I read this book in one sitting, it was that good. Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore’s client has been talking about wanting to kill his wife for months and then he and his wife die suddenly and suspiciously. A serial killer has killed six, young high school boys and has been terrorizing LA. Attorney Robert Kavin is the father of one of the dead boys and meets up with Gwen after her client’s funeral. What do all these circumstances have in common?

When the seventh victim of the Bloody Heart killer escapes and names his abductor, Robert asks Gwen to do a psychological profile on him as he will be representing him in court. He does not believe he is guilty. Are you confused yet by this convoluted plot? It wasn’t that hard to keep up with in the book, but there was a lot going on and a lot of facts to keep up with.

I was captivated all the way through, my brain racing trying to figure out who could be the culprit. I was left stunned at the end. Bravo! May thanks to NetGalley and the publisher, Thomas & Mercer, for the opportunity to read this fabulous book. I gave it four and ½ stars rounded up to five!

After enjoyed The Girl in 6E series, let me tell you that I'm so excited when I get this ARC! And this book does not disappoint! The blurb said, "a psychiatrist who specialized in killers, hired by a defense attorney to help clear his client’s name but he's also happened to be the father of one of the six victims." I was like why would you want to defend your son's killer!?!?

I'm hooked since the very first chapter! The mystery is there, the suspense is there, the scandal is there, the fucked up thing is also there! I have some theories about who's the killer is and kinda confused with one character that keeps mentioned and feels irrelevant but nope, there's a reason at the end for that!

I was expecting this to have some spicy spicy scene like The Girl in 6E, but there's none. There is a little romance / sexual tension between the two MCs and you know I like that in a suspense novel. So yes I like it.

Overall AWESOME BOOK! Looking forward to more of Torre books in the future.

Thanks to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Ok so this is well written and propulsive but it's also wildly implausible. Fans of the serial killer, psychological, or legal thriller genres might enjoy this because it does blend all three - and adds a soupçon of inapppropriate romance. I'm going to be the odd person out on this. Thanks to Netgalley for the arc.

One of the things I love most about Alessandra's books is their compulsive nature. No matter what genre she chooses to write under, you always get a page turning, can't-put-it-down experience. The Good Lie reads like a Lifetime Original Movie, and I mean that with the highest compliments possible, because some of the most enjoyable thrillers I've ever read have followed this formula. You have to suspend your disbelief, but it's worth it for the binge-worthy reading experience, in my humble opinion. If you enjoyed the author's previous novel, Every Last Secret, then you will devour this one as well.

TGL features multiple POVs that tell their own side of the story regarding the Bloody Heart Killer, or the BHK, and converge towards the end of the book. This type of story feels like we're on a train headed for a collision, and we're powerless to stop it, so we just sit back and wait for the epic explosion once all the pieces are revealed. I'll admit, I had a few concerns in the beginning, because it felt like none of these professionals acted like they would in real life, but this is somewhat addressed towards the end, which I appreciated. We get a little mystery, a little romance, and a whole lot of "hold your breath" type of moments here, which is a recipe for a read that will dominate your thoughts when you aren't actively consuming it. I really don't want to say too much, because it would be easy to spoil the entire book, so I recommend going in blind and enjoying when you need a one sitting story.

Trigger Warnings (including but not limited to): kidnapping, murder, graphic violence, child abuse (off page), sexual abuse, rape (off page).

Thank you NetGally for this eArc!

This book was really good.

This may content SPOILERS!


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I should say first it has many content warnings as child abuse, mental healt, dead bodies, body horror and I may forget something else

It's not a long book so I recommend to people jump in knowing almost nothing
With the warnings in mind this book really good. I found myself being invest to get to know what actually happend. A.R. Torre has an addictive way in her writing.
I love morally questionable characters and definettly this book is full of.
I actually didn't guess who done it until almost the end of the book witch is something that not always happened to me when I read thrillers and it's so much appreciated.

I will read any Torre's new work...

This was such a gripping read! I loved the idea of a psychologist who specialised in killers & I thought that was fascinating. I never would have guessed the major plot twist - my jaw dropped when I read it and I had to keep reading. However, I thought it could have done without the romance & it still would have been a fantastic read. I'm can already see that I will be reading more by A. R. Torre.

I am about to read this again! Wow. Sucked me right in and didn't let go.
Gwen's psychologist practice concentrates on patients with violent tendancies. Including John Abbott who has been obsessively fantasizing killing his wife. Gwen realizes it could escalate- but believes Brook is in harm.
Until Brook dies from a heart attack, John laying next to herendead from an abdominal stab wound.
At his funeral, Gwen meets Robert. His son's diabetes demanded constant pharmacy visits - hence his friendship with John.
Robert asks Gwen to consult on his new case - defending the Bloody Heart Killer, a teacher identified by the one surviving victim, Scott.
Gabe, Robert's son, was victim number seven.
Obviously Gwen says yes. What secret is Robert hiding? Why is Scott lying?
Amazing plot, fast paced and just riveting.

