Eva wakes up from being struck by lighting to discover her mother, Kat has been murdered. The cops believe Eva is the murderer but Eva cannot remember anything from that night. How is she to prove her innocence when she has no memory and even she begins to think its possible she is the guilty one? The story switches between Eva in her quest to find answers in the present and Kat's story from the past. There are dark secrets and distrust in this family. Hints of the secrets slowly come out through Kat's story and from Eva's own investigation. The story is well written and paced. The mystery and uncertainty add to the suspense. I enjoyed this read and will recommend it. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Eva is suspected of murdering her mother, but she doesn’t remember anything about the night she was struck by lightning. Christina McDonald is back with another chilling, kaleidoscopic tale of lies, deceit, family secrets and memories that refuse to come forward.

BEHIND EVERY LIE is dark, the atmosphere heavy with twisted relationships from both the past and present, memories suppressed and families that are more dysfunctional than not. A gut-wrenching thriller that gives new meaning to manufactured domestic hell.

Christina McDonald knows how to wring every emotion out of each page, sometimes to excess, this twisted tale became a labyrinth of frustration for me at times. I never could quite settle in with this one, I was always on edge.

That said, I do love her style of writing, but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I received a complimentary ARC edition from Gallery Books! This is my honest and voluntary review.

Publisher: Gallery Books (February 4, 2020)
Publication Date: February 4, 2020
Genre: Mystery
Print Length: 336 pages
Available from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble
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This was an engrossing and suspenseful read from start to finish. The story is told from alternating perspectives: that of Eva and her effort to solve the mystery of what happened and that of Kat and her secrets.
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Just like in her other book, The Night Olivia Fell, Christina McDonald does an amazing job of setting such descriptive scenes that you feel like you’re there. The character development is very well done as well. I found the story easy to follow and I was constantly making guesses but never completely sure about any of them. The suspense and mystery were kept at just the right level which made them last until the end.
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I can’t end this without mentioning how much I loved the overall theme in this book of brokenness being beautiful in its own way. We’re all a little broken in one way or another but that brokenness can make us whole if we let it. I definitely recommend grabbing this book when it’s released! I’m looking forward to yet more books from this talented author.

Eva Hansen wakes up in the hospital. She has a cut on her hand, and marks that looks like lighting on her arms. She hurts all over and she has no idea what happened to her. What she quickly learns is that her Mother is dead and the police wish to speak to her about it. Her fiance' tells her that the cut on her hand was caused by a broken piece of pottery. She cut her hand at home on the same day that she does not remember sneaking out and going to her mothers house. She has flashes of holding a knife. Did she kill her Mom? This question drives her to begin looking for answers. The puzzle comes together very slowly, but throughout it keeps coming back to her thinking that she is the one who killed her Mom. But why?

Behind every lie is told through the voice of Eva and her Mom, Kat. The story goes back and forth chapter by chapter with Eva moving forward in her investigation and Kat moving back through the past, until they both come together in the present and all the questions are answered. This book is a page turner, and a quick read. The main characters are likable, although I always had a suspicion of one of the other characters in the book. I wasn't completely correct in my deductions, so I was still surprised by the conclusion. Certainly worth reading if you want something that is an easy but interesting read!

I am grateful to have been offered an opportunity to get an advanced copy of this book. It's tightly written and flows quickly. The plot twists and turns adequately, and I could not put it down. The alternating storylines between Eva and Kat are appropriately used. Some of the plot points are kind of predictable, well, maybe, I read a lot of books of this type so there were a few things I guessed pretty early on. However, it did not take away from my enjoyment of this book. It's entertaining and very much of a quick read. I will say that some of the violence seems a little gratuitous if I'm being honest, but I'm pretty much of a wimp in that department. Recommended to fans of domestic thrillers.

This book was excellent. I didn't know what to expect when I first started reading it, after I got to chapter 3, I couldn't put down my Kindle. The story is told in two POVs, Eva's and her Kat, her mom. Kat tells the story, back 25 years ago. Eva's version is present day.

After a family dinner with her brother, Andrew, her Aunt Lilly, her mom's best friend, Kat, and Eva; what happened after they all went their separate ways is the mystery here. Eva goes home to her doting fiancee, Liam. The next thing that happens Eva's in the hospital, her mother has been murdered and she can't remember anything because she was struck by lightening. All of her jewelry melted into her skin, except her engagement ring, which is missing, and there are no burns from where the ring was on her hand.

