Thank you, Thomas Mercer and Net galley for this ARC.

One dead girl. So many motives. So many twists. Two detectives. A secret beneath the mystery.

This book was intense. I loved the mystery and following the crime to its shocking end. I was kept guessing to the very last page. The only thing I could have done without was the whole thing between the detectives. Otherwise, this thrilling mystery was superb and I look forward to reading more from Farrell.

I found a new favorite author! Thank you Netgalley for the advance reader copy of Tell Me the Truth by Matthew Ferrell in exchange for an honest review. I had gotten 2 of his books before I got this one from Netgalley, yet I hadn't gotten around to reading them yet. I got this book and thought I'd give it a go. The power went off where I live shortly after I started, which was nice in that all I was able to do was read. I managed to read this book in two days. It was so good! I loved the way the story developed. I was immediately drawn into who killed Jennifer. Was it her mom who showed up covered in blood? Her brother, who was hiding a secret? Her father who's story kept changing? Or someone else? I loved the investigators Adler and Dwyer and how personable both were. I am definitely going to read the other 3 books he has written.

Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review!

This thriller is about the death of 18-year-old Jenny Moore who's found dead by her mother in the area behind her house. Stella Adler and her partner, Liam Dwyer are called in to investigate the case full of twists and turns.

I realized after reading that this was technically the second book in a series about Adler and Dwyer, but I didn't feel lost at all! This was first Matthew Farrell book and I thought it was pretty good. The first chapter is immediately gripping and made me want to read more.

Some of the writing felt stuff to me at times, mainly the character descriptions but also some dialogue. The pace was also a bit slower than books I normally read, but I still enjoyed it, it was a good read. Thriller-lovers will definitely love this one!! A solid 3 stars from me!

This was an exciting read with a lot of twists and turns, not to mention red herrings galore! It centers on the murder of an 18-year-old named Jennifer, discovered by her family in the woods behind her house just weeks before she was due to leave for college. We know early on that the parents are lying but we don't know why, or the extent of those lies, and there are also a multitude of other characters who have a potential reason to hurt Jennifer. The book alternates POVs between various family members and the police investigators.

I love a book where I can't figure out who did it because there are so many viable suspects. This book did not disappoint in that respect. I had concocted a story in my head and ended up being wrong, with the truth possibly even darker than what I had expected to happen. The story moved at a fast pace and constantly kept me guessing.

I didn't realize this was the 2nd book in a series but didn't feel like I missed anything by not having read the first book, other than the building relationship between the detective, Susan, and the consultant, Liam. I could personally have done without that piece, as well as Susan's constant doubts about work-life balance- I would have preferred to just focus on the mystery itself. That being said, the personal dynamics were not a huge part of the book.

Also, minor nit, but the book said she was "left for dead" multiple times, even in the synopsis, but she actually WAS dead, which is clear from the very beginning. Just thought that was an odd and confusing choice of words.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and loved that I wasn't able to figure out who the culprit was, despite developing so many different opinions throughout the book. This is a fast-paced mystery and I'd recommend it; I plan on reading the next book in the series. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I love all the books of Matthew Farrell. So when I got a chance to read and review the ARC version I jumped. And I was not disappointed!

I read this in one day because I could not put it down. I was totally drawn in. Not only did this have a suspenseful premise, but it was told from multiple points of view, which is my favorite type of book.

I also loved the growing relationship between the police detectives. It seemed natural and organic, and not some sappy "instant love" thing. It was far from the focal point of this book, but it did add a little something.

This is a mystery, a suspense, a story about family. And I want more...

I purchased one of Matthew Farrells books on Kindle first reads on Amazon, liking the cover and sound of the book. So I went and purchased the other two before it. After reading all three, Matthew fast became one of my favourite authors, so couldn't wait for the next book after he announced it and it did not disappoint, I love the characters , the story is very well written with good twists.

I will read anything by Matthew Farrell. I especially enjoy detective Susan Adler, though I wish someday a female protagonist can just BE without needing a male romantic interest. Sigh.

Anyway, this book was fine. Lots of twists and turns, but goodness gracious is Noel a horrible parent! That's all I will say at the risk of spoilers, but throughout the whole book he tried to be a hero but consistently sells out his family when it benefits him. What a douche.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher, and the author for the advanced copy.

Tell Me The Truth is a quick-moving whodunnit with an uncomplicated plot, terse dialogue, and a small cast, which makes it almost a perfect read. Mindy finds her eighteen year old daughter Jen murdered in the woods behind their house, and runs home, in a state of shock, and husband Noel takes control. Lots of misdirection and turns will keep you guessing, and just when you think you’ve got it solved, boom! You’ll flip through this one quickly, chapters flows nicely, absolutely no complaints here. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect family. The loss of a young beautiful daughter who is ready to head off to Duke. Until the daughter is brutally murdered right outside the backyard. This book lets on right from the beginning that the family holds many secrets. These secrets are very slowly revealed. Who murdered her? Who knows something they are not sharing? What happened with Jenny and her mother in the years before her murder.
I was kept on my toes guessing who was the murder. Clearly her parents are lying but what about? This is a great thriller and mystery about a family that seems like they have it all until this one awful night. I highly recommend this book.

