Thriller

The Lies I Tell

The Lies I Tell

  • Downloads：4899
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2022-06-27 21:21:40
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Julie Clark
  • ISBN：B0B31ZBGPL
  • Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
  • Download

Summary

9 hours， 12 minutes

Two women。 Many aliases。

Meg Williams。 Maggie Littleton。 Melody Wilde。 Different names for the same person， depending on the town， depending on the job。 She's a con artist who erases herself to become whoever you need her to be—a college student。 A life coach。 A real estate agent。 Nothing about her is real。 She slides alongside you and tells you exactly what you need to hear， and by the time she's done， you've likely lost everything。

Kat Roberts has been waiting ten years for the woman who upended her life to return。 And now that she has， Kat is determined to be the one to expose her。 But as the two women grow closer， Kat's long-held assumptions begin to crumble， leaving Kat to wonder who Meg's true target is。

The Lies I Tell is a twisted domestic thriller that dives deep into the psyches and motivations of two women and their unwavering quest to seek justice for the past and rewrite the future。

Download

Reviews

Kartik ，

I don't think the characters were super well-developed and there was quite a bit of suspension of disbelief required but this was still a fairly decent and entertaining book。 It was super fast paced as the chapters were all very short and it was fun seeing the antagonists getting their comeuppances。 I did think that the conflicts were resolved way too easily and quickly， but because I could see what the author was trying to achieve so I let it slide。 The fast paced nature of the story kept me re I don't think the characters were super well-developed and there was quite a bit of suspension of disbelief required but this was still a fairly decent and entertaining book。 It was super fast paced as the chapters were all very short and it was fun seeing the antagonists getting their comeuppances。 I did think that the conflicts were resolved way too easily and quickly， but because I could see what the author was trying to achieve so I let it slide。 The fast paced nature of the story kept me reading even as I found myself rolling my eyes at the explanations that were given。 Even though I personally liked this， I'm not exactly sure who I would recommended it to since it was more of a contemporary with a revenge subplot rather than a straight up thriller。 But hey， it managed to keep me invested throughout its course so if the synopsis sounds interesting to you then I'd say pick it up。 Just don't go in hoping for any big， crazy twists or reveals though， this is definitely not the book for that。 。。。more

Kristen ，

Well-written characters that live off of lies and manipulation which makes the story suspenseful and has some twists。 I voluntarily reviewed an advance readers copy of this book。

Sarah ，

4 stars。 Having honed her skills as a con artist for ten years， Meg Williams is ready to return to her hometown of LA。 Her next mark？ Senate candidate Ron Ashton。 However， Kat Roberts has been waiting for Meg's return and has personal reasons for wanting to expose her。 I loved everything about this book except for the length。 Why so short？ Clark alludes to so many cons in Meg's past， but we only get to read about two of them。 Otherwise， this book has me hooked from the very beginning， and I love 4 stars。 Having honed her skills as a con artist for ten years， Meg Williams is ready to return to her hometown of LA。 Her next mark？ Senate candidate Ron Ashton。 However， Kat Roberts has been waiting for Meg's return and has personal reasons for wanting to expose her。 I loved everything about this book except for the length。 Why so short？ Clark alludes to so many cons in Meg's past， but we only get to read about two of them。 Otherwise， this book has me hooked from the very beginning， and I loved the ending！ 。。。more

Wendy Jonson ，

I could not put this down！ 4。5 stars rounded up！

Meredith Sepehri ，

Fast paced game of cat & mouse。 The twist was kinda obvious; but， a really good read nonetheless！

Susan Springer ，

Rating 3。5。 Above average beach book about a young， female con artist who goes to great lengths tolure her victims， infiltrate their lives， gain their trust， and then steal everything they own。 What makes this story different is this con artist has a conscience。

Joan Bechtold ，

This has been the year of the female vigilante， and “The Lies I Tell” is a smart and fast-paced exploration of this topic。 The novel is based on the relationship between two women: Meg， a career con artist and Kat， a former LA Times reporter whose life and career are ruined after pursuing a tip called in to the paper by Meg。 Fast-forward ten years， Kat decides to pursue a grift of her own in order to jump start her career after learning that Meg has returned to California with a shady real estat This has been the year of the female vigilante， and “The Lies I Tell” is a smart and fast-paced exploration of this topic。 The novel is based on the relationship between two women: Meg， a career con artist and Kat， a former LA Times reporter whose life and career are ruined after pursuing a tip called in to the paper by Meg。 Fast-forward ten years， Kat decides to pursue a grift of her own in order to jump start her career after learning that Meg has returned to California with a shady real estate career。 The novel’s suspense is primarily generated by the reader who brings their own stereotypes of the typically sociopathic male con artist to the tale。 What difference， if any， does it make when the con artists are women？ Or， as Meg puts it， does the difference between justice and revenge come down to who’s telling the story？ 5 out of 5 stars。 Highly recommended！Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with a complimentary advanced readers copy of this book。 。。。more

