This book is a fast paced, twisty thriller that kept me eagerly turning pages! It centers on Mickey Gibson, a former police detective with two small children, now working from home, investigating financial fraud for a private company. A colleague calls (who she later finds does not exist) to ask if she can visit the home of a client. This call turns Mickey's world upside down. She soon finds herself entangled in a murder investigation, becoming a suspect herself, and matching wits with a wily female adversary that is initially no more than a voice on the phone. David Baldacci's plot and character development is excellent, both twisting in various, plausible directions throughout the book. It kept me guesing from beginning to end! I thoroughly enjoyed the book and would love this to become the start of a series! Thank you to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for my advanced copy of the book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I just finished Simply Lies. I'm a huge David Baldacci fan and I've read all his books, and I've gifted my father in law books each holiday so he can keep up with his writing. I'm really disappointed to say that I disliked this book.....There were SO MANY characters, so many aliases.....I couldn't keep track of so many things. I found myself skipping chunks of paragraphs because I knew I wasn't following any of it anyway.

I also felt strongly as a working mother that there was a really big plot hole for the main character Mickey to devote so much time and leave her children so easily...

I was really excited to be awarded the opportunity to read and review this ARC - especially when I read the book summary. It sounded like a wonderful psychological thriller, and I couldn't wait to start.

I have found that for whatever reason, Mr. Baldacci seems to really knock it out of the park for me with his various series, yet I am not as big of a fan with some of the stand alone books. When it is a hit, it is awesome. I have really, really enjoyed several of his series (The Amos Decker series and the Will Robie series immediately comes to mind. Oh, and there is also Atlee Pine).

But then, in that same vein, there are other books that are just okay. Unfortunately, this book fell into that latter category. The awful thing was that I WANTED to like it. I truly did, but it just never got there for me.

Without going into spoilers, it started with the plot itself and with the main story arc. It just never really clicked for me. I couldn't buy in to the whole "stranger lady" (Clarise) calling another woman (Mickey) deceptively and out of the blue and involving her in a gigantic mess. This mess included placing Mickey at the scene of a crime and having her find a dead body...not to mention then becoming a suspect in said murder. (This isn't a spoiler as it occurs in the very beginning of the book.)

This relationship - if she allows it to continue forward - can seriously threaten her family's safety (she has 2 little kids), not to mention also possibly threaten her freedom. This woman (Clarise) was manipulative and obviously had some ulterior motive, yet Mickey just seemed to say, "okay, I'll jump in with my eyes closed because"....see..... why?

What reason can there ever be to make this make sense? Not to mention that this "stranger woman" comes off as a totally crazy character who continually talks to herself as she constantly changes her identities. SERIOULSY off the wall......

Instead of running far, far away from this person and cutting off all contact (not to mention letting the police know), she continues accepting her calls and following through with every request the stranger has for her. Nope....just...nope.

And that was just the beginning. There were way too many things that just pulled me out of the story and for me, that is never a good sign. It also took me longer than normal to finish this book. To me, that is a barometer that I can always use to determine if a book has lured me in and has me invested. If it has- the book just speeds by and before I know it, I'm on the last page. With this book, I kept looking at the page numbers to see how much longer I had to go. Again, never a good sign.

With all of that being said, there were moments that piqued my interest and had me curious to get to the bottom of this mystery. But again, there were just a few of these moments.

Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. The opinions above are mine and mine alone.

I’m always thrilled when there is a new David Baldacci book coming out. I enjoyed this book but it wasn’t one of my favorites. It’s hard to believe Mickey Gibson would risk her family and everything she has to solve a murder. He lost me when he got into digital money. I’d guess by the way Mickey and Francine work together that there may be a sequel. And of course I will read it also.

Mickey Gibson (probably more than used to telling people her pronouns are “she/her” since she isn’t a Michelle and was named after Mickey Mantle, a baseball hero probably little known by Gen Z) is a former cop and mom of two toddlers who works from home for a professional investigation agency, usually tracking down offshore assets of the delinquent and greedy super-rich. She gets a phone call from a woman who says she’s with the corporate account and they need Mickey to do a local field trip to inventory the contents of a creepy mansion, before other creditors appear. Except that there’s a dead person in a not-so-secret room and now Mickey is a suspect.