I typically enjoy A.R. Torre's work, and this one was no exception. I absolutely flew through it and couldn't wait to see how it ended. She definitely knows how to weave a compelling narrative.

5 stars? Not for me and heres why…

While I thought the overall premise was a good one I did not like the execution.

Firstly, Gwen and Robert’s relationship. Too many blaring red flags to make it realistic… don’t think any rational woman would’ve continued any kind of relationship with Robert. Especially, given her occupation… would she really want a possible relationship with so much baggage? I didn’t buy it.

Next, I thought that Nita’s POV didn’t contribute anything to the story except to throw ‘shade’ on her & her family’s privileged lifestyle. I found it petty & completely irrelevant to the story. Detective Saxe‘s or Scott’s POV would’ve been much more relevant and would’ve given a much more interesting view of the events.

On a positive note it did have short chapters and a lot of dialogue which allowed it to move at a fast pace.

Overall, this was just ok… 3 stars.

Oh wow! What a fantastic read. Beware though, it’s a little (ok, maybe a lot) on the gruesome side, there is no holding back on particulars, and let me tell you, the the broken heart killer is extremely sadistic. A story told in multiple POVs (which worked really well by the way). Psychiatrist Dr Gwen Moore is the person we hear the most from, and I must say she’s not without her faults, which did in fact endear her to me. Add in defence attorney Robert Kavin who’s son was the sixth victim of the bloody heart killer, and we’ve got a multitude of unanswered questions and a rollercoaster ride of a storyline that kept me guessing throughout. Who is the bloody heart killer? What part are each of the additional characters playing in the story? There’s so much more to this mystery than meets the eye, and yes, it wouldn’t be a thriller without a few twists and turns, not forgetting the secrets and the lies, oh, and the emotion, lots of emotion. Such a clever story. I was well and truly addicted. I absolutely loved it.

Holy.. what a fantastic book. This totally drew me in. And the ending was a surprise. Wow.. definitely pick this one up its well worth the read.
All the stars from me.

'A Good Lie' was the perfect mood read for me yesterday. I appreciated the twists and turns of the story, along with the cast of individuals. It was nice to have some spicy intimate moments here and there that served to up the tension and make the whole story more convoluted. My mind raced to try to keep up and put the pieces together. The ending was not what I saw coming.

Definitely a satisfying read! I give 'A Good Lie' a solid 4 stars. The book is perfect for a dreary day under blankets or a satisfying thrill laying on the beach. Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

4,5 Stars

Gwen is a psychologist specialized on people with violent phantasies. She is also an expert on killers. One of her patients turns up dead one day. His wife is also dead. He consulted her to keep his violent thoughts about killing his wife at bay. Gwen is shocked and sure she missed something about her client because she never thought he would harm his wife for real. After their funeral she meets a man in a bar and has a one night stand with him. Turns out he is a lawyer and also the father of one of the victims of California’s latest serial killer, the Bloody Heart Killer. His latest victim just escaped and points the finger at one of his teachers. But Robert, Gwen’s bar acquaintance and victim’s father, is adamant, that the boy is lying. He wants to represent the accused because he is sure the real killer is still out there.

“The Good Lie” is an entertaining and captivating psychological thriller. There are a lot of red herrings and I must admit that I did not see that final twist coming. Like Gwen, I had all the clues but missed the point. I liked how easily the pages flew by and I enjoyed that I had no idea what was going on. Before I started reading this I finished a book with horrible dialogues. So I enjoyed immensely how easy and realistic the dialogues here were. These characters felt real and they had real conversations and interactions. It was a blessing to read Torres’s book after such a bad one.

The book is a fast read. I would not say it is a page turner but it kept me interested and I really enjoyed this well-crafted thriller. This was my second book from the author but definitely not my last one.

This was a quick read with a good amount of twists.

I was hesitant to start this one because the victims were teenaged boys. Violence against children is obviously very upsetting, but I felt like the author wasn't trying to inflict a large amount of trauma on the reader. There was information, but not a large amount of gory details. You experienced the details of the murders through the counselor, who was horribly upset by what she saw.

A solid 4-star book.

This was a fantastic thriller and one I didn't figure out until the very end. A serial killer has kidnapped and viciously murdered 6 young men. The 7th manages to escape and names who kidnapped and tortured him. Dr. Gwen Moore is a psychiatrist whose specialty is people with violent thoughts. . I loved this character. Gwen is smart and enjoys figuring out the mind and why people do the terrible things they do. Robert Kavin's son Gavin was the 6th victim. When the 7th victim Scott names a teacher at his high school as his kidnapper, Robert feels he is innocent and decides to become his defense attorney. Robert asks Gwen to make a profile of the killer. As they work together can they figure out who is the murderer and who is lying and hiding lots of secrets? This book had me glued to my kindle and I couldn't read fast enough! I received an advanced readers copy and all opinions are my own.