I really really like this series! From the first two books (which I didn't even know were part of a series at the time that I read them and are now considered the .5 and .75 books in the series) which established who Adler and Dwyer are, I have been hooked. I really enjoyed seeing things develop further between Liam and Susan in this book. I like that their relationship has been an organic one, and that the series began with each of them as individuals. It allowed the characters to develop on their own and each establish their own presence in a way that I think is carrying over nicely now that they are working together. The cases being investigated are always well plotted and well-paced, the characterizations are spot-on, and the revelations and red herrings are well-managed. This is a series with solid writing that I hope continues for quite some time.

Haven't read the first Adler and Dwyer novel, but that's not essential.

Susan Adler and Liam Dwyer get asked to assist the local police investigating the death of 18 year old Jenny Moore.

This is a totally addictive crime thriller with so many surprises in the concluding chapters that my head was spinning. Even the one part of the story I guessed, the story spun in a direction that had be thinking "Oh I had that wrong" before twisting back and proving my guess right !

When you think you have this one nailed, you don't. Thoroughly enjoyable read !

This was a decent thriller. I must have changed my prediction ten times or more. There are just so many people in Jenny’s life with secrets that they want to keep secret.

This is my first novel by this author and I found it an easy read. It's the second novel in a series but I felt it stood alone without too many issues.

The story focuses on the death of Jenny an 18 year old about to head to college. The detectives leading the case are a new partnership with issues of their own. There are lots of twists in the story some more believable than others. I found some of the characters had not been developed enough for my preference and also the information about Detective Adler's home life did not add not the overall novel.

I did not work out who did it, but unsure if this was due to my missing the clues or due to it being improbable. This said I did enjoy the novel and it was an piece of easy escapism

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy of this novel in return for my review

Another good one from Matthew Farrell! Susan Adler and Liam Dwyer are back, investigating the death of a teenage girl named Jenny and there is no shortage of suspects. Her body was found outside of her family home and her parents and younger brother swear they did not touch or move her. So why was there blood found inside of their home? No matter how much they press them, her family does not budge from their story, making it that much harder for Adler & Dwyer to investigate the case.

The story is told from multiple points of view so that the reader sees that there are even more suspects. Jenny's brother, Charlie, discovers that his best friend was more than a little obsessed with her. Too obsessed? And why did Jenny become so close with a priest recently when she was never particularly religious? There are plenty of questions to answer to get to the heart of this case. Working together officially now, Adler & Dwyer become quite close, on duty and off. Perhaps this case will result in another type of partnership that they both desperately need?

I enjoyed this book even more than the author's previous ones. There are plenty of suspects and motives to keep you guessing, yet if you pay close attention, the ending might not come as a surprise at all! That won't stop you from enjoying the ride though, which to me is the mark of a truly impressive author.

Cover ⭐⭐⭐
Setting ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters ⭐⭐
Story ⭐⭐
Suspense ⭐⭐⭐
Whodunit ⭐⭐
Overall 2.5 stars

This book is written in third-person and cycles through the POV of 4 different characters - the father, brother and 2 detectives. It is a very slow burn. It takes you through each step of the investigation with interviews of countless potential suspects, the attaining of warrants, evaluation of evidence, media leeches and so forth.

I was enjoying the slow burn just fine until around the half way point. I would agree with the opinion of another reviewer that this felt like an episode of a long running crime show, in novel form. The writing was good but the story just got a little tedious. I skim read the remainder of the book just to find out what happened and also skipped any part with Susan's home life/kids as it felt like unnecessary filler.

If you are looking for a slow detective story with plenty of characters and suspects then this may be a book for you.

It's like someone decided to make a novelization of a law and order svu episode, except with less character development and more convenient witnesses who only talk about things that are relevant to the case.

An excellent plot with lots of hints and turns to keep the reader guessing. The detectives work well as protagonists, but some of the other character development left me wanting more.

A definite page turner that will keep you guessing until the end. A solid murder mystery with a cast of potential suspects - I did guess part of what was going on, but not the whole thing - and certainly not how it all tied in together. Characters are interesting and the mystery bread crumbs are well done and keeps everything moving. Will look for more by this author.

4 stars

Susan Adler and Liam Dwyer catch the case of eighteen-year old Jenny Moore who was brutally stabbed to death in the woods behind her house. Her mother Mindy found her and has been almost catatonic since. Her father Noel was out of town and arrived home almost as soon as Jenny's mother found her body. Her eighth grade brother Charlie knows something and feels guilty about that something, but has promised his father that he would not speak of what he saw.

As Susan and Liam begin their investigation, they learn that not all was well with Jenny – or her mother. Jenny has sort of a Jekyl and Hyde background that seemed to all change two years ago. She began to go to church and volunteer.

The detectives begin to see a long and somewhat twisted tale of secrets and betrayal. Noel is desperate to shield his family and his outspoken and aggressive lawyer is keeping him from telling his story. Charlie is tortured by his secret and begins to trust the wrong person.

There are many surprises in this book and it is well told and plotted. However, the writing does tend to wander and is a bit simplistic in places. Too much was made of Susan's feeling about being a “bad” mother. It began to annoy me. Susan is feeling harassed and Liam is feeling out of his depth at times.

I want to thank NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for forwarding to me a copy of this good book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Sadly, I had to put this one down about 30% in. The premise seemed great and as I read I was Intrigued on who killed the girl and wondered how involved the parents/family were but something about the writing style and pacing fell flat for me. I was excited to see secrets and lies come out but something was definitely lacking and I found myself intrigued but also over-all bored.