The woman, known as Arlene, then Clarisse, contacts Mickey again by having a burner phone delivered, and a pissed off Mickey wants to know more about the caller and the dead man. The manipulative mystery woman (a person with a steady inner dialogue cheering her on) wants to know the guy’s cause of death and entice Mickey into doing the work. But there’s a lot more involved as the real identity of the murder victim comes to light.

Baldacci does succeed in writing strong female characters and definitely understands the limitations of a working single parent. He might get a little too self-deprecating. Clarisse reasons that “Men were clueless about everything having to do with women. That was the one principle that drove her entire business plan.” Mickey and Clarisse don’t even meet in person for the first half of the book, and when they, there’s a dynamic between them that’s satisfying. Baldacci can easily bring one of both of these characters back for a series. 5 stars!

Thank you to Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review!

Literary Pet Peeve Checklist:
Green Eyes (only 2% of the real world, yet it seems like 90% of all fictional females): YES Clarisse uses green contact lenses.
Horticultural Faux Pas (plants out of season or growing zones, like daffodils in autumn or bougainvillea in Alaska): NO The early spring plants in the flower beds are not identified.
Women with men’s names: As noted at the beginning. I’m just currently aggravated because the last two books I read had women named Sam and Leo.

Mickey is an ex cop, single Mother who is struggling to raise her kids. She is drawn into a situation that could result in hurting her and her family. It is a game of wits between her and the mysterious woman who drew her into the situation. Mickey has no choice but to follow thru to try no protect herself and her family. There are all sorts of twists in this story that will keep the reader turning pages to see what happens next.There are also a lot of characters to keep track of, which was a little distracting. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Book Title: Simply Lies
Author: David Baldacci
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Mystery Thriller
Pub Date: April 18, 2023
My Rating: 3.3 Stars

She had to lie.
It was what she did. You simply lie to everyone about everything. It becomes a way of survival.


Our protagonist Mickey Gibson is a single mother of two young rambunctious children. She is an ex police office and the daughter of a retired police officer and loves to do police work. However, since her children are so young she currently is doing computer investigative work as she can work from home. She receives a call from Arlene Robinson a co-worker with ProEye but Mickey doesn’t recognize the name. However, Arlene is very knowledgeable about Mickey, her family, her job and mentions her boss Zeb Brown; so- Mickey doesn’t doubt she is who she says she is and follows what was requested. That s to go to an old home, check on the owner and take pictures.
But Mickey finds more than ‘old stuff’ - she also finds a dead body.

No one knows Arlene but she calls Mickey again and these two women start to work together. But can Arlene (if that is her name) really be trusted?

This is David Baldacci novel #28 for me.
Who’s a fan? Yep! That would be me! My favorite characters are John Puller, Will Robie, Amos Decker~ The Memory Man and Atlee Pine and I ended up liking her in the other novels.

I like Mickey (friends call her Mick but not sure if we are friends) ~ anyway I not a fan of her macho nasty language. Her kids Tommy and Darby seem to be throwing up all the time so she does have a lot to deal with!

Listed as a standalone but have a feeling we are going to see Mick and Clarisse again!

Want to thank NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for granting me this early eGalley.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for April 18, 2023

Grabbed this one up when I saw the author. David Baldacci never disappoints when it comes to a thriller. Here's the description of the book that is an enticement to read it:

"Mickey Gibson, single mother and former detective, leads a hectic life similar to that of many moms: juggling the demands of her two small children with the tasks of her job working remotely for ProEye, a global investigation company that hunts down wealthy tax and credit cheats.

When Mickey gets a call from a colleague named Arlene Robinson, she thinks nothing of Arlene’s unusual request for her to go inventory the vacant home of an arms dealer who cheated ProEye’s clients and fled. That is, until she arrives at the mansion to discover a dead body in a secret room—and that nothing is as it seems.

Not only does the arms dealer not exist but the murder victim turns out to be Harry Lancaster, a man with mob ties who used to be in Witness Protection. What’s more, no one named Arlene Robinson works at ProEye.

In the blink of an eye, Gibson has become a prime suspect in a murder investigation—and now her job is also on the line until she proves that she was set up. Before long, Gibson is locked in a battle of wits with a brilliant woman with no name, a hidden past, and unknown motives—whose end game is as mysterious as it is deadly."

This was full of twists and turns and kept me glued to the pages. I like the character, Mickey Gibson, and I was so worried the mess she had become involved in would cause her two young children and family to be hurt. Clarisse was an intriguing character - not sure whether I liked her, she was a total enigma. Great tension and pacing, as always with Baldacci's books.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing through Netgalley for an advance copy. This book will be published on April 18, 2023.

Mickey Gibson, single mother and former detective, leads a hectic life similar to that of many moms: juggling the demands of her two small children with the tasks of her job working remotely for ProEye, a global investigation company that hunts down wealthy tax and credit cheats.

In the blink of an eye, Gibson finds herself locked in a battle of wits with a brilliant woman with no name, a hidden past, and unknown motives—whose end game is as mysterious as it is deadly. Mickey must play a deadly game to protect herself, her kids, her parents, and her job.

Simply Lies is Baldacci at the top of his game, writing with plenty of twists and turns, and keeping the reader turning pages well past bedtime. #SimplyLies #NetGalley #SaltMarshAuthors

Simply Lies is another hit by David Baldacci. As in all his books the characters are well developed, and the storyline is relevant, at times surprising, and always engaging.

My first David Baldacci book but won’t be my last! Really did enjoy this psychological thriller. Rich, intricate plot that was seamlessly woven and executed. Characters were fabulous. Looking so forward to more by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

If you can put aside pure logic for most of this book, then you may find this an enjoyable read.

I had some difficulty keeping track of all the characters, the AKAs, and the timelines. Figuring out who was genuinely evil was near impossible, and the number of red herrings was enough to repopulate the Atlantic!

I love mafia books, and I wish this book dealt with that aspect a little more. I got bogged down and flustered when electronic currency (near the end) and the like were being discussed, as I had no clue what the author was talking about.

It took me a little while to drop my sense of logic and really get into this book. However, once I did get into it, I was in it for the long haul.

*ARC was supplied by the publisher Grand Central Publishing, the author, and NetGalley.

This was not my favorite Baldacci novel, but Simply Lies did keep my interest piqued from the start to the finish. A simple phone call to Mickey Gison, ex-cop and stay at home online investigator and mother of two, starts the ball rolling. She quickly finds herself embroiled in a mystery surrounding the murder of a mob accountant who was in the Witness Protection program. At the center of the mystery is the woman who keeps calling her and sending her tidbits of information that leads to her potentially putting herself and her family in danger. This is a psychological thriller where we read not only the dialogue, but also their thoughts that gives a whole different insight into both Mickey and. larisse ( the woman at the other end of the phone). The twists and turns are plentiful right through to the ending. Definite recommendation.

Described as a standalone, this book could easily be the start of an excellent series. Mickey, one of the protagonists, is a single mom who had been a forensic tech and cop before going to work in private industry. She is contacted by a mystery woman and the chase begins searching for murderers, millions in stolen cash, and former members of the federal witness protection program.. A new approach by the author, but as well done as his other novels.

Two remarkable women are at the heart of this must-read by David Baldacci.

Francine and Mick are remarkably talented sleuths who come from very different places and experiences as they each undertake a consuming effort to unravel a mystery that is both immediate and that reaches back decades.

This book demands your full attention and thought because it is an old-school mystery wrapped into a contemporary investigatory process.

I could not put this down once I started reading because it simply demanded my full attention.

Yes, Baldacci has done it yet again. As usual, I can't wait until his next masterpiece.

I am a big fan of David Baldacci and was excited to read his newest novel, Simply Lies. Loved the title but I must say this was not my favorite Baldacci book.

Mickey Gibson is the single mother of two toddlers who works from home as an investigator traction down hidden assets. When she gets a call from a mysterious woman, Mickey’s life gets turned on it head. A dead body in an old mansion, missing mob money, and law officials that can’t be trusted all add up to an intriguing plot.

For the most part, I did enjoyed the book but I didn’t always find the characters believable and I found the ending a little abrupt. Mystery/thriller fans should give it a try. I will be looking forward to the author’s next book.

Thank you NetGalley and Grand Central Publishing for a free electronic copy for my honest review.
David Baldacci is a never fail selection when choosing your next read. His stories never disappoint and once again he hit five ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ on Simply Lies. I had to read the ending twice to make sure I didn’t miss anything because on the first read my adrenaline was pumping so fast I sped through the ending.
This story starts with super-sleuth Mickey Gibson tracking down millions of dollars in stolen assets for her company, ProEye’s clients. She is able to stop the money from being deposited in off shore accounts that would leave the clients accounts sucked dry.
Mick is a former cop and criminal investigator in New Jersey that ends up as a single mom of two toddlers so moves to Virginia to be close to her parents.
She gets sucked into a job by a former mobster’s daughter that has been in the witness protection program for decades. The daughter is trying to recoup some of the millions of dollars her father hid as a mob accountant before turning states evidence on them and gaining protection for himself, his wife and two children.
Simply Lies offers fast action with corrupt cops and mobsters versus the good guys. Even the good guys get the temptation to find some of the treasure for themselves. Many novels I’ve read lately have a lull in the action that slows the read so much so that I often put the book down and don’t pick it up for days. Not so with this read. There was a moment that I thought that was going to happen when the author had Mick looking for 21st century assets. The murdered mob accountant had left a clue stating, “It’s the twenty-first century, act like it.” Mick starts looking into cryptocurrency, NFT, Ethereum, Eth tokens, blockchain and ERC-721 tokens. Although every aspect of this is out of my comprehension level it wasn’t drug out so it did not slow the reading down. There is continuous action every step of the way that keeps the reader turning page after page. If I were a person that could stay awake until the wee hours of the morning I would have finished this book in a day. Since I fall asleep, even with the adrenaline pumping, and drop the book in my lap it took me two days to finish this amazing new read.

Unfortunately, David Baldacci’s “Simply Lies” is far from one of the best thrillers I’ve ever read.

First, the main character makes very little sense. Mickey Gibson is an ex-cop, single mother of two small children (who knows that those children are her first duty) who decides to risk everything (including jail and her secure job remotely tracking assets for a security/PI firm) to undertake a dangerous investigation she knows she shouldn’t. Her reason? She misses the excitement of her old life. Hardly a compelling motivation.

Second, other characters are stock, thinly drawn, and not very believable. There’s a square-jawed detective, her retired-cop father (who’s putty in her hands), a rugged U.S. Marshal, a dead accountant for the mob, and a high-end prostitute who runs six other ladies operating a not-very credible extortion (sex-for-blackmail) business. We may know what all these people do, but we're given very little idea as to who they are as human beings. Again, hardly compelling.

Third, technical descriptions are so vague that one is left wondering whether the author did any research. I learned nothing about how anything works, including information gathering via the internet and/or the “dark net.”

Fourth, the settings are barely described and add very little to the story--which is a shame because I would have liked to have learned more about the James River area of Virginia.

Fifth, I found some plot points entirely predictable.

Sixth, the writing just isn’t very good. Some sentences are mere fragments. Others are awkwardly phrased and/or rely on cliché to get their point across.

And to top it all off, we are constantly shown and reminded that Mickey’s two young children can’t keep their food down. I counted eight references to vomiting within the first third of the book.

Which is where I stopped reading, partially because of the upchucking, but mostly because I neither believed nor was interested in this book’s plot or its characters.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an electronic ARC. The foregoing is my honest, independent opinion.

I had the pleasure of reading David Baldacci's latest book, Simply Lies, which was an absolute thrill ride! A single mother and former detective, Mickey Gibson is employed by a global investigation company called ProEye when she is asked to inventory the vacant home of a mysterious client. What she discovers is a dead body in a hidden room, and she is immediately drawn into a murder inquiry. Up until the very end, readers will be kept guessing by the book's twists and turns.

Simply Lies is a must-read because Baldacci has written an exciting and intriguing novel. The novel is expertly written with just the proper amount of suspense and a plot that is full of surprises.

I offer this book five stars and heartily suggest it to anybody who enjoys crime thrillers.I'd like to thank Netgalley, David Baldacci and Grand Central Publishing for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm quite happy to read anything and everything Baldacci writes because he knows how to tell a story with plenty of twists and turns. I'm not sure his strength is young single women, but the story is just as solid as always. The ending is sweet!

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. It's another winner.