Better to read earlier books in the series I think as I found the whole thing rather confusing. Jen Garner was undercover and now has a family and husband and happily working in a standard CID unit. Enter her best friend Chloe who was also undercover with her but ... died. DNA says she is Chloe. How and why are the key issues. Story of two time lines but mostly clear as to whom we are reading about and when. Everyone seems to have two names (then and now) but they did seem interchangeable in the 'wrong' time at times which made the story harder to follow and not flow quite as smoothly as I would have liked. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This was an ok fast paced read for me. Read in less than a day but not memorable forever. Thanks for the opportunity to review

I am guessing that this would probably be 4 stars if you read the earlier books but it gets a little confusing following who everyone is and their connections without the context. Especially with chapters jumping from different character’s POVs and timelines.

A Dead Lie seems to include some characters that just don’t need to be there for character development on the series rather than them being actually included in the storyline. Add in that some of them have undercover names that are used interchangeably and there is a lot going on while nothing really happens for most of the book.

The idea of the storyline is excellent and the ending, while it felt a bit rushed, is good. But the first half (or more) of the book took a long time to get into. There are also mentions of stuff that happened in previous books that isn’t fully explained so it gets even more confusing.

I think I wanted to like it more than I did just based on the storyline. Still a decent read once you get into it. But maybe a chart of everyone’s names/undercover identities and relationships for those new to the series would help those who choose it as a standalone book.

Thanks to Netgalley and Joffe Books/Choc Lit for the advance reader copy

BLOG TOUR REVIEW

Review for 'A Dead Lie' by Claire Sheldon

Wow!!!! Just flipping wow!!!! What an absolutely epic page turner!!! Well done Claire!!! How on Earth have I never read any of your books before? Absolutely smashed it!!!!!!!

This book is extremely well written with vivid descriptions creating the perfect atmosphere for the storyline. The book cover and synopsis works perfectly with the book plot and I am most definitely looking forward to reading the next book, and the previous one in this series.

I have absolutely no idea how this is the first time I have read one of this incredible author's books but I am so glad I have rectified that problem and I cannot wait to get hooked into more books by Claire. I don't normally like reading books out of order but the one good thing about doing so is that I can now go back and read the previous books in this series by this fantastic author while waiting for her next book to come out in this series!!! In this absolutely gripping book we meet Detective Jen Garner who was working undercover but is now just trying to live a new life with her husband and children with her new identity. Things are going well until her previous partner and best friend Chloe turns up on her doorstep. That doesn't sound too bad apart from Jen died 2 years ago on their last undercover operation together!! Jen calls in her old boss but as he has retired he needs to call his successor to find out what is going on especially as Chloe's death was confirmed with DNA!! How can Chloe turn up alive after all this time? What does she want? Who can Jen trust? Grab your copy of this gripping psychological thriller to find out for yourselves! I promise that you will not regret it but you will be hooked!!! With a storyline ram packed with mystery, danger, secrets, crime, family, police procedural and everything you could ask for and more what on Earth are you waiting for??? Claire does an incredible job of weaving both multiple timelines and multiple protagonist perspectives together to create this incredible storyline. She ensures the reader gets the bigger picture of what is happening and what happened from several characters points of view without causing any confusion. An absolutely addictive, nail biting, page turning, heart racing and compelling storyline in what promises to be an absolutely amazing series!! It has so many layers of mysteries and crimes for the reader to be kept guessing throughout. This fantastic thriller is absolutely packed with twists, turns, shocks, romance, crime and red herrings throughout I had no idea who did what until the end. This is an achievement in itself as it is definitely getting harder to surprise me with the amount of crime novels I've read. There was so many explosive bombshells in this book that I actually lost count on how many times I was shocked which I didn't think would be possible!!! The plot was unique and realistic and Claire's brilliant descriptions brings absolutely everything to life in front of your eyes. It started straight in the action and kept you going on a roller-coaster ride of suspension throughout. There were several occasions when my heart was in my throat and I the hair was raising on my arms but I won't mention those as not to spoil it for future readers. It is so hard to not say too much without giving anything away to future readers but I'm sure once people have read it they will know exactly what I mean. Well done Claire you did absolutely amazing and everything was tied up perfectly. The twists and turns in this book left me going from one chapter to another!!! I completely devoured it in one sitting as I just could not put it down. Prepare yourself for a rollercoaster ride!!! I just could not put this book down and I cannot wait to read more books in this series!!!

Before you start this make sure you clear your schedule because once you pick it up you are not going to want to put it down!!!!

Although this is the fourth book in the series I had absolutely no problems reading it without the others. Any details or events that have previously happened are mentioned in just the right amount of detail to let a new reader know what has happened and yet not too much to bore a previous reader.

The characters were very realistic, multi layered and well rounded and again their personalities reflected the storyline and how they would act, etc perfectly. The descriptions gave a really good in depth view of how the characters were feeling and what they were thinking. The characters were complex and each seemed to be hiding their own secrets which leaves you questioning who is telling the truth and who can be trusted. they had their own unique personalities with individual flaws, quirks, secrets, strengths and weaknesses!! I loved getting to know Jen and really cannot wait to see how she has developed from the first book in this series which is called 'A Perfect Lie'. ! I don't want to say too much about the characters though and I will leave you to read this amazing book and work it out yourself. Each of the characters were well developed, unique and thanks to Claire's fantastic evocative writing skills they all came to life before my eyes. That is all I will say as I don't want to run the risk of dropping any hints or spoilers. However, whether you love or hate these characters, they all have their own strong unique personalities and they all bring the story to life playing their roles perfectly.

