Lucy Harper is a best selling crime author married to Dan who is also her assistant. Its seems his dreams of becoming a writer never materialised but he certainly makes the most of spending Lucy’s hard earned money. He surprises Lucy with a £2 million estate in the area that she spent her childhood. A childhood that holds secrets and pain. Its moving here that sees everything slipping out of control and then Dan disappears.
Hold tight readers because this book is one hell of a bumpy ride!!!

Lucy is an unreliable narrator that has two very different sides to her, and we get to meet Eliza also, and its through her that we see just how vulnerable Lucy is. Throughout the book I felt total sadness for Lucy and I really did empathise with how alone in the world she is. From page one I was immersed into the darkness of this story which kept me gripped the whole way through. We get to meet a range of characters in the book, all of which I didn’t trust an inch and didn’t let my guard down to. Suspicion lurked every where and I just love that about a psychological thriller.

I feel the ending was left open enough for there to be another great read by this author. I certainly look forward to reading more by Gilly Macmillan.

Thank you to Netgalley for letting me read a copy of this in return for an honest review.

5 Stars from me  

I didn't want this book to end. I wanted to keep reading more about the startlingly messed up mind of Lucy Harper and her lead detective Eliza.

To Tell You The Truth has so many clever concepts that it is hard to know where to start! I think overall I particularly enjoyed that Lucy was portrayed as being intelligent, bright, alert, aware and still she fully engaged with Eliza.

So much unknown and untold and yet this story is HUGE, I devoured every page and found the book incredibly hard to put down.

The dynamic between Lucy and Dan appeared perfect but once the cracks started to show you could see that they were deep and boy did they have good reason to be.

I don't want to spoil the book for anyone else so won't say anything further about the story. Just to add that this book hit all the right notes for me, it was descriptive, it drew me in, I cared about the characters, it had a multifaceted story and I most definitely recommend it!

The start of this book is ok but didn't particularly draw me into the characters, by the middle of the book things get a bit more exciting and I was second guessing everyone and trying to work out who was guilty. Including doubting the Lucy herself on occasion.

Then the end was bizarre and in my opinion lazy, I thought it was an unrealistic ending which could have been so much better. I didn't feel there was much depth in any of the characters other than Lucy and it seemed to highlight a thought process that no-one can be trusted. I also felt that there are still some unanswered questions. Overall it was n ok read but didn't draw me in fully, I had to set myself time to read it rather than being compelled to finish it as soon as possible.

This is my first GM novel and whilst there were elements of this book that I eally enjoyed I felt so let down by the ending. I don't mind open/unusual/confusing endings that I have to work out for myself but this felt like an entirely different author had taken over! Up till then it had been well written and I do love an unreliable narrator - she was brilliantly portrayed and compelling to follow through the course of the story. I recommend for a quick, absorbing read over a weekend.

To Tell You The Truth Gilly McMillan
Lucy is a bestselling author, married to Dan, who goes missing, Dan is the second person in Lucy's life to go missing, her 3 head old brother vanished without trace years before. I enjoyed this storyline, and think there is potential for a sequel or series, I would love a follow up book. The whole way through the book, you know something is going on, and when you finally figure out what that is, you realise how cleverly written this book is. I would love to read more about Lucy and her main character from her books.

Lucy Harper is a born storyteller. In fact, many years ago, Lucy spun a tale about her little brother Teddy’s disappearance, that wasn’t entirely true. Though Teddy has never been found, Lucy has moved on with her life, and these days enjoys a career as a bestselling author. Readers can’t get enough of Lucy’s DS Eliza Grey crime novels. We’re talking Gillian Flynn levels of success. Lucy is also happily married to Dan. Or is she…?

Lucy’s husband, Dan, is a character readers will love to hate. An aspiring author himself, it’s clear from the off that Dan is riding on Lucy’s coattails, and jealous of her success. Unfortunately for Lucy, she has chosen to put Dan in charge of her finances (never a good idea at the best of times and certainly not when you’re a multi-million selling author), and so when Dan surprises her by purchasing a house near to where Teddy went missing, Lucy can’t do a thing about it.