Emily ，

I was intrigued by the plot of this one - a female con artist and a journalist trying to expose her。 But I couldn’t get past the trope of all of the female characters being complex and intelligent， and all of the male characters being dull and in-the-wrong。 *sigh*。 I found that to be annoying and also take away from the interest of the story。

Michele ，

A journalist seeks to expose a con artist by attempting to beat her at her own game but of course， things don't as planned and not everything is what is seems。 Easy to read， with perspective of both characters told in the first person and with equally engaging voices。 Great summer read。 A journalist seeks to expose a con artist by attempting to beat her at her own game but of course， things don't as planned and not everything is what is seems。 Easy to read， with perspective of both characters told in the first person and with equally engaging voices。 Great summer read。 。。。more

Brittany ，

I did not want this one to end and would love a part 2 for Kat。 Meg is like a feminist Robin Hood。 Great story line and highly addicting read。

Jessica Rodriguez ，

Excellent writing， easy to read and absorb all the detail and an excellent story in general。 Great to read this female empowerment journey especially during times like these

Megan ，

Now that I have slept I feel like I can properly review。 ABSOLUTELY 5 STARS FROM ME。Let me start this review off by saying this: If you are looking for a thriller or a domestic thriller or anything along those lines， this book is not it。 Now if you go into it thinking that this book is about a con artist and enjoy having two strong female lead characters then this is the book for you。 Audible gasps came from my mouth。 This book is everything that I have been missing this month。 The dual perspect Now that I have slept I feel like I can properly review。 ABSOLUTELY 5 STARS FROM ME。Let me start this review off by saying this: If you are looking for a thriller or a domestic thriller or anything along those lines， this book is not it。 Now if you go into it thinking that this book is about a con artist and enjoy having two strong female lead characters then this is the book for you。 Audible gasps came from my mouth。 This book is everything that I have been missing this month。 The dual perspectives that sometimes tend to get lost in the story were just so seamless in this writing。 I was captivated by the first 5 pages and that stayed true all the way till the end。 Julie Clark is a new to me author （even though I do own The Last Flight， I just haven't read it yet lol） and I honestly can't wait to read her other books， which trust me will be this year， I just have to finish my hot book summer list first。 Had I known how much I was going to love this book I would have put The Last Flight on my list but alas I didn't and I shall forever shame myself for that lol。 I do want to say that there was some mention of SA so just keep that in mind for Trigger Warnings。 It is not gone into grave detail about what happens with the SA but with the way that Julie Clark writes， you don't need her to go into graphic detail for you to understand that is what she is referencing。 The ending。。。 oh my gosh that ending。 I would have never have expected it。 I literally laid on my couch last night after work and didn't go to sleep until I finished this， that is how drawn into it I was。 。。。more

Suzy Tyson ，

Absolutely hooked from the very beginning。 An easy and addicting read with a unique female lead villain/heroine。 Should you love her or loathe her？ You'll have to read to make that decision for yourself l！ Absolutely hooked from the very beginning。 An easy and addicting read with a unique female lead villain/heroine。 Should you love her or loathe her？ You'll have to read to make that decision for yourself l！ 。。。more

Sonica ，

Another brilliant storyline by Julie Clark， who has quite easily made me a forever fan。 Like her debut LAST FLIGHT， this was such a wild ride！！！ It will keep you guessing and you won’t want to set it down once you start。 This woman-centric thriller has realistic characters and moral dilemmas that will make your head spin！

Kerri Brown ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 3。5 stars。 I really liked the story and the ending。 I would have liked to have more of the story about Meg and her cons。

Jes Pappalardo ，

Very solid 4。5 stars！ Julie Clark has done it again - this book drew me in for the first chapter and I found it very hard to put down after。 I loved the characters and how everything came full circle。 Highly recommend！

Geonn Cannon ，

This book is。。。 uh。 I don't want to use the word "dull。" But I read a chunk in the morning and when I went back to pick it up again that night， I thought， "I don't remember a single thing I read。" So I went back and realized I did remember but it hadn't really stuck in my head。 And then I finished this morning and， once it was over， it was out of my brain so fast I forgot to mark it as finished。So I mean。。。 I guess it's a good way to kill some time without doing too much heavy lifting （there IS This book is。。。 uh。 I don't want to use the word "dull。" But I read a chunk in the morning and when I went back to pick it up again that night， I thought， "I don't remember a single thing I read。" So I went back and realized I did remember but it hadn't really stuck in my head。 And then I finished this morning and， once it was over， it was out of my brain so fast I forgot to mark it as finished。So I mean。。。 I guess it's a good way to kill some time without doing too much heavy lifting （there IS a sexual assault， politicians are cartoonish villains who make casual jokes about "crackheads and welfare mothers"， and all the men are just basically jerks who get in the way of women， so consider all that a content warning）。 。。。more

