This book is well written and well researched. The author clearly knows this subject matter and the result is an interesting mystery that got a little jumbled for me at the end.

A book of murder, lies, kidnapping and high flying suspense. The characters are a shady bunch who I didn't particularly like. The kidnapping storyline kept me busy trying to guess the culprit.

The rich Ellis family that is twisted and evil. The story of the kidnapping of Max Ellis. And that is a twisted tale for sure. Then there is the story of Vera, the pilot. The two stories tangle together to make an interesting story as Vera tries to help find Max. I found the story to be entertaining in a disturbing way.

Thankyou to NetGalley, the author for allowing me to read this ARC.
I found this book subject really interesting given it was about WW2 and women’s pilots which I find very interesting.
I like the mystery and intrigue of this book
I think this book was well written.
Thankyou again
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This incredible story of one woman's courage and desire to do the right thing takes us on a rollercoaster ride through the potential criminal activities of a rich entitled family with no regard to the war going on around them. I enjoyed the short chapters and fast-paced storyline with almost non-stop action keeping me glued to the pages. I also found the information on female pilots joining the war efforts in that time period fascinating as we've made progress with women's rights, but still have so far to go.

I love historical fiction and mystery/suspense, Audrey J. Cole gives just that with Only One Lie.

The characters were well written and engaging. The plot was well thought out. The story takes place in the WWII era Seattle. It was nice seeing an almost vintage look into the past. There were twists and turns throughout the book. It was hard to put down!

Thanks to Netgalley and Books Go Social for the eARC for a honest review.

There is a lot going on in this book! Set in WWII, the main character is a female pilot who becomes involved in solving a mystery regarding a kidnapped child, much like the Lindbergh baby case. While I found it to be a quick read, there were just too many pieces that felt completely unbelievable.

Audrey Cole done a wonderful job portraying the issues that come with someone who has it all but wants more.
A fantastic read as always ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Phenomenal twisty plot. One moment you are sure you have it figured out and find another lie that twists everything up and you have a bigger puzzle to figure out. Amazing female characters with depth, personality and pizzazz. I can’t wait to read more books from this author.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, Audrey J. Cole and Rainier Publishing for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

The child of a rich family goes missing. The matriarch of this family hates her daughter-in-law and keeps her out of the loop as they try to find the child. People are murdered, and people are having affairs. This is not a new story, but it was well written which is why I kept reading to the end.

This equal parts historical fiction and cozy mystery offers readers short chapters and quick pacing. I enjoyed the World War II-era Pacific Northwest and aviation backdrops in this well-researched novel.

Reminiscent of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, Max Ellis, the child of a wealthy banking family, goes missing. When her husband heads to war in the Pacific, Vera Chandler takes over his duties as the Ellis family’s private pilot. Vera soon finds herself pulled into a web of deceit and confusion as the family attempts to locate their son.

After reading this book, I look forward to checking out more books by this author, the daughter of a pilot.

Audrey Cole tells a good story of kidnapping, a woman's struggle to be accepted as a pilot, and an era of tragedy as soldiers are drafted and serve in World War II. The story starts off as she takes the place of her husband as the pilot of a wealthy Seattle family. It is not just any family. The young child of one of the family members has been kidnapped and there appear to be few clues. The heroine steps in using her analytical skills to assist the child's mother in finding the young man. Meanwhile, the war rages and several of her girlfriends are assisting by shuttling new planes to be used in the war effort. The author successfully weaves the multiple storylines into a fascinating story with a surprise ending. Thanks to #NetGalley#OnlyOneLIe for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Next rainy day, snow day, or beach day, grab Audrey J. Cole’s ONLY ONE LIE to read. Make sure you have a piece of paper and a pen to jot down clues and make a character list. This is my first book by this author, and it will not be the last. My head was spinning so many times by the little twists and turns. I liked the setting of the Pacific Northwest and the time period just after December 7, 1941. I really liked the protagonist, Vera Chandler, who left nursing school to become a female pilot. Her husband, Hugh, was a private pilot for the Ellis family who owned a bank. Hugh was called up after Pearl Harbor and stationed in Hawaii. He suggested that the Ellis family hire Vera to take his place.

