DEADLY LIES BY CHRIS PATCHELL

Synopsis:

Husband and wife stand on opposite sides of a divide created by lies and rooted in a dark and deadly past… As a teenager, Jill Shannon fell victim to her stepfather’s cruel abuse. Now as an adult, Jill’s made it – she has a successful career and a solid, if not static, marriage to Detective Alex Shannon. Together they live out what seems to be a perfect life in Seattle.  The vow she made as a teenager to never again be a victim lies dormant – until one day a reporter lures her to his hotel room under the pretense of an interview – and suddenly all of it comes rushing back. Jill seeks revenge on the reporter, triggering a series of events that leads Jill down a wormhole of retribution, forcing her to spin an ever-widening web of lies.  Meanwhile, Alex is pulled into a case of a series of murders that began as cyber relationships. There seems to be a familiar fingerprint on these crimes, but Alex refuses to believe the murderer could be someone close to him… “Chris Patchell”s debut novel, Deadly Lies, is a taut, fast-paced thriller that grabs you from the start and doesn’t let go. Patchell is a master storyteller with a real talent for creating pulse-pounding suspense.”—Kevin O’Brien, New York  Times Bestselling Author of Unspeakable.

 My Review

I didn’t plan to sign up for this book tour.  I had just been on two other book tours for Brook Cottage Books and was right in the middle of my own edits so planned to step back from reviewing for a while.  However when the dates for Deadly Lies were advertised I checked the book out on Amazon and thought ‘Why not?’  – and I am so glad I did.

This is a brilliant debut novel written from the viewpoint of both main characters Alex and Jill Shannon.  Married for five years their respective police careers don’t make for a normal or even stable married life.  A gulf is opening up in their relationship; one which has already seen Jill drifting into an affair with her boss Jamie King.

When their liaison ends with tragic consequences she finds herself promoted into a more senior role.  Invited to speak at a conference she meets journalist Peter Young who asks to interview her and invites her back to his hotel room.  What takes place there dredges up memories of teenage years with her abusive father and sets her on a course of action to take revenge on Peter and those closely associated with his activities .

Meanwhile Alex, who has made connections with a neighbouring police force in relation to an abduction case he is working on, finds himself helping on one of their murder cases.  As he gradually slots the pieces of the puzzle together he makes an alarming discovery.

I really enjoyed this book; the writing was excellent, the characters believable and well developed.  I loved the way the the plot teased you, taking you forward but not giving too much away at a time. I have to say the ending was a surprise… and quite a sad surprise but when I thought about it, inevitable I guess. A wonderful five star read – I look forward to reading more from Chris Patchell in the future.

I would like to thank the author for donating an e-copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

About the Author When Chris Patchell isn’t hiking in the Cascade Mountains or hanging out with family and friends, she is working at her hi-tech job or writing gritty suspense novels. Writing has been a lifelong passion for Chris. She fell in love with storytelling in the third grade when her half-page creative writing assignment turned into a five-page story on vampires. Even back then Chris had a gift for writing intricate plots that were so good her father refused to believe she didn’t steal them from comic books. Years later, Chris spent long afternoons managing her own independent record store and writing romance novels. After closing the record store and going to college, Chris launched a successful career in hi-tech. She married, had kids but amid all the madness, the itch to write never really went away. So she started writing again. Not romance this time – suspense filled with drama, and angst, speckled with a little bit of blood. Why suspense? Chris blames her obsession with the dark on two things: watching Stephen King movies as a kid and spending ridiculous amounts of time commuting in Seattle traffic. “My stories are based on scenarios I live every day, distorted through the fictional lens. And my stories come with the added bonus of not having to be restrained by socially acceptable behavior.”

To learn more about Chris and her debut novel, DEADLY LIES, visit www.chrispatchell.com/ Join her on Facebook for book giveaways and more gritty fun at www.facebook.com/authorchrispatchell

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