The Lies I Told - Mary Burton

Author: Mary Burton

Genre: Suspense

Rating: 2.5 stars.

In a Nutshell: This could have been outstanding, but the slow pace, random and over-convenient twists, and needless character perspectives made this an average experience for me.

Story Synopsis:

When identical twins Marisa and Clare Stockton were sixteen, Clare’s body was found on a riverbank. Fourteen years later and no arrests or suspects, Marisa is still struggling to put the grief behind, though she has a successful career as a photographer. She has been indulging in substance and alcohol abuse but has been on the road to recovery since the last year. After she meets with an almost fatal road accident in Jan 2022, she suffers partial amnesia that leaves her disoriented and with a constant feeling of someone watching her. There are too many disturbing things happening, and Marisa is at the centre of it all. Is someone out to get her, or is it just her imagination?

Where the book worked for me:

👌 The story was interesting enough, though it didn’t keep me on tenterhooks.

👌 A few of the characters were well-sketched. I liked Marisa’s portrayal the best, though it too had minor flaws. I was initially worried that she would be yet another unreliable narrator with an alcohol addiction but her character was handled fairly well by the author. Detective Richards was also quite impactful in his limited role.

I am actually struggling to think of more points I loved, but nothing else comes to mind. That said, I never once thought of DNFing the book, nor did I find it boring despite being dragged. I suppose that is a minor positive as well.

Where the book could have worked better for me:

⚠ The story is written in the first person perspectives of Marisa (more than half of the chapters were from her perspective), her elder sister Brit, best friend Jo-Jo, Jack (Jo-Jo’s husband and friend to the Stockton sisters), Detective Richards (the investigating officer), and a mysterious “Him” who seems obsessed with the twin. It was too many first person povs. Though the chapter headings indicated the character clearly, there wasn’t enough individuality in the voices to distinguish across them. Maybe a limited third person narration would have worked better.

⚠ There are too many characters at the start and it is a bit tricky at the start to remember all the names and relationships. A couple of the male characters are present only to create confusion over their intentions but they are dropped by the wayside soon enough with their arcs going nowhere.

⚠ The first half is terribly slow. I felt like I was reading and reading and nothing was happening except conjectures and character backstories. The percentage indicator wasn’t moving up fast enough.

⚠ It wasn’t difficult to guess the responsible party after some chapters. I feel that most avid thriller readers will be able to figure it out fairly easily.

⚠ The deadly logical+pessimist combo in me refuses to accept that nothing came to light for fourteen years and suddenly everything is out in the open within a few weeks. And as usual, it is the amateur family member who discovers stuff that the official investigators didn’t.

All in all, an average experience. I don’t regret reading it but I wouldn’t have regretted missing out on it too. Many other reviewers seem to have enjoyed it far more, so please go through their reviews so that you can make an informed choice about the title.

I have heard a lot about this author but maybe I just began with the wrong title from her vast suspense repertoire. I might check out a couple of her other titles before I decide if her writing style is meant for me or not.

My thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for the DRC of “The Lies I Told”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.