This was my first Mary Burton book and I really enjoyed it and got through it very quickly. Marisa Stockton’s identical twin sister Clare was brutally murdered when she was 16 years old. Fourteen years later, Marisa is turning 30 and the case still hasn’t been solved. After Marisa crashes her car into a pole and loses 10:days of memories, she doesn’t believe it was really an accident. She’s more determined than ever to get to the bottom of this and find justice for Clare. The incredibly high level of dysfunction in the Stockton family (this is one of the most messed-up families ever) leads to Marisa’s long battle with substance abuse. This affects Marisa’s credibility as she tries to help with the murder investigation. I think this would be a really good summer/beach read and I recommend it. I will also read more of Mary Burton’s books. Thanks to #netgalley #montlake and #maryburton for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The accomplished multi-talented NYT bestselling author of a whopping 37 published novels (and 5 novellas) as Mary Burton and 9 works of contemporary fiction as Mary Ellen Taylor —is back with her latest in-depth psychological mystery thriller.

THE LIES I TOLD, is a thriller about the dark secrets that emerge 14 years after a woman's identical twin sister is murdered— with Burton's signature style: intense, gripping, taut, disturbing, moving, and brilliant prose.

LIES AND SECRETS ABOUND! This is one 'messed up' family, group of friends, and killer. Often the ones we fear most are the ones right in front of us all along.

Dual Timelines:
THEN 2007-2008 death of Clare Stockton (twin) age 16.
NOW 2022 Marisa (twin) age 30 determined to find answers.
Two months earlier: Marisa was involved in a car accident after her art show.

Marisa has no idea how she got in her car from the show, and why there were drugs. Her memory was wiped. Was she drugged? She had been sober and drug-free, and now everyone thinks she slipped back into her own ways and waiting for her to screw up again.

How are the timelines and events connected?

Written from the following POVs:
Him (psycho, stalker, creepy, mysterious evil man)
Marisa (twin) protagonist
Brit (older sister) manipulative
John Richards (detective)
Jo-Jo (former BFF of Clare)
Jack (bad boy, drug dealer, bar owner, family friend)

PS Many of these characters are/were friends of Clare, Brit, and Marisa. Small town, each connected to one another more intimately (sexually and apparently, they all dated the same people). Jo Jo is currently married to Jack. Brit is now dating David (from college). Kurt was dating Clare when she died. He was not charged after the investigation. These close-knit characters make the novel even more INTENSE because you cannot TRUST anyone!

Set in Virginia, twin sisters Marisa and Clare Stockton were sixteen when Clare's body was found in Virginia's James River. No arrests were made.

2020: It is Marisa's 30th birthday (ready to inherit her trust fund, and Clare's portion will go to her). Her older sister, Brit is still playing mind games (very manipulative). Marisa is a talented professional photographer and every day fights to maintain her sobriety (around people and family who do not support her).

They are reopening her sister's cold case (same Detective Richards) and Marisa begins making photos at the river where Clare's body was found and trying to put together the missing pieces of the murder and her recent accident. There are many unanswered questions. Are they related?

The three Stockton sisters had a tragic, troubled childhood and were part of a highly dysfunctional family, starting with their sickness as children, their mom's mental illness, their dad's betrayal, and mom's death.

On the night of Clare's death, she discovered something (this key point ties all together-no spoilers here) about their family's betrayal and a dark secret. Upset, Clare goes to a New Year's Eve party at JoJo's house, dressed like Marisa. She was to meet up with Marissa later to tell her what she had uncovered. But she never got the chance.

What happened to Clare when she left the party and the five blocks home? Was it someone she knew? She wound up murdered and thrown in the river. Marisa was to go to the party too, but something happened to her, and she did not make it. How is the sister's murder connected? Did the killer think Clare was Marisa?

Is the killer after her now? The closer she and the detective get to uncovering the truth, the more she is in harm's way. Everyone has too many dangerous dark hidden secrets.

Due to their childhood traumas, the twin developed addictions: Marisa turned to alcohol and drugs. Clare turned to acting out, dressing like her sister, and having casual sex. Brit is the wild card (she is no angel, a control freak, and everyone thinks she is the mother hen) after their mom died, putting herself in charge. But did/does she have their best interest at heart?

