Author: Julie Clark
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Released: June 21, 2022
Received: Own (BOTM)
Warnings: Drugging, Sexual assault

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. I love that BOTM convinces me to buy books that I might have otherwise overlooked or missed out on. The latest example of this is The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark. I had no idea it was released this month, so I was happy to snag it when I saw it available.

Con women know that they must carry many mantles and names. It’s how they succeed, how they survive. As such, Meg Williams has gotten quite used to picking up and dropping aliases. But this time, she will have to use her real name, which ups her risks. However, it’ll all be worth it in the end.

When Meg Williams strolls back into town, Kat Roberts immediately takes notice. Kat partially blames Meg for everything that has gone wrong in her life, starting with one moment ten years ago. Now it is time to expose the truth.

“The lies I tell serve a purpose, tipping karma in the right direction. Returning power to those who have lost it…The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who’s telling the story.”

I’ll be honest; I wasn’t sure what to expect from The Lies I Tell. I knew that I loved the cover and was intrigued by the description. But beyond that? You never really know what you’re getting into, not when you read a mystery/thriller author for the first time.

Overall, I would have to say that I enjoyed The Lies I Tell. I loved the split perspective, as it allowed us to get to know Meg and Kat simultaneously. More importantly, it revealed their side of events, but in a way that allowed for the dramatic tension to build. It was very well done.

Some scenes are admittedly a little predictable, and some decisions made me want to scream. On the bright side, I liked this take on the whole con artist trope; it was fun and very different (for me, at least).

One thing I want to give Julie Clark credit for is how well she portrayed her characters. They felt human, which means they were flawed, had goals and sometimes made mistakes. It gave us more reason to care for them, even (perhaps especially) when there were times when we didn’t understand who was in the right.

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