Wow! What an exciting read! Hired to play the part of an available woman to catch cheating husbands, everything changes when one of the “marks” turns up dead after a job. With the twists you won’t know what just happened!

Using the loosely translated poetry of Baudelaire and an unemployed British actress without a green card to tell the story, Delaney delivers a suspenseful and surprising thriller. This is a quick read that takes off from the beginning and doesn't stop. The characters are well developed and unreliable so you care about them but never know what is real and what is not. A little murky towards the end but overall a great read.

Copy provided by the Publisher and NetGalley

When I started Believe Me, I had no idea of the emotional impact it would have. The writing is so good I was taken by surprise each time the plot took a new turn. There were several times all I could think was how did I not see that? The characters were skillfully crafted and believable. This is one of the best books I've read this year.

Believe Me is another psychological thriller in a similar vein to Delaney's previous work The Girl Before. I received this pre-release Kindle Edition via Netgalley. The story centers around a struggling British actress Claire who seeks a green card while living and studying in New York. The only work she can find to pay for her upkeep and acting lessons is to act as a sexy decoy to a legal firm that specializes in ensnaring straying husbands. She plays her role superbly but finds the tables turned and becomes the unwitting victim of her own trap when she comes up against a brilliant and handsomely seductive professor whose expertise is the poetry of Baudelaire. Baudelaire's darkly erotic volume of poetry Le Fleurs Du Mal (first published in 1857) forms the undercurrent of the story in which one is never sure who is who. Like The Girl Before the central male character is a wealthy, handsome, over achieving seductive narcissist/sociopath and the heroine is drawn to him like a bee to honey. The story is well-paced and a good solid whodunnit. This was my introduction to Baudelaire who is considered to be an influence in the symbolist and modernist movements and his poetry added a special sinister effect to the story line. (less)

I loved the twisty nature of this book. An original twist with blending script style into the novel. Unknowingly, it gave me clues (looking back) on what was going on. Great read and I can't wait to check out more from this author. #awesome #twisty #thriller #amazeballs

This book was utterly ridiculous, but I couldn't put it down. It takes a LOT of suspension of disbelief to get through the first half--which was incredibly irritating for me--but I'm glad I stuck it out. The events in the second half of the book are a little easier to believe, and somewhat explain the first half, however it's still insane...in a compelling, trainwreck kind of way.

I love an unreliable narrator, and this book takes that concept to the extreme. I've read a lot of these twisty, psychological thrillers, so I've become pretty adept at figuring out where the story's going to go. I can usually catch loose ends or little clues and pull the thread until I find the solution, but with this one, EVERY SINGLE THING I THOUGHT WAS WRONG. And it kept happening! Props to the author for that, seriously.

I didn't particularly like any of the characters, but that didn't stop me from devouring Believe Me in the space of a few hours. This is probably the weirdest review I've ever written, because while I wanted to hate this book almost the entire way through, I can't! I think I actually may love it?

The one thing I genuinely didn't care for was the screenplay style used in many of the dialogue scenes. I get what Delaney was going for, but the device became a distraction and took me out of the story. That's the only reason I'm not giving the book five stars.

Other than that, I'd recommend it for fans of thrillers, suspense, and mystery. You'll probably hate it at first, but if you give it a chance, I swear that it's worth the time and investment. I know this is an awful way to sell the book, but when you read it, you'll understand what I mean. And I hope that if the author sees my review he takes it as a compliment, because that is how it's meant. I'll be picking up Delaney's other novel, The Girl Before, ASAP as well.

I'll give this book a good rating even though the premise is ridiculous. The writing is very good and the story is addictive. I would recommend it to my friends. I'll keep an eye for the next book from this author.

I've been enjoying thrillers lately. This one did not disappoint. I kept turning page after page and when I thought I'd figured it out I found I hadn't. I recommended this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers. I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a review copy in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion of it.

Even now that I'm done with this book, I'm not sure what or who to believe. That's the power of JP Delaney, who weaves story lines and emotions like it's child's play. The premise is so unbelievably unrealistic, but Delaney's writing is so good that you forget and become completely immersed in this twisted, romantic psychological thriller.

****4.5 stars****So, Believe Me by JP Delaney was a whole new morsel of a novel for me. I wasn’t sure it was possible to have such a love-hate relationship with a book. It’s a fast-paced dark, creepy, sadistic thriller that just leaves you like WHAT!!! Just when you think you’ve figured out what happening you haven’t figured out squat. I received an advance copy from NetGalley & Random House Publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Highly recommended read! Thanks for providing through Net Galley. Five Stars *****

I thoroughly enjoyed Delaney’s previous novel, “The Girl Before” and was very intrigued from by synopsis of his new book, “Believe Me”, however, it did not live up to the hype.

