Books
Lie to Me

by J.T. Ellison
MIRA, September 2017, $26.99

The domestic noir subgenre focuses on the truly horrible things people sometimes do to those they love, and J.T. Ellison’s latest, Lie to Me, is one of the best I’ve read. In it, she tells the story of Ethan and Sutton Montclair, two married authors who are successful, beautiful, and rich. To the people who know them, they seem to have the perfect life, but from there, Ellison plumbs the old adage “no one truly knows what goes on behind closed doors.” In the case of the Montclairs, this includes physical and emotional abuse, as well as fierce professional jealousy and competition. To add grief and guilt to the mix, their infant son dies, and each blames the other.

When Ethan wakes one morning to find Sutton gone, he’s frantic until he finds a note that ends, “Don’t look for me.” Relieved, he figures she’s angry with him—they’d had a huge fight—and that she’ll cool off and come home. But she doesn’t, and soon everyone’s whispering that he’s responsible for her disappearance; she took nothing with her, after all—no phone, no computer, no purse, nothing. As the police begin looking into Sutton’s disappearance and the couple’s carefully guarded secrets become fodder for gossip, Ethan figures it can’t get any worse. And then it does.

Author Ellison has done a masterful job of giving life to her well-drawn characters. Of particular note is her unnamed (until the very end) narrator, whose voice is heard in the book’s opening sentence declaring, “You aren’t going to like me very much.” And it’s true. We don’t. A page-turner, rife with twists, turns, and surprises, all of which fit the story perfectly, this is Ellison’s 18th book. Known primarily for her multiple series (A Brit in the FBI series with Catherine Coulter, Lieutenant Taylor Jackson series, and Dr. Samantha Owens series), this is her second standalone and an absolute must-read.

Sharon Magee
Teri Duerr
5819
Ellison
September 2017
lie-to-me
26.99
MIRA