Reviews

Trust Me When I Lie by Benjamin Stevenson is a chilling mystery that is quite suspenseful.

True crime producer Jack Quick revisits the murder conviction of vineyard owner Curtis Wade for his debut television documentary. He sifts through the questionable evidence that led to the conviction and begins to believe Curtis was wrongly convicted. Just as Jack is wrapping up edits, he makes a surprising discovery and he makes a fateful choice that could come back to haunt him. The documentary leads to Curtis's conviction being overturned and he is released from prison. A shocking murder leaves Jack guilt-ridden and questioning his actions that led to Wade being set free. With growing certainty that he made a terrible mistake, Jack begins investigating both murders in hopes of unmasking the killer.

Jack is a deeply flawed character who is determined to right a possible wrong. He is not always truthful with himself or those around him but he genuinely wants to uncover the truth. The first thing Jack needs to find out is whether or not one person is responsible for both murders or if he dealing with a copycat killer. So he sets off for the small town where the original murder occurred. The townspeople band together and try to get rid of him but Jack refuses to leave. He remains deeply troubled by the decision he made during edits of Wade's documentary but Jack knows he has to follow wherever the evidence takes him.

Jack is unable to escape the ghosts of his past during his investigation. Although both Curtis and his younger sister Lauren are surprisingly co-operative, he is frustrated by his lack of progress. He must tread lightly around his only police source as he tries to get copies of the current victim's autopsy report. Do the answers he is seeking lie within this report? Are Jack's past mistakes giving him tunnel vision as he continues to second guess himself? Realizing he is running out time, will Jack make a fateful decision that could cost him his life?

Trust Me When I Lie is a cleverly written mystery that is set in Australia. The characters are well-developed but not always easy to like. The small wine-making town where the majority of the story takes springs vibrantly to life. With stunning twists and brilliant turns, Benjamin Stevenson keeps readers on the edge of their seats as this dazzling mystery comes to an unpredictable and completely shocking conclusion. I thoroughly enjoyed and highly recommend this thrilling debut to fans of the genre.

kialynne's review against another edition

Go to review page

challenging dark funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Benjamin Stevenson really is very good at this whole writing thing. It's odd to think of "Everyone In My Family Has Killed Someone" as a light-hearted read, but when comparing, this debut novel is far darker. To me, this reads like Jane Harper - if Aaron Falk thought he was funny. No one's entirely innocent in this book, and we're not sure who's entirely guilty until the very last pages. You might guess, but you also might not care if you guess. It's a great read.

challe232's review against another edition

Go to review page

2.0

Trust Me When I Lie is about Jack, who makes a documentary about a murder.

Without spoiling, there's some twists and Jack has a personal story he has to come to terms with. I couldn't guess most of everything, but I wasn't super into the story. Parts were really well written but other parts, it's almost what led me to not always know what was going on.

2.5/5

Thanks for the Arc

cassie_jean's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Content Warnings

anoop_aug10's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous challenging mysterious medium-paced

4.0

More...