Richards was also the detective on the case when Marisa's mom died. He investigated Frank, the dad, the twins, and Brit. Now, and when Clare was murdered.

Everyone is lying and keeping secrets. The town seems to want to let sleeping dogs lie, and Marisa is the only one who wants to solve the murder except for Detective Richards, who was on the case fourteen years ago and now. He is close to retirement (two weeks) and under much pressure to solve the case. Marisa knows they must find the murderer before he moves to Florida.

So many suspects and so many bad guys. Who is the real killer?

Burton dazzles in her latest —equal parts murder mystery and psychological thriller, a deftly plotted page-turner that explores the power of family secrets, sibling rivalry, toxic friendships, and broken ties.

MIND-BENDING!
Multi-layered with heart-pounding twists and turns. The author dives deep into the mind of a serial killer and many others which are disturbingly connected in many ways. I loved Detective Richards, Marisa, and Alan, but all the others, NOT so much. I could not wait for her to get away from these evil toxic people.

THE LIES I TOLD is a little different than Burton's past books. Her earlier books from way back (I have been a fan for many years) were more romantic suspense (like Nora Roberts, Sandra Brown) to cop procedurals and later heavier on the forensics, FBI, and crime thrillers (like Lisa Gardner-a favorite).

In my opinion, this one is less cop procedural, forensics, and more of a deeper dive into the mind of a killer, his friends, family, and all those connected. Character-driven with highly flawed and dysfunctional family members with mental health, addictions, etc.

True psychological mystery suspense (whodunit) murder thriller. A cross between gritty and dark (Karin Slaughter/Lisa Unger) and domestic suspense/family dramas with highly-charged topics (D. J Palmer/Jodi Picoult/Mary Kubica) and the Burton signature style.

Dark, gritty, intense! You will root for Marisa until the satisfying conclusion.

Highly charged topics: Munchausen's syndrome, child abuse, addiction, alcoholism, mental health, drugs, family dysfunction, sexual assault, drugging, toxic friendships, murder, lust, revenge, greed, lies, deceit, manipulation, secrets, betrayal, pregnancy, voyeurism, and suicide.

A long-time fan of the author both Mary Burton and Mary Ellen Taylor and highly recommend all her books.

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: Stay tuned for my #AuthorElevatorSeries Interview with Mary coming pub day (8/2) where we go behind the book and the author.

You can sign up for my newsletter to have it delivered to your inbox on Aug 2! Do not miss this one. Don't you just love devious "twin" thrillers? I have been reading quite a few lately.

Also out now THE BRIGHTER THE LIGHT by Mary Ellen Taylor (she writes under two names). It is also a five-star winner. Check it out.

A special thank you to #Montake the author and #Netgalley for a digital ARC to read, review, and enjoy.

@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pub Date: Aug 2, 2022

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Just a little slow and unbelievable at some points. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It did take me awhile to connect with the story and the pacing definitely picked up in the second half of the book. I also really liked having multiple POVs. Overall, I thought it was a pretty solid story with a couple good twists but nothing super original.

This thriller was enthralling
I really like this author and plan o breading more books by her .
Thank you NetGalley for arc !

Could you ever give up searching for answers if your sibling was murdered? I'm thinking most would say no.
That is the position Marissa Stockton finds herself in, fourteen years after the death of her twin, Clare.

I was sympathetic to Marissa from the beginning - a woman fighting internal demons due to her past alcohol addiction and guilt about her sister's death. Did her actions contribute to Clare's death? It wasn't clear. However, despite her own issues, she doesn't give up searching for answers, which was commendable since it seemed no one else was trying. I guessed someone she knew was the murderer, it was only a question as to whether she got the answers without putting herself at risk.

The author tells the story from multiple POVs, but the primary ones were Marissa and her sister, Brit. While it wasn't obvious who the murder was, some POVs began to provide more clarity about what happened fourteen years ago. The fact that drugs were involved, and Marissa and Clare often pretended to be the other, I assumed had to have been a factor. But it is one photograph that changes the course of the investigation.

Although some might consider Marissa to be an unreliable narrator due to her past addiction, I supported her throughout and loved how she was the difference maker. Overall, a well plotted mystery.

Good, solid story with some interesting twists.

