Lucy Harper is an author writing crime novels. Her husband Daniel is a failed author and is jealous of Lucy's success. The story starts with Lucy as a child coming out os Stoke woods, her parents are outside. Her 3 year old brother Teddy is missing. Lucy has an imaginary friend, Eliza who she writes about. The story goes back and forth to the night of the summer solstice when Teddy went missing.
Daniel buys a house next to Stoke woods which horrified Lucy. It seems he is playing mind games.
I was disappointed with the ending not what i was expecting. It started so well.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. The review is entirely my own honest opinion.

This book is cleverly written to keep you reading. It’s a definite page turner with short chapters veering from present to past.

Lucy Harper is a peculiar character. A successful crime writer, she is controlled by her main character, Eliza. Eliza was her imaginary friend as a child and is now the heroine of Lucy’s books. Eliza is also responsible for Lucy failing to tell everything she knew about the disappearance of her brother, Teddy, back when they were children.

In this book we get several intertwined mysteries and meet plenty of shady characters. I wasn’t a fan of the ending- I’d have liked some closure really. And perhaps for Lucy to get psychiatric help! I did enjoy this book though and raced through it with a feeling of unease from start to finish. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

I sooooo wanted to love this book, I really like Gilly MacMillan but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
Please don't let my opinion put you off reading though as I've read loads of people really did love it, and I can see why... This book has Suspence, Mystery and as always, written very well... Its just, for me I didn't gel with Lucy.And none of the characters had any redeeming quality's in them at all, and where in some books this could still work, I felt this one needed you to be rooting for someone and unfortunately for me there was no one. Lucy wasn't a relatable or likeable character and I didn't particularly understand the imaginary friend she had in childhood who she's willingly taken into adulthood and even brought the character to life in her novels, therefor leaving me feeling unappreciating of the whole concept really... Where I was not really too bothered about what had happened to Dan, the Husband because he was Horrible and hadn't brought much to the table in the first place, I WAS bothered about what happened to little Teddy, Lucy's brother all those years ago... And without trying to give away any spoilers I was left feeling UNSURE about how I felt on the conclusion... I was hoping by the end to have a definate happy ending with Teddy, but I didn't get it.

Like i said, please don't let my opinion put you off, everyone likes different things and even I could see why someone else would love it, just didn't work that way for me. Definitely still one of my favourite authors and won't stop me reading all of her novels infact I think I'm going to start THE PERFECT GIRL next...

Have read others from the same author and enjoyed those too. Enjoyed this one but with reservations that would give spoilers. Still looking forward to more from the author. Thank you netgalley.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

Not my favorite from this author- definitely not her best. Hope the next one is up to snuff

This is a story of Lucy Harper, a world renowned fictional crime writer and her husband Dan, also a "wanna be writer". Lucy has secrets! Dan takes care of Lucy's administration and financial aspect regarding of her business. Dan has secrets. Lucy's fictional main character, in her four novels, is Detective Sergeant Eliza Grey. Eliza is also her childhood imaginary friend. Eliza "talks" to Lucy and Lucy has conversations with Eliza. Her brother, Teddy, aged three, disappeared when Lucy was nine years old and she carries this episode into adulthood. Lucy desperately wants to find Teddy. I found Lucy a fractured character. Throughout the book we find Lucy doesn't have many friends. During events throughout chapters, I found myself shouting at Lucy, "don't do it" many times. Could I be warming to GILLY MACMILLAN's story?

I am convinced this novel will be enjoyed by many readers. I found the chapters in italics referring to Teddy and Lucy episode that night irritating but they are relevant to the overall story. There are twists and turns throughout and the ending was a surprise! This is my genre reading material but I found the book too long, jagged, twisty, odd and confusing. I found the book well written and curiosity kept me reading to the end!


