Sometimes, when you wear a mask too long, you find it sticks to the skin."

Believe Me by J.P. Delaney is a twisty thriller that will keep you guessing until the end—not unlike the narrator Claire, a British actress who came to America to escape a sordid affair with a married co-star. Unable to get a job to pay for her acting classes without a green card, she does under-the-table work for a law firm that catches cheating spouses. When one of the clients is brutally murdered, she agrees to work for the police to catch the suspected killer.

Claire dives headfirst into her role, working with a forensic psychologist and NYPD detective to construct her character: Someone curious about BDSM and fascinated by the morbid poetry of Charles Baudelaire. Soon she approaches Patrick—the mysterious widower suspected of murdering not only his wife but several other women, mimicking key passages from Baudelaire's poetry—and they forge a relationship built on an interesting dichotomy of trust and lies. It isn't long until she realizes she has fallen in love with him...and that the only way they can be together is if he is innocent and she comes clean.

But when she is double crossed—not only by the police but the lover she now believes is innocent—and committed to a pysch ward, the line between fantasy and reality is blurred. Claire, like the reader, spends much of the book wondering how she can tell the difference between reality and fantasy—and, more importantly, whom she can trust. Her paranoia takes over, and the people around her—people she thought she knew, people she thought she could trust—turn into suspects. Just when she thinks the nightmare is over—the real killer is caught, and she can truly trust Patrick after all—Delaney throws in another twist: They were right about him all along.

I enjoyed the parallels between what Claire was learning in her acting class and what was going on in reality that were woven throughout the book, and the use of an unreliable reliable narrator was intriguing. The twists sprinkled throughout the book kept me on my toes—and I thought the fact that, in the end, Patrick was exactly who they thought him to be was in itself a twist. Typically, I don't care for present-tense writing, but Delaney is a skilled writer, so I barely even noticed after the first couple of chapters. I'd be interesting in reading the original book Delaney mentions in the acknowledgments to see how the story evolved. All in all, an enjoyable read!

Special thanks to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for an ARC of this book.

Intriguing story with twisted plot that keeps you guessing until the end. Great character development.

I have to say I was excited to read this one but I found it to be lacking. While the mystery of who was telling the truth and who was deceitful had me guessing I was not impressed with the storyline or the lack of believability. Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was excited to read this book after having read The Girl Before and it didn't disappoint. If you love psychological thrillers, and I do, be sure to grab your copy!
Thank you #NetGalley for the early copy for an honest review.

It took awhile to get into to this book. About a third of the way in, the story became interesting. I did not care for the script-like writing throughout the book. There were twists to keep readers interested but I found it hard to get through. Too many graphic scenes and the subject matter was hard to take.

Let me preface this review that I really loved the first book by Delaney, The Girl Before. I was excited to pick up the second but that faded quickly. Here's the short preview: British actress in NYC has immigration issues so chooses to work for police to try and entrap a serial killer into confessing. It is a completely implausible plot line - what police department in America, much less NYC, would ever use a psychologically damaged civilian to run a legitimate legal operation? Good grief, I've watched enough Law and Order to know better! Sorry, but this was just a laughable 'thriller.' I like my mysteries clever, twisty, and thought-provoking. Thanks to Net Galley for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

With a title of "Believe Me", you can assume that your narrator may not be very trustworthy.
This novel was full of some twists and turns, but at 45% I would say that one main aspect of the story was predictable.
This was a very quick, engaging read that was difficult to put down. I wanted to figure out what happened/what would happen next.

This one just wasn't for me.

The story is told from Claire's POV. She's a struggling actress who is in the US without a green card. She takes acting classes and works under the table as a decoy to catch cheating husbands. She meets her match when she's hired to catch Patrick and things quickly take a turn for the worse.

