Book Review: Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison—and a Giveaway!

Lie to Me
J.T. Ellison
MIRA, September 2017
ISBN 978-0-778-31364-9
Hardcover
Also available in trade paperback and ebook

From the publisher—

They built a life on lies

Sutton and Ethan Montclair’s idyllic life is not as it appears. They seem made for each other, but the truth is ugly. Consumed by professional and personal betrayals and financial woes, the two both love and hate each other. As tensions mount, Sutton disappears, leaving behind a note saying not to look for her.

Ethan finds himself the target of vicious gossip as friends, family and the media speculate on what really happened to Sutton Montclair. As the police investigate, the lies the couple have been spinning for years quickly unravel. Is Ethan a killer? Is he being set up? Did Sutton hate him enough to kill the child she never wanted and then herself? The path to the answers is full of twists that will leave the reader breathless.

Are Sutton and Ethan Montclair a so-called normal couple? My word, we can only hope not because they’re about as shallow, selfish and generally unpleasant as any two people can be and perhaps the best thing about them is that they’re tied to each other, thereby saving two other people from horrible marriages.

Once upon a time, this power couple probably cared about each other but even that is doubtful as Ethan admits to himself that he pretty much picked Sutton to be his wife because she looked and sounded good. Still, he is initially sorrowful when he finds her farewell note…until when he realizes she may have done away with herself and his next reaction is intense anger that she did this to him. We don’t know much about her yet but, clearly, he has conflicting feelings about her and that makes him just a little more human, more likeable or, at least, worthy of our compassion. Maybe.

The fact is, this is a too perfect couple and it’s really no surprise that the police would suspect him of harming his missing wife, even beyond the suspicions that naturally fall upon the spouse in such a case. One detective, Holly Graham, isn’t so sure and she’s about to become intensely important to both Ethan and the absent Sutton.

As I followed the story, my emotions were a roller coaster, switching back and forth between sympathy for Ethan and certainty that he’s not to be trusted. At the same time, there were musings from someone else who was distinctly unbalanced so was it possible Ethan really was innocent? As the hunt for Sutton intensified, so did the tension and there were moments that were downright creepy and unnerving. When the truth finally came out, all the twists and turns had turned my stomach in knots.

Of course, I always find myself up very late at night when I pick up one of Ms. Ellison’s books and this is most certainly not an exception. Be prepared to miss a night’s sleep 😉

Reviewed by Lelia Taylor, September 2017.

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Purchase Links:

         

    

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About the Author

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author J.T. Ellison writes standalone domestic noir and psychological thriller series, the latter starring Nashville Homicide Lt. Taylor Jackson and medical examiner Dr. Samantha Owens, and pens the international thriller series “A Brit in the FBI” with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. Cohost of the Emmy Award-winning show, “A Word on Words”, Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband.

Connect with J. T.:

            

 

 

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Follow the tour here.

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To enter the drawing for a print copy
of Lie to Me by J.T. Ellison, just leave
a comment below. The winning name
will be drawn on Saturday night,
September 16th and the book will be sent
out after the tour ends. This drawing is
open to residents of the US and Canada.

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“Wonderful… A one-more-chapter, don’t-eat-dinner, stay-up-late
sensation.” – Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author

“Fans of GONE GIRL will gobble up this thriller about a marriage
from hell, which moves at a blazing-fast pace and smoothly negotiates
more twists and turns than the backroads of Tennessee. J.T. Ellison will
keep you guessing every step of the way to the surprise ending!”
-Lisa Scottoline, New York Times bestselling author of ONE PERFECT LIE

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