You could say that things aren’t hunky dory between Lucy and Dan after he pulls this stunt, and so when Dan vanishes without a trace, all eyes turn to Lucy. After all, she has form in this area…

I can’t think of higher praise for To Tell You the Truth than to say I now want to read more books by Gilly Macmillan. Multi-layered and unpredictable, To Tell You the Truth, is a twist-filled thrill ride, guaranteed to keep you hooked from start to finish.

This book is about memories , mystery and secrets. I found this book to be enjoyable and engaging. I couldnt stop turning the pages. I really liked the way this book was written. I have heard so much about this author. I look forward to reading more.

What’s the truth and what’s the figment of imagination? What would you believe – what people tell you or what your mind tells you? Whom would you listen to – the voice of husband and neighbors or ELIZA?

Bestselling author, Lucy, found herself in a loop when after an argument, her husband, Dan, disappeared and drops of blood were found on her basement. Did she kill him? The whole thing became complicated because Lucy had a secret in her past of a missing brother from the same neighborhood as the new house her husband bought. Past and present interweaved with advice from ELIZA.

My second book by author Gilly Macmillan, and I was left going in circles after and unreliable main character. I not only had you see to deal with but also Elisa who kept giving contrary statements to protect Lucy. I wasn’t sure whom to believe as both seem to be telling me the truth but it also appeared as a lie.

I read the book over the afternoon because there was so many questions swelling in my brain, each demanding an answer from me. I needed to know if Lucy had killed her husband and if she’d had a hand in the disappearance of her brother.

The writing kept the pace going right up till the end, when things started becoming clearer. The ending was left ambiguous as I was burning up with the question which I most wanted the answer for, but unfortunately it was kept open-ended and felt to be slightly fantastical. I liked my plotlines to be complete and it would have given me the greatest pleasure to know the final truth.

Nonetheless, this book was highly exciting as truth and lies were the two sides of the same coin, and it kept on flipping in the entire story. ELIZA too kept it intriguing.

An important question

Who is ELIZA?

Read the book to find out!! 😂

Rating : ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

My first ever Netgalley read and what a cracker it was too. Thank you so much to @netgalley for sending me this copy to review.

“𝕆𝕟𝕖 𝕕𝕒𝕪, 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕖𝕝𝕝 𝕥𝕙𝕖 𝕥𝕣𝕦𝕥𝕙 𝕒𝕟𝕕 𝕥𝕙𝕖𝕟 𝕖𝕧𝕖𝕣𝕪𝕠𝕟𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕝𝕝 𝕜𝕟𝕠𝕨 𝕨𝕙𝕒𝕥 𝕪𝕠𝕦 𝕕𝕚𝕕”

When Lucy Harper was nine years old, her little brother went missing in the woods near their home. Lucy was the only witness and her story was paramount in the police investigation. Thirty years later, he is still missing. Lucy has moved away to start fresh, becomes a best-selling author with her DS Eliza Grey series.

The protagonist of this series is actually based on an imaginary friend from her childhood who also seems to have quite a tight hold on her imagination and mental health as an adult. Lucy’s husband then disappears mysteriously and circumstances are pointing at Lucy as the culprit - forcing her past and present to merge into one nightmare.

I loved this book 🙌🏻

Gilly Macmillan is a talented author and I think I enjoyed this even more than The Nanny. It has an intelligent and bold plot that you can get your teeth sunk into. The character of Lucy, who is the narrator of the story, is unreliable and flawed which makes her absolutely fantastic to read. She suffers from anxiety and paranoia, and has an extremely mysterious past. She can be misleading and makes you question her sanity throughout the book. A brilliant character.

