We follow Detective Rowan as she not only navigates her rocky marriage, but as she investigates the death of a local woman. We also follow Amber, one of the town’s local therapists, who happens to be Detective Rowan’s therapist as well after being assigned to her after an on the job shooting incident. Amber is navigating dealing with a special needs child and her bland marriage. As another couple women are found dead, things get turned over to the FBI. Everyone is hiding secrets in Blackbird Cove. Will Detective Rowan and the Feds figure everything out in time?

3.5/5 stars. Plot was good. Things took a bit of a turn in the last 10% or so of the book. Overall, a quick, entertaining read.


I received an ARC of A Marriage of Lies through NetGalley. I am voluntarily writing this review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Storm Publishing for providing me with the advance copy of this book.
I really liked the sound of this one but unfortunately I could not connect with this one and was skimming by some parts.
Unfortunately I dnfed it at 56%

Thank you to Netgalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC of ‘A Marriage of Lies’ by Amanda McKinney.

Ok what is in this book because I was addicted!! This is so well thought out and well researched and such an enjoyable read. Quite possibly my favourite read of this year so far!

I really enjoyed this book! It's really addictive and you can't stop read it!
I love the short chapters and the final part where we have the court session and also the explanations of culprit's motives!
It's really good!

This is an excellently crafted psychological thriller, with a dark and twisty whodunnit theme. Secrets, lies, twists and turns, they are all here in this engrossing read. Detective Rowan Velky is called to attend a crime scene late one evening where a young woman has been strangled. As she begins to investigate this crime a further 2 bodies show up with similar causes of death. There are several POV characters and timelines but they are clearly defined and easy to follow. There was a menacing undercurrent running through the book and the short chapters kept the pacing moving swiftly. The characters were interesting, well developed and richly drawn in this intriguing and original novel. Rowan and her Aunt Jenny stood out as exceptional characters. The plot is so well written and well executed that it gripped me from the start and I always needed to know what was happening. Extremely entertaining and suspenseful, the pages just kept on turning ...
Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley UK for the ARC.

I love a thriller that’s twisty and full of suspense and this one did not disappoint!! I read this in two days because I could not put it down. The characters are well written and the plot develops nicely.

This was a good psychological thriller.. it has plenty of twists and turns throughout with a surprising ending that you don’t expect. The characters were great, the story itself was suspenseful and the style of writing was perfect. This is the first book that I have read by this author, I would recommend it to anyone who likes reading this genre.
Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a honest review.

Devoured this book. Beautiful writing. Kept me on the edge of my seat and couldn’t wait to know what happened! First book by this author and won’t be my last!

Such a bingeable book! This is another that would make a great Lifetime mystery movie or series! This was my first by this author but it won’t be my last! I love how fast paced this was. It helped that it was written with short chapters. It had so many twists and turns! I love how it goes through different perspectives, giving the story more depth. I was surprised that this was more than just a domestic/psychological thriller. I had expected rocky marriages (which we got) but there is also a police procedural/detective aspect that made it even better! Definitely recommend going in blind to this and just enjoying it!

I read this twisty, intense thriller in less than twenty-four hours because it had me completely hooked! I never seen any of the twists coming and the ending had my jaw on the floor!
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Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for the opportunity to review this book.

I absolutely loved this book! All the lies, the secrets, the twists & turns had my jaw on the floor. It had such good character development, the plot was so good. It was also so emotional & captivating.
I cant wait to read more from this author.

Thanks netgalley for this arc!

BOOK: A MARRIAGE OF LIES
AUTHOR: AMANDA MCKINNEY
PUB DATE: MARCH 2024
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REVIEW
Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for this ARC. I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
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This book was a very good one and it's the kind of book you literally can't put down until you reach the last page. I was able to finish it in a couple of hours. I loved the storyline. I did not see the ending coming and the author did a very good job in writing this book.
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I loved the storyline, but I hated all main characters. I didn't lIke any of them. I would like to say why, but i'd be spoiling the book. If you read the book you'd definitely understand why. Rowan, our FMC was the one I disliked most(apart from the killer)
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When I started this book, I was confused as to what brought some characters together, but everything was explained I'm the ending.
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I might not like the characters, but this book was an amazing one and I'd definitely read it again
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Detective Rowan Velky is faced with the most devastating cases of her career, just as her marriage is crumbling around her. Her husband has been out of work for months and his drinking and time spent away from home is slowly destroying any feelings that she once had for him. And yet, she feels as if she owes him, for the past they had shared. How much is she willing to pay? When she and her partner, Detective Kellan Palmer attend the scene of the first homicide, a particularly vicious one, they have no idea that the killer is just beginning. A twisted case that will pit Rowan against her personal life and her duty to the law and her career. When she realizes that she has been deceived in a most grievous manner, has she waited too late to reclaim her life? A completely absorbing mystery that I couldn’t put down until the very satisfying end! I received an advance review copy at no cost and without obligation for an honest review. (paytonpuppy)

A great psychological thriller, filled with action and unexpected twists. Good characters and storyline. A must read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A Marriage of Lies by Amanda McKinney was a suspenseful and intriguing story.
What a brilliant book! I couldn't stop reading it. It's so well-written. I loved the plot and execution. I wanted more!
The protagonist was compelling and so entertaining. The characters were everything that I hope for and had a great tense atmosphere. The tension throughout was very high and the conclusion was amazing.
An unputdownable psychological thriller with a breathtaking twist!

