Title: Tell Me Lies
Author: J.P. Pomare
Published: December 29th 2020
Publisher: Hachette Australia
Pages: 272
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Thriller, Suspense
RRP: $24.99
Rating: 4 stars
A brand new thriller from the new master of the genre from the author of CALL ME EVIE and IN THE CLEARING
INCLUDES A SNEAK PEEK OF THE LAST GUESTS
Psychologist Margot Scott has a picture-perfect life: a nice house in the suburbs, a husband, two children and a successful career.
On a warm spring morning Margot approaches one of her clients on a busy train platform. He is looking down at his phone, with his duffel bag in hand as the train approaches. That’s when she slams into his back and he falls in front of the train.
Margot’s clients all lie to her, but one lie cost her family and freedom.
A fast-paced psychological thriller for fans of The Silent Patient.
Review:
‘But I don’t know what the truth is, and which are the lies anymore.’
I have kept J.P. Pomare on my radar since I read his debut novel Call Me Evie. After a second helping of Pomare’s brilliant writing thanks to his next release, In the Clearing, I was eager to begin my third experience of this accomplished thriller novelist’s work. Tell Me Lies travels at supersonic speed, issuing the reader with a complex psychological based story, that thrills from the first line to the parting sentence.
Tell Me Lies offers the reader an insight into the complicated life of Margot Scott, a registered psychologist, who appears to have it all – a successful career, a loving marriage and a wonderful family. But everything changes for Margot when she encounters one of her clients on a train platform. A split-second decision on the train platform that fateful day has far reaching implications. The fallout of this incident wrecks Margot’s picture-perfect life. It also serves as a hard-hitting reminder of the nature of lies and how the tales we spin can wreck havoc with our personal rights. Margot learns this tough lesson the hard way, in J.P. Pomare’s latest release, Tell Me Lies.
A seasoned author in the psychological thriller category, J.P. Pomare graces his awaiting readers with yet another explosive tale. With a hooking opening that links directly back to the close of Tell Me Lies, readers will be hard pressed to turn away from the pages of Pomare’s latest offering.
The fast and relentless pace of Tell Me Lies, which is established from the first paragraph of Pomare’s new release, served to immediately reel me in to this unfolding tale. Pomare is well versed in terms of the key aspects that define a solid psychological thriller offering and Tell Me Lies is no exception. Compulsive, gripping, edgy, speculative and shocking, Tell Me Lies is a consuming thrill ride from cover to cover. The pace never lets up, wrapping the reader in a puzzling tale that looks closely at the construction of lies. A side focus on the work of a psychologist and the art of psychotherapy is also a core focus on Pomare’s novel. Tell Me Lies draws in contentious areas such as mental illness, suicide, blackmail, personal crisis, expectations, family, social media and relationships. There is an added authentic glimpse into the complicated field of patient rules for psychologists. I appreciated this interesting angle very much. Pomare treats the various issues raised in his novel with plenty of insight, authenticity and opinion.
Lead character Margot proved to be quite the enigma at times. I did feel as though Margot deliberately kept the reader at arm’s length, so we are never truly certain of her feelings. Prickly and undeterminable, Margot’s input into Pomare’s novel adds a great deal of tension and uncertainty to this twisted turn of events. This continues until the very end. I actually had to re-read the close more than once to process what had happened! I will encourage anyone with a vested interest in complex thrillers and fast paced mystery novels to consider this psychological based tale.
J.P. Pomare proves yet again that he is the master of psychological thriller titles. Tell Me Lies is a book you have to pick up to read in a sitting if possible, this relatively succinct novel really packs a punch!
Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare is published by Hachette Australia on December 29th 2020. $24.99.
https://www.hachette.com.au/jp-pomare/tell-me-lies
*Thanks is extended to Hachette Australia for providing a free copy of this book for review purposes.