I WOULD LIKE TO THANK NEGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

Gilly Macmillan is really a newly discovered author to me. The first book I'd read was "The Nanny" which I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the publishers. I fell in love with her writing from that book. I was so happy and excited to download this new book and I couldn't wait to get stuck in. There are not enough words to express how much I loved it. The main character Lucy Harper is a best selling, successful author who has a deep dark secret she's kept hidden since her little brother vanished when she was nine years old. Her husband Dan starts to act weird and ominous and he buys a house secretly with Lucy's money, near to where she used to live when she was a child. When Lucy sees the house, it brings back memories she'd rather forget. Lucy doesn't know who to trust anymore, apart from one person she's known since her childhood, Eliza who is the heroine of Lucy's novels.
If you like a touch of mystery, a bite of psychological drama and a jealous husband thrown into the mix, you will love this book. It's outstanding, with in depth characters, a brilliant clever plot, police procedural plus a bit of domestic noir. It will keep you reading through the night because trust me it's impossible to put down.

Before I start I would like to say that my true rating for this book would be between 4.5 to 4.75 stars. I couldn’t quite give it a 5 because I thought the ending could have been better.

The story is about best selling author Lucy Harper who has a crime series featuring DS Eliza Grey. She is married to Dan an aspiring author who tries to act supportive but is obviously jealous of her success. Lucy is still traumatised by her brother Teddy going missing when she was 9 and he was 3. One night after a neighbourhood party Dan vanishes. Lucy thinks that he is punishing her like he has done before, With people now digging into her past the mysteries from both her past and present start to merge together.

I really enjoyed this book. It was really fast paced and definitely a page turner. It is full of twists and turns and nearly every character is a suspect including Lucy herself. The characters were well written. I have never hated a fictional character quite as much as I hated Lucy’s husband Dan. He was awful and I kept shouting at Lucy (in my mind obviously) to stand up to him and not let him get away with the way he was treating her. The only character I liked was Lucy herself and I feel that I should point out that she is an unreliable narrator as I know that some people aren’t keen on that.

For me, the ending let this book down a little bit. I didn’t like how one of the mysteries was wrapped up. I don’t want to say anymore as I may spoil something. I would definitely highly recommend this bOk. This is my first book by this author and I am now going to be reading everything she writes.

A very enjoyable book where you can't decide whether to like or loathe the main character. The twists keep rolling on with this one...

A complex,dark psychological thriller. A central character who we doubt from the start but who is telling the truth?

This pyschological thriller is set in the West Country and tells a tale about successful author, Lucy Harper. There are secrets she is hiding about her brother Teddy. People close to her, and unbeknown to her, plot to reveal this secret. A page turning read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

“Fiction isn’t just what you find in books, it’s the lies we tell ourselves. [...] The only way to avoid creating your own fiction is not to think at all.”

Ever since she broke my heart with BURNT PAPER SKY, Gilly Macmilland has been on my list of favourite mystery writers. Whilst all her books are vastly different, they share the same sense of tension and urgency that makes for a compulsive all-night readathon. It’s funny how sometimes you just know within the first few pages that you’re going to be in for a treat – here it took only a couple of paragraphs to get me hooked.

Lucy Harper, a crime writer whose main character has taken on a life of her own, must be one of the most disturbing and yet compelling women I have ever encountered in a mystery. If you like an unreliable narrator, then rest assured that Macmillan has run with this theme and taken it to new heights. On one hand, Lucy is a woman whose past is still haunting her. She may have settled into a comfortable marriage, but her guilt and insecurities have always given Dan the upper hand in their marriage. How would you feel if your husband bought a house with your money without consulting you? Or, even worse, if the house was in the very neighbourhood of your worst childhood memories surrounding the disappearance of your baby brother, a fact that Dan is fully aware of?

So here is Lucy, a lonely woman, a bit frumpy, a bit insecure, tucked away in her studio working on a sequel to her famous Eliza Grey detective series. Her fictional character Eliza has been with Lucy since childhood. Starting off as her imaginary friend, Eliza has become a star in Lucy’s novels and a key to her success. On the shadow side of her fame, Eliza has taken on a life of her own, an almost flesh-and-blood quality who is with Lucy all the time. Unlike Lucy, she is strong, focused and capable. So can you blame Lucy if she lets Eliza take control sometimes when she needs her most?