Kat's first husband, Seb, wants justice when their little girl fell out of a 3 story window. Knowing what he was going to Rose, Kat warns Rose, and Rose begs Kat to leave the abusive man. They make a plan to leave that night. Only Rose doesn't show up and a note with a bank account for raising Laura, Rose's daughter, arrives. They leave to go to the USA and never look back. Rose and her a pile of baby clothes jump into the Thames never to be found.

Kat and Laura, now Eva, start over in Chicago. She meets a nice man who's her neighbor and eventually they end up getting married when Kat finds out that she's pregnant.

Years later, Eva is raped but the police don't believe her because there's no evidence, she showered before visiting the cops. And that's when she meets Liam. He wears her down months later and she dated him. She likes how he takes control and she doesn't have to worry about anything with him. Little did she know, he's been following her and taking pictures of her every move.

The cops believe that she's a suspect in her mom's death, but when Eva does some digging and finds the answers that she's been digging for; her while world is about to be forever changed. Her life as she knew it was nothing but a lie.

When their past finally catches up to them, life will never be the same again for Eva.

A must read..

I could not put this book down. In fact, I finished it in one afternoon. McDonald weaves a fantastic tale of past and present, of murder and deception, and one of families.

Eva wakes up in the hospital, after being struck by lightning, with no memory of the evening before. She’s informed her mother has been murdered and she’s likely the prime suspect.

The novel takes us back, to 25 years before, to Eva’s mother’s Kat’s life in England. And flash forwards to present day, with Eva desperately trying to put together the pieces of her memories.

I’m highly recommend this book. It’s intriguing, suspenseful and though you may think you’re heading down a road towards the big reveal, you’re truly blindsided at the end!

This was a great edge of your seat book! This book kept me captivated the whole time! I could not put it done!

Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for the Advance Reader Copy in exchange for my honest review. This is my first book by this author. I thought it was just ok as far as thrillers go. Premise sounded good but not the page turner I was hoping for.

Identical review posted on GoodReads.

Revenge stories don't interest me much. Therefore this story was just an okay read to me; well written and crafted, but I couldn't find myself invested in it like I'd been in her debut novel.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. I will keep checking Christina McDonald’s future books because I think she's a great storyteller.

What a intriguing, suspenseful thriller that will keep you guessing right up to the last pages! There was so much going on, it was hard to keep up with everything. Talk about family secrets, family abuse, lies and mother-daughter relationships....this book has it all.
I had to get use to the story going from past to present telling both the daughter and mothers point of view. But once I got into the rhythm of it, I liked it.
I loved Christina Mc Donald’s first book, The Night Olivia Fell and was glad I was offered a chance to read and review Behind Every Lie. Definitely recommend you read this book.
Thank you to NetGallery, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review Behind Every Lie.

This sophomore effort from Christina Macdonald is utterly engrossing. From the first chapter all the way to the shocking conclusion, I was completely invested in Eva and Kat’s journeys. All the twists and turns gave me whiplash, but I couldn’t put it down.

As with The Night Olivia Fell, Macdonald deep-dives into a complex, complicated mother-daughter relationship and grapples with the question, “can our memories be trusted?”

Eva is the witness to her mother’s murder, but as she flees into the night, she is struck by lightning. She awakens in the hospital with no memory of the previous night, and soon becomes the main suspect in the ensuing murder investigation. Propelled by random snatches of memory, Eva is determined to discover the truth—but how do you figure out the truth when you realize your whole life is built in lies?

Macdonald again employs the dual narrative—switching between Eva and her mother Kat, moving seamlessly between past and present. I guessed about halfway through where the story was heading, and I was anxious, wondering how she’d piece it all together. The ending was redemptive and beautiful. It wasn’t perfect, tied up with a bow, but it was real.

If you are the survivor of an abusive relationship, this book may be especially triggering. Macdonald handles sensitive subjects with tender care and shows that healing is possible, but I feel that it’s best to be aware of the subject matter going in.

