Im extremely conflicted on this one. I really enjoy David Ellis. His books are incredibly clever and very twisty. This one was no exception. I can appreciate how well-thought out this plot was.

Unfortunately, espionage/police-procedurals are not my genre and it took me a long time to make my way through this. In fact, it kind of put me in a reading slump. I don't know if it was the length, or the fact that the story took a really long time to start gaining momentum. I'll continue to look out for titles from this author, however.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for proving a digital arc in exchange for an honest review.

This gripping page-turner follows Leo Balanoff, a pathological liar and Chicago attorney who finds himself accused of the murder of a crime boss. Leo is faced with the choice of working undercover for the FBI to take down a drug dealer or go to prison for murder. THE BEST LIES was well written and smart and had me constantly questioning the character’s motives. This propulsive plot will keep you off-balance in the best way. Readers are left partially in the dark as to what is happening which makes the series of slow reveals completely worth the payoff.

READ THIS IF YOU:
-are drawn to smart thrillers with an abundance of twists
-like not knowing which characters can be trusted
-find stories with a large cast of characters and many time jumps entertaining

RATING: 4.5/5 (rounded up to 5 stars)
PUB DATE: July 23, 2024

I wanted to like this one so bad because I loved Look Closer. But this one missed the mark. I felt bored and confused. I don’t know if I like ganger story lines. I had a really hard time finishing it.

This was a fun thriller! Super reminiscent of James Patterson. Read if you like multiple POVs and multiple timelines. The switching between timelines (there were several) was confusing sometimes for me and I found myself flipping back and forth to keep reminding myself what was happening when. But I enjoyed the plot. Fast paced and smart. I still have Look Closer by this author on my bookshelf and I’m excited to get to it soon!

David Ellis can truly do no wrong. A very intricate and clever storyline that I couldn't stop reading. A must read for those who love a good thriller and mystery, who may be tired of reading the same types of thrillers over and over. I highly recommend!

The Long Goodbye

What lurks in the dark devious corners of the highly competitive international pharmaceutical business? Especially when an innovative cancer-fighting formulation is at stake:

“Project Nano. The game changer. The white whale. Not quite ready to submit for FDA trials, but, when it’s done, it will be the biggest thing QCI (Quigley Crowe International) has ever produced. One of the greatest innovations in cancer treatment in decades.”

David Ellis’ 2024 twisting mystery, “The Best Lies”, creates layers of well-developed tangled histories of the primary characters with cat-and-mouse games among private sector security, local police and FBI agents, shadowy local hoods and a quirky smart defense attorney.

Set in Deemer Park, a fictious suburb of outside of current day Chicago, the narrative shifts between back story snap shots for the main characters and quickly moving developments to stop a theft of industrial secrets:

• Leo Balanoff, the local defender with a checkered history and penchant for immediate mathematical-like analysis and skills
• Trace, his childhood friend and quasi-brother, coming clean from drug dependency
• Andi Pietrowski, former police officer now head of security for QCI and still enamored of her college love, Leo, despite their split several years prior
• FBI Special Agent Chris Roberti, recovering from his own bout with cancer and willing to take risks to fulfill his mission

Though different, the story atmospherics recall “The Long Goodbye”, the 1973 film with Elliot Gould and Jim Bouton based on Raymond Chandler’s 1953 novel.

How will these relationships come through two murders with unexpected revelations in personal histories and still escape determined police pressure to arrive at a solution?

My advice: this tale is one you may want to read in one sitting.

David Ellis has quickly become one of my favorites. You may think you know what’s going on but you don’t! The twists and turns take you for a very enjoyable ride!!

Leo Balanoff is an attorney who tries to do the right things for his clients. He also has an unusual past, as the story goes back and forth from past times to present we learn his law license was suspended for five years. We learn more and more about his past as the story continues. Now he is connected to the death of a major crime boss - his fingerprints and DNA are found on the murder weapon. The FBI wants Leo to work with them to bring down the higher ups in the crime chain. A lot of surprises along the way in this story - it really keeps you interested! The story and characters are very well written - I was fully invested in seeing how it all finished up. I thought the plot was amazing and so well done! I highly recommend this book. I give it 5 stars out of 5.

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this digital ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book is due for publication on July 23, 2024.

I wanted to like this as much as Look Closer, which was one of my favorites. But I thought it fell short.

In this novel, The Best Lies, we follow 3 different character, Leo, Andi, and Chris, as they each play a different role in this undercover operation.
While I enjoyed the story and the writing, I did not enjoy the characters. I thought the dialouge was often awkward and cringe inducing. Also, the time jumps made it hard to keep track of thr story.
I did think the ending twists were clever but I wasn't sitting on the edge of my seat for w majority of the book.

Thank you to netgalley and Penguin House for this ARC

“𝑰𝒇 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕, 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒎𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒏𝒐𝒕”

This book did not disappoint 🤩

The first chapter just sucks you in as you’re immediately following the protagonist, Leo who is about to be arrested for murder. He’s a questionable fellow and a pathological liar, but somehow you want to root for him the entire time.

The book has both past and present timelines, multiple POVs, revenge and twists. Not going to lie, this book had me SUPER confused a few times, but then everything tied together so perfectly and I just enjoyed this book from beginning to end.

If you love a good suspenseful book surrounding crime, deceit, revenge & incredible character development — add this to your list!

