Polly, Belinda and Emily are all fake online profiles created by Lisa. The aim of each of these profiles is to befriend and eventually defraud unsuspecting people and so far things have been going well for her. Lisa's motivation for her scams is her son, Simon, she wants to give him the secure childhood that she herself never had. When she notices something odd on one of her fake profiles and it looks like someone is turning the tables paranoia starts to set in and she finds herself juggling her ongoing scams with trying to identify the person who is trying to play her at her own game.
I enjoyed the way to story was narrated in dual time format, one with Lisa as she tries to work out who is trying to expose her for the scammer that she is and the other where we slowly discover her traumatic childhood. It was this latter story that helped me warm to Lisa's character as initially I wasn't keen on her. Getting an insight into her formative years made her current life choices more comprehensible. She wanted to provide security for her son in a way that her parents never did which was admirable if not ethical.
The Lies I Tell is a slow burning, tense, complex psychological thriller packed full of twists and turns that will have you guessing right up to the very end. It will have you questioning how safe you are online as well as how well you know your online friends. I will definitely be looking out for the other books from this polished author in the future.
About the author
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| Photo courtsey of Joel Hames |
A Londoner in exile, Joel Hames lives in rural Lancashire with his wife and two daughters.
His works of fiction include the bestselling Sam Williams trilogy Dead North, No One Will Hear and The Cold Years, and the standalone psychological thriller The Lies I Tell.
When not writing or spending time with his family, Joel likes to eat, cook, play the piano, and make up excuses to avoid walking the dog. There’s the MMA thing, too, but he doesn’t like to show off.
You can find out more about Joel, his books and connect with him using the links below:
Website
Amazon UK
Amazon US
Twitter
Facebook
With kind thanks to Zoe at Zooloo's Book Tours for my stop on the tour and author Joel Hames for my review copy.
