Theo Snyder's on top of the film world after his big hit documentary The Basement. Following a personal scandal, he finds himself a persona non grata and looking for a way to restore himself in the industry. He decides to make a new film about the Halo serial killer, but from a fresh angle. He can even see it play out in his head, complete with chyrons. Surprised when the Halo Killer reaches out to him to cooperate in his new effort, Theo finds himself getting dragged deeper and deeper into a dark, sick story. It's almost a game, but who is playing who?

Let Her Lie starts off strong, but fizzled out for me about half-way through when things got more convoluted and unbelievable. Despite high hopes, this book didn't do it for me. From the characters (none of whom I cared for or about), to the annoying chyrons, and the "where is he going with this?" moments, it was a so-so read.

My thanks to NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books for allowing me to read a copy of this book which is scheduled to be published 2/9/21. Opinions stated here are my own.

I'm afraid I struggled with this one. I was interested to start it, having read the summary of it being about a film maker who decides to pursue the story of a notorious killer. However, I found it a difficult, plodding read, with little or no 'thriller' elements.

Perhaps if it's read as a mystery, rather than a thriller, you'll be less disappointed. It's not a bad read, just, for me, an OK one.

Thanks to NetGalley, Crooked Lane Books and the author for the opportunity to preview.

The description of this book drew me in and I was excited to read it., and I was not disappointed. A wild ride with many twists and turns.

Theo, a film maker who needs a second chance, gets one , or so he thinks, when he starts interviewing Jaspar, the Halo Killer, for a documentary, Working along with Zora, an investigator, he finds himself searching for Miracle, the now young adult daughter of his Jaspar's first victim,. This does have good characters but the plot, especially when Jaspar escapes from prison, didn't stand up for me. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. For fans of the serial killer genre.

The premise of this book was so intriguing! I found it a little hard to really get into the book at the beginning but I pushed through and am glad I did. The mystery was great and I found myself surprised by the twists.

The story revolves around Theo Snyder who is a documentary filmmaker and his first film was a massive hit. but after a public blunder he decides to film a documentary on The Halo Killer. When I read the synopsis, I was expecting the story to be really good but nothing like that happened.

This was an interesting read with good suspense and mystery. I did not care for the characters very much but maybe that was the author’s intention. There were plenty of twists and the plot was good.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

4 stars for the first half + 2 stars for the second half = 3 stars overall.

While this story does share some similar elements to the thriller genre, I definitely wouldn't label it as such. Maybe more of a slow burning mystery? Initially I was drawn in by the idea of a documentary filmmaker teaming up with a serial killer to produce a fresh take on the story, and the first 40% really drew me in via the mystery surrounding the goings on. However, as the story progressed, I found a few twists to be a bit obvious (mainly who in the group is hiding things from others), and the ending felt like there was too much going on, when a simpler thread would have felt more meaningful. If you are looking for an atmospheric novel that brims with suspense, I recommend you giving this one a try for yourself.

Movie maker Theo Snyder is in his glory with his ‘hit’ documentary film. However, his next film takes him off the ‘top of the world! He decides to do a true crime on serial killer Jasper Ross-Johnson, who is currently serving a life sentence in prison.’ Jasper agrees to participate.
Although a good plot, some slow spots
Want to thank NetGalley and Revell Books for this early release granted to me for an honest professional review. Opinions expressed are mine. Publishing Release Date scheduled for February 9, 2021

I was really excited to read Let Her Lie and the first couple of chapters delivered. But I really have an issue when stories don't have a character I can connect to in some way and the more I read, the more I came to loathe the main character.

Theo is a documentary filmmaker. His first movie, The Basement, was a huge success and for a minute, he was an A-lister. And then he became part of a scandal and became a pariah. Then, randomly, Theo is contacted by The Halo Killer, a methodical serial killer who is currently in prison for murdering multiple women. Theo decides to resurrect his career by making a film about The Halo Killer.

What could have been a chilling look at serial killers with a Silence of the Lambs vibe instead became all about the self-centered Theo and his quest to get be great again. Theo is arrogant and obnoxious and a complete douche. And maybe if I had hated him but the story was still a great thriller, it would have worked. But alas, the thrills fell flat and all in all this one just didn't work for me.

This gets 2 stars mainly because of the potential of the story. The bare bones are incredibly captivating, however, the execution was a bit of a mess. Theo as the narrator was all over the place, and not in a beneficial to his character developing way. I didn't buy his motivations behind being that erratic working toward finding out the story and I didn't buy he was that naive throughout to just go with the first assumption. None of the characters in this were likable and perhaps my biggest issue was the ending. I felt this novel ended three different times and each one was equally unsatisfying and really relied on the idea that reader suspend all reality. Overall, I'm disappointed in this one.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I am struggling a bit to find the right rating for this book. While it was not bad, I am so disappointed with the second half of the story.

This started off so strong! We have Theo, a disgraced documentary filmmaker who rose to fame for the film The Basement, but was brought back down to earth with a crash after a scandal with a person close to his investigations goes public... Now, he is working on another potential film about the notorious Halo Killer, Jasper Ross-Johnson, with an investigator with her own troubled past.

The imprisoned Jasper has agreed to work with Theo and along with Zora's help, things are on the up and up. Theo can literally see the imagery for this next film in his head.

But somewhere just before the halfway point of this book, I completely lost interest due to different events that take place. I wanted so much to continue loving this story, but I was stuck in the second half feeling confused and like there were just so many things going on- and not in a fast-paced progression that leaves you on the edge of your seat...

