Dr. Gwen Moore is a psychiatrist who specializes in killers, specifically clients with violent tendencies and obsessions. After one of her clients and his wife are found dead in their home, Gwen struggles with guilt over how she handled his sessions. Gwen gets the opportunity of a lifetime when the latest victim of the serial killer, dubbed the Bloody Heart Killer, narrowly escapes with his life. He identifies a local High School teacher, Randall Thompson, as the man who was holding him captive. Defense attorney Robert Kavin is convinced Thompson is innocent, despite his son being the sixth victim of BH. Robert hires Gwen to create a psych profile of the killer and his victims, exactly what she needs to repair her reputation. Robert and Gwen's relationship grows more complex as she digs into the case files and begins to suspect that Robert may be hiding something.

The Good Lie is a fantastic new thriller by author A.R. Torre. I fell in love with this author's novel Ghostwriter and was very excited to get a chance to review her newest novel. This is an intricate thriller which ties several events and people together to create a novel you won’t want to put down. The characters are perfectly flawed making the reader question their motives and principles as more of the story is revealed. This was a very enjoyable, quick read, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing.

A defense attorney decides to represent a man accused of killing 6 teenagers. One of them was that attorney's son... This premise was enough to intrigue me!

The story begins with the latest victim of the Bloody Heart killer coming home after escaping. We also meet Gwen Moore, a psychiatrist who specializes in killers. I have to say I really liked this character and she's the reason why my rating is rounded up instead or down. She often has to face moral dilemmas because of her work and that was very interesting.

I can say I'm totally satisfied with this book, the first I read by A. R. Torre (I know, I'm late to the party!). The writing flowed easily, the story was fast paced and the plot mixed mystery with a bit of romance. Don't expect an unpredictable final twist, but you shouldn't be disappointed either. Let's just say I was thoroughly enthralled from the start and that I 100% recommend to read it as soon as you can!

4.5 rounded up

Many thanks to Thomas & Mercer and Netgalley for the digital ARC in exchange of an honest review.

Publication date: July 20, 2021

Whew! What a story! Very good from start to finish, with a plot that flowed nicely and characters I couldn’t trust. The Good Lie by A.R. Torre is a must-read for those who enjoy suspense. You should absolutely read Every Last Secret by this author, available now. That was another very good suspense/thriller too.

Synopsis:

Six teens murdered. A suspect behind bars. A desperate father. In a case this shadowy, the truth is easy to hide.

Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers. She’s spent a decade treating California’s most depraved predators and unlocking their motives—predators much like the notorious Bloody Heart serial killer, whose latest teenage victim escaped and then identified local high school teacher Randall Thompson as his captor. The case against Thompson as the Bloody Heart Killer is damning—and closed, as far as Gwen and the media are concerned. If not for one new development…

Defense attorney Robert Kavin is a still-traumatized father whose own son fell prey to the BH Killer. Convinced of Thompson’s innocence, he steps in to represent him. Now Robert wants Gwen to interview the accused, create a psych profile of the killer and his victims, and help clear his client’s name.

As Gwen and Robert grow closer and she dives deeper into the investigation, grave questions arise. So does Gwen’s suspicion that Robert is hiding something—and that he might not be the only one with a secret.

Out in July. But Read Every Last Secret right now!

AR Torre NEVER disappoints. This is probably one of her best thrillers yet. You won’t be able to put this book down until you have read the last page.

First off, thank you for allowing me to read this advanced copy!

There were so many aspects that I absolutely loved about this book. Stellar writing, great suspense, and an unpredictable ending to name a few! I was immediately hooked from the beginning and it kept up throughout the book.

I will say, I was really disappointed with one part of the book that referenced if the kidnapped boys were Black, gay, transgendered, etc (paraphrasing), things would be treated differently. It really left a sour taste in my mouth reading that. The reality is, the majority of "newsworthy" missing child cases are from Caucasian families. To imply this situation would play out different is questionable. Every missing child is important, especially when this case involved mutilated and sexual violence against the victims! This paragraph was completely unnecessary and if anything, takes away from the positives of this book.

This would have been a 4.5 stars for me otherwise.

I really enjoyed this book. It centers on Gwen, a psychologist that specializes in counseling those with violent tendencies. When a client follows through on a threat that she has been working with him to overcome, she feels guilty and scrabbles to find signs she might had missed. She also meets Robert during this time, who asks her to put together a profile of a serial killer who killed his own son, as he fears that the wrong person has been arrested.

