I started this book hating it but as it progressed enjoyed it more and wanted to find out what happened. Lucy Harper has written bestsellers, making a lot of money. Her husband, Dan, wanted to be an author but has ended up managing Lucy's finances, the housekeeping and anything else, freeing up Lucy to concentrate on writing. Dan ends up disappearing. Lucy's brother also disappeared but many years ago and was never found. The book focuses on Lucy trying to figure out what has happened to Dan and what ties he may have had to her past.

The plot: Lucy Harper’s talent for writing bestselling novels has given her fame, fortune and millions of fans. The best-selling novels come at a price though-Lucy isn’t just writing about the main character but she sees and hears her. It’s also given her Dan, her needy, jealous husband whose own writing career has gone precisely nowhere.

Now Dan has vanished. But this isn’t the first time that someone has disappeared from Lucy’s life. Three decades ago, her little brother Teddy also went missing and was never found. Lucy, the only witness, helplessly spun fantasy after fantasy about Teddy’s disappearance, to the detectives’ fury and her parents’ despair. That was the start of her ability to tell a story—a talent she has profited from greatly.

The review: I devoured this book over two nights. It was hard to put down. The book keeps you wondering and guessing throughout. The addition of Lucy’s “friend” adds to the mystery and suspense throughout the book.

4.5 stars because I wasn’t the biggest fan of the ending.

Highly recommend if you like thrillers and mysteries.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the ending to this story....completely unexpected! I just KNEW I had it all figured out. I was SOOO wrong. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

A speedy fast read! I'm a big Gilly MacMillan fan, so I was excited to get my hands on this one. I enjoy a book where you question the reliability of the narrator but find yourself rooting for them anyway, which I found myself doing with Lucy. I enjoyed most of the story and found it to be a quick and enjoyable read. I was a bit disappointed by the ending and felt it came out of left field, but it wasn't the ending you might predict. Thanks to Netgalley, Harper Collins, and Book Club Girl for the advance digital copy!

To Tell You the Truth is a taut psychological thriller with the epitome of the unreliable narrator, which will keep you in suspense, wondering who can be trusted, including the narrator herself.

Lucy, currently a crime fiction writer, was involved in a mystery of her own when she was 9 years old and her 3-year-old brother went missing. She took her brother into the woods near their home late at night to witness a pagan spring equinox festival. She stowed him in a bunker she had discovered, but when she went to retrieve him, he was no longer there. The case reached national prominence and as a result, in adulthood Lucy changed her name to escape the past. The details of this event are told in a series of flashbacks interspersed with the current narrative.

In the present, Lucy lives with Dan, her overbearing husband who has taken control of her life and her finances while she sequesters herself to write her crime fiction thriller series. The series involves a main character named Eliza, which is based on what appears to be a hallucination that began as an “invisible friend” from her childhood, who has over the years morphed into a person that Lucy sees, hears and obeys. Without her knowledge, Lucy’s husband uses her money to buy an expensive mansion near the woods where her brother disappeared, which also happens to be located on the same lane as a woman with whom Lucy suspects Dan is having an affair. Lucy comes to believe that Dan is “gas lighting” her, first by making her think her memory is faulty and then for buying the house near the scene of her greatest trauma. In addition, he criticizes the quality of her writing, the success of which has made them both rich. When her husband disappears, Lucy wonders if “Eliza” had something to do with it.

This thriller will draw you in with the tension filled events surrounding Dan and her brother’s disappearances as well as richly drawn characterizations of herself and her neighbors, all of whom seem to be suspects. Add to this the creepiness of sharing Lucy’s delusion-filled thoughts, and you have a tantalizing read.

Thank you Netgalley and HarperCollins for allowing me to read this ARC, It started out great! The problem was I didn't like any of the characters, so was not really invested in the story, I liked the idea of the flashbacks, but was not totally sure how they fitted in to the overall story. The end was kind of out there, so that was disappointing.

Our main character is Lucy who has written a several best-selling crime mysteries with an amazing detective character who happens to be based on her imaginary childhood friend, Eliza. Years ago, Lucy's brother disappeared and we find out that her husband has disappeared too which is too eerily similar. Lucy is an unreliable narrator which sometimes, surprisingly, I end up enjoying. This was a good thriller, very tense and haunting!

Gilly Macmilian's latest novel, To Tell You the Truth, follows a very famous crime fiction writer, Lucy Harper, as she tries to unravel the truth behind her husband Dan's disappearance. Lucy has made millions writing about the exploits of her protagonist Eliza Grey, a tough no-nonsense detective. Everyone loves Eliza, but Lucy is harboring a secret- Eliza was her childhood imaginary friend, who still appears to Lucy, even more so now that she has written about her. Eliza was there with Lucy when Lucy's 3 year old brother went missing, and Lucy thinks Eliza may have done something to Dan. The novel flashes back to the night of the midsummer's night party Teddy went from, hidden in a secret bunker Lucy had discovered. To the current situation, which Lucy is desperately tying to get to the bottom of. Only, is she responsible for both?
I loved this novel. Lots of twists and turns, that all end up in the same place. A great read!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for my copy of To Tell You the Truth by Gilly Macmillan. All opinions are my own!