When Dan disappears in the same mysterious way Lucy’s brother did all those years ago, the police come looking for answers. From here on, the book is a heck of a ride. Tense and atmospheric, with a backdrop of the sinister woods bordering Lucy and Dan’s property, the suspense and constant underlying thread of menace and danger had me reading late into the night. I could not put this book down! Could I trust Lucy? Supported by a rich support cast of characters who are all hiding something themselves, and the mysterious figure of Eliza always hovering in the periphery, the tension gradually mounted to its satisfying finale. I applaud the author for finding the perfect ending for this tale, which will keep the story in my mind for a long time to come.

All in all, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH was a fantastic read. Taut, gripping, multi-layered and unbearably tense, it constantly challenged my perception of reality and the trustworthiness of each and every character. With the shadowy figure of Eliza, a fictional character, always hovering in the peripheries, the book took on a haunting quality that made me frantically turn the pages. And whilst some writers may have been tempted to insert that infamous “killer twist”, the ending here was like a breath of fresh air and satisfying in every way. Making TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH one of the best mysteries I have read this year, and cementing Gilly Macmillan firmly on my list of favourite mystery writers.

All the stars!

This is a story of Lucy, a crime fiction writer with her alter ego, Eliza. She makes Eliza as the main character in her novel, however as Eliza is kind of controlling her thought, she decided to end Eliza's character in her next novel. Lucy has a childhood past which caused her brother missing and never been found. The past haunted her more when her husband, Dan, decided to buy a house in her childhood neighbourhood, then the story continues with Dan also going missing.
It's a page turner and definitely keeps me reading to the end, though I am hoping of a much better ending. There seems to be not enough closure at the end.

Lucy works hard to complete her latest book while her husband Dan looks after everything else. Has she given him too much power and how does he use it? A house move Lucy was not involved in rakes up horrid memories for a Lucy of her childhood when her little brother Teddy disappeared.
Gripping novel with great characters, dark and twisted at times. Great read.

Firstly, I would like to thank Net Galley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book.

This is the first book I have read by this author, and it was a first class psychological thriller. It’s about
Lucy Harper, a successful author, who is married to an objectionable man called Dan. She experienced trauma in her early life when her younger brother, Teddy, went missing after she had taken him with her to a Summer Solstice celebration in the woods near her home in the middle of the night, unknown to their parents. He was never found, and this has haunted her since then.

She has an alter ego, Eliza, who has been with her all her life, and who has a huge impact on what she says and does. Her husband disappears, and the book is taken up with the investigation into this, and also her ongoing attempts to try to discover what happened to her young brother. There were times when I wished that she listened less to Eliza and instead did or said what she herself thought was right. I think this often got her into more trouble than necessary.

As it was the the book came to a satisfactory end as far as her husband was concerned, but not so for her little brother.

I would recommend this book.

4+

Lucy Harper is a very successful author of a crime series featuring DS Eliza Grey. She is married to Daniel who has aspirations of literary success but has not succeeded so he manages aspects of Lucy’s life. Daniel is jealous of her success which manifests itself in various ways and then one night after a disagreement Daniel disappears. Lucy has a past she has kept hidden. When she was nine her younger brother Teddy, aged three also disappears at solstice celebrations in Stoke Woods near her family’s home near Bristol. Now her past and present collide and separating truth from lie, suspicion and disbelief and fact from fiction is a fascinating quest. The story is told by Lucy and is interspersed with the night of Teddy’s disappearance and the search to find him.

The characters are very well portrayed. Lucy’s alter ego is Eliza and this is fascinating as there’s often a power play between them. You question Lucy’s reliability and honesty as a narrator as she seems very controllable by Daniel and Eliza. Daniel is probably one of the most loathsome spouses I have read in fiction recently. Some of his actions are so outrageous it makes my fists clench, he has the sensitivity of a charging rhino, the perception of an earthworm or is it all calculation on his part? The setting of the book is excellent as the woods where Teddy disappears are both colourfully magical yet also threatening and menacing which provides a great atmosphere. The storyline is good, you feel Lucy’s pain about Teddy, her confusion over Daniel and her conflicted feelings about him. It’s a well written novel and it’s fast paced with plenty of unexpected twists and turns. This is a good suspense thriller although I’m not entirely certain about the resolution with regard to Daniels disappearance but I did like the other ambiguities so it’s make your own mind up, reader!