Additional Trigger Warnings: domestic abuse, assault, rape, murder, PTSD, suicide, death of a loved one

Another great book by Christina McDonald! Love this book and love this author! Great story with tiwsts and turns. Just when you think you know what's coming, you don't! So thankful I got to read this ARC, (thank you @netgalley) if you haven't read her other book, "The Night Olivia Fell" pick that one up now then run to your bookstore in February and pick this one up too! Promise, you will not be disappointed! Can't wait for more great books from this author!!

Holy crap what a ride! If you have read The Night Olivia Fell by Christina then you will love this as well! And if you haven’t, what are you waiting for?? This is the story of how far mothers will go for their children. Along the way Eva learns a lot about herself, her mother, and their past. This book will take you up and down and all around. Such a good story!

I really liked this book and read it in one sitting. It centers around Eva, in the present, and her mother Kat, in past times, with chapters alternating between the two. The story gets you into the suspense quickly and never lets you go- there are constant twists and turns leading you to be unsure of what to believe. Though this is a suspense story, there is enough emotion throughout to make you empathize with the characters, and maybe even tear up a couple times!

I figured out a couple of the twists early, but still found it fun to see if I was right as the story went on. There were a couple things that read a little too coincidental to be true- like Jacob just happening to have a flat in London, and him booking Eva's flight for her without her passport information, but for the most part the details were sound. I found myself annoyed with Eva a few times, with her constant self-doubt and feeling embarrassed about things that happened to her that weren't her fault. I know this was a story of self-actualization but wish she would have come off a little stronger in parts of the book.

All in all, I would recommend this quick, twisty read, and am looking forward to reading more books by Christina McDonald. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you, Thank you , THANK YOU NetGalley for the ARC. Before Olivia Fell was one of my favorite reads this year and I was beyond thrilled to get this ARC!!!

I loved everything about it! Christina McDonald does not disappoint! I've never seen a author be able to keep a book as fast paced, exciting, heart pounding through out the whole book, but she does.

I don't want to give too much away until the book is released, but I will say that you HAVE TO PUT THIS on your 2020 TBR!

Thank you #NetGalley

Eva Hansen wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother has been murdered. Eva only remembers quick flashes of that night, but she is the lead suspect in the investigation. Determined to clear her name, at the same time doubting her own memory, Eva travels from Seattle to London for answers. As she discovers her mother’s deeply guarded secrets, Eva soon realizes that there is much more the story than she could have ever imagined. The book is told in alternating perspectives as Eva tries to recall the events leading to her mother's murder which aligns with Kat’s mysterious past.


Overall, I really enjoyed the story. Some things I did not like were; the “unrealistic” things like Rosa asking Kat - a complete stranger- to be her nanny, that Eva’s passport just happened to be in her mother’s house, that Jacob conveniently owns a flat in London and a couple other similar situations. But, the story was intriguing enough that I could overlook those things. There was quite a bit of swear words, but they were pretty spaced out throughout the book, and used at emotional points in the story, so it didn’t seem too overpowering. The book has a lot of trigger moments- domestic violence, murder, death of a child, rape - which could limit the audience who will appreciate the story.
The twists in this book were amazing! At some points, I wondered why a character was seemingly intertwined for no reason, and thought maybe there were too many characters involved but it all wrapped up nicely at the end!



Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Ohhh doesn't the title just scream suspense?! I knew as soon as I started reading this book that it was going to be a good one, and I was right! Christina McDonald did an excellent job at keeping you intrigued throughout the whole novel. The main character was excellent as well.

Review #69 BEHIND EVERY LIE by Christina McDonald and reviewing for Netgalley.. Wow, wow, wow! I could barely put this book down. Sometimes no one is who you think they are...even yourself! Twists and turns with an explosive ending. 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟5 stars.A must read!

I read Christina McDonald's first book, The Night Olivia Fell, and I really liked her writing style and hoped to read more of her books. So when I was contacted by the publisher about her 2nd book, Behind Every Lie, I knew I wanted to read it immediately.

The story is told from two perspectives, Eva's and her mother, Kat. It flashes from present to past (25 years ago). The author can get to the heart of mother-daughter relationship struggles and can weave a complex and exciting story. Eva finds herself trying to piece together what happened the night her mother died and finds herself searching for answers. Many secrets unfold in this story, though a lot was going on between the two characters and trying to piece together the plot and how it would eventually intersect. There are many twists and turns and did have a satisfying conclusion.

I would definitely read more books by Christina McDonald. She is able to tap into complex relationships and tell a good story.