4.5 lightning struck stars

This complex thriller kept me guessing! Just when I thought I had some things figured out, there was another twist.

It’s a great opening premise, the main character, Eva, is in the hospital after being struck by lightning. Her mother was murdered the same night and Eva can’t remember anything. This frustrates both the police and Eva. All the clues point to Eva being at the house that night, but is she guilty of the crime? Eva sets out to discover the truth, including a visit to London, her mother’s original hometown.

Along the way, the reader isn’t sure if her paranoia and strange behavior are symptoms of the lightning strike or is Eva pretending that she can’t remember? I didn’t quite know who to trust and there was quite the web of deceit! Some secrets are buried very deep for good reason.

There is an alternating storyline with Eva’s mother from the past and we start to get some clues that there are secrets in Kat’s life and it seems that someone doesn’t want Eva digging too much into the past. As Eva digs deeper and some memories start to return, the story builds to a stunning conclusion that I did not predict!

This is another mother-daughter domestic tale from Christina McDonald that I truly enjoyed. The pacing was excellent, and it is definitely a page-turner.

*I will update my Goodreads review the week of publication

I love getting lost in a great thriller and Christina McDonald’s latest novel is the perfect example of why! Behind Every Lie will grab you from the beginning and keep you hooked until the last page! Christina McDonald does a fantastic job with creating so many possible scenarios for the who, what, where, why, and when that your conspiracy theories will be plentiful (and in my case all incorrect)! Behind Every Lie is extremely well planned out and masterfully executed! Even though this book comes out a month into 2020, I can guarantee it will be one of my top 3 thrillers for the year! Behind Every Lie is a complete and total 5 star read! I can’t recommend this novel (and author) enough—a definite must read!

Having recently read The Night Olivia Fell, I was beaming about the opportunity to read and review Behind Every Lie. I admit, I was guarded going into this book. After all, my personal bar had been set pretty high after The Night Olivia Fell and I wondered, could lightening really strike twice with the same author (you’ll understand this pun a little better when you read the book)? Fortunately, luck has nothing to do with it. When you can write a deep story as compelling as Behind Every Lie, you don’t need luck, you just have a gift for writing. The way Christina McDonald develops characters throughout the story and describes places is like taking a master class in creative writing. You can’t put this book down and your heart breaks as the story unfolds. If you needed a tissue (or two) for The Night Olivia Fell, I recommend keeping a box handy for Behind Every Lie.

The story begins with a cloudy reflection of a grisly crime scene. Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her. Eva, not suffering from the effects of memory loss, tries to figure out what happened during the period her mother was murdered.

Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.

Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.

This book will be released February 2020 and I definitely recommend adding it to your TBR. It will be thinking about this one for the next few days.

Oh wow!!! This was definitely a fantastic read. I was a little worried if it would be as good as her first book The Night Olivia Fell, but I think it surpassed it. I was hooked from the first page. Suspense right from the beginning. This story goes back and forth from the present to the past, which I don't always enjoy.
However in this book I was eager to go back and forth trying to fit all the pieces together as each timeline was just as interesting and suspenseful as the other.

Christina McDonald has quickly become a favorite author and I can't wait for her to right more!!

Behind Every Lie is a fantastic thriller that would make a great gift. The storyline and characters are well developed. The writing is well done.

I have mixed emotions about this book. It was interesting enough to keep me reading but at times lengthy and boring. I’m glad I finished and I’ll leave it at that.

Although I felt the plot had a few too many twists, I enjoyed this mystery. It was well written and certainly suspenseful. It was an original concept that drew me in immediately and kept my interest. It did require a little suspension of disbelief to accept the ultimate resolution, but I did nonetheless. I would recommend it for a fun, quick read.

The police are very suspicious of Eva Hansen, who has woken up in the hospital after being struck by lightning. It seems just a block away from where Eva was found, the body of her mother was discovered. She has been murdered and the cops find Eva’s lack of memory a little too convenient. In order to find out what happened to her mum and to clear her own name, Eva decides to journey to her mum’s home, London. But she may not like the answers she uncovers as she proves the life of a woman it would appear she never really knew