Reminiscent of the Lindbergh kidnapping, someone entered the Ellis mansion in the middle of the night and took little Max. Vincent and his wife, Priscilla, followed the kidnapper’s note which instructed them to take $75,000 to the playground in Kinnear Park at midnight the next day and exchange the money for little Max. Instead they found the dead kidnapper and no Max.

There are so many twists and turns. Some seemed a bit contrived. It did not stop me from enjoying this book as it moves forward at lightning speed. Several minor characters that keep interfering with what happened to Max. I was pleased with the end of the story, I do wonder if this could be the start of a series with Vera owning her own private investigator agency. My thanks to Books Go Social and NetGalley for an ARC of this book. The opinions in this review are my own.

I was very interested in this book given that it is a WWII book and had women pilots! But then there was also a mystery! Overall, I enjoyed this book and thought the author did a good job.

Thank you Netgalley and Audrey Cole for the opportunity to read this book! I really enjoy historical fiction and a great mystery and this one has both! This novel takes place in Seattle in 1942. The war is on with Pearl Harbor being attacked and a kidnapping of young Max Ellis has. When the boy’s parents comply with ransom demands, the kidnapper is found dead and their son still missing. Hugh who is Vera's husband has to abandon his job with the Ellis's as their private pilot to head off to war. Vera Chandler steps in as the pilot for the Ellis family after her husband Hugh is deployed to the Pacific for war. Left alone, her unsupported parent’s words wanting her to be a nurse for her country still haunts her. In an exchange for a favor that Vera can’t refuse, she helps the desperate mother of their missing child, Max. Soon, she is in a race to save the child’s life, and it could be the only way she can save her own. This twisty story has a happy ending. I have also read 2 others and also enjoyed them!

Historical fiction and suspense are my two favorite genres, but put together? Wow. I couldn’t tell where the story was going to go and it kept me captivated the whole time.

This was a quick read but, it was a thrilling read. Once I started it I couldn’t put it down. It had a lot of twists and turns in it which kept me guessing all the way through. My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for giving me the opportunity to read this book in return for an honest review.

Only One Lie by Audrey J. Cole

The story takes place in Seattle in 1942. The war is on with Pearl Harbor being attacked and a kidnapping of young Max Ellis has. When the boy’s parents comply with ransom demands, the kidnapper is found dead and their son still missing. Hugh who is Vera's husband has to abandon his job with the Ellis's as their private pilot to head off to war. Vera Chandler steps in as the pilot for the Ellis family after her husband Hugh is deployed to the Pacific for war. Left alone, her unsupported parent’s words wanting her to be a nurse for her country still haunts her. In an exchange for a favor that Vera can’t refuse, she helps the desperate mother of their missing child, Max. Soon, she is in a race to save the child’s life, and it could be the only way she can save her own.

This story was really fast paced and it griped you into the race to recover Max and Vera saving her own life. Vera starts off as just the family pilot but Max's mother begs her to look into the missing child to help her find the boy. The Ellis family are not likable characters they are crooked and just felt sort of evil. Anyways I liked how Mrs. Cole tells a story she pulls you in has you hanging off your seat with the adrenaline filled ending that feels complete. I enjoyed reading about the women pilots that did their duty to assist in the war.

This is billed as a historical fiction in relation to the women pilots and the mystery evolves around the missing Ellis boy. It is said during this time period some wealthy families did have their kids kidnapped during the time period like the Lindberg's son. This story was based out of the west coast specifically Seattle.

This was a solid four star read for me and I cannot wait to read more from this author in the future. I recommend this book to people who like historical fiction from WW2 and who like mysteries their is something for both type of readers that each should enjoy the story.

Thank you to Netgalley and Books Go Social for a free copy of this book for an honest review. All thoughts and ideas in this review are my own.