Several years ago, the twin sister of the main character, Marisa, was murdered. The crime was never solved, and Marisa, who had problems with alcohol and drugs as a teenager, became addicted for many years. But she never stopped wanting to find her sister's murderer. Now that Marisa is finally sober, this is even more real, especially when new facts begin to emerge and people who have been silent for years begin to speak.

We know from the start that a man might have been involved in Clare's death. But what we do not lack are male suspects. It seems every man in Clare and Marisa's lives has something on their conscience or is hiding a secret. Plus, many of them were interested in both twins, and sometimes even their older sister, Brit. Untangling this snare of old lies and crimes will not be easy. And with all this, Marisa struggles to truly recover from her addiction.

The second half of the book seemed to me much faster than the first. But maybe it's because I was already heavily involved in the story. There are a few POVs here aside from Marisa's main narrative. In general, I don't like too many POVs, and I don't think all of them were necessary in this case either. Especially since we only heard from some people once or twice. But it was not a big problem.

I recommend this book to everyone who likes stories about unresolved crimes from years ago and complicated, and sometimes murderous, family relationships. Even though the victim is a young girl, there are no drastic descriptions of violence against her. However, there are quite detailed descriptions of how Marisa, not always successful, struggles with alcohol addiction - be warned in case you are sensitive to such issues.

3 Stars

One Liner: Mixed bag

Marisa and Clare Stockton are twins with Brit as their elder sister. Clare’s body is found in Virginia’s James River when she was sixteen. The case went nowhere as none of the leads helped.
Fourteen years later, Marisa survives a car accident with some memory loss about the incident. She swears she hasn’t consumed alcohol or drugs, but no one seems to believe her (not with her track record of spending most of her time zoned out due to substance abuse).
But Marisa has been clean for a year. Her wedding photography business is flourishing. Brit is taking good care of her (even if it’s a little too much). She should be happy, but Marisa cannot rest until Clare’s case is solved. She has too many questions and no answers. Her smudgy memory doesn’t help either.
Can Marisa get to the truth of the matter and get the closure she needs? Will she end up being an alcoholic because the pressure is too much to handle? Who is following Marisa, and what will they do to stop her progress?

My Observations:
The first half is clunky and slow. We seem to be going round in circles under 55%. Things start to happen afterward, and everything goes a fast track around 80-85%. I was almost bored on the first two days (as I barely touched 30%).
The story comes in the first person POV of-
• Marisa
• The unknown Him
• Brit
• Jo-Jo
• Jack
• Richards
Yeah! Marisa has a bigger share, but with so many POVs (not all of them are distinct), it feels more of a chore to track everything. The chapter titles mention the POVs (wondering how it would work for a single-narrator audiobook).
None of the characters are likable. Marisa is the only one who comes close. She is highly flawed yet has the grit to see things through.
The climax is rushed, and the ending takes its own sweet time. I appreciate the process of tying up the loose ends one at a time, but it got boring. Not to mention, a character’s actions seem strange and contradictory.
This book feels like it has potential but needs tightening and may be cut down a couple of first-person POVs and use third-person omnipresent instead.

To sum up, The Lies I Told is a mixed bag with a couple of hits and misses. Not something I will want to read in a single sitting.
Thank you, NetGalley and Montlake, for the eARC. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

Marisas twin was murdered when they were 16 and the case has never been solved. Marisa has struggled with alcoholism in the years since. Her older sister has always been there to pick up the pieces. When Marisa is in a car accident she can’t remember the accident, but flashes of memories keep coming. The chapters in the book are told from different characters point of view. There is plenty of suspense and you aren’t sure who is telling the truth. There are a few twists and surprises at the end. Thank you to net galley for an advanced readers copy.

Lol. I spent the whole time trying to figure out the lie. I am partial to this author but I still have expectations. Maybe more than for others. You get well developed characters, a sound story, skilled writing, and an intricate plot. It's about relationships, good and bad. You will have to pay attention and think. And you may stay up all night because you can't find a good place to stop!

