CAN YOU SPOT THE LIAR? An accused killer insists she's innocent of a heinous murder.
A grieving journalist surfaces from the wreckage of her shattered life.
Their unlikely alliance leads to a dangerous cat and mouse game that will leave you breathless.
Who can you trust when you can't trust yourself? -- Forge
TRUST ME, the new psychological suspense novel, by Hank Phillippi Ryan is certainly a novel that will make you question... well, everything. I just finished this book a few minutes ago, and I'm still not quite sure what to make of it. There was a lot going on and more twists than I could count, and I probably should have waited a few days to process everything that happened.
TRUST ME is one of the most convoluted thrillers that I've ever read, and I mean that in a good way. It's already received a ton of great buzz including the Amazon Editors' Pick Best Mystery/Thriller of the Month and a Booklist Starred review. It's also a Real Simple Magazine Top Thriller of 2018, a Book Bub Top Summer Thriller of 2018, a POPSUGAR Top Summer Thriller, a CrimeReads Most Anticipated Thriller of 2018, and a New York Post Best Thriller of the Summer!
Mercer Hennessy is a journalist/writer who is deeply traumatized from an accident that took her husband and young daughter's lives. She is still counting the days since their deaths and isn't doing much of anything with her her life. She ends up accepting a job to write about a book about the trial of the "Baby Boston" case, and she is determined to tell the story of the little girl's mother, Ashlyn Bryant, whom Mercer is sure killed her daughter. (Think the Casey Anthony story!)
Mercer is following the trial and working diligently on the book, even though it's difficult to cover a story about the death of a little girl. Mercer is one hundred percent sure that Ashlyn is guilty; however, things begin to get complicated when the jury finds Ashlyn not guilty of the crime.
Mercer is forced to examine her initial reaction to the crime and Ashlyn; and what she begins to learn after talking with Ashlyn makes her question everything about not only the crime itself, but her own life!
Nothing is what it seems in this book. Absolutely nothing! I had my doubts about Mercer as the narrator because she was still reeling from her family's deaths, but she seemed like she had a decent grip on the Ashlyn. However, it didn't take long for me to realize that Mercer was actually one of the most unreliable narrators I've ever encountered in a psychological thriller. After about a hundred or so pages, everything I thought she knew was upended... and everything I thought I knew was thrown out the window!
The author does a great job of blurring reality for the reader; and most of the time, I really appreciated the twists and turns. Having said that, there were times I felt a little manipulated. (But if you follow my reviews, you know that I'm super-sensitive to unreliable narrators.) All in all, I'd say that the surprises and the deceptions made for a fun and interesting read!
Another thing I really liked about TRUST ME was how Ms. Phillippi Ryan explored the concept of truth. There were lots of insights into what is truth and how we define it in our lives that made this book a little more special than a typical psychological thriller.
TRUST ME is an entertaining "roller coaster ride" of a book. Highly recommended!
Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.
Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.
That does sound a lot like the Casey Anthony case. It also sounds very compelling. I can't wait to read it.
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