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Behind Every Lie
If you can’t remember it, how do you prove you didn’t do it?
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.
Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, Christina McDonald has crafted another “complex, emotionally intense� (Publishers Weekly) domestic thriller. Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street. She can’t remember what happened but the police are highly suspicious of her.
Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. And with violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
Told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, Christina McDonald has crafted another “complex, emotionally intense� (Publishers Weekly) domestic thriller. Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.
336 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2020
470 people are currently reading
26.5k people want to read
About the author
Christina McDonald
11books2,906followersAbout this author
Christina McDonald is the award-winning, USA Today and Amazon charts bestselling author of What Lies In Darkness, The Stranger At Black Lake, These Still Black Waters, Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell, which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she now lives in London, England, with her husband, two sons, and their dog, Tango.
Christina McDonald is the award-winning, USA Today and Amazon charts bestselling author of What Lies In Darkness, The Stranger At Black Lake, These Still Black Waters, Do No Harm, Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell, which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she now lives in London, England, with her husband, two sons, and their dog, Tango.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,429 reviews
February 5, 2020
I hang on to every word she writes. The follow-up to The Night Olivia Fell is just as tense, compelling, and emotional. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Eva Hansen has been struck by lightning and wakes up covered in blood. Her mother was murdered, and Eva has no idea what happened, and why is she covered in blood?
Behind Every Lie is filled with twists and turns, and it kept me guessing and on my toes throughout. What’s most special about it, though, is the emotional mother-daughter relationship between Eva and Kat. I actually had to put the book aside because of the place I was in emotionally at the time - it was that visceral, powerful, authentic. I picked the book back up when I was ready, and I hugged it at the end. If you haven’t experienced Christina McDonald’s storytelling, you simply have to. Another five stars for her from me.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: and instagram:
Eva Hansen has been struck by lightning and wakes up covered in blood. Her mother was murdered, and Eva has no idea what happened, and why is she covered in blood?
Behind Every Lie is filled with twists and turns, and it kept me guessing and on my toes throughout. What’s most special about it, though, is the emotional mother-daughter relationship between Eva and Kat. I actually had to put the book aside because of the place I was in emotionally at the time - it was that visceral, powerful, authentic. I picked the book back up when I was ready, and I hugged it at the end. If you haven’t experienced Christina McDonald’s storytelling, you simply have to. Another five stars for her from me.
I received a complimentary copy. All opinions are my own.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: and instagram:
July 19, 2021
Three more confusing, guilt feeling, my head is about to explode because of overthinking stars!
I truly confess, when I read “Night Olivia Fell�, I mostly enjoyed the writing style and the author’s approach of mother and daughter relationship. But I considered that book is an emotional fiction and I didn’t find it mysterious and thrilling enough so I gave three stars which I regretted and thought to write an upgraded review because nothing was irritating about the book. Just I wished to read something more heart throbbing and juicy.
And this new book is more than juicy! It is raw, rare, head spinning kind of twisty, full of surprises but those too much sucker punching, back stabbing, you didn’t see it coming did you moron reader, look I am so smart and you just paralyzed with shock, you cannot even move an inch kind of edgy, stunning, sudden twists are TOO MUCH to absorb. There are so many coincidences. ( I don’t want to give spoilers but Kat’s realization about some important pieces of puzzle depending on remembering the suspicious guy’s watch brand! Because her abuser husband preferred the same brand of watch! Oh come on!!!!!)
The story starts with celebration dinner!Eva, her mother Kat, brother Andrew and mother’s bestie, her fairy auntie Lily gather together to raise their glasses for Kat’s heroic act to save an innocent child.
We catch glimpses about mother and daughter’s problematic relationship. Eva has a secret about her past that no one believes in her. She keeps the police reports secret from her fiancee and she terrifies her mother can spill the beans so she hesitates to introduce him to her family.
And then at the next chapter she finds herself at the hospital bed, STRUCK BY THE LIGHTNING ( yes, you read it right, I don’t know why the author found so extreme solution to punish her character. Without any light striking or natural disaster, Eva may still suffer from amnesia. Her brain may naturally rejects the things happened that night because of heavy traumatic experience she endured.)