This is another novel with an unreliable MC. It's especially frustrating when a HUGE piece of information is purposely withheld, to make the ending that much more of a shocker. It just fell flat for me. We're in Claire's head for 'Believe Me'. She even goes as far as to treat every encounter as if she's performing in a play. We know all her thoughts, yet one GIANT fact is kept hidden? Sorry, but it was a huge stretch. Parts of the story just stretched on and on with plot holes until we get to the ending that was just not good. I almost dnf'd this one.

If you love suspense, this is the book for you. Believe Me is filled with so many twists and turns. It’s the perfect thriller until the very end. This is my first book to read by JP Delaney and I loved it. I will be reading many more books by this author.

This was a great thriller! Claire is a British actor living in NYC. To make ends meet she works for a law firm luring unsuspecting husbands into making her a sexual proposition, once she gets them on tape she walks away and gets the evidence into the attorneys or wives' hands.

All is well until one day one of the wives shows up dead and Claire is enlisted by the authorities to get a confession out of the suspected husband. This novel was a very quick read, fast paced, and intriguing. 

The story takes place in NYC and is narrated from Claire's point of view. I found the characters complex, dark, and interesting. In some parts, the novel is written like a play which was very unique and original, fitting perfectly with Claire's role as an actor.

Overall, I enjoyed the novel and recommend it to readers of thrillers, mysteries, and contemporary fiction. 

I received and ARC from the publisher via Netgalley

Thank you to NetGalley & Random House - Ballantine publishing for the ARC of this book in exchange for honest feedback.

Can I give this book 10 stars because that is what it deserves. I mean, wow...a psychological thriller that actually THRILLS you? How novel.

The book flows right from the first page and Delaney fans will be happy that the writing style is just as straight forward as it was in “The Girl Before”. The chapters are pretty short which makes this one of those dangerous books you do NOT want to start if you have plans. But what made this book so good is that I truly, 100% thought I had this book pegged halfway in and yet the authors managed to deliver an incredible twist at the end. I highly recommend this one. It’s a fantastic read and totally worth the hours not spent sleeping!

If I had to paraphrase my entire review in one sentence it would simply be, "Wow!". I was second guessing every single page in terms of where this story would go next. I was intrigued and it was the true meaning of a page turner. The story is about a murder, an actress trying to catch her big break, and mystery. We second guess who the murder is at least times and following the story of an actress who is too suspicious not to be a suspect. The ending is pure magic and will take your breath away. Who is the killer? How does it end? Where is this going? Are all questions I asked myself as I was turning the page. This one is bound to be a fan favorite as most of Delany's works are. Pure, magic and again, "Wow!"

Claire has a very unique job. She works for a divorce lawyer, helping him discover if husbands are actually open to cheating on their wives.

The book is told from a first person POV as if Claire was speaking directly to the reader. Other parts are written as if they are a screenplay. “Is it just me who does this -who feels they’re constantly watching themselves in the movie of their own life?” It took awhile to get adjusted to, but it does make for a fast read.

Claire has an interesting ethical standard. She says what she does isn’t lying, it’s “behaving truthfully under imaginary circumstances”.

I vacillated in my feelings about this book. At times, I found it totally unbelievable. But I found myself appreciating Claire’s observations, especially relating everything to acting. The writing isn’t overly dramatic. But a few good turns of phrase to paint a complete picture. “Only Kathryn is as full of restless energy as ever, a terrier eager for the kill.”

As the book goes on, you’re not sure who is right or wrong. And then the book takes a big turn I didn’t see coming and goes off in a totally different direction.

The title is very aptly named. Whom to believe? Whom to trust? Not just others, like Patrick, Kathryn or Frank, but is Claire herself even believable? “Those are always the most interesting characters: the ones that deceive themselves. Because sooner or later, the deception always falls apart.” This one kept me engaged right until the end. But I’m sorry, the ending went too far into the unbelievable category. So, I would have happily rated this a 4 star but the ending just lowered it to a 3.

My thanks to netgalley and Quercus for an advance copy of this book.

Believe me when I say this book feels like a merry-go-round. He said, she said, he said, she said.