#bookish #bookstagram #bookreview #psychologicalthriller #thrillerbooks #davidellis #thebestliewins #netgalleyarc #arcreview

Look Closer was a favorite book of mine last year so I was super excited to get approved by David's latest thriller The Best Lies.

I had a very hard time getting into this book and found myself easily confused by all the different POV's and with other characters thrown into the mix. I think it was just not for me but I am sure others will love it.

I really enjoyed Look Closer, so I was more than excited when I was gifted this ARC.

Leo Balanoff is a diagnosed pathological liar with unthinkable skeletons in his family's closet. He's also a crusading attorney who seeks justice at all costs. When a ruthless drug dealer is found dead and Leo’s fingerprints show up on the murder weapon, no one believes a word he says. But he might be the FBI’s only shot at taking down the dealer’s brutal syndicate.

I am sorry to say that this story didn't do it for me. While there were three main POV's, there was a lot to keep track of with some additional minor characters thrown in. It also could be just not the story for me as it wasn't complicated, I just didn't feel invested in the storyline. If you enjoy mafia, mob, assassin storylines though, you may feel differently.

Thank you to Netgalley, David Ellis, and G.P. Putnam's Sons for the ARC in exchange for my review.

The Best Lies will be available on July 23, 2024.

David Ellis really knocked it out of the park with this one. I was glued to this book, I could not put it down! I spent my whole mother's day reading this one and finished it the same day. 5 stars for sure!

It started off very slow. I kept waiting for something interesting to happen. I did enjoy learning about prime numbers, haha. Can’t say this was my favorite book but it was a decent read.

I love everything Davis Ellis writes.
This book had a lot of characters and was hard to follow at times, but still very enjoyable!
Look Closer was a better book in my opinion.

CRAZY good. It’s slick, chilling, and addictive! I couldn’t put it down. Leo is insanely smart. I loved how it all came together. I was laughing like a maniac.

read if you like:
🤷‍♂️ pathological liars
💪🏼 strong women
🚔 police thrillers
🤯 mind games

summary:
I was a big fan of David Ellis’s book LOOK CLOSER, so was excited for the chance to preview his latest book, THE BEST LIES. As I expected, this one is just as good — telling the story of a lawyer, Leo, and his ex girlfriend, Andi. It’s hard to share much more about the story without spoiling the plot, but it’s starts with a murder Leo is accused of, and follows these incredibly complex and flawed characters a year prior, leading up to the event.

The book is admittedly a bit hard to follow at first. It cuts forward and back in time, between several characters, in a way that doesn’t always feel smooth. HOWEVER, much like THE BEST LIES, the story comes together eventually in a very clear way, answering all of your questions and clarifying some of the back and forth. Much like the other book, this story also involves a lot of crossing and double-crossing, making it riveting, keeping you on the edge of your seat but also making you keep track of who is on which side. The book also makes you think, questioning what is “good” and what is “bad”, and how our experiences shape our definition of both.

The author, like in his other book, also does a great job developing the characters and their backstories. There are a number of characters we learn a lot about, but the details are important to bringing the story together. Their qualities are eclectic and unique - a cancer survivor, a numbers geek, a musician, a pathological liar (and some of these are the same people!) but their personalities are what make the book so gripping and deep. And the end has enough twists and turns that you absolutely will NOT see it coming.

I went into this book blind for once (didn’t read the synopsis prior to reading it). I just knew it was written by David Ellis so I was definitely reading it. Unsurprising he did not disappoint! Right off the bat the main character Leo’s sense of humor is a nice addition to his character. The book is told from three different POV’s (Leo and lawyer who really should be a cop or a vigilante or both, Chris and FBI agent & Andi/Andrea Leo’s ex girlfriend). All the characters are very distinct with their personalities and quirks. Ellis did a great job with that. Leo is the only one I really liked but it was nice to have a likeable character otherwise I struggle with the book if I hate all the characters. The plot was very clever!! Not my favorite (just wasn’t one that I was sucked in by personally but that’s on me, not the book/author) but it was very well written and executed. I didn’t expect any of what the author did for twists & how he brought all of the characters in full circle. It was brilliant in my opinion. The ending was not rushed (which is a big pet peeve of mine when you read a long book & the ending is all jammed in the last chapter). Very well done I wouldn’t have changed a thing!

Really the only thing I didn’t love about this book was how ‘numbers’ were Leo’s thing (prime numbers), very excessive & sometimes distracted me from the story. I could’ve gone without 90% of that. Otherwise it was a fantastic book all around & I look forward to what’s next from him🤗 I think it would actually be pretty neat to have a part 2 of some sort or another book with Leo & Andi in it😜 Definitely suggest putting this on your tbr list!

Thank you to NetGalley & the publisher PENGUIN GROUP Putnam for the opportunity to have an advanced copy, always very much appreciated!

This book was a solid 3.5 stars for me. I would say this is a MOB/FBI thriller. I really liked reading the story from different peoples perspectives and I enjoyed jumping from past to present. I definitely had to pay attention to make sure I didn't miss anything in the story. This is only my second book from David Ellis but I really enjoy his writing and he always throws really great twists. Special thanks to G.P Putnam's Sons, NetGalley and the author David Ellis for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book has a publish date of 7/23/24.