This book was reminiscent of an old time, black and white, detective movie. The time period was early 1940’s, post Pearl Harbor, as the US entered the war.

The main characters are Vera and Hugh, a married couple, and both airplane pilots. While Hugh enters military service, Vera is anxious to prove that a woman can be a pilot as well. She gets a job as a private pilot for a wealthy businessman, and becomes embroiled in a kidnapping investigation.

Much of the events in the book are quite unrealistic, but very reflective of the time period. Peppered with words like “ coppers” and “dames”, we see Vera’s struggles, as a woman, which interfere with her flying dream.

This was a fast reading book, a bit old fashioned, and somewhat unbelievable.
I will give it 3 stars for the interesting parts about piloting an airplane.
Thanks to NetGalley and Rainier Publishing for the ARC in return for my honest review.

Only One Lie by Audrey J. Cole was a historical fiction mystery thriller. It was fast paced and written well. The characters were captivating and it was well plotted. Only One Lie took place in Seattle during the years of World War II. There were twists and turns throughout the book. I was captivated from the start and felt compelled to keep reading long into the night.

Vera and Hugh Chandler were happily married and living in Seattle around the time Pearl Harbor was attacked by the Japanese. Hugh was a pilot serving in the Navy. He was called for active duty as a pilot shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor occurred. Prior to being called up, Hugh had worked for the Ellis family as their personal pilot. The Ellis family was one of the wealthiest families in Seattle. They had made their fortune in banking. Hugh flew the members of the Ellis family on their own personal plane to various locations. When Hugh got called up, he recommended his wife, Vera, to take his place. Vera had just earned her commercial pilot’s license and she had proved that she was a capable and skilled pilot. The Ellis family decided to give her a chance and she proved to them that she was able to fly their plane and get them where they needed to be safely. Vera was hired as the Ellis family’s personal pilot. They offered her less money than Hugh had gotten but she agreed to their offer.

A little time after Vera started working for the Ellis family, Pricilla and Vincent Ellis’s young son, Max, was kidnapped right from his own bedroom in the Ellis family home. Max’s parents, Pricilla and Vincent, received a ransom note shortly after the kidnapping. The ransom note demanded that they deliver a large sum of money to a location in a nearby park. The parents were distraught and together they brought the money to the location. No one was there, though, when they arrived. As they surveyed the area, they discovered that the kidnapper had been murdered. Where could their son be now? Was he safe? They waited for another ransom note to arrive but one never did. As the police and FBI got involved, other murders were discovered but there was no lead on where Max might be.

The dynamics of the Ellis family was questionable. Vincent was a known womanizer and liked his liquor a little too much. He treated his wife, Pricilla, with no respect or love. Vincent’s affairs were no secret. Vincent, his mother and brother, Rex, had openly talked about committing Pricilla to an institution. They treated her like she was crazy and did not deserve to be Max’s mother. Rex and his mother saw Vincent for who he was. Above everything else, though, Pricilla loved her son. Vera observed how the Ellis family, especially Vincent, treated Pricilla and it made her angry. One day, Pricilla reached out to Vera to help her find her son. It was hard for Vera to say no to her. After all, a child’s life was at sake. Vera agreed to help Pricilla find Max but she had no idea what dangers were lingering around the corner. Lies, secrets and deceit surfaced and were detected by Vera the more she got involved in helping to find Max. She never could have imagined the dangers and acts of violence she would have to face as she got closer to discovering the truth about what really happened to little Max. Vera came close to losing her own life several times. Would she be able to discover what had happened to Max before it was too late?

Only One Lie was the first book I had the pleasure of reading by Audrey J. Cole. I would definitely seek out other books by her in the future. In terms of criticism, I felt that some parts in Only One Lie were not very realistic. Some parts were just over the top and not very believable or convincing. Overall, though, I enjoyed reading Only One Lie and would recommend it. Publication was December 27, 2022.

Thank you to Rainer Publishers for allowing me to read Only One Lie by Audrey J. Cole through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.