Sandy ，

Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book， in exchange for a fair and honest review。Meg （or Maggie or Melody or a variety of other names） has a fairly desperate backstory。 Her mother， seriously ill， was tricked out of their home by a predatory man， Ron， and the two of them spent her last year of life， and Meg's last year of high school， living in their car。 When the book opens， a few years have passed and Meg is living a marginal life - still living in the car， eking out a living by working at Thanks to Netgalley for an ARC of this book， in exchange for a fair and honest review。Meg （or Maggie or Melody or a variety of other names） has a fairly desperate backstory。 Her mother， seriously ill， was tricked out of their home by a predatory man， Ron， and the two of them spent her last year of life， and Meg's last year of high school， living in their car。 When the book opens， a few years have passed and Meg is living a marginal life - still living in the car， eking out a living by working at the Y （where she can take showers and do laundry）， and by getting dates through online dating services， so that she can score a meal and perhaps steal things from the men's houses if the opportunity arises。Things change when she discovers a teacher at her old high school is on the dating site。 Thinking back to high school， she also recalls the one girl who was nice to her， but who suddenly disappeared from school。 She meets the former teacher， now a high school principal， and works her way into being a live-in girlfriend。 She finds out that he had seduced the girl she remembers from high school， and other teenage girls， and is currently doing the same thing， so she decided to make him pay for this。 She manages to clean out his bank account， then sends evidence of his behavior to the newspaper， the police， and a teacher at his current school who dislikes him。 She then leaves town。Ten years later， she's back in California， and sees an opportunity to get revenge on Ron， who's now running for office。 She also connects with Kat， a former reporter， who was raped by the high school principal's best friend while investigating the original story， and who has basically been suffering from psychological effects ever since。 Kat blames Meg for this， and decides to worm her way into Meg's life to punish her for this。So， we have two women， basically trying to each work their own con， but becoming somewhat unwillingly closer at the same time。 While Meg is by far the more accomplished con artist， Kat is trying to work her own game。 And， of course， other people become implicated。I really enjoyed this book。 I liked both Meg and Kat， and was rooting for them the whole time。 It's a fast moving story， and I really enjoyed the twists and turns。 。。。more

