I’m pleased to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for superb and complex psychological thriller The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames. Thank you to Tracy Fenton and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read and review this fabulous book!
About the book:
SHE’S WATCHING YOU
BUT WHO’S WATCHING HER?
From the bestselling author of Dead North, a tense, claustrophobic psychological thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Claire McGowan and Clare Mackintosh.
Meet Polly. Meet Emily. Meet Belinda.
They’re all me. My name is Lisa and I’m an identity thief. If I’m not inside your system stealing your money, I’ve probably already stolen it. I’m your friend. I’m a thief. I’m gone.
I’m in control.
Only now, the tables have been turned. I’m in danger. My son is in danger. And I don’t know where that danger’s coming from.
Any friend.
Any enemy.
Any stranger.
Anyone from the past I’ve been trying to outrun for years.
NOBODY CAN BE TRUSTED.
About the author:
Joel Hames lives in rural Lancashire, England, with his wife and two daughters, where he works hard at looking serious and pretending to be a proper novelist.
After a varied career in London which involved City law firms, a picture frame warehouse, an investment bank and a number of market stalls (he has been known to cry out “Belgian chocolates going cheap over ‘ere” in his sleep), Joel relocated from the Big Smoke to be his own boss. As a result, he now writes what he wants, when he wants to (which by coincidence is when the rest of the family choose to let him).
Joel’s first novel, Bankers Town, was published in 2014, and The Art of Staying Dead followed in 2015. The novellas Brexecution (written and published in the space of ten days following the UK’s Brexit referendum, with half of the profits going to charity) and Victims were published in 2016 and 2017 respectively.
Joel’s website can be found at http://www.joelhamesauthor.com, where you can find out more about the writer and the books, and sign up to his email newsletter.
If you want to know what Joel has planned for the future, what he thinks right now, or just stalk him a little, you can find him on Facebook at facebook.com/joelhamesauthor or Twitter at @joel_hames. Joel has never seen the word “Joel” appear as frequently as it does right here, and wholeheartedly approves.
My Review:
The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames is a superbly written and complex psychological thriller that will keep you on your toes throughout. I wasn’t sure I’d be able to keep up with Lisa’s many identities at first, but I needn’t have worried as once I got everything straight in my head the story pulled me in and didn’t let go until the final page had been turned.
The Lies I Tell centres around Lisa, an identity thief who uses multiple fake identities to infiltrate online profiles and steal money. I love a story with a dual timeline and it’s used to great effect here, as we slowly begin to learn more about Lisa’s abusive past and how what happened to her then motivates the person she is in the present. Now a devoted mum to Simon, you could be forgiven for thinking she doesn’t have a redeemable bone in her body, but as the story unfolds and the complex layers of her past are revealed, I couldn’t help but empathise with this broken woman without a conscience, who appears to care about nobody other than her young son.
But now Lisa’s carefully laid plans and fake identities are under threat. Someone knows too much about her past, leaving her vulnerable and in danger. No longer feeling safe, is there anyone she can trust to help her uncover the truth?
Lisa is a character I couldn’t help but like and root for, even though my inner moral compass was telling me I should despise her. But that’s the beauty of a character such as this one. How can you not feel empathy for a damaged human being who has been through so much? Who has done whatever it takes, as unconscionable as that is, to survive? Maybe it’s just me, but my heart hurt for Lisa and I ached for her to put the ghosts of her past to rest and move forward to a better future.
Joel Hames has written a fast paced and complex psychological thriller that had me on the edge of my seat right up until the final page had been turned. A tense and thought provoking read that packs a hefty punch, The Lies I Tell is a book I would highly recommend.
The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames is available to buy now: Amazon UK
Check out what these other lovely bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 