The Lie – C L Taylor

Published 23 April 2015 by Avon




From Amazon: 



This was no accident…

Haunting, compelling, this psychological thriller will have you hooked. Perfect for fans of Gone Girl and Daughter.

I know your name’s not really Jane Hughes . . .

Jane Hughes has a loving partner, a job in an animal sanctuary and a tiny cottage in rural Wales. She’s happier than she’s ever been but her life is a lie. Jane Hughes does not really exist.

Five years earlier Jane and her then best friends went on holiday but what should have been the trip of a lifetime rapidly descended into a nightmare that claimed the lives of two of the women.

Jane has tried to put the past behind her but someone knows the truth about what happened. Someone who won’t stop until they’ve destroyed Jane and everything she loves . . .

* * *

Having read C L Taylor’s debut thriller last year, The Accident, (reviewed here), which I loved, The Lie was on my wishlist as soon as it was announced. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the publisher which has been glaring at me from the bookshelf, until I couldn’t wait any longer and bumped it up to the top of the TBR.

Five years ago, Jane Hughes was called Emma Woolfe and she and three friends set out for the holiday of a lifetime to Nepal. The fun that they were expecting however soon turned into a nightmare.

The suspense starts at the very beginning when Jane receives a letter at the animal sanctuary where she now works, indicating that someone knows her secret. I was hooked already and intrigued to find out why Jane changed her name and what did she have to hide? The story then flips between the present and the past. We’re with the girls as they excitedly prepare for their holiday retreat in the mountains. We also see the cracks that gradually appear in the friendship and watch it becoming something nasty and frightening.

The characterization is so good – people who you thought were trustworthy turn out to be anything but and the sinister undertones increase as gradually the story unfolds. All four friends had flawed but interesting characters. They may not have been very likeable but each had their own issues which all played a part in the trauma that was to follow. The Ektanta yatra retreat, where they were staying, was anything but a haven of peace and tranquility, some of the people there may have seemed charming and welcoming but a few had an agenda of their own. Most of the time my sympathy was with Emma – there were times when I thought she was a bit naive but I could identify with her character and I felt for her at the way she was treated.

This excellent story has so much going for it – there is a wonderful sense of place, particularly the setting in Nepal and there is darkness to the plot which made me worry for the four friends and added to the sense of fear as I turned the page. There are so many psychological thrillers out there now but C L Taylor has certainly found her place in this genre and I’m very much looking forward to the next book.

My thanks to the publisher Avon, for the advance reading copy. 

About the author:

CL Taylor studied for a degree in Psychology at the University of Northumbria, Newcastle and currently works 4 days a week as a Distance Learning Design and Development manager for a London university, looks after her toddler son 3 days a week and squeezes in writing her novels when she should be sleeping

You can find out more by following on Twitter, Facebook or from the author’s website

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