Bookreporter。com Mystery & Thriller ，

Julie Clark follows up her critically acclaimed and instant bestseller THE LAST FLIGHT with THE LIES I TELL， a feminist， urgent call for justice， told in two distinct， unputdownable storylines。Ten years ago， Kat Roberts was an ambitious reporter helping a more senior journalist cover the explosive case of a school principal who was found to have been grooming and coercing underage girls into sexual relationships。 In her research on the accused， Cory Dempsey， Kat discovered someone far more inter Julie Clark follows up her critically acclaimed and instant bestseller THE LAST FLIGHT with THE LIES I TELL， a feminist， urgent call for justice， told in two distinct， unputdownable storylines。Ten years ago， Kat Roberts was an ambitious reporter helping a more senior journalist cover the explosive case of a school principal who was found to have been grooming and coercing underage girls into sexual relationships。 In her research on the accused， Cory Dempsey， Kat discovered someone far more interesting: Cory’s girlfriend， Meg Williams， who is believed to have blown the whistle on her creepy beau and potentially saved dozens of young ladies from his predatory ways。However， following a tip from Meg， Kat put her life and her career at risk。 For the last decade， Kat has kept tabs on the conniving， potentially heroic woman， desperate to ruin Meg’s life the same way she ruined Kat’s。 So when Meg emerges in sunny Los Angeles as a real estate agent working under her own name， Kat knows this is her chance to seek justice。 But that will mean figuring out who Meg really is and who her target has been all along。Jumping back to October 2009， we meet a young Meg， who is still struggling through ever-increasing payments for her mother’s funeral。 Her relatively plain appearance in her youth has allowed her an unfiltered gaze into the workings of the world， starting with her teacher， Mr。 Dempsey。 Meg， who carried her books not in a backpack but in a grocery store bag， found a quiet support in popular girl Kristen， who cited “girl code” as her moral compass。 But when Kristen disappeared in the middle of the school year and Mr。 Dempsey relocated， Meg saw the hints of a scandal。 Soon after， Meg's mother was swindled out of her family home and her own future by a charming man named Ron Ashton。 Meg realized that women can expect very little from men but heartache and devastation， and she began to train herself in exposing them。Now a 21-year-old bombshell who is adept at mining social media clues to unravel the innermost secrets， desires and tells of men， Meg has developed a steady system of conning men out of free dinners to supplement living in her van and working morning shifts at a YMCA。 But when she spots Mr。 Dempsey on a dating website， she sees an opportunity to right a wrong and deliver a Robin Hood–esque justice to herself and teenage Kristen。 She just can’t predict how far her plan will take her。Still reeling from the trauma of her investigation into Meg 10 years ago， Kat has become a woman molded by her fears。 But she has remained steadfast in her only goal: outing Meg for the con artist she is and making her pay for the direction her life has taken。 So when she tracks Meg to a fundraiser for local politician Ron Ashton， her plan seems easy。 She knows that Meg has held several different identities over the years and has likely swindled countless men and women out of their lives and livelihoods。 When she hires Meg to be her own real estate agent， Kat believes that she can use this closeness to better predict Meg’s next steps。But Kat soon realizes that nothing is black and white for the accomplished con artist， including justice， and that maybe， just maybe， she’s been angry at the wrong person all along。 At the same time， Meg has her own reasons for reemerging with her real name and with a real connection to her past in Ron Ashton。 Her greatest con yet will take her to new， death-defying lengths and push her talents as a con artist to their limits。 Clark exposes a world controlled by men， where women must think two steps ahead to succeed and are simultaneously labeled as conniving and manipulative for doing so。 As Kat and Meg develop a close friendship， the lies and histories stack up until nothing is clear， except the path to revenge。Once again， Clark has penned a razor-sharp， character-driven domestic suspense that thrills as easily as it encourages its readers to second-guess themselves， their moral compasses and their definitions of justice。 Having already exposed the dark corners of a world ready to take advantage of desperate women in THE LAST FLIGHT， Clark here turns her gaze inward and asks what women are willing to sacrifice in the pursuit of revenge。 She is a skillful， taut and clever plotter of mysteries and psychological thrills， but it is her multifaceted， complex and incredibly layered characters who elevate her novels to something totally fresh and original。I found myself equally invested in and rooting for each woman in this intriguing cat-and-mouse game。 The pace is breathless and unrelenting， the thrills are evenly and deliberately placed， and the character reveals are deep， emotionally resonant and keenly observed。 Clark’s handling of her dual perspectives and timelines is so skilled that you barely have the sense of her pulling the strings behind the scenes， or of being led into a mystery far deeper than you originally signed up for。 Yet the mastery is there， pulsing and immediate。At the same time， Clark has managed to weave in a skewering takedown of the details we reveal on social media and how easily our own posts and check-ins can be used against us。 This makes THE LIES I TELL a smart and sharp cautionary tale， as well as an utterly unputdownable thriller。Reviewed by Rebecca Munro 。。。more

James F。 ，

4。5 The lies I tell reads like a movie Meg Williams is a con artist nothing about her is real she can be a life coach， realtor， college student a decorator to the stars。 She tells you exactly what you want to hear and by the time she done she cleaned out your bank accounts。Excellent read enjoyed the characters and the story。

Hana ，

3。5

Corrine-The Book Broad （❁´◡`❁） ，

3。5🌟

Megan Zimmer ，

4。5 stars。 Really good read， could not put it down！

Sophia ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I loved this one。 Female revenge is my favorite genre。 The only thing that bothered me was the hatred of the woman who was only trying to help the journalist， she had no idea she would be assaulted

Jennifer Lynn ，

Great premise for a story and I liked how the author wrapped up all the details at the end。

AmyReadsAll ，

Interesting story - easy read。

Sofia Valdivia ，

I flew through this book， and absolutely loved it！ I think it was even better than The Last fFight （which I also loved） and was a fresh take on a con artist story， which has been done a lot lately。 I would call it a feminist thriller - the relationship between the two woman narrators was so complex and well written。 Neither woman was reliable， but you were also rooting for both of them。

Brenda Ortner ，

I was a page turner for sure！ The ending makes me wonder if she could have an additional story about Kat？！ I would recommend this book and plan to read her other bestsellers， The Ones We Choose and The Last Flight。

Emily ，

So， so good！！ I loved The Last Flight， but I loved this one even more！

Annie ，

A really good domestic suspense book involving a con artist and a reporter investigating the con artist。 Things are not always as they appear。 I loved the ending for both of the women。 Highly recommend

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Lies I Tell

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Lies I Tell&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Lies I Tell&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0