She finds out her mother stabbed several times and brutally murdered. And she is the prime suspect of the killing! So she needs to gather the lost pieces of her memory but to do it effectively, she needs to face the secrets and lies that her family had carried for years.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Two POVED story-telling and impeccable, genuine, natural, well-rounded characterization: Both Kat and Eva suffered from different traumas ( abuse, rape, abandonment, violence, rejection) but they are capable to find their own ways to survive and discover who they are. Both of them are not great examples of heroines. They have flaws, obsessions, insecurities but these attributes help us to empathize them and understand their way of thinking, what they did wrong.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
There are so many coincidences. I had hard time to understand the motives of the probable killer waiting for so long to avenge. (Because his or her motivation had to depend on something sacred and emotional but this person doesn’t have any of them. So this makes let� s say him or her a caricatured, artificial “bad guy�!
And all of those abuse, suicide, schematic runaway plans, disguises, stalker, obsessive characters are too much for one story. All those materials could be used for two different books!!! We didn’t need so much surprises to engage with the story at all.
At the revelation part, all those information makes you feel like you’re hungover from consuming at least 100 tequila and 67 Jagermeister shots (I’m talking from experience, this is my regular girls night out consuming, but I guarantee that next day you crawl and cry at least 7 hours!) or hit by a Christmas tree ( another experience but i did it myself, don’t ask me how! I think those things I drank were not only eggnogs!!!)
My spider senses guessed most of the surprises but I still kept repeated: “WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? OH ISN’T IT ENOUGH!�
Thankfully after the heroine was struck by the lightning, she wasn’t also crushed by the truck and crumbled under the falling piano coming out of nowhere at the very same night. (I don’t suggest her play lottery! She is unluckiest heroine I’ve ever seen and she may also presumed murderer! Poor Eva! (Some parts of the book I gave hysterical laughs because it turned into an over exaggerated B rated thriller movies!)
So I gave three stars but I liked the characters, riveting, fast pacing, high tempo and story telling. If there weren’t so many twists and some simpler solution to solve the mystery, I could happily give more points because the author is brilliant and has so much potential.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Pocket Books for sharing this ARC COPY with me in exchange for my honest review!
I truly confess, when I read “Night Olivia Fell�, I mostly enjoyed the writing style and the author’s approach of mother and daughter relationship. But I considered that book is an emotional fiction and I didn’t find it mysterious and thrilling enough so I gave three stars which I regretted and thought to write an upgraded review because nothing was irritating about the book. Just I wished to read something more heart throbbing and juicy.
And this new book is more than juicy! It is raw, rare, head spinning kind of twisty, full of surprises but those too much sucker punching, back stabbing, you didn’t see it coming did you moron reader, look I am so smart and you just paralyzed with shock, you cannot even move an inch kind of edgy, stunning, sudden twists are TOO MUCH to absorb. There are so many coincidences. ( I don’t want to give spoilers but Kat’s realization about some important pieces of puzzle depending on remembering the suspicious guy’s watch brand! Because her abuser husband preferred the same brand of watch! Oh come on!!!!!)
The story starts with celebration dinner!Eva, her mother Kat, brother Andrew and mother’s bestie, her fairy auntie Lily gather together to raise their glasses for Kat’s heroic act to save an innocent child.
We catch glimpses about mother and daughter’s problematic relationship. Eva has a secret about her past that no one believes in her. She keeps the police reports secret from her fiancee and she terrifies her mother can spill the beans so she hesitates to introduce him to her family.
And then at the next chapter she finds herself at the hospital bed, STRUCK BY THE LIGHTNING ( yes, you read it right, I don’t know why the author found so extreme solution to punish her character. Without any light striking or natural disaster, Eva may still suffer from amnesia. Her brain may naturally rejects the things happened that night because of heavy traumatic experience she endured.)
She finds out her mother stabbed several times and brutally murdered. And she is the prime suspect of the killing! So she needs to gather the lost pieces of her memory but to do it effectively, she needs to face the secrets and lies that her family had carried for years.
WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE BOOK:
Two POVED story-telling and impeccable, genuine, natural, well-rounded characterization: Both Kat and Eva suffered from different traumas ( abuse, rape, abandonment, violence, rejection) but they are capable to find their own ways to survive and discover who they are. Both of them are not great examples of heroines. They have flaws, obsessions, insecurities but these attributes help us to empathize them and understand their way of thinking, what they did wrong.
