Lie to Me: A Fast-Paced Psychological Thriller

Ethan Montclair has woken to find his wife gone. She has left a note, telling him not to look for her, yet has taken none of her personal items with her. From there, we are taken on a ride through the Montclair marriage— the lies, the hurt, the loss.
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While we readers are wondering where Sutton is, we are being led through the story by an unknown narrator. This narrator is slowly cluing us into what has happened while we put the pieces together.
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I read the book in one day and couldn’t put it down! The flashbacks were not hard to keep up with and in my opinion, they actually made the story better. Also, every time I thought it was over, something else would happen! With that being said there were a couple plot points that were predictable, but there’s not many thrillers that don’t have some sort of predictability. Overall, I was happy with this book and plan on lending it out tomorrow!
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But the one thing that drove me nuts was the use of character names. In some chapters she was calling the detective Holly and other Graham and others Officer Graham. It sounds picky, but it was extremely annoying

Wow - no words can describe the feeling I got from this book. Way different from her other books, Ellison has put into words a story one can only describe as - WOW.

Lie To Me covers the life of Sutton and Ethan - both writers - both looking like they have everything anyone could want. But the underlying story here is first told by Ethan about his wife who disappears one day...and then told by Sutton, where she is now and why she left.

And then there is a third person, one you won't even imagine is involved - murder, passion, jealousy, grief, and twists you will never see coming. If there is only one book you read this year, make it this one; you won't be disappointed.

No spoilers and no details; just generalities!

After reading some of the earliest reviews, I almost didn't purchase this book. I finally decided to take a chance (since I really love the other books by J.T. Ellison). There was something about the weirdness of this story that kept me engaged. I figured out the whodunnit early on, but I didn't have a clue until the story unfolded as to why (and there were a couple other plot twists that were a surprise). That's why I'm giving this book four stars. It doesn't feel as solid as the Taylor or Sam books, but that just may be the "noir" style. The ending really seems rather implausible, but I guess that's why it's called fiction.

I loved it. Gripping edge of your seat thriller. I found myself up at night devouring it. I read it in 2 wks- a busy mom with almost NO time. It was very very good. Very twisty and keeps your interest 100%

First off,if I had known Harlequin was the publisher of this book,I would not have purchased it. Most H books are "bodice ripper"novels which don't appeal to me at all. This story did have a few surprises here and there but sentences like"she had allowed a viper into his swaddling nest",what? Or the girl had coltish legs? It does sell books! There is a market out there for anything.

I bought this book on a site that offers discounted books thinking it might be good from the reviews and summary. I really enjoyed reading this. It was such a pleasant surprise since many of the discounted books just go there to die. I would recommend it. It really had me scratching my head for awhile.

So unbelievable & convoluted. Plot was lame and characters uninspired. Ending doesn't even address the repeated domestic abuse mentioned earlier in the story. Waste of time. Do not waste your money!

The plot was unbelievable and flawed, but somewhat interesting. The writing was clichéd, and I felt I was reading a sample from a C- paper in a high school creative writing class. The dialogue bore no resemblance to how actual people talk to each other. I was irritated while reading it, and that is never a good thing.

The character development and plot twist pull you into this story, I read in less than twenty-four hours, only stopping to eat and sleep. If you enjoyed The Girl on the Train, you will love this book-i did! ?????‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️‼️??????????

Have read and liked all of Ellison's prior books. Not this one. Almost a twin to Flynn's Gone Girl, which hit the garbage can halfway through. Did I say that I eschew "psychological " girl fiction. Constant now vs. then storyline. Every author is allowed a dog in their literary kennel. Let's hope that this is her last woofer.

I thought the first part was pretty interesting-derivative, of course of Gone Girl, which was a better book simply because the plot twist was so unexpected way back then, but LTM still managed to keep my interest and unlike others, I felt the husband was fairly sympathetic. I have a few qualms though and SPOILER ALERT FROM HERE ON OUT--I want to address them here. Who passes off "sugar pills" as birth control to get their wife pregnant? Maybe it's done differently now, who knows, but birth control pills when I was taking them used to come in an idiot-proof circular package with the days of the week on them and each pill would be vacuum packed and sealed in a foil container with a manufacturer's imprint (a number or letter) on each one. It would be impossible to tamper with them. So how could husband pass off sugar pills as birth control pills? And while we're on the subject, where the heck do you buy sugar pills? Do they really exist or are they just an unnecessary and worn-out trope used exclusively by thriller writers? Once one of the main characters lands in Paris, I felt like I had somehow been transported into a Harlequin romance. This woman, who took a few years of French "in school", somehow manages to arrive in France with flawless, unaccented French, which, in real life would require many years of actually living in Paris (not just France) to acquire, because trust me on this, our American accents are evident to every single European the second we open our mouths. Despite having limited funds, she manages to land a gorgeous apartment with the Eiffel Tower right there out her window and the Seine a ten minute walk away. This does not happen in real life. Major characters start arriving in the last 75 pages, and they are of course, insanely brilliant and over the top evil; the deus ex machina, to resolve what has become an increasingly contrived plot. So, while it had its moments, I found it pretty silly by the end.

"Nothing is real and nothing to get hung about." -- John Lennon, 1967 from "Strawberry Fields"

Here is the classic picture of perfection to the outside eye. Sutton and Ethan Montclair, of the old-world wealth names have what looks to be the ideal life. They have a lovely house; well established careers in the literary world and best of all a family. Sadly, their baby dies of crib death otherwise known as Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. The loss of the baby ends everything as they knew it. The marriage crashes and burns and the careers they once counted on keel over. Sutton appears to have a mental breakdown, which was understandable under the circumstances. In time she disappears and all eyes turn to Ethan.

The question is did he have anything to do with her disappearance? Is she still alive? Is there a chance to salvage a marriage that has withstood the worst: the death of a child and extramarital affairs? Does Ethan know anything about Sutton's whereabouts? These are the questions that are screaming for answers. In time, readers learn that things are rarely the way they seem, including the idyllic life and the ideal marriage.

There are some truly unlikable characters in this story. I was not overly fond of Sutton and thought of her as an Ice Queen and I just could not abide Ethan's mother. She made Cruella DeVille and every cliche evil stepmother look like the icon of maternity. Ethan's mother was certainly capable of great cruelty, but would even she go so far as to take a life or engineer somebody's disappearance?

This is a book readers will find hard to put aside as enemies change form and change masks and the conclusion is .... surprising.

The Beatles' classic "Strawberry Fields" could well underscore this book.

Initially I thought “Lie to Me” was going to be a homage or play on the stories of Gone Girl, Goldie Hawn’s 1991 movie “Deceived”, or the typical Lifetime movie. You know the one I am talking about. The one where there is a missing spouse and the remaining spouse is a suspect…then you spend several hundred pages or hours trying to figure out what really happened. Ellison’s story is along the same general theme but what you initially think is going on is not close to the truth. Trust me, this story had a ton of plot twists and turns.
What I really enjoyed was the way JT Ellison told the story from varying perspectives of the characters, to include: a mysterious narrator, a dedicated officer, a confused husband and Sutton (the missing wife).
In a nutshell, the story is about a couple who by all appearances have it all. But behind the scenes, there are a ton of secrets, lies and a boatload of deception. The Montclairs are both successful writers, have a beautiful home and great friends. That is everything seemed perfect until Ethan Montclair wakes up one morning to find that Sutton has disappeared with only a letter saying “don’t look for me”. Of course he is confused about how he should act and torn about whom he should involve or contact. Should he contact the police? Tell family? Involve their friends? Get an attorney? What should he do? After consulting a family friend, he eventually contacts the authorities and all semblance of privacy disappears. Now Ethan is the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance and possible death. The case becomes a media circus and several ugly truths about their personal lives are revealed. We learn that he had an affair, he has been suffering from writer’s block, might be having some financial issues and their son died of SIDS (after he revealed to Sutton, who never wanted kids, that he switched her birth control). And as the story develops and the truth revealed you realize that Ethan isn’t the only one that has secrets. Sutton had her fair share.
The pace of the story is fine. There are a few times that I felt Ellison got a little bogged down in the writing, or trying to really up the suspense, but overall the writing was good. My only criticism of the story is that none of the characters were likeable. I felt like Ethan was a little whiny. He talked about what he should do but then spent several chapters drinking, whining and complaining. And by the time he does pull it together, you are a little underwhelmed. You root for him but don’t love him. Sutton’s friends were all plastic and lackluster, and her mother was just selfish. And even Sutton (the missing wife) isn’t very sympathetic, and by the time you learn her fate, you are satisfied, but you never really like her either. And for me, it is a real problem when you can’t really find one character to like or become invested in. With that being said, overall, this was a decent thriller and I give it 4 stars.

'The world breaks everyone, and afterwards, some are strong at the broken places.' - Ernest Hemingway. .......... and some are just broken.

Lie to Me opens with the words 'You aren't going to like me very much'................'Truly, you are going to despise me. I am the rot that lives in the floorboards of your house. I am the spider that shuttles away when you shine a light in my corner, ever watching, ever waiting. I am the shard of glass that slits the skin of your bare foot. I am all the bad things that happen to you.'

I was hooked from the first page.

Sutton and Ethan Montclair both love and hate each other. Their jealousy and rivalry is both personal and professional. On the anniversary of the death of their baby, Sutton disappears. Was Sutton Montclair responsible for her baby's death? Or was it Ethan? Did she kill the baby, lose her mind, fake her own death, set up her husband? Or has Ethan orchestrated the whole thing to make her look mentally unstable? People have done worse. .....

I love the writing style. The chapters are short, gritty and to the point. Chapter titles (not numbers) are enticing - eg DID SHE OR DIDN'T SHE?

The pace of Lie To Me by J.T. Ellison is frantic. It doesn't allow you to draw a breath. It twists and turns and twists again. Every time I thought I was even close to sorting it all out, Ellison would turn everything on its head. It was like trying to read a kaleidoscope; the picture kept changing, but it was never pretty.

'I told you at the beginning you weren't going to like me very much. You really don't like me right now, do you? Am I a horrible person? A loathsome creature? You bet. I 'm evil to the core. And I warned you. I warned you, and you didn't listen. ...'

And now a warning from me - don't miss reading this book. Lie to Me must be one of, if not THE best psychological thriller of 2017.

Thank you to Harlequin (Australia) via Netgalley for providing a digital copy of Lie To Me by J.T. Ellison for review. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.