The writing in this book is engaging and Gwen is a flawed but likeable protagonist. I normally run away at any sniff of romance in a mystery or thriller, but the little bit that is in this story doesn’t detract from the plot and actually makes sense when it comes to understanding Gwen and Robert’s motivations.

When the twist was revealed I had not seen it coming and then couldn’t believe that I hadn’t, as the author expertly laid the breadcrumbs throughout. I love when this happens!

Overall, I’d definitely recommend this book to those who enjoy mysteries and psychological thrillers. I finished this book quickly because it was written well and I wanted to find out what happened. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Gwen Moore is a psychiatrist who specializes in killers. After a chance meeting with attorney Robert Kavin, whose son was the victim of a still-sought serial killer known as the Bloody Heart Killer, they soon join forces to try and catch the killer. There is so much more to The Good Lie than that simple blurb, but I don’t want to risk spoiling this totally captivating, twisty, crazy novel. I was hooked from the first chapter, and this one just builds the suspense, keeping you off balance and guessing for the entire ride. Great writing, characters you don’t know if you love or hate, and a wild ending add up to a fantastic read. Don’t miss this one, you won’t regret it. I received an ARC of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a great read, I couldn’t stop once I started it. There was lots of twists and turns throughout the book that kept you guessing what was going to happen next!

A. R. Torre has DONE IT AGAIN! I was "sucked in" to Gwen's lie right from the start. I loved her character development and the way she used such descriptive narratives to illustrate each person and the lies they tell...not only to themselves but to others. This book 📖 is a MUST READ for thriller lovers everywhere. When you stop and think about it...how many lies do we tell in a day? And can we really say a "white" lie isn't a bad lie? This novel takes you to the outer limit of justifying ones lies in order to save yourself. While you read this book, try to count the lies - it'll be hard because you will be agreeing with the character's lie and probably won't even catch it! Excellent Book! Thank you A. R. Torre! 🤗📖❤️

Bravo Ms. Torre, you’ve done it again! 5 solid stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ This book is EVERYTHING a thriller should be! I discovered Alessandra Torre aka A.R. Torre a few months ago with Every Last Secret and found my new favorite author ❤️ and have been busy devouring her other books, including the Deanna Madden series which is AMAZING 🔥🔥🔥! I was so excited when Netgalley offered me an ARC and couldn’t wait to dive in and abandoned my other books to enjoy this one! I recommend just grabbing any of her books and reading without knowing the synopsis. Trust Torre to take you on a merry chase in her thrillers, with perfectly placed humor and well developed characters who, despite their vocation or station, are relatable and human, people you grow to know and care about. In this story, we take a dark journey into a serial killer investigation, but this is not like a typical crime novel. It is more about a psychiatrist who questions her abilities, a grieving father who wants justice, and a relieved but confused family when their son miraculously survives a killer. The side stories and characters are fun and distracting and the end will make you gasp! I cannot recommend this highly enough, just read it, you will be thrilled and entertained from the first page to the last! I am so thankful to Netgalley, Thomas and Mercer, and A.R. Torre for this Advanced Reader Copy for my honest review! I will be raving about this one for a long time!

I was actually going to hold off on reading this book until closer to the release date. But that description got stuck in my head, so I started reading it pretty much the moment I got it. And did not stop until I finished. There are quite a few plot threads going on but the thing that intrigued me the most and made me want to read the book sooner was the fact that a lawyer whose son was killed by a notorious serial killer decides to represent a school teacher that was identified by an escaped victim to be the said killer. All because the lawyer, Robert, believes the guy to be innocent. I mean whaaaat?
The majority of the book is told from the perspective of doctor Gwen Moore, a psychiatrist who specializes in treating people with violent thoughts. There are other perspectives too but she is more of a main protagonist. Gwen gets hired by Robert to do a profile on the killer to see if it would match with the suspect's personality. Now she is quite an interesting character. Where other people find the crimes to be horrible and gory Gwen is actually very much excited to dive into the mind of the monster behind them.
Another thing that was cool about this was that you just know that everyone here is lying, and I mean Everyone. Gwen, Robert, the school teacher-supposed killer Randall, the escaped victim Scott, all the key players and couple other people you don't realize about until it becomes important. And it made me so curious, I wanted to know all their secrets.
As for the main mystery, I didn't figure it out at all and it came as such a shocker. I had two theories as I was reading and I was going back and forth between them but in the end I was completely wrong. I feel like it takes a lot of skill to surprise the readers with the reveal, because the clues were there, I just missed them.
When it comes out you should definitely pick it up, you will have a blast. Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was great! A thriller with a touch of romance.
Gwen is a psychiatrist who works with people that have a desire to kill, but they don't or do they? When she is called on to build a profile by Robert sparks fly and secrets come out. Just who is he and what is he capable of?