Overall, I enjoyed this very much, I like the ways it’s written and it keeps to guessing to the end. Highly recommended.

Many years ago a young boy went missing in woods near Bristol on the night of the summer solstice. He has never been found alive or dead.
Today, Lucy Harper is a best-selling novelist but remains haunted by what may have happened to her younger brother all those years ago. She has just written her famous series character Eliza out of her latest book but neither her publisher or the imaginary Eliza are happy about this.
So begins one of the most gripping and compelling psychological thrillers I have read in a very long time. It is impossible to guess what will happen next either in the present day story or the past. Gilly MacMillan writes far too cleverly for that.
Each page permeates with a sense of impending doom. Why has Lucy always insisted that her brother was taken away by the spirits of the woods?
Powerful and unsettling, this story will stay with you long after the final page is turned

This book really kept me guessing, I don’t like being able to predict what might happen and I certainly didn’t with this. Lucy is an author, married to a man who perhaps might not be the supportive husband he may first appear to be. When they move house, the past comes back to haunt Lucy and we question what she might have been or be capable of. This is full of suspense and I raced through the pages reading into the night to reach the end. I really enjoyed this.

The story was quite good but would have been better had she not had an invisible friend who she was always talking to it got on my nerves. I couldn’t warm to any of the characters and couldn’t picture any of them it’s a shame because it could have been so much better, but having said that it was well written and kept you reading until the end.

When Lucy Bewley was nine-years-old she crept out of the house on the night of the summer solstice to watch the pagan celebrations in Stoke Woods. Her four-year-old brother, Teddy, would have woken the house if she hadn't taken him with her. But in the early hours of the morning, Lucy returned home without Teddy, hoping that he would have got home before her. He hadn't and no one has seen him since. Lucy's story was crucial to the police investigation, but it keeps subtly changing. Lucy is being advised by her imaginary friend, Eliza Grey and Eliza says that there are certain things which Lucy must not tell the police.

Thirty years later, Teddy's whereabouts are still unknown. To avoid publicity, Lucy became Lucy Brown and then her name changed again when she married Dan Harper. She's a best-selling author now and the heroine of her stories is DS Eliza Grey. Eliza still appears to Lucy, even dictates to her, and between Eliza and Dan, Lucy's life is not easy. Dan planned to be an author, probably still thinks that he is the better writer, but he's taken over the administration of Lucy's life. He works for his wife.

He does have some talents, though. He can manipulate and he can spend money. When Lucy finishes writing her fourth novel (Dan's keen on deadlines) he blindsides her by announcing that he's bought a grand house for them, backing onto Stoke Woods. Lucy is horrified - and then Dan goes missing. It's not long before the police discover Lucy's past - and now they want to know what she's done with her husband.

It's a year or so since I read Gilly Macmillan's The Nanny, so when the chance to read To Tell You the Truth came along I wasn't inclined to resist reading another well-plotted, exciting story. Would I be disappointed? No - if anything this book was even better than the last one.

The characters are excellent. Lucy's conflicted and easily manipulated: she has her childhood to thank for that. She's gathered around her some strong and quite ruthless characters. Eliza might be a figment of Lucy's imagination, but she's the character who has Lucy's best interests at heart but even she can be a bit wilful. Dan obviously resents Lucy's success, whilst taking every advantage of her earnings and furthering his own schemes. He's easy to dislike (I had no problems!) but Lucy loves him.

The plot is clever without being too clever. Once I accepted Eliza Grey as a character (an imaginary character would normally have me throwing the book against the wall) and understood Lucy's relationship with Dan, I couldn't turn the pages quickly enough and I certainly got through the book a lot sooner than I expected. My guess as to the identity of the wrong 'un wasn't even close!

I can't wait to read what Gilly Macmillan writes next and I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.