Congratulations Claire on a fantastic and gripping success and here's to the next explosive book in this absolutely epic series!!! This is exactly why I would like to welcome you to my favourite authors club!!!

Overall an absolute must read, pulse racing, addictive page turning crime thriller that will keep you on edge and addicted.

#ADeadLie #ClaireSheldon #DetectiveJenGarner #ChocLitPsychologicalThrillers #JoffeBooks #BooksOnTour #ZooLoosBookTours

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A Dead Lie by Claire Sheldon.
Detective Jen Garner Book 4.
I really did enjoy this book. Even though it's book 4 I was able to read it as a standalone. It was a quick and easy read. I loved the short chapters. This was a twisty and gripping read. I couldn't put it down once I started it. This was a strange case. I wasn't sure if I believed the chloe or not. I was surprised with the ending. I'm looking forward to the next book. I would recommend this book.

Blurb.
MEET DETECTIVE JEN GARNER: DEVOTED WIFE, PERFECT MOTHER . . . WITH A DARK PAST SHE’LL DO ANYTHING TO OUTRUN.

Jen Garner's life is a delicate balancing act between her past as an undercover police officer and her present as a mother trying to build a new life for her family.

Until a woman claiming to be her best friend, Chloe Seaward, shows up on her doorstep.

But Chloe died years ago during an undercover operation.

Her reappearance isn’t just a shock — it’s a threat.

And now everything that Jen has built begins to unravel.

Caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with no one she can trust, can Jen uncover the truth . . . and keep her family safe?

#Adeadlie @ClaireSheldon #DetectiveJenGarner #ChocLit #PsychologicalThrillers #HeistCrime #VigilantJustice #Women'sAction&AdventureFiction
#netgalley

I enjoyed getting to know Jen Garner in this novel, it had that twists and turns that I was hoping for and enjoyed in this genre. The overall story worked with what I wanted and the character development was really well done. I enjoyed how good Claire Sheldon’s writing was and that it had that element that I was looking for.

Took a while to really get into this book. Lots of twists and a variety of characters. A strong main character.

Well written characters but an awful lot of them.
I picked this book up several times before i really got into it.
Twists and turns and some a little confusing.
Overall an ok read for me.
My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for my copy.

This is the first Claire Sheldon book I have read. I think my experience would have been richer if I had read the previous three novels, but this one stood on its own well. Overall I enjoyed the story. It kept up a decent pace. I liked the characters, especially Hannah, I felt her struggle and stress. I found no big plot twists or crazy secrets; the story stood well on its own merit. There were a few places where I needed suspension of disbelief to carry on reading and I found a few of the dialogue exchanges a little clunky. Thank you to NetGalley and Choc Lit for the ARC in exchange for honest feedback.

Jen Garner's life is a delicate balancing act between her past as an undercover police officer and her present as a mother trying to build a new life for her family. Until a woman claiming to be her best friend, Chloe Seaward, shows up on her doorstep. But Chloe died years ago during an undercover operation. Now everything that Jen has built begins to unravel. Because Chloe's appearance isn't just a shock - it's a threat. Caught in a deadly game of cat and mouse with no one she can trust, can Jen uncover the truth.... and keep her family safe?

I didn't know that this was the fourth book in the series when I requested it. The story has a dual timeline - the past, two years ago, and the present day. It's told from multiple points of view. There were lots of characters and far too much going on. It's well-written and fast-paced. I don't think this book can be read as a standalone. I think I've lost out on a lot of background information.

Published 24th October 2024

I would like to thank #NetGalley #JoffeBooks #ChocLit and the author #ClaireSheldon for my ARC of #ADeadLie in exchange for an honest review.

This is a good character driven read , Jen is the perfect mother a devoted wife but she has secrets she would rather anyone not find out about.. Enter Chloe......

This was a good read and filled with drama, twists and turns.

It is well written and I am looking forward to a sequel as I did think some things were left unfinished...

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book. This book has a lot of twists and turns that you keep you wondering if it is truly Chloe or an imposter. I enjoyed the story line very much but I found it hard to follow the characters. Not only were there multiple people that the story follows but some characters have another identity which got very confusing at times.

Reviewed on goodreads 10/11/2024

I really like the author builds characters and the relationships between them. I wanted to like this more than I did. The different aliases of characters were confusing and hard to follow. With dialogue referring to Lisa but the character being referred to by the author as Jen, for example. Also, there were a lot of different points of view and timelines so I kept having to refer back to check who was saying what and when.

I really liked the blurb and the promise on this book but it failed to live up to my expectations of an addictive read. The characterisation was good but lacking in depth and I didn't like the format of the different timelines from different characters. It just lacked in flow, twists and suspense with the ending coming just too quickly. There are a few unanswered questions which makes me think there could be a follow up but I don't know if I would read it. Thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

I really wanted to like this book but it was a struggle. The plot just didn’t seem believable. The jumping from character to character also made it hard to keep up with. Thank you for giving me the opportunity for this ARC, I wish I could’ve gotten into it more.

A DEVOTED WIFE. THE PERFECT MOTHER. A DARK PAST SHE’LL DO ANYTHING TO OUTRUN. MEET DETECTIVE JEN GARNER. The past won't stay buried . . . and neither will she!! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, plenty of secrets, murder, mystery, a great who done it and a few twists and turns. The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

Thank you NetGalley and Joffe Books for the eARC.
I started reading this book yesterday, read it for several hours and then at night, and realized this morning I didn't remember much of the story. Different timelines and too many characters got totally muddled in my mind. Sorry!

I really struggled with this book as there was too many characters. In the of the first six chapters there was six characters and I found it hard to keep up and remember who each of them were.