Nothing is cut and dry in this story. Things get really twisted. You don’t know who’s telling the truth until the end. I had my suspicions but the reasons were wrong.

Give it a try and see if you can figure it out.

Meet Claire. From England, she’s studying acting in the United States. Unfortunately, she does not have a green card, so cannot get work as an actress. Instead, she earns money under the radar by taking jobs with a private investigator, tempting husbands in bars and getting the proof their wives need for divorce. Until she meets Patrick, and the next day his wife is found dead.

Claire ends up in the middle of an FBI sting to try and get Patrick to admit to his wife’s death. Who is innocent and who is guilty?

There are a lot of twists and turns in this book. I liked that it was narrated from Claire’s perspective. As an actress, she portrays many events as scenes from the theater or a film. JP Delany kept me guessing until the end.

Believe Me is a fun page turner that will keep you reading late into the night to see what happens next. I did.

What a rollercoaster! I loved this book. I, seriously, could NOT figure out what was real and what was an act. Thank you for the wild ride!

Who can you trust? Everyone in this book seems to be playing a role…and they are all very, very good at it. When I began reading, I found the play script format a little distracting, but as I got into the book, I understand how and why the device was being used. There is a good deal of theater lore, literature, and a great deal of background and theory about Baudelaire's famous volume of French poetry Les Fleurs du mal. If this was an action movie, I would say the main characters played the roles of Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Despite the deux ex machina ending, the book kept me riveted throughout. According to the author, this is a rewrite of a novel she wrote a while ago – I’d say the revision and updating succeeded. I highly recommend this book.

Thanks for the chance to read this book and OMG is all I can say. I was hesitant to read this at first, it didn't seem like the first few pages were going to pull me in bit I kept reading and I am so glad that I did. This book had so many twist I couldn't belive it. I was so convinced that each time it was over it really was and then bam another twist was thrown at me. I really liked how the author used the acting lines back and forth like they were running lines with one another. I rwally liked this book! Read it when it comes out!!

My first by this author, I own The Girl Before. but haven't read it yet. The beginning of this novel had me hooked and flipping pages to find out how it would play out after a quite intense beginning.

Claire is a British actress who is looking for work in America, but can't get hired without a green card. She is resourceful though, and uses her acting skills to lure unfaithful husbands into a sort of divorce trap (so the wives can be certain whether their husbands are cheaters). The wives are her so-called "clients". Is this called a "honey trap"?

The temperature starts to rise in more ways than one when one of her clients is found murdered in one of the hotel rooms on the same night Claire met up with her hubby. This is where the twisted show of cat and mouse really begins. When I say twisted, I am talking....tangled, distorted and disturbing!

I have mixed feelings because I really enjoyed the first half and was looking forward to a compelling end, but it turned out to be more confusing and bizarre that what I could even imagine. Why, did we have to go there? The unreliable narrator turned out to be quite the actress in my opinion. This is only my take , so check it out and see what you think of all the strange twists and turns that spin this one!

Believe Me by JP Delaney is a psychological thriller that will have your heartbeat thundering in your ears from the very first page. Fans of Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train will be just as fascinated with this book.

This is a new-to-me author and I was definitely in the mood for something other than romance. Oh boy, did this check all my boxes? It’s full of suspense, some snark that makes you chuckle at times, and the twists leave nothing to be desired.

This is a story that will keep you guessing who the killer is, but it is so twisted that just when you think you’ve cleared everyone you thought was a suspect, BOOM! The one person who you really thought was innocent turns out to be the culprit.

But goodness, the mind games are incredibly twisted to the point that you find yourself saying “what in the world?” several times. But wait until you find yourself screaming at it “Believe her! Please, believe her!”

The way this is written isn’t like your regular fictional books either. It’s a mix of a screenplay and a novel. It made me want to pick up my screenplay writing again. I loved it!

This is such a good story, I read it in one day. I just couldn’t put it down. It was that good. Seriously, if you’re looking for something good to read, pick up this book. It will mess with your head but you won’t regret it. Trust me.