Not only does she struggle with her alter ego, Eliza. Her husband also has a manipulative control on her too. He was such a detestable character. And the more I read, the more I hated him. I love a book that gets you invested in the characters and the story.

This is a psychological thriller you don’t want to miss. It’s exciting, twisty and very clever.

In this book we meet Lucy Harper,a famous writer and her husband Dan. All is not as it seems in their marriage for both Lucy and Dan are hiding secrets.
Lucy was 9 years old when her brother Teddy went missing after he and Lucy left the house in the middle of the night. Was Lucy responsible for his disappearance? What secret is Dan hiding?
Lucy who writes the famous Eliza Grey books has based her lead character on her childhood imaginative friend.
When her husband Dan also goes missing Lucy fast becomes a person of interest.
We flit between past and present as Lucy, with the help of Eliza tries to find out what happened to both Teddy and Dan
This was a well written book, I spent time suspecting one thing, then another before being surprised by the outcome.
Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read

First time reader of this author's work. Protagonist Lucy Harper has it all: a fabulous career as a novelist, a husband who should have had the same career (but didn't quite make it as a successful writer) and together they live a joyous life in a sweet flat in a trendy bustling neighbourhood in Bristol. But then out of the blue husband Dan single handedly (hmmmm) buys them a swanky OTT house in the middle of nowhere on a road where Lucy lost her brother when they were children. To cap it all Lucy delivers a manuscript not in keeping with the usual story arc of her protagonist DS Eliza Harper - accordingly her agent and editor turn it down. The plot takes off when Lucy suspects Dan of an affair and he suddenly goes missing. Speaking of the word missing, there was something missing from this for me. The character allows things to happen to her and for her and while that often works in fiction, it just didn't ring true for me here. Sorry...I note that reviewers suggest other works by this author and I will definitely give them a try.

Best selling mystery writer Lucy Harper has just completed the next chapter in her DS Eliza Grey series, based on her imaginary childhood friend by the same name and then BANG her husband goes missing and we find out Teddy, Lucy's 3 year old brother also went missing when she was only 9!

I enjoyed the way the story unfolds from current day, flash backs to when Teddy went missing and the narrative of the narrators thought and feelings (and she is clearly unreliable and very confused!) You are definitely along for the "what is fact and what is fiction" ride.

t's definitely an easy read and fitting of Gillians style { (the story takes a LONG time to unfold) I am never captivated by her books but yet feel myself flashing back to them and thinking about the morals of the story and various plot lines - and I keep going back to read her new books as they are released so clearly on some level I connect and love them!

Lucy is the author of a very successful crime series where the main character is the very popular Eliza Grey. Haunted by a traumatic event in her childhood and struggling to cope with associated issues she rebels against pressure to continue the series using Eliza.
Dan is the husband who has done well for himself since marrying Lucy. He thrives on the attention her books draw and has become accustomed to the finer things in life. Immersed in her writing she doesn’t realise how much he gets up to until he buys a house in the worst possible location for her.
What kind of writer creates a character who walks right out of their books and into their life? What happens when that character starts to take over their life? These are some of the questions which went through my head as I read. Does she really love him, does she have mental health issues, why has he brought her back to the area where such a tragic event occurred? If she hasnt lost her mind I feel she won’t be far off it! In fact, I wouldn’t have been surprised if that was his very intention. I thought Dan was a horrible man to be married to. He buys a house using her money and without consulting her. He is also prone to tantrums and takes off when he feels like it.
It is a clever writer who can create tension at the same time as making the reader feel they know the main character and create suspicion of just about every character except the police. It was initially hard for me to imagine a successful writer could be lacking in confidence.
My favourite line (loc 2942)) was ‘madness was something that sometimes swam to the surface and showed itself in our actions, or words, or expressions, then sank back down and away, until......’
Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for a free digital copy of the uncorrected advance proof in return for an honest review. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would!

