What Lies Between Us by John Marrs

Five much-deserved stars.

This might be the most perfect psychological/domestic thriller I've ever read. Let me tell you why.

What Lies Between Us is the story of Maggie and Nina, a mother and daughter whose lives are so intricately intertwined that it's hard to know where one begins and the other one ends. But as cliche as that sounds, this story is nothing of the sort. These two women are so vastly different and yet so similar that from one paragraph to the next you will find yourself rooting for one and then the other. The character development is divine.

Narrated in alternating chapters by Nina and Maggie, we are privy to each woman's life 25 years ago, when Nina was 14, and today when their dysfunctional relationship has reached its apex. Marrs begins the story with Maggie in her room on the top floor of the family home, where she has been chained and unable to escape for two years, ostensibly to punish her for something she did to her daughter many years ago. We aren't told what, exactly, and that's a big part of the allure of this book.

But it's not all. Marrs is striking in his ability to delve deep inside Nina's head, as both a teenager and an adult who comes to believe has had everything she ever wanted taken away from her through no fault of her own. She is passionate, obstinate and willing to do anything it takes to get what she wants and right the wrongs of long ago.

Bit by bit we learn about the mother/daughter relationship and how it became so inflamed. Marrs teases us with little pieces of the story here and there, never giving up too much so as to keep us guessing just a bit before dropping the next bombshell. And there are so many bombshells.

Yes, I had put some of the pieces of the puzzle together long before the truth was revealed, but this was one of the few books where I really didn't mind. I relished not knowing for sure and the way in which Marrs gave hints as to his characters' true intentions.

Everything about this novel is new and refreshing. What Lies Between Us sucks you in on page one and doesn't spit you out until that final scene of utmost perfection. I do feel like I've been through the wringer with this one, but that doesn't mean I won't go back and reread those last couple of chapters to experience again the perfect ending.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. See this review on Goodreads.

Flowers for the Dead by C.K. Williams

4.5 stars rounded up
TW: rape, suicide

This was an exhilarating read, everything I would hope for in a psychological thriller. It is the story of Linn, who as a 17-year-old was brutally raped. Nineteen years later and forever traumatized by what she can and cannot remember about that night, Linn decides to revisit the past and finally find some answers.

Williams deftly takes us deep into Linn's past and her friendships with Anna and Teo, and Jacob, whom she dated briefly. Minor troublemakers, as kids Linn, Anna and Teo played ding dong ditch throughout the town and had a very specific way of signaling each other through a three-count tapping or doorbell ring. This plays heavily throughout Flowers for the Dead, for while Linn investigates her past and that night, someone torments her with those same doorbell rings in the dead of the night.

I loved the character development in this story. Williams did a wonderful job of digging deep into Linn's trauma and reminding readers that unless you have experienced it, it's difficult to understand the reasoning behind some of the actions victims take (for example, and this is no spoiler, Linn chooses to stay in the house where the attack happened, despite there being no cell service).

I took off half a star because I knew the "whodunnit" about a quarter of the way through the book. Also, I wasn't crazy about the shift in narrators, particularly in the last quarter of the book. Despite those minor annoyances, Flowers for the Dead is a worthy thriller. I look forward to more by this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. Flowers for the Dead is scheduled to publish March 30, 2020. Find this book here. See this review on Goodreads.

Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison

From the publisher:
J.T. Ellison’s pulse-pounding new psychological thriller examines the tenuous bonds of friendship, the power of lies and the desperate lengths people will go to in order to protect their secrets.

Goode girls don’t lie…

Perched atop a hill in the tiny town of Marchburg, Virginia, The Goode School is a prestigious prep school known as a Silent Ivy. The boarding school of choice for daughters of the rich and influential, it accepts only the best and the brightest. Its elite status, long-held traditions and honor code are ideal for preparing exceptional young women for brilliant futures at Ivy League universities and beyond.

But a stranger has come to Goode, and this ivy has turned poisonous.

In a world where appearances are everything, as long as students pretend to follow the rules, no one questions the cruelties of the secret societies or the dubious behavior of the privileged young women who expect to get away with murder.

When a popular student is found dead, the truth cannot be ignored. Rumors suggest she was struggling with a secret that drove her to suicide.

But look closely…because there are truths and there are lies, and then there is everything that really happened.

Don’t miss this fast-paced suspense story from New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison!

4.5 stars rounded up to 5
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Long books usually intimidate me. This one didn't ... Primarily because of the author's provocative prologue and opening chapters. She had me, hook, line and sinker.

I liked Ash, mostly, but every other student? Detestable, and that's putting it lightly. But that's what was so great about this novel. Ellison took what we know about private boarding schools, bullies and spoiled rich kids and made this story just shine.

There were a few twists and turns that you couldn't possibly see coming, so anything you think may be true could just as easily be false. And I savor that kind of writing.

And it is great writing, to be sure. I nicked half a star because I had to look up so many words. It seemed to me she used million-dollar words far too often. And, I'll admit, it was longer than I would have liked, but the extra scenes added to the story.

I enjoyed the epilogue. You may not, but I found it fitting.
Find this book here.