This Is How I Lied

This Is How I Lied is a spine tingling, page-turning, whirlwind of a read. Wowzers! It grabbed me immediately, took me through some great twists and didn't let go until the final pages.

Ya, it was soooo good.

Maggie is a police detective in a small Iowa town where she's lived her whole life. When new evidence emerges in the unsolved case of her best friend Eve's 25-year-old murder, Maggie jumps at the chance to find her friend's killer. This atmospheric read bounces from 25 years in the past to the present giving readers a look into Eve's life leading up to her murder and Maggie's current day hunt for the elusive killer.

The characters are an assortment of small-town citizens who are well-developed and many with secrets to hide. One character in particular stands out from the crowd. Nola, Eve's sister is one complicated, delightfully sinister character that added a layer of creepiness that I enjoyed. While not a woman I'd befriend (eeks!), she's an interesting, wounded character that added a lot to the story.

There was one rather large twist and an event that had me suspending disbelief a little outside my comfort zone but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It is a well-crafted, powerful and gripping novel that had me guessing and second guessing the identity of the culprit. With its compelling cast and engaging story, I highly recommend it to fans of Suspense. Look for it May 12, 2020!

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Harlequin for providing me with a 

complimentary digital copy of this title, via NetGalley, 

in exchange for my honest review. 

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Heather Gudenkauf

Genre: Suspense

Type: eBook

Source: NetGalley

Publisher: Harlequin

First Published: May 12, 2020

Opening Lines: Even wasn't even supposed to be in these caves. They had a dizzying number of stony corridors and with one wrong turn she could become lost.

Book Description from GoodReads: Everyone has a secret they’ll do anything to hide…

Twenty-five years ago, the body of sixteen-year-old Eve Knox was found in the caves near her home in small-town Grotto, Iowa—discovered by her best friend, Maggie, and her sister, Nola. There were a handful of suspects, including her boyfriend, Nick, but without sufficient evidence the case ultimately went cold.

For decades Maggie was haunted by Eve’s death and that horrible night. Now a detective in Grotto, and seven months pregnant, she is thrust back into the past when a new piece of evidence surfaces and the case is reopened. As Maggie investigates and reexamines the clues, secrets about what really happened begin to emerge. But someone in town knows more than they’re letting on, and they’ll stop at nothing to keep the truth buried deep.