WHAT I DON’T LIKE ABOUT IT:
There are so many coincidences. I had hard time to understand the motives of the probable killer waiting for so long to avenge. (Because his or her motivation had to depend on something sacred and emotional but this person doesn’t have any of them. So this makes let� s say him or her a caricatured, artificial “bad guy�!
And all of those abuse, suicide, schematic runaway plans, disguises, stalker, obsessive characters are too much for one story. All those materials could be used for two different books!!! We didn’t need so much surprises to engage with the story at all.
At the revelation part, all those information makes you feel like you’re hungover from consuming at least 100 tequila and 67 Jagermeister shots (I’m talking from experience, this is my regular girls night out consuming, but I guarantee that next day you crawl and cry at least 7 hours!) or hit by a Christmas tree ( another experience but i did it myself, don’t ask me how! I think those things I drank were not only eggnogs!!!)
My spider senses guessed most of the surprises but I still kept repeated: “WHAT? WHAT? WHAT? OH ISN’T IT ENOUGH!�
Thankfully after the heroine was struck by the lightning, she wasn’t also crushed by the truck and crumbled under the falling piano coming out of nowhere at the very same night. (I don’t suggest her play lottery! She is unluckiest heroine I’ve ever seen and she may also presumed murderer! Poor Eva! (Some parts of the book I gave hysterical laughs because it turned into an over exaggerated B rated thriller movies!)
So I gave three stars but I liked the characters, riveting, fast pacing, high tempo and story telling. If there weren’t so many twists and some simpler solution to solve the mystery, I could happily give more points because the author is brilliant and has so much potential.
Special thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Pocket Books for sharing this ARC COPY with me in exchange for my honest review!
July 3, 2020
**NOW AVAILABLE, DON'T MISS THIS ONE***
Do you like twisty, turny plots that make your head spin and unreliable narrators? Then this is the book for you!! This is the first book that I have read by this author.
Eva is the ultimate unreliable narrator as she has been struck by lightning and can’t remember much, if anything, about the night that her mother was murdered, along with an unnamed man. She was, however, found by the police not very far from her mother’s house, outside in the storm, known to have been struck by lightning. When hospitalized she is unconscious at first, unable to speak and in an incredible amount of pain. She also exhibited red, feathery lines on her arm, defined by Wikipedia as follows �90% of those struck by lightning survive, the electrical discharge scars some of them with a tattoo-like mark, known as the Lichtenberg figure. ... The blistering heat, light, and electricity can also damage your eyes.�
Eva can only remember going out to dinner with her mother, Kat, Lily, her mother’s best friend and her brother Andrew, in honor of her mother receiving an award for saving a child’s life.The rest is a blur of flashes in her memory.
The police consider Eva a suspect but in her mind she is quite certain she didn’t kill her mother though she has some disturbing flashbacks at times. She leaves the hospital, against the doctor’s advice, with her fiance, Liam, to his secluded home.
This novel is told from two points of view, Eva’s, and Kat, her mother. It is also told in two storylines, the past, told through Kat’s voice, and the present, Eva’s voice. This can be confusing at first, but hang in there and all will be explained by the end.
Eva also travels to London where she believes there are clues to unravel her history and this murder, so you have two cities where the novel takes place. London was Kat’s home before settling in Seattle. Everyone has secrets, including Eva and her relationship with her mother had at times been rocky, they have very different personalities. Eva felt “I couldn’t trust anything. Not what I remembered, not what I thought I saw, Not myself.�
I enjoyed this book because it really kept me guessing until the end. There are a multitude of characters, including; Eva, Kat, Lily, Liam and Jacob, her childhood friend. This is one of those books that would be best read in several consecutive sittings, at least that was the only way that I could keep track of what was going on.
This was a 4 ½ star rounded down to a 4 because you really have to suspend some belief because of the large cast of characters and the multitude of puzzle pieces that must come together for a resolution.
I would still recommend this book to mystery/thriller readers who like an intricately plotted novel. I look forward to the next novel from this author.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
The novel is set to publish on February 4, 2020. This was a Traveling Sisters read.
Do you like twisty, turny plots that make your head spin and unreliable narrators? Then this is the book for you!! This is the first book that I have read by this author.
Eva is the ultimate unreliable narrator as she has been struck by lightning and can’t remember much, if anything, about the night that her mother was murdered, along with an unnamed man. She was, however, found by the police not very far from her mother’s house, outside in the storm, known to have been struck by lightning. When hospitalized she is unconscious at first, unable to speak and in an incredible amount of pain. She also exhibited red, feathery lines on her arm, defined by Wikipedia as follows �90% of those struck by lightning survive, the electrical discharge scars some of them with a tattoo-like mark, known as the Lichtenberg figure. ... The blistering heat, light, and electricity can also damage your eyes.�
Eva can only remember going out to dinner with her mother, Kat, Lily, her mother’s best friend and her brother Andrew, in honor of her mother receiving an award for saving a child’s life.The rest is a blur of flashes in her memory.
The police consider Eva a suspect but in her mind she is quite certain she didn’t kill her mother though she has some disturbing flashbacks at times. She leaves the hospital, against the doctor’s advice, with her fiance, Liam, to his secluded home.
This novel is told from two points of view, Eva’s, and Kat, her mother. It is also told in two storylines, the past, told through Kat’s voice, and the present, Eva’s voice. This can be confusing at first, but hang in there and all will be explained by the end.
Eva also travels to London where she believes there are clues to unravel her history and this murder, so you have two cities where the novel takes place. London was Kat’s home before settling in Seattle. Everyone has secrets, including Eva and her relationship with her mother had at times been rocky, they have very different personalities. Eva felt “I couldn’t trust anything. Not what I remembered, not what I thought I saw, Not myself.�
I enjoyed this book because it really kept me guessing until the end. There are a multitude of characters, including; Eva, Kat, Lily, Liam and Jacob, her childhood friend. This is one of those books that would be best read in several consecutive sittings, at least that was the only way that I could keep track of what was going on.
This was a 4 ½ star rounded down to a 4 because you really have to suspend some belief because of the large cast of characters and the multitude of puzzle pieces that must come together for a resolution.
I would still recommend this book to mystery/thriller readers who like an intricately plotted novel. I look forward to the next novel from this author.
I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher through Edelweiss.
The novel is set to publish on February 4, 2020. This was a Traveling Sisters read.
May 10, 2021
Christina McDonald pulled my heartstrings every which way with her emotional mystery The Night Olivia Fell. Now she is giving us a suspenseful thriller about a woman who wakes up from having been struck by lightning and finding out that her mother has been murdered. Eva has vague and confusing thoughts about having been with her mother when she was murdered, with blood everywhere, including on Eva's own hands and now a detective is hounding her for the details of that night. But just like the time Eva experienced another traumatic event in her life, she can't remember what happened that night.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Eva and her mother Kat. There are so many coincidences (or are they coincidences?), shocks, twists, mysteries, piled on, one after another, that I wasn't able to enjoy the ride with this story. So very much happened to Eva (and her mom Kat) that I was waiting for them all to get struck by lightning (twice for Eva), with lightning flashing behind characters at critical moments. But rest assured, even if Eva didn't get struck by lightning twice, about every other bad thing that could happen to a person did happen to her. It all was more than a bit too much for me. Even so, I want to thank the author for taking good care of the cat.
Published February 4, 2020.
Thank you to Gallery, Pocket Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
The story is told from the viewpoints of Eva and her mother Kat. There are so many coincidences (or are they coincidences?), shocks, twists, mysteries, piled on, one after another, that I wasn't able to enjoy the ride with this story. So very much happened to Eva (and her mom Kat) that I was waiting for them all to get struck by lightning (twice for Eva), with lightning flashing behind characters at critical moments. But rest assured, even if Eva didn't get struck by lightning twice, about every other bad thing that could happen to a person did happen to her. It all was more than a bit too much for me. Even so, I want to thank the author for taking good care of the cat.
Published February 4, 2020.
Thank you to Gallery, Pocket Books and NetGalley for this ARC.
November 9, 2019
Christina McDonald follows up her smashing debut The Night Olivia Fell with another winner. McDonald starts with a bang, then builds the action steadily, a gradual unfolding of secrets and lies that will have you constantly switching alliances. Read it like I did, in one sitting and straight through to The End, because you won't want to put this one down.