Thank You NetGalley and Storm Publishing for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

“Then again, it’s easy to justify things that make us feel good, isn’t it?”

Rating: 4.5 stars

A Marriage of Lies is a quick and smooth reading thriller that keeps you engaged from beginning to end by gradually stacking up clues and building up tension while simultaneously succeeding at throwing you off the scent.

Apart from making my head spin with possible theories about how everything tied together (and having to revise every so often thanks to new clues that threw me off the scent), what I loved most about this one is how real everything feels. True crime girlies would love this book, because every character is so well rounded that this could very well have been a real story. As always with McKinney's books, you can feel the research that goes into the psychology of the characters and their jobs. I’ve come to really appreciate this in books, as it makes it easier to fully immerse yourself into each characters’ thoughts and motivations.

The different types of media - notebook passages, text messages, letters, transcripts - that were used brought a richness to the storytelling, and encourage the reader to try to figure out how these snippets tie into the overall story.

I love when books succeed in throwing completely unsuspected plot twists at me, which was definitely the case with this one. Some I strongly suspected, others I had different theories for. At the end of the day, I was surprised by how it all wrapped up, which makes it a win for me.

The only reason this didn’t get a 5 star rating was the diagnosis that didn’t feel correct to me, as well as aunt Jenny’s POV chapter that felt too lucid for a too prolonged time that far into her Alzeihmer’s journey (based off of behavioral cues up until then).

Definitely recommend this one if you’re looking for a quick, easy thriller to read. And it’s on KU for those of you who have it!

Important trigger warning: suicide attempt on page

Thank you to Storm Books for my free copy through NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

AMAZING!! Such a wild ride! What a different take on a domestic thriller! I loved the premise of this book. I felt it brought a fresh idea to the genre of domestic thrillers.

This book was so intense and twisted. It was full of drama, suspense, lies, betrayal, murder, mystery, and great twists. Emotions ran high while reading this one. This was my first book by this author, and I LOVED it. The author writes the main character, Detective rowan Velky, in a way that we get to really know her. She's relatable and likeable. There was so much depth given to her character. There are multiple POVs in this story, but they are all easy to follow and provide depth that helps pull the story all together. I found myself invested in all of the characters and how this story would play out.

This story was fast paced. It grabbed you from the beginning and kept you engrossed until the end. It started with a bang and just kept on banging until the last word! The ending was NOT what I was thinking or expecting at all! many reviews say they wanted more in the ending, but I thought it wrapped up perfectly for everything that happened up to the ending. I truly enjoyed this book, and will be exploring her other books.

Thank you NetGalley and Storm Publishing for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

A riveting story with twists and turns I never saw coming! I will definitely be looking forward to the next release by Amanda McKinney.

I received an advanced reader copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

4⭐
Genre ~ domestic thriller, crime thriller
Setting ~ Texas
Publication date ~ March 29, 2024
Page Count ~ 273 (p+ 64 chapters)
Audio length ~ 6 hours 41 minutes
Narrator ~ Elise Roth
POV ~ multiple 1st, present tense
Featuring ~ murder, police procedural, secrets (obviously), lies (duh), infidelity, references to child abuse and suicide attempt, short chapters, flashbacks

Rowan is our detective and married to Shepherd. They met when they were in foster care together and have been married for 15 years.
Amber is our therapist who is not happy in her marriage to Mark. They share a special needs son, Connor.

Towards the end we get chapters from Rowan's Aunt Jenny, who is in her care and has Alzheimers, and her partner, Kellan, which I liked.

I can't say I was surprised with how the story played out, but I was fully captivated in this thriller. It's super fast paced and well written with a good mix of likable and unlikable characters.

OMG! In true Amanda McKinney fashion, she puts together yet another thriller full of twists and turns that has you guessing from the first page on who the true killer is. You seriously think you know soon after the first couple of pages, then the author throws you for a loop and comes out from left field with the true identity. Loved the characters in this book, and damn if the hairs on the back of my neck didn't continually stand up on edge while reading through the pages. Very well written, definitely a page turner, loved every page!

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC copy of this book.