What amazing book. I couldn’t put it down . I read in 1 day . This book is well written, the characters are fantastic . You will never know what happens and have amazing twist . I strongly recommend this book. Very easy to read . The author is amazing ...

Dr Gwen Moore treats patients with depraved or. Violent fantasies. After the death of a recent patient she meets and becomes involved with Robert Kavin, an attorney who lost his son to a serial killer they are calling the “ Bloody Heart Killer”.
After the latest victim escapes and identifies the person who has been keeping him, Robert offers to represent the accused and asks Gwen to create a psychological profile. As she begins to work on the profile she soon realizes that she doesn’t know who she can trust, not even herself.
This drew me in from the first page and while there are engaging characters, plot twists and compelling secrets. There are a few plot holes but nothing that detracts from the enjoyment of the story. I love how versatile this author is, she is definitely a must read.
Thank you to # netgalley and Thomas and Mercer publishers for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review. This is due for release on July 20,2021.

First book I've read by this author, really enjoyed it. Good character development and storyline. Lots of twists.

The first novel I read by A. R. Torre was The Girl in 6e. I was so completely absorbed into the story, it was unique, dark, and made me question good and evil. I'm also a sucker for a good romance plot. So when I saw a the opportunity to review The Good Lie I had to take it. What a story! I thought I had the ending worked out the whole time.... I did not. Completely blindsided. The best kind of thriller. I think certain things could have ended differently, I don't know how forgiving I would have been in Gwen's shoes. But all in all it was a great story and I can't wait to see what's next from A. R. Torre.

Woah... what a story and what a way to tell it! A.R. Torre does a great job of telling this story through the perspective of key players who you aren't sure what role they play just yet. The different perspectives help the story move well and move fast which led me to not want to put this book down. A true dark thriller from start to finish and kept me guessing!

I love a good suspense/thriller from A. Torre and she always delivers. However, this book took a little longer for me to get into. The characters seemed a little dry. Don’t get me wrong, I liked the story, I just didn’t care for the key players. I could not connect with Robert or Gwen and I’ll just leave that at that. If you can look past them, the storyline will keep you entertained. I was shocked at the turn of events of who the true BH Killer was. I can’t be too surprised because they did seem a little off. In my opinion I think the book would have been better told from the pov of Scott Holden’s mother. I really liked her and her train of thought. There were other twists and turns that never did connect or hit where Torre was going with this story involving Gwen’s clients. That was frustrating because it leaves you wondering why it was even brought up. In all it was a four star read for me. It was interesting and kept me reading to figure it all out.

Arc provided by publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

“ Six teenagers dead. Finally, the killer behind bars. But are the games just beginning? “


Nail biting, suspenseful, thrilling, absolute page turner... what more do you want?

This book kept me reading right til the end (obviously) but I just didn’t want to put it down!

The suspense is aided by the changing character viewpoints for each chapter. I love books written like that because they make you want to read just one more chapter, then another, then another!

Having read books by AR Torre, I was eagerly anticipating this one, and I was not disappointed. Starting with the escape of a victim of the BH Killer, the only one who had survived being abducted, six others were not as fortunate, they had endured some horrific abuse during the time they were held. Gwen Moore treats a very special type of client, those who have violent urges, ones that want to kill someone, usually a spouse or close relative. Gwen talks them down and provides them with coping strategies. Which appears not to have worked in one instance where a client has long stated he is going to kill his wife, one morning he leaves messages for Gwen who missed them. At a bar after the funeral for the client and his wife, she meets a guy and in a moment of drunken lust takes him home. She eventually finds out this guy is a defense attorney and the father of one of the victims of the BH Killer. He takes on the defense of a man accused of being the BH Killer and hires her to provide a profile on him. The story is told from Gwen's point of view and that of the victim that had gotten away. Lies are revealed, and in the end I was totally caught off guard on who the killer was. I highly recommend this book. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC.