The Lie by Kathryn Croft is a psych thriller that takes the reader in one direction before completely switching it up, leaving one wondering what the truth of the situation is.
I know that sounds convoluted, but I’ll try to explain.
In this case, Lucy and her family hold a bbq. Her son’s girlfriend (Rose) goes missing that same night. Blame falls on her son, Jacob, who isn’t exactly forthcoming in what was going on that night.
The story unfolds via alternating chapters with points of view from Lucy and Rose’s mom, Carrie. And every so often, there is a chapter from Rose. But it is difficult to tell when and where Rose is speaking from.
That, of course, comes clear, but not until later in the book. Most of the plot centers around where Rose is, and what actually happened that night.
As such, there are a lot of repetitive moments. Lucy had no idea what was going on with Jacob. Should she have known? Could she have paid more attention? Who knows. But she asks herself that several times. Carrie does the same. These are the parts that put the psych in psych thriller.
There’s a lot of introspection.
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Ava, Jacob’s sister, goes between being a bookworm to screaming that she hates everyone. A mention late in the story of bullying and a potential diagnosis from Rose herself seems contrived and unsupported.
Carrie has a relationship with Joe, but it obviously isn’t working for them, as they both show interest in other people. I’m not saying who, because that would give away part of the plot. And it’s an important part.
I was intrigued by the story, but in retrospect, there are a lot of characters and points that go nowhere. Carrie’s ex, issues in London, Lucy’s quest to protect Jacob by doing something rash…all feel somewhat contrived.
That being said, at the end of Part II (there are three parts) my jaw literally dropped. And that’s when everything comes together.
While The Lie isn’t perfect, Kathryn Croft has written a solid psych thriller that had me reading late into the night to find out what happened to Rose.