For me to immerse myself into a story, it must make me feel something - be it sadness, joy, anger, sympathy, fear... anything to draw me in. Unfortunately, I felt nothing but irritation as this novel progressed. The writing style was halting. Was this a script or a novel? I found the characters unlikeable as well.

The plot was good; an actress from across the pond, with a tainted past, trying to make a new name for herself - a murder - a sting operation - a veritable whodunnit. This novel has all of the elements. Why didn’t it come together for me? Maybe I need to re-read it...

See link to goodreads review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2409723378?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

Thank you Net Galley for a ARC in return for my honest review.
I wasn't sure what to "believe" when reading Believe me. Claire is a struggling actress (is there any other kind? :0)
and she puts her skills to use acting as a decoy for a law firm. She basically is a temptress who follows the orders of wives to try and pick up their husbands. (I swear this was a movie with Kiefer Sutherland and Rebecca De Mornay) One of those wives though ends up dead. Thus starts the twists and turns. This book is a complete mind game and I am still thinking about it to this day!
A HUGE thank you to Random House Publishing-Ballantine and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Last year I read JP Delaney's The Girl Before and really enjoyed its taut suspense, but Believe Me shows the author's talent is growing in leaps and bounds.

Pseudonymous author JP Delaney (aka, British writer Tony Strong) shares in the Acknowledgements that he previously published a similar novel years ago (The Decoy), but never felt he did the plot justice. In this second go-round, the story is nothing short of amazing.

Most thrillers on the shelves right now pride themselves on a single grand twist of the plot. Believe Me folds over and in on itself so many times it's the literary equivalent of origami. As a reader who constantly fusses that I know the ending halfway into a book, I was delighted to see there was simply no way to guess where even the next chapter would lead.

I loved the way Delaney works the plot around Baudelaire's poetry. And I honestly felt conflicted as the characters continued to ask questions about the way art impacts society. What happens when art and media inspire people to desperate acts? Who is more terrifying—the author who creates works of horror or the reader who voyeuristically enjoys them?

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review!

I'm not sure what to say about this book. The premise was completely unrealistic. But it was so well-written, I liked it anyway.

Claire Wright is an aspiring actress who hasn't found her big break. While going to acting classes she makes money by ensnaring straying husbands, all on video, for a law firm. It doesn't pay much but it helps her survive.
One night she meets a wife who suspects her husband of cheating and when Claire tries to trap him he doesn't take the bait. That night the wife ends up dead, and Claire is the prime suspect. Or is she?
Putting her acting skills to use, the FBI uses her to get close to the husband whom they suspect maybe a serial killer. And so starts a cat and mouse game between the FBI, Claire and the husband.
I really enjoyed this book. I had no idea where it was headed and the ending took me by surprise. Great twists and turns!

The title of the book asks the reader to “Believe me,” but until you finish the last page, you won’t know what to believe. The premise is fresh, except it’s not. An actress gets a side hack working for a law firm, collecting proof that husbands are cheating on their wives. When her perfect success rate is broken, and coincidentally, someone is found dead in a hotel room she’s a suspect. Until she’s not. Or is she? Until she’s working for the police to entrap the killer. Or is she?
This could go on, and it could be poorly done, but JP Delaney has done it very well. This book kept me guessing throughout, and honestly, I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I finished it last night. I keep playing scenes in my mind, asking if she was acting, or being herself, and where did those lines blur. There are a couple of “that couldn’t really happen” moments, so if those throw you off, be prepared. Personally, I’m know I’m reading fiction and I’m OK with those moments.
I loved “The Girl Before” and I love this book too, and I’m not even going to try to compare the two because it wouldn’t be fair to either.

The book starts a little slow and you wonder where it’s going but a few pages in and you will find it hard to put down. Claire is intriguing and the books presents with somewhat of an unreliable narrator. The plot twists are not predictable and make you keep wondering right till the end. This book is well written, the characters are well developed and story is captivating. All in all it’s worth every minute you spend on it.

I am so thankful to Netgalley for the chance to read and review "Believe Me". As soon as I saw the author's name I was instantly hopeful, as I really enjoyed "The Girl Before". This was certainly no less enjoyable. I consumed the book easily in a couple days.

It took a few chapters before I was pulled in by the characters, mainly Claire initially and her acting class exercises intrigued me, but once I was drawn in there was no putting the book down. The twists, turns and mind games kept me guessing throughout, and until the very end. Everything about this book worked, the characters, the plot, and it will keep you guessing. While the book does delve into the darker side of human nature, it did not feel too heavy or too dark to me, nothing more than an episode of Criminal Minds in book form.