess. But is he guilty? Are the police using her? Will this be her greatest acting part ever? Who should she believe?

Different to what i was expecting. There were moments whereby i was enjoying and the next i was struggling. I did read 'The Girl Before' which was so much better in my opinion. I think on the whole that i am not used to read stories which reads like a script (in parts) and this in turn was a little off putting.

I would like to thank Netgalley and the Publishers for my copy and this is my honest review.

This book had me gripped from the start. Lots of twists and turns. It is definitely a book to add to your MUST READ list.

I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book centres around Claire. She is a struggling actress who has come to New York from England under a cloud having had an affair with her famous co-star. Unable to get herself a green card she gets a job with an agency entrapping married men. When her client is found dead she is hired to try and get a confession out of the husband.

I genuinely do not know how I feel about this book. It really messes with your head. As the title suggests there is so many lies that it is really hard to know who is telling the truth. Because of this some parts of the book are confusing. I was constantly loving it one minute and hating it the next. I much preferred The Girl Before.

Claire is a British actress in New York who is running from her past life. Unable to work officially without a green card, she does some cash in hand work for women who need evidence of their husband's infidelity for the divorce courts. In this shady world of hotel bars and entrapment, she meets the Foglers; Stella Fogler is worried about her husband, but is it simply paranoia? When murder is committed, Claire finds herself acting for her life and caught up in a web of lies. In a world where no-one tells the truth, least of all Claire, can the murderer ever be found?

I read this in a day, keen to find out what happened. Apart from a bit of a lull about two thirds of the way through, the plot races along and there are plenty of twists that kept me interested. I can't say that the characters are particularly appealing or empathetic, but there was plenty of tension to keep me reading and the links to Baudelaire's 'Fleurs du Mal' are cleverly incorporated. I personally found some of the twists a bit unbelievable and wasn't keen on the use of scripted speech (the book often switches to dialogue written as a script which could be seen as clever given the acting trope that runs through the novel - however, I found it a bit distracting).

Overall, this is a pacy and engaging thriller that will keep you reading long into the night. You may have some niggles with it, but you certainly won't put it down!

This is a very cleverly written book. It has an intricate story line which keeps changing direction to confuse the reader. It is a confusion that goes down well and makes you want to keep at it. The depiction of the central character Claire is very convincing and the detail about her childhood is an essential support to understanding her. Several times I thought I had guessed the outcome of the story and identified the muderer but no way. It is much more complex than that.

I was super excited to get this book as I really loved the previous one by this author. I certainly wasn’t disappointed and was taken in from the first page.
I loved the twists and turns in this book, I kept thinking I had guessed it and it would surprise me again. The storyline is unique and the characters well developed. I’d recommend this for anyone who likes a great psychological thriller.