When Marisa Stockton was sixteen, her twin sister, Clare, was murdered and her body was dumped in the James River near Richmond. Fourteen years later, the case remains unsolved. Not long before her thirtieth birthday, Marisa was in a car accident and suffered a head injury. She can no longer remember anything that happened during the ten days prior to the accident. Marisa is convinced that someone drugged her and forced her to crash. She also believes that she learned something crucial about Clare's murder. With her older sister, the original detective, and her friends pushing for her to let it go and move on, Marisa puts herself in Clare's killer's path and pushes forward towards solving the case.

THE LIES I TOLD is a quick but heavy read. All of the main characters come with their own load of crushing baggage that a therapist could spend their entire career sorting through. Despite there being a lot going on, the plot ebbed and flowed throughout the novel. Some scenes were fast paced and interesting. Other scenes dragged and were boring. The ending left me overall unsatisfied. Yes, there was a conclusion to the case. But there were so many other things going on that were left unresolved.

The view point jumps back and forth in time. It also moves between multiple characters—with Marisa being the most predominate. There were a few scenes written from the killer's perspective. Considering I had the killer pegged from the beginning, it would have been more enjoyable to just know who it was so that more of his motives could be revealed. I will say that it was fascinating to get into everyone's heads and learn about the secrets they've been keeping—but I felt like Burton only scratched the surface with some of their motives. The novel could have been mush more of a psychological thriller if Burton had delved deeper into the main characters' heads and explained why they did what they did and continued to do so.

This is my first Mary Burton book and I found it to be a very enjoyable suspense novel. The story is about a woman who lost her twin sister to an unsolved murder when they were 16 years old. Fourteen years later she is still struggling and decides to make one last push for justice before the Detective who has had the case from the beginning retires. The story twists and turns around the relationships of the two remaining sisters and a small group of friends. I, especially enjoyed that it was set in Richmond, Virginia, which I know so well.

Marisa’s family history is messy. A murdered twin sister, dead parents whose marriage was unhappily, and a controlling older sister. She’s had her own hurdles to overcome, but Marisa us determine to uncover who killed her sister.
I like stories about twins, mystery, and murder. The Lies I Told is deliciously sinister. As the pieces clicked together, there’s a major break through that I didn’t see coming. I love it when an author can deceive me and send me down different rabbit holes.
There’s also other components that will horrify readers.
My favorite character was scruffy dedicated Detective Richardson, See if he can track down the culprit.

4.5 I enjoyed this book quite a bit. A story of a twin trying to solve the mystery of who killed her sister while trying to remain sober. Lots of twisted family dynamics and a fast moving easy to read plot. Would read others by this author

Marisa's twin sister Clare was murdered when they were 16. Her older sister Brit has tried to keep the family together but Marisa still wonders what happened to her twin. This event has lead her to multiple stints in rehab and a whole list of bad choices. A recent car accident has caused a black hole of a week or more of memories to disappear and she just isn't sure who to trust.

As the anniversary of Clare's death looms, Marisa attempts to solve the murder. She feels like every time she gets a step closer, something happens and she is two steps behind. Worse, the killer might still be out there and looking for her! If you love a thriller that grabs you from the start then The Lies I Told is for you!
#montlake #Netgalley #Netgalleyreads #TheLiesITold

What I found most compelling about this book was the main character Marissa. She is a complex character dealing with her problems with alcohol and the murder of her twin sister Clare. Not to mention the almost antagonistic ways of her sister Brit. Marissa is driven strongly to find her twin’s murderer which puts her in harm’s way. I enjoyed the story very much.

Twin sisters Marissa and Clare were only 16 years old when Clare’s body was found in a river. The case was never solved so Marissa tries to solve the case 14 years later. She stumbles across a lot of “issues” along the way. The suspense had me glued to the pages from the very beginning. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this early release in exchange for my honest review.

This was well written and another good mystery by Mary Burton.
That being said I did not like the storyline, the treachery and most of the characters. I couldn’t find many redeeming qualities in any of the characters. To say I was disappointed is an understatement and I really struggled to finish this book. Too much dark for me in these trying times we currently live in. The mystery was scary and like I said well written but it didn’t make up for unlikeable characters and the sad backstory of alcoholism, stalking and unsolved murder. I appreciate the opportunity to be part of the review team.

Full review to come on Goodreads and Amazon. Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for a review copy.

I enjoyed this read. I felt engaged throughout the story, and could not wait to get to the end. I would recommend to other who like suspense novels like me!