January 9, 2020
Eva Hansen woke up in a hospital after being struck by lightning and was told that her Mother, Katherine had been murdered. Eva was found unconscious on the street and is now being questioned by the police. With no memory of that night, she is determined to learn that truth. This is not the first time in her life, that her memory has failed her. She had another traumatic night in her past and had only a vague memory of that event. Is she an unreliable narrator, or has the lightening affected her memory as her treating physician said it could? If lightning is affecting her memory in the present, what caused her lack of memory in the past?
This book is told through both Kat (Katherine) and Eva's POV. We get to learn what each woman is thinking and what/if any her secrets are. As the book progresses, we learn more about each woman's history and learn some family secrets.
There are some twists and turns in this book and some coincidences. I had high hopes for this book after reading and found this one to be enjoyable but it didn't blow me away as did. Like other reviewers, I felt as if the author threw everything but the kitchen sink at Eva. But what I did enjoy is that I learned some things about the side effects of being struck by lightning and enjoyed the POV's of each woman. I also like that she did have me guessing about whodunit. I changed my mind several times while reading. I also enjoyed the fast pace of this book. It did make for a fast read.
*I'm teetering between a 3 and 3.5 stars
Thank you to Gallery, Pocket books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
**This was a Traveling Sisters Group Read
This book is told through both Kat (Katherine) and Eva's POV. We get to learn what each woman is thinking and what/if any her secrets are. As the book progresses, we learn more about each woman's history and learn some family secrets.
There are some twists and turns in this book and some coincidences. I had high hopes for this book after reading and found this one to be enjoyable but it didn't blow me away as did. Like other reviewers, I felt as if the author threw everything but the kitchen sink at Eva. But what I did enjoy is that I learned some things about the side effects of being struck by lightning and enjoyed the POV's of each woman. I also like that she did have me guessing about whodunit. I changed my mind several times while reading. I also enjoyed the fast pace of this book. It did make for a fast read.
*I'm teetering between a 3 and 3.5 stars
Thank you to Gallery, Pocket books and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own.
**This was a Traveling Sisters Group Read
February 3, 2020
It’s no secret how much I love Christina McDonald. She is one of the kindest authors out there who loves to share her time with her readers. We had the pleasure of her joining us twice for an author Q & A. She joined us in our Behind the Pages ŷ group and talked a bit about Behind Every Lie. At that time, I hadn’t read Behind Every Lie.
To view the Q & A
/topic/show/...
I loved The Night Olivia Fell and highly recommend if you haven’t read that one to read it. It’s one not to be missed. Behind Every Lie is quite a bit different from The Night Olivia Fell and it’s best going into it knowing that and trying not to compare the two. I found The Night Olivia Fell to have more emotional depth to it and Behind Every Lie to be a twisty and suspenseful mystery with unreliable characters.
Behind Every Lie is a domestic thriller with all the elements that make for a readable, fast-paced, intense and suspenseful one. The characters are unreliable and interesting and left me guessing who to trust and not. There is quite of bit of drama here that left my head spinning and I felt like I was doing the twist with those layered twists and turns in all that drama. There are a few things explored here within this mystery and the mother-daughter relationship and there is plenty to unpack here with the secrets and lies that add some tension to the story.
I received a copy to read and review from Christina McDonald.
Our reviews can be found on a blog
Our Q & A on our blog
To view the Q & A
/topic/show/...
I loved The Night Olivia Fell and highly recommend if you haven’t read that one to read it. It’s one not to be missed. Behind Every Lie is quite a bit different from The Night Olivia Fell and it’s best going into it knowing that and trying not to compare the two. I found The Night Olivia Fell to have more emotional depth to it and Behind Every Lie to be a twisty and suspenseful mystery with unreliable characters.
Behind Every Lie is a domestic thriller with all the elements that make for a readable, fast-paced, intense and suspenseful one. The characters are unreliable and interesting and left me guessing who to trust and not. There is quite of bit of drama here that left my head spinning and I felt like I was doing the twist with those layered twists and turns in all that drama. There are a few things explored here within this mystery and the mother-daughter relationship and there is plenty to unpack here with the secrets and lies that add some tension to the story.
I received a copy to read and review from Christina McDonald.
Our reviews can be found on a blog
Our Q & A on our blog
March 12, 2020
Unsettling, illuminating & wholly absorbing!