I loved the idea of this book. I thought Jasper's back story was interesting and conceivable. And I loved the character Miracle's origin story and how she was involved in this story, but that simply was not enough to keep me interested in the way the story goes.

Please understand that these opinions are my own and so many others will love this story. I hope they do! I am extremely critical when it comes to the thrillers I read and this one just didn't work for me.

The notorious Halo Killer has been caught and he calls Theo Snyder a filmmaker to write his story. Jasper the Halo killer has been getting away with murder for over 16 years, he's arrogant and devious. During the conversations he has had with Theo he gives away some information alluding to a connection to the Miracle child. A baby born in an outhouse and left to die. Theo catches the reference and Jasper threatens him to stay away from her or he will kill him. Theo of course doesn't heed the warning. He is an expert film maker and dogmatic in his pursuit of the whole story. Even though he has fallen from fame and disgraced his talent isn't questioned. He pokes and prods with the help of an investigator who seems to be the best however, she also seems to fluctuate between helping and not helping. Things get crazy when Jasper escapes from prison after finding out Theo didn't stay away from the Miracle child, Now he is after Theo and Theo is on the run, My goodness this story kept you guessing all the way through. So many possibilities of an ending, and so many variations to what could be the truth. Very well written and I enjoyed the read. I prefer a book I can't guess the ending and you definitely can't guess this one, I recommend this book it does have some parts I felt were beyond what could really happen but who knows people can fool you,. Thank you NetGalley, Bryan Reardon, Crooked Lane Books for this advanced digital copy. As always this is my honest opinion.

The premise for this story was good, but I lost interest about 3/4 of the way thru the book. A disgraced Hollywood documentary maker has a huge hit with his first film but is immersed in a scandal with the second film. Suddenly he goes from being praised and on the top to not being sure if he can come back from the scandal. There are some strange events that puzzle him and confused me. The book has suspense and is fast paced but it didn’t grab me. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Let Her Lie by Bryan Reardon is a mystery involving a flawed filmmaker named Theo Snyder. He became famous after directing a documentary called "The Basement," but then he was involved in a scandal during his next documentary. Now, he's hoping for a comeback with a documentary about the serial killer called the "Halo Killer." However, strange things keep happening, and Theo isn't quite sure what's going on. Honestly, I'm not quite sure what was going on either. The first half of this book was great, but then the author tried to do too much and lost me. Thanks to NetGalley for the free digital review copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a great thriller about a serial killer! It was action packed and fast paced with an unreliable narrator. I didn't know how all of the characters and events would connect and I enjoyed the reveal in the end. I also enjoyed the unique writing style with scenes from Theo's movie were laced into the book. The only thing that dragged a bit for me was the build up to the big reveal. Some of Theo's rantings and thoughts got a bit repetitive. With that being said I liked the story behind the Halo Killer and how he was able to pull everything off. I also enjoyed all of the twists and surprises. Overall I really enjoyed the book and would recommend the read!

First of all thank you Crooked Lane and Netgalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
This started off with a great premise. A documentarian wanting to make a film about a serial killer. I was thrilled and I enjoyed the first 20/30% of the book immensely. Then it got really weird. I think the author was a little too ambitious wanting to outdo the twists and turns in this story and the outcome was very confusing. At least to me. During most of the story we are in the main character’s head while he is stressed out, confused, exhausted and paranoid which leads us to be exactly that. Confused and paranoid. The book suddenly turned into a noir in which the characters were acting weird and nobody actually explained what was going on. I wish the author had made the story a little less complicated and explained what was actually happening.
Even the ending didn’t quite redeem the book for me, as I felt certain important things weren’t satisfactorily explained. So hence the three stars.

The premise of Let Her Lie by Bryan Reardon called to me as I am a true crime enthusiast. Theo Snyder makes documentaries and decides to film one on an infamous serial killer, The Halo Killer who after years of escape, messes up and finally gets caught. He wants to know who or what led him to kill and how he was finally caught. The book has some great twists and turns and the reader can be drawn into Theo's madness as he tries to write his film and to get his fame back. I found the fast pace of the story to be a wild ride but at times I felt confused as to what Theo's real motivation was and wanted to shake him at times, which annoyed and made me want to read faster. There was some interesting plot twists and gaslighting as well but the final conclusion almost felt unfinished because there were still holes in the story. Overall though a wild ride and entertaining. Thank you to Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Okay this one was, well, weird... I really liked the first half or so - the pacing was spot on, the characterization and plot roll out were complex and intriguing, and the mysteries and secrets were thick on the ground in a way that held promise. It was interesting to see the evolution, devolution, and reemergence of Theo as a character as he began to come back into his own with the new film. (I always find it fascinating to see hubris get punished - I'm a a fan of Greek myths from way back lol...) Unfortunately this one felt like it was trying too hard to force clever complexities onto the story, and that's where it started to lose me. As things started moving into the revolution phase, that's where it lost it's way a bit... The rationales and resolutions felt meandering and overly complicated. The suspension of disbelief is one thing, but sometimes you get pushed a little too far on that... That happened here for me. The writing was easy-going enough that I could stay with the story, but it lost some of its immediacy at that point and as a result only netted out at three stars for me.

Wow. This fast paced storyline chronicled the rise and fall and rise again of a frenetic documentary film maker. The cutting in and out of script made his thought process maddening and gave me an idea of how he drove into his work and how he was being sucked into a world he wasn't exactly prepared for. Not your typical thriller but better, a fast paced page turner with some amazing plot twist that kept me intrigued right until the last page. Can't wait to read more from Bryan Reardon.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley for this digital review copy.