I've been meaning to try one of Alessandra Torre's books for quite some time now, and after reading the blurb I though that The Good Lie would be a great place to start. The premise of her newest story has it all: a serial killer angle, a psychiatrist POV, a legal thriller vibe... I had very high hopes for this story, and I'm happy to say that my expectations were more than met. I'm definitely kicking myself for not trying one of her books sooner, as I absolutely loved my time with The Good Lie.

The first thing that I loved about this book is that this is one of those stories that doesn't fit neatly inside a genre box. Instead, we have a mix of a legal thriller and a psychology angle as well as a more domestic approach on top of the serial killer element. Talk about a fascinating and simply brilliant thriller cocktail recipe! I especially liked how the more psychological part of the story was balanced with the legal thriller one, and we get a very healthy dose of serial killer too. The main focus seems to be on the victims of the BH Killer and the psychological profile, and the fact that the identity of the serial killer isn't confirmed until the end is a huge bonus.

The Good Lie also has an interesting cast of characters, and while they might not all be completely likeable, they fit their role in the story perfectly. Their flaws and negative personality traits are taken advantage of to the fullest and everyone seems to be hiding something... Perfect to keep you on your toes, the level of suspense high and of course also perfect to incorporate those plot twists and secret reveals that help turning this thriller into a success. And guess what? I wasn't even all that bothered by the sexy scenes! Probably because I was too busy turning those pages to see how the story would end... Oh yes, this story was definitely a success.

I can say that I'm an instant fan of her writing style now. It was literally hook, line and sinker as soon as I started reading the first chapter, and I every minute of my time with The Good Lie. Dark, suspenseful, highly addictive and definitely my kind of read! I can't wait to try more of her books very soon.

I’ve enjoyed this book. It’s a suspenseful mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the very end and had me turning pages way past my bedtime. The characters are very interesting and believable. The only thing that I didn’t enjoy was a plot hole in the story that in my opinion should have been spotted by the writer. Overall I would recommend this book for thriller fans.

Six teenage boys dead, one boy escapes and finds his way home. Dr. Gwen Moore is a psychiatrist that specializes in treating people with violent tendencies. Robert Kavin is a defense attorney whose son was murdered by the Bloody Heart Killer. When the escaped boy names the killer, Robert comes in to defend him, and after meeting Gwen after a funeral they both attended, he enlists her help.

This book really kept me reading and trying to figure out who was lying because everyone is keeping secrets. It felt like there were several different plot lines going on in this book, including a few different POV's. I definitely didn't guess what was going on before the reveal and loved how things came together. I really liked Gwen and Robert, although they both did some stupid, non-sensical things, it didn't distract me too much from the story. A compelling, exciting read!

I have never heard of A.R Torre before, but I can't remember the last time I hit "want to read" on Goodreads for one author in such a short period of time.

And yet I would rate this book a 3.5, up to 4 stars for this review. I guessed the twist/mystery of this book very early on. I kept telling myself that there was plenty of time for what I would have considered an actual twist, but when it never happened, it was almost a let down.

My high rating for this book is because I "enjoyed the ride." I enjoyed Torre's writing style- there is an addicting quality to it that made the book an easy and fun read. I recommend this book to people who want more of a mystery than a thriller. 

A few issues I did have with this book-
-Since I haven't read Torre's other books, I can't compare- but I wasn't a big fan of the "everyone is gorgeous and sexy" aspect of the characters. I think it detracts from the story when it is constantly mentioned how good-looking they are. If stories about beautiful people are your thing, then this one is a good one :).

-The author makes a statement about media coverage and race that was concerning. I got this book as an ARC and I hope that it is something that is taken out for the final copy. Of course, authors will insert their opinions in their writing through their characters, but I felt her word choice on this was in poor taste.

Thank you to Netgalley and Thomas and Mercer for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I love having a new author to follow! Definitely pick this one up as a quick read. Publication is set for July 20th.

A defense attorney that wants to defend the person accused of torturing and murdering his son, along with 5 other boys? That in itself had me intrigued, but there was so much more to this book then just this plot line.

Gwen Moore is a psychologist who specializes in people with violent tendencies, mainly who want to murder. When one of her clients and his wife end up dead, Gwen needs to figure out if he actually went through with it and killed her or if she really suffered a heart attack, which caused him to take his own life.

Then there’s the 7th victim, Scott, who managed to get away from the Bloody Heart Killer and identity a teacher at his high school as the BH killer, but even his own mother thinks there’s something off about his story.

There were so many little side stories that wove together in to one twisty, thrilling story. I loved it and need to read some of A.R. Torre’s backlist.

Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.