Here We Lie is a gripping page-turner that almost made me miss my bus stop several times this week ! It was one of those books that had me reading obsessively because I was desperate to find out how the plot would unravel, while not wanting to finish it because the enjoyment would be over. It has received some really harsh reviews on amazon, mainly saying that the story is unbelievable - criticism that is not entirely unfounded, admittedly - but for a bit of fast-paced, thrilling escapism, I still think it's a great read. (I enjoyed it just as much as two of Sophie McKenzie's previous novels, Close My Eyes and Trust In Me - click through to read my reviews of those.)
The story starts some twenty years ago, when an unhappily married couple are killed in a car crash, leaving three children - Rose, Martin and Emily - to pick up the pieces and muddle through into adulthood. Emily, the youngest, was barely into her teens and totally unaware of her father's cheating but, now an adult, she appears to be unwittingly mirroring her own family drama, engaged to Jed, a man who was married to someone else when they met. Although Jed's ex-wife understandably despises her, his step-children Lish and Dee-Dee seem to like her well enough, and they are all enjoying a family holiday in Corsica when their happy life is derailed by Dee Dee suddenly being found dead in her bedroom. Emily had just given her a headache powder that was intended for her own consumption - had it been accidentally contaminated at the production plant or was someone out to get Emily?
As the author cleverly weaves her story, the finger of suspicion points at every single character as a potential suspect. They are all imperfect characters with character flaws and possible ulterior motives and this, along with the diary extracts of the victim revealing that she saw something that she shouldn't have seen, leave the reader second-guessing all the way to the end, with red herrings and surprises coming thick and fast right up until the final pages.
It offers a poignant look at the sins of the fathers poisoning their children's lives (this would be a great theme to discuss in a book club, for Emily and Rose and their choice of men), as well as the trials and tribulations of being a teen. It has lots of excitement, a few heart-wrenching scenes and a little bit of romance to take you through the whole gamut of emotions. It's the perfect book to revel in under the duvet on a cold, rainy, autumnal Sunday afternoon when you don't want to venture outside !
star rating : 4/5
RRP : £7.99
- Paperback: 448 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (10 Sept. 2015)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1471133192
- ISBN-13: 978-1471133190
Disclosure : I received a copy of the book in order to write an honest review.
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