BEHIND EVERY LIE by CHRISTINA MCDONALD has quite the opening scene and a premise that definitely hooked me and kept me entertained and completely invested in. It was such an emotionally intense, suspenseful, enjoyable, and entertaining mother-daughter domestic thriller. It is packed full of drama and atmosphere. The vivid descriptions added to the tension for me and definitely helped to set the mood.
CHRISTINA MCDONALD delivers a complex, captivating, dark, character-driven, gripping, intriguing and well-written read here that is told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s after being hit by lightning and Kat’s mysterious past. I thoroughly enjoyed our main character here and it was extremely fun trying to figure out if her memory was affected by being struck by lightning or if there was something else going on here. My absolute favourite is an unreliable character.
I absolutely love it when a book starts out with a bang and has plenty of questions for us to ponder but gives me this firm grasp that I know exactly where the story is headed. These types of stories are so satisfying for me as I like it when an author guides us to the conclusion and then throws in a surprising twist ending that totally works then I’m one happy reader. She writes these emotionally-charged stories that taps right into all your emotions as well as this deep sense of foreboding to make it quite the suspenseful storytelling.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Impending doom, ominous, foreboding, haunting, eye-catching and a fitting representation to storyline.
Title: Intriguing, suspenseful, affecting and an extremely fitting representation to storyline.
Writing/Prose: Engaging, taut, readable, beautiful, and well-written.
Plot: Steadily-paced, complex, fascinating, foreboding, vivid, atmospheric, suspenseful, and moving.
Ending: A dazzling, clever, and twist ending that was extremely satisfying! There were some aspects to the storyline that I felt were easy to predict but that ending totally took me by surprise!
Overall: An emotionally charged & intriguing storyline, realistic & believable familial dynamics, and a well-crafted & intense mystery. Would highly recommend!
Expected Publishing Date: February 4, 2020
Thank you so much to Christina McDonald for gifting me a copy of your book ! It was an absolute pleasure reading this novel and I LOVED the reading experience!
This review can also be seen at Traveling Sisters Book Reviews blog:
BEHIND EVERY LIE by CHRISTINA MCDONALD has quite the opening scene and a premise that definitely hooked me and kept me entertained and completely invested in. It was such an emotionally intense, suspenseful, enjoyable, and entertaining mother-daughter domestic thriller. It is packed full of drama and atmosphere. The vivid descriptions added to the tension for me and definitely helped to set the mood.
CHRISTINA MCDONALD delivers a complex, captivating, dark, character-driven, gripping, intriguing and well-written read here that is told in alternating perspectives from Eva’s after being hit by lightning and Kat’s mysterious past. I thoroughly enjoyed our main character here and it was extremely fun trying to figure out if her memory was affected by being struck by lightning or if there was something else going on here. My absolute favourite is an unreliable character.
I absolutely love it when a book starts out with a bang and has plenty of questions for us to ponder but gives me this firm grasp that I know exactly where the story is headed. These types of stories are so satisfying for me as I like it when an author guides us to the conclusion and then throws in a surprising twist ending that totally works then I’m one happy reader. She writes these emotionally-charged stories that taps right into all your emotions as well as this deep sense of foreboding to make it quite the suspenseful storytelling.
Norma’s Stats:
Cover: Impending doom, ominous, foreboding, haunting, eye-catching and a fitting representation to storyline.
Title: Intriguing, suspenseful, affecting and an extremely fitting representation to storyline.
Writing/Prose: Engaging, taut, readable, beautiful, and well-written.
Plot: Steadily-paced, complex, fascinating, foreboding, vivid, atmospheric, suspenseful, and moving.
Ending: A dazzling, clever, and twist ending that was extremely satisfying! There were some aspects to the storyline that I felt were easy to predict but that ending totally took me by surprise!
Overall: An emotionally charged & intriguing storyline, realistic & believable familial dynamics, and a well-crafted & intense mystery. Would highly recommend!
Expected Publishing Date: February 4, 2020
Thank you so much to Christina McDonald for gifting me a copy of your book ! It was an absolute pleasure reading this novel and I LOVED the reading experience!
This review can also be seen at Traveling Sisters Book Reviews blog:
February 18, 2020
Talk about a dark cloud hanging overhead! Poor Eva! What could go wrong for Eva did go wrong!
Eva Hansen awakens in the hospital only to find that her mother has been murdered. And every eye is