I really enjoyed this book allllll the way up until the very ending. And then, it completely tanked due to lack of information. I can't stand reading something and not getting closure, and that's what you unfortunately get with this book. It was super creepy and full of twists and turns up until then. I wish that it had ended differently, but it fully had my attention until then, so I'd consider it a good read. Definitely not my favorite Macmillan book, but not my least favorite, either.

This was a pretty good suspense novel. I had a hard time putting it down, it was written well, and it wasn't too predictable for me. Thanks to NetGalley for my copy.

To Tell You the Truth by Gilly MacMillan is the kind of intense psychological suspense I most enjoy. The story goes deep into the lead character’s mind and heart, with no jerky point of view switches and no sense that the author is constantly straining to come up with ever more shocking twists. The twists in the plot are organic and completely believable, just as the characters are.

Lucy Harper is a British author of internationally bestselling mystery novels. Pushed to produce a new bestseller every year, Lucy is so immersed in her characters and stories that she allows her husband, Dan, to control every other aspect of her life, including the enormous royalties that pour in. But Dan, a failed writer, is jealous and greedy and can’t be trusted.

Without Lucy’s knowledge, Dan uses two million pounds of Lucy’s money to buy a mansion in the worst possible location. The house overlooks the woods where Lucy’s little brother Teddy disappeared when they were young children. Nine-year-old Lucy was suspected of harming her beloved brother and hiding his body, which has never been found. The trauma of that experience has haunted Lucy into adulthood and led her to hide her identity as she became a famous author. The last thing she wants is to live in a house overlooking the woods where Teddy disappeared. But she has no choice to move because Dan has already given up their apartment and they must get out. Angry and hurt, and reeling from an unexpected career setback, she moves into the dreaded house with no intention of remaining there.

Soon after, Dan disappears and Lucy becomes a suspect.

Alone and besieged by police and reporters and even a drone that hovers outside her windows, Lucy wonders if Dan is actually alive and is gaslighting her. The truth that emerges in the end is a surprise that no reader could see coming, yet it is fully satisfying. Lucy’s unusual relationship with Eliza, the wildly popular heroine of her novels, is a bonus that should please mystery readers and writers alike.

Predictable story that did not surprise or shock like I had hoped it would. No mystery or suspense to be had.

I'm an absolute sucker for an unreliable narrator, but this chick takes the cake. I'm talking Gone Girl levels of messed up here.

There is such a glut of suspense novels on the market, when I start a new book in the genre if it doesn’t grab me right away I can’t be bothered to continue. I had exactly the opposite problem with To Tell You the Truth since I couldn’t put it down. At first I thought the book was too short until I realized I had stayed up all night reading, and the writing was tight, which is a good thing. I was so emotionally connected to this book I hated the husband from the beginning and found myself getting mad on Lucy’s behalf. The suspense was played out beautifully and I was on the edge of my seat so much I wanted to flip to the end and see who did it, but stopped myself because the writing and plot were so good I didn’t want to ruin the ending. And that’s another thing, usually I can figure out what’s happened before the end, but not this time. There were many red herrings as the author took us in one direction then another. I heartedly endorse this book, and will buy multiple copies for our library.

This one was just okay for me. The suspense and uncertainty were fine, but I couldn't really pick a character to champion, so, I couldn't really invest.

My first book by Gilly Macmillan, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH, did not disappoint!

Written in second person, the (italicized) chapters intrigued me the most. While I thought I knew how they fit into the bigger picture, a well-timed plot twist proved me wrong. Vivid descriptions of the couple's new house (and new neighbors) drew me into Lucy's eerie atmosphere. Questioning what, if anything, existed solely in Lucy's imagination intrigued me as well.

Eliza's role in the novel is an interesting one! For me, it was a fresh take on the genre, especially considering that the protagonist is a mystery writer herself.

The ending didn't quite deliver the closure I had hoped for on either front; nevertheless, both threads were unexpected. Definitely recommend for fans of the psychological thriller!

Did not see that coming....another great read by Gilly Macmillan!
Lucy is a crime novelist, famous for her series featuring a detective Eliza Grey. Her husband seemingly supports her and caters to her, until he goes missing. Too much to tell without giving away details, but rest assured it was well written with a brilliant ending!

People seem to go missing around Lucy. The best selling novelist’s little brother disappeared thirty years ago and Lucy told all kinds of stories about what happened to him. They were all lies, and she enraged both the police and her parents. Now as an adult, her husband has disappeared. Her husband, who was also an author, albeit a bad one and he was a bad husband too, really. Now that she’s an adult, not a child, Lucy is under suspicion. Did she have something to do with her husband’s disappearance? Ans what about her little brother all those years ago? In Lucy, Macmillan has created a character readers won’t soon forget. This is a thrill ride

I have read several other books by Gilly Macmillan and while this wasn't my favorite of her books, I really enjoyed it. I was a bit disappointed at the ending and wanted more resolution to "what happened" (no spoilers). I am looking forward to recommending this book, and reading more by Macmillan. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy.