The Lie

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Pub Date 01 Jun 2016 | Archive Date 01 Jul 2016
SOURCEBOOKS Landmark | Sourcebooks Landmark

Description

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

This was no accident...Haunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter.

I know your name's not really Jane Hughes ...Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She's happier than she's ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist. Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women. Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won't stop until they've destroyed Jane and everything she loves ...

THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER

This was no accident...Haunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter.

I know your name's not really...


Advance Praise

“Haunting and heart-stoppingly creepy,

The Lie is a gripping roller coaster of suspense.”—SUNDAY EXPRESS


“5/5 stars – Spine-chilling!”—WOMAN MAGAZINE


“An excellent psychological thriller”— HEAT MAGAZINE


“Creepy, horrifying and twisty. C L Taylor is extremely good at

writing stories in which you have no idea which characters you can trust,

and the result is intriguing and scary and extremely gripping.”

—Julie Cohen, 2014 Richard and Judy Summer Book Club Pick

“Haunting and heart-stoppingly creepy,

The Lie is a gripping roller coaster of suspense.”—SUNDAY EXPRESS


“5/5 stars – Spine-chilling!”—WOMAN MAGAZINE


“An excellent psychological thriller”—...


Available Editions

EDITION Paperback
ISBN 9781492602651
PRICE $14.99 (USD)

Average rating from 109 members


Featured Reviews

Jane Hughes is a woman who has everything, a loving partner, a rewarding job and a lovely home in Wales. But Jane Hughes doesn’t exist. Five years earlier, “Jane” and her best friends took the trip of a lifetime to Nepal, but the dream became a nightmare and two of the women were killed. Jane has tried to forget the horrors of that trip, but someone knows the truth and they are out to expose the entire, terrible truth. Told in both the present and during the ill fated trip five years earlier, readers won’t discover what really happened until well into the book. Suspenseful and hard to put down

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After reading "The Accident" which kept my blood pumping fast way into the night I have been silently stalking C L Taylor. From afar I have been waiting for this book to come out, and way hooooo, it came out on Net Galley. I also heard from her publishers in my email account, so hey, I guess they knew I couldn't wait.

I have purposely waited until now to get my reading matter done on this new book from this author as I know many would grab and start reading it right away. I wanted to wait. I wanted to wait for the hype to simmer down so that I could chill out......they hype this book up again where it deserves to be.

We have a bunch of friends who go travelling, it was meant to be three destinations, but they only got to two.

This book is written where we have 'up to date NOW' and PAST 5 years ago....
You need to keep up as the book reflects back on the past.

Jane Hugh works and loves being in the animal sanctuary. She has a steady man in her life, she seems to be happy. But Jane cannot be happy because as we all know, the past can come back to bite you on the bum! And that is exactly what happens to her.

There are a series of events that take place in the PRESENT DAY and then we go back to the PAST where we are told and experience what happened with her friends.

We not only have LIE'S we have SECRETS, and we know secrets come out too and get revealed when we least expect them.

The ones we thought we could trust, can we? The ones we thought we couldn't trust, can we not?

I adored this authors last book, and I loved this book.

I really don't know how authors dream up these stories, they are enthralling, compulsive, addictive and my time just flies when reading books such as this.

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AWESOME READ!!! So suspenseful and left me guessing. I'm still blown away by the ending I didn't see coming, and I had so many wrong guesses! Loved it.

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It took me a while to get into this book but when I did I was enthralled. Numerous times I thought I knew where it would end up but with the twists and turns in it I was proved wrong each time. Taylor is one of my favourite Authors of 2015 and I'm looking forward to her future works!

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The Lie – C.L. Taylor Most people live lives of quiet desperation. They even made a TV-show out of it (Desperate Housewives, anyone?). But most people don’t live complete and utter fabrications of existence.
Unfortunately our heroine, Jane Hughes, does.
She is living the blissful life: Working with animals, has love and romance in her life in rural Wales.
But. She does not exist. She is but a virtual ghost. Years earlier, Jane and some friends were on holiday. Her new identity was born when trauma struck and some of her friends died.
Jane escaped. Barely escaped. Now her past is catching up on her. How can you have a future if you have no past?
C.L. Taylor impressed me with her first thriller, The Accident. With The Lie she blasted me away. Suspense filled drama, compelling reading. The Lie is the type of book that would make the lists of people asked which are the top10 books they would take with them to a deserted island. Yes, it’s that good.

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In The Lie, we meet Jane Hughes, a seeming do-gooder who works at an animal shelter and lives a relatively quiet life. But it seems that her past is about to catch up with her, because someone knows who she used to be, and why she has worked so hard to flee from her past. Five years ago, Jane went to Nepal with her three best friends–and only two of the came back. The other woman sold her story to the papers and dragged Jane through the mud. Jane is terrified that she’ll lose her job and her boyfriend, but as the story unfolds it seems that she may be in even more immediate danger.

The Lie demonstrated considerable growth from Taylor’s previous book, Before I Wake, and I found it noticeably better than many entries in the Gone Girl genre. Glad I read this one.

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A sinister, complex and tense thriller

The story is told from the view of Jane, who is trying to reinvent her life after a traumatic holiday to a retreat with friends in Nepal. Someone knows about her past and is now stalking her.

This is very much a story is about the dynamics of female friendships, and what can go wrong with those friendships as the story takes you on a descent into a form of madness where paranoia and jealousy take over.

The book is well written and gripping with the exploration of the relationships between the women particularly strong but I felt the end might have been better and felt a little rushed. That being said I enjoyed the ride and would recommend the book. I’ll definitely be on the look out for another C.L Taylor book.

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THE LIE by C.L. Taylor is a seriously unsettling read. The sense of unease stays with you for quite a bit after you finish the book.

The book begins with four British girlfriends going on a holiday to Nepal. We know from the beginning that the holiday ends in death and disaster, but we do not know why. The survivors do not speak to one another.

The story slowly unfolds and it is horrifying, not in the sense of SAW or a CABIN IN THE WOODS sort of thing, but rather the sort of story that one could envision potentially happening. Good intentions, complicated female relationships, a trip to a foreign land, bad romance, a spiritual retreat turned dark, and so on. I am not going to give anything away, but suffice it say that this is worth the read. I felt the heroine, Emma's, fear and emotional unsteadiness.

Many thanks to the author, the publisher and Netgalley for an advanced digital copy in exchange for my unbiased review. You can buy this great book on June 1, 2016.

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Book Blurb...
This was no accident...Haunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter. I know your name's not really Jane Hughes ...Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She's happier than she's ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist. Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women. Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won't stop until they've destroyed Jane and everything she loves ...

My thoughts…
Who can you trust? Are they who they say they are?
These two questions are at the heart of this story by C L Taylor - a story that intrigued me with its twists and turns.

With a dual timeline of past and present day, the main character tells of the horror she and her friends suffered while at a retreat in Nepal. The present day story is about how she is starting life over, but with the past still haunting her.

Both moving and gripping, this novel shows how easily a simple holiday can turn bad and result in such trauma that you need to change your identity to move forward with the future.

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Jane, formerly known as Emma, has completely reinvented herself following a vacation tragedy. She has a job she loves working with an animal rescue group. A new relationship is also going well. When she begins getting anonymous letters and texts, she realizes that her carefully constructed new life may be in jeopardy. Where is the threat coming from? Someone in her new life? Or someone from the past?

The lie is a good thriller, perfect for summer beach reading.

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I don’t know if it was because I listened to this on my Kindle Fire 10 and it was the canned-speaker narration but it was a little hard to follow from present to past as the story moved back and forth until it really got going but once it took off it was great. Five years before Emma had been on a retreat that ended in tragedy and now fast forward five years to present day and a new identity and life. Now someone has discovered her secret from her past and is tormenting her with the knowledge she could be exposed at any moment. Great read with enough twists and turns to keep you guessing after I got into it more. I would like to thank the Publisher and Net Galley for the chance to read this ARC.

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How well do you really know your friends? Are you really 'best friends forever', or is it simply a friendship of convenience, or obligation? These are some of the questions at the heart of "The Lie", a fast paced and twisted thriller by author C.L. Taylor. When Emma, Al, Leanne, and Daisy leave London for Nepal on a girlfriend's get away, one of them is already hiding a huge lie. As they spend a few weeks at a spiritual retreat high in the Annapurna Mountains, more secrets and lies break the women into splinters, eventually costing some of them their lives. Perhaps.

C.L. Taylor writes female friends (and frenemies) beautifully, capturing both the deep rooted trust we have in the best of our friends, and the jealousy and doubt that can plague us despite it. I found the book to be fun, fascinating, and frightening.

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Four friends leave for the holiday of a lifetime at an exclusive retreat in Nepal, but only two return. When everything you thought you knew about your friends, their loyalty and their trust is severely tested, how would you react. And how would you handle finding yourself thrust in the spotlight, facing judgment and speculation about what really happened in the few weeks that changed your life forever, claiming the life of your best friend.

Jane Hughes has a secret. A bloody great big one by all accounts. For one thing, she isn’t really Janes Hughes. Before she moved to Bude and before she got a job at Green Fields Animal Shelter, Jane Hughes did not exist. Before she was Emma Woolfe, unlucky in love and ruled by the expectations of her mother and her friends. Now, as Jane, she has an adoring partner, a job she loves and everything to lose by her past being exposed. It’s not that she ever did anything wrong, but as lies go, the one she is telling, the secret she is keeping, is about as big as they come. But someone, somewhere is determined to see the truth come out, and for Jane to pay for the sins of the past.

‘The Lie’ is an extremely well-crafted and tense psychological tale. Exploring the fragile relationship of Jane/Emma and her inner circle of friends, the story hones in fully on the sometimes toxic world of all female friendships, the side that is more ‘Mean Girls’ than ‘Spice Girls’ where girl power gives way to jealousy and power play games as each person feeds on the negativity and weakness of the next. In this particular group of friends out protagonist, Emma, is the weak link. Afraid to upset her friends, undermined and ridiculed by her supposed best friend Daisy and side-lined by Leanne at every possible turn, she is someone for whom reinventing themselves would be no bad thing, if only it hadn’t come at such a high cost.

The central theme of the story is about what happened at this retreat in Nepal, a kind of pseudo-cult run which nobody ever leaves, at least not through choice. Emma is immediately suspicious of the place but manipulated by her friends into staying, used and then ostracised by the ‘leader, Isaac, and subjected to all kinds of abuse from her so-called friends. The story is told from Emma’s point of view as is set in both the past in Nepal and the present day in Wales, where Emma/Jane is now being tormented by someone who knows her real identity and seems to know the truth of what really happened on the mountain.

The creation of setting and character is key in a novel like this and Taylor has both just right. Emma is a likeable character, well-meaning if a little over emotional and easily ruled by others, and the character of Daisy is deliciously cruel in the way in which she treats Emma. There is something in her make up from the word go that leads the reader on, sensing the gradual decline of her mind and the build to the final dramatic conclusion with Emma. Leanne is manipulative and sly, slowly undermining the relationship between Daisy and Emma, poisoning their group and widening the fissures in an already fractured friendship.

It is true that the action is faster paced and perhaps a little more edgy in the Nepal setting than in present day Wales, as the threat and danger is ever present for Emma, and in a secluded retreat in a country so far from home, she has far more to fear than she has in Wales where she can perhaps walk into any police station to report her stalker. That said, the beauty in the present setting is the creation of the intriguing set of suspects as to who could be trying to expose Emma/Jane and to what end.

This was a fast paced book which really drew me along and I read it in one evening. True, the ending did seem a little too simple perhaps, and after everything Jane had been through, you kind of think she would have known better, but then who are we to judge how a person will react in a given circumstance. In truth, nobody knows until faced with it themselves. Everyone likes to think they won’t be sucked in by the lies of a cult and yet many people still fall foul, every single day.

This is much more than just a book about a bunch of naive young women and a cult though. It is a really well observed look at the female in their natural environs. We all speak of equality, of the strength of female bonding, and yet just on one careless word one disagreement, we have the capacity to hate and excommunicate on a whim. To quote from Willian Congreve, ‘Heav’n has no rage like love to hatred turned, Nor Hell a fury, like a woman scorn’d’. Anyone who thinks otherwise is telling themselves a big fat lie.

A tense and dramatic 5 stars.

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The Lie by C. L. Taylor is brilliantly told. This novel reminds me of the famous TV program called Pretty Little Liars. Both have a deep and haunting past that comes back to scare them in the present. Another similarity between the two is that the group of friends may look like they are super close to another but in reality they are much further than that think. Friends should know everything about each other...yet there are secrets that have been kept and someone knows. As with my favorite drama and suspenseful program, this too brings out a dark psychological tale that swallowed me whole. I never knew what to expect. The talented writer kept me guessing with every page. The Lie is indeed a perfect title for this stunning story. Readers will be captivated by the danger, drama, and the unknown factors that kept me on the edge of my seat. Dark, intense, and superb. I loved reading this fast-paced plot that kept switching between the past and present...exactly like my favorite show. C.L. Taylor's novel, The Lie, has now become my new favorite read. I look forward to reading more by this writer. Overall, I highly recommend this juicy compelling read to readers everywhere.

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This book was addictive from the very first page. All of the characters were easy to relate to. I think most women would have had similar friends at least once in their lives. Maybe not to the same extremes. I was a teeny bit disappointed at the end but the rest of the book was excellent.

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Thank you to Sourcebooks and Netgalley for the copy of The Lie.

This is the second book by C.L. Taylor that I have read and again she does not disappoint. This is a gripping psychological thriller that makes you ask the question - Who can I trust... Whilst reading the book you are constantly looking for the suspect and only near the end it is revealed to you. I would have lived in constant fear if I were in Jane's shoes. I would recommend this book to all lovers of C.L. Taylor and psychological thrillers. Can't wait for the next book by C.L. Taylor.

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This story sucked me in from the very beginning. The premise is so interesting especially for those who like to travel. It is told in chapters that alternate between Jane's experiences in the present and her experiences in Nepal when she was Emma. These four friends embark on the trip of a lifetime which quickly turns into a nightmare. (Forgetting the nightmare, I'd love to climb those steps in Nepal) Jane's recollection of what went down in Nepal was gradual and tragic. I had a hunch that one of the friends was not who she claimed to be but I never saw her treachery going as far as it did. The surprisingly unexpected twists and turns were one of my favorite things about this book. The friendship between these four young women was an interesting study in human nature. I can see how girls who have been friends for a long time will tend to get pushed into designated personality boxes, for example: the drunk, the downer, the flirt...etc. I can also see, from past experiences, how long held slights and grudges can make people explode toward each other. The author skillfully used this dynamic as a means to allow these girls to be manipulated by the people at their retreat. Jane's experiences really were harrowing. However she reacts strongly to things that would've sent me to a mental hospital. Her relationship with her boyfriend was very lukewarm. However her relationship with the animals, was the ultimate coping mechanism. The story ends with a bang that left me eager to check out more books by this author.

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Loved this book! The main character drew me in - her work at the shelter, the love interest who never seemed like a creepy twist about to happen. The secret past does come back, and as I plowed through the pages, anxious to know, I hoped it wouldn't all be a cheap ploy, or one of those "mysterious secrets" that turns out to not be so mysterious after all, But no. It's a good one. And I was hooked. Would recommend, and might even read again. The only parts I didn't like were the cruelty exhibited by Daisy and Leann. Then again - I've grown up a girl, around girls, and there are many reasons I had more male friends. Things can get cruel fast. This story is no exception. So yeah, uncomfortable as it made me, it was honest. And real.

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I think the title of this book should have been The Lies as this novel was full of them. I was surprised at how much I was involved with this novel once everything was laid out for me and I could fully grasp the multitude of what was happening. These four young ladies were supposed to be taking a vacation of a lifetime and I was wondering who was really having fun. Told in two different time period, one being now and one being five years previously, I really needed both time periods to put this story into perspective. The four girls weren’t the greatest of friends to begin with when they began their journey and as the story progressed, I wasn’t quite sure where their alliances were, as they changed quickly. Their change I thought was based on the individuals that they were with, the booze that lighten their sprits and the freedom that flowed through them affecting their minds and their actions. As they reached their destination on top of the mountainous region, they were joyous and excited about their two-week stay. This feeling changed almost immediately upon their arrival. Isaac who ran this retreat offered more than just a sanctuary to his guests; he liked to control them. Isaac and his followers, using their tactics and abilities liked to weaken individuals to gain control over them. They were powerful and it scared me how far they would go. Some individuals succumb to them willingly, thinking how special they were while others saw what was occurring and wanted to leave but didn’t have the means to do so. I loved this battle, the battle of the willing and the battle of the ones who saw the light. There is this tension, this desire to sway each other to their way of thinking and inside this novel; I wasn’t sure sometimes which side some of the girls were on. It amazes me when I read these stories to the lengths individuals fall into these groups. As I read and listen to Isaac, just to listen to his words as he spoke, I see both sides of the picture. If I would have been at his retreat, I would have jumped off that mountain, no matter what. I don’t need any provisions, I don’t care what the weather is like, I would be down that mountain faster than lightening! There was too much uncontrollable and disturbing things occurring with Isaac and his followers for me.

There were lots of twists and turns inside this novel, hopes and dreams were fading away fast. I was watching my page count on my Kindle, thinking how much longer can this really go on? C.L. Taylor had kept me on my toes throughout this ordeal. It was a thrilling, exhilarating read. 4.5 stars

I received a copy of this novel from NetGalley and Sourcebooks in exchange for an honest review.

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I received an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to Netgalley.

Jane Hughes has rebuilt her life after what should have been a wonderful adventure turns into a twisted nightmare.

Unsatisfied with her life and bored by a job she hates, she decides to join her three good friends and embark on the vacation of a lifetime to Nepal. After a few days there, cracks start to appear in their friendship and the vacation takes a sinister and macabre turn.

Now, isolated, living a lie in Wales, she is finally working in a field she adores, and has met someone special. Life seems like its on the upturn, until letters and messages arrive. Before she knows it, she is transported back 5 years, reliving the devastating events in Nepal...

This novel reminded of ones written by the late Ruth Rendell. The characters are troubled and have major flaws. The way that they relate to each other is evocative of Barbara Vine's 'The Brimstone Wedding'. Dark and macabre at times, I literally finished it in record time.

Awesome book!

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The Lie by C.L. Taylor is a book that you need to read when you don't have to wake up early the next morning. You will be flipping the pages all night on this twisty thriller ride of a book. The story alternates between the present and 5 years ago. Emma, now going by the name of Jane, is hiding her past from those around her and as you read the flashbacks from 5 years ago you discover why. Emma and her friends took a vacation that should have been full of fun and adventure but it quickly escalated into a nightmare for some of them. Emma is trying to keep the past in the past but someone is now forcing her to confront what happened 5 years ago. Read and enjoy!

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I found this book difficult to put down. The story splits between the present and past and how the past has an impact on the present. Like any reviews it is hard not to give the plot away. But you have the story of a group of friends who go on holiday and the events of that holiday create the lie. As the book builds you start to understand more about what has happened and how the past and present collide in the conclusion. Very well written, great book and would recommend.

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Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for the opportunity to read and review this book!

I liked this thriller - and it's the second book I've read in a row that involves a cult. Besides being a thriller, it really explores friendship and how much we can trust those we think we know so well.

Jane is a young woman with a job she likes, a new boyfriend, and is content with her life. Until her past interferes with a letter sent to her saying that the anonymous writer knows who she really is - and she isn't Jane Hughes.

That sets up a Past and Present storyline. 5 years ago, four university friends set out on a trip of a lifetime to a retreat in the mountains of Nepal. However, the vacation certainly doesn't turn out as planned and the retreat is a cult in disguise.

There were a few moments that I thought the main character should have been more aware - in both the present and the past - but it didn't spoil the adventure for me.

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I’m a sucker for books like The Lie by C.L. Taylor. I love a good suspense thriller full of secrets and, well, lies, and this didn’t disappoint. I was tearing through page after page anxious to see how it all unraveled.

The story is split in two parts, like our lead Jane is split into two people – Jane and Emma. Things start in the present with Jane, flipping back 5 years ago to Emma. What I found the most interesting about this is that I loved Jane, I thought she was great, but Emma, I couldn’t stand Emma. Something about her rubbed me the wrong way. She wasn’t a bad person, but she wasn’t a great one, either. Funny how I could have two conflicting feelings about the same person.

I also liked how quickly the story moved. The girls decided to go on a trip and then they went on the trip and then everything went wrong. There wasn’t any lag in between, it covered a lot of ground quickly, which made the suspense a bit more thrilling for me as it never eased up.

While this is a pretty intense book and the situation the friends find themselves in is creepy and frightening and disturbing, it’s also a really good look at what happens to long term friendships when they hit a breaking point. I think the relationships between the four girls were really authentic and the tension and cracks between them all were very real. And ugly. Obviously I felt bad for the friends, but it was really interesting to witness their friendship crumbling and how easily they turned on each other and how quick they were to believe whatever they hear. Makes you think twice about your own friends, really.

This is the first C.L. Taylor book and I really enjoyed the writing and the style and most of all, I loved how I couldn’t figure out who was really behind everything until the very end. If you`re in the mood for a light but thrilling read, this is definitely the book for you.

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Another great psychological thriller by C.L.Taylor
Good storyline with strong characters. Would highly recommend.

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