Found this book frustrating, to say the least. Aside from the fact that there was no conclusion to a topic that was brought up right from the start and which pretty much powered the book, I just couldn't 'get' with the protagonist. An author who writes a book a year is not supposed to be at it all year and falling apart as a basket case the rest of the time, becoming such a weak-willed doormat and letting a douchebag drive her life. Just made me so angry when she said she knew she should do something...then goes and does the opposite because supposedly she had no control over it or even over herself... Sorry, I just couldn't! I read for strong empowering heroines and Lucy was anything but that, sadly

Lucy is a bestselling author with a secret.

One night when she is a child Lucy takes her younger brother into the woods to witness summer solstice and then he vanishes. This was a great premise for me to pick up the book, it sounded intriguing and was something that I would usually devour. How wrong could I have been? I really hate to not finish books but this one was like pulling teeth.

Adult Lucy is flaky and not really likeable at all, her childhood imaginary friend is now the heroine in her book series and turns out to be the only person that Lucy talks to. These conversations which were her subconscious speaking to herself just wasn’t for me. I understand it was to highlight that Lucy did not have anybody to talk to.

After reading the final chapter I felt completely short changed. I had hung on to the end to find out what had happened to the brother only to have non of my questions answered.

Thank you to netgally and the publisher for offering me the chance to read and review.

Bravo to Gilly Macmillan! To Tell You the Truth is a multi-layered psychological thriller with an unreliable narrator. Filled with secrets and lies, so you know not to completely trust anyone. There are plenty of shocks and twists throughout. The story follows Lucy Harper who was nine years old when her brother disappeared in the woods. Lucy was the only witness. Now, thirty years later, Lucy became a bestselling author and her brother is still missing. When her husband starts keeping secrets and then suddenly disappears, Lucy starts to wonder if she got rid of him. What really happened in the past? Could she really have killed her husband? Prepare for a fast-paced story that will be hard to put down. Readers who enjoy thrillers with unreliable narrators will want to read this one. Be sure to check out To Tell You the Truth today!

I do love a good unreliable narrator story and this one is excellent. A fast moving story that switches between present and past, and has a shocker of a twist in the tail.

Wow! To Tell You the Truth is a suspenseful psychological thriller that is infused with betrayal, hallucinations, and a somewhat gothic undertaking. I could not believe that there were reviews with less than 5 stars. Maybe I am schizophrenic myself and fell right in with the protagonist but this book took me for one hell of a ride that I did not want off of. Lucy Harpers brother vanished when she was a young child and has never been heard from since. The book moves forward 30 yrs and we learn that Lucy has become a very talented crime writer. She is married and is doing well for herself. She and her husband, Dan move into a very large home near the childhood scene that holds the memories of her missing brother. As Lucy starts spinning out of control her husband is now the one missing. Lucy is now questioning her capabilities. Could she have killed her husband? What really happened to her brother? It is obvious the writer either knows about mental health issues or has done some great research, Because It is obvious at this point that the writer truly enjoys writing and her abilities shine brightly throughout the book. I have honestly never read a book that I never questioned the written material inside. I was so focused and enthralled in this book that even if there were mistakes, I never noticed any. Macmillan pulls you into her work and doesn’t let go. Hold on while reading this one, this is going to be one hell of a ride.

Thank you to netgalley as well as the author/publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

I wanted to love this novel, the premise had me intrigued from the start. However I just couldn’t get engaged with it. Missing husbands, decade old mystery of a missing child and a successful, if somewhat downtrodden, writer caught in the middle, it seems to have everything you need to be a successful psychological thriller but somewhere alone the way it falls flat. Not for me I’m afraid.

Very clever story of the typical Who Done It? However the main character really annoys me. She lets her husband walk all over her and make every decision in the household.
She allows him to purchase a house near to where her brother disappeared as a child and just lets him get away with everything.
I also find her unwillingness to talk about what happened a bit strange- as well as her own husband's disappearance.
I like the way the book was written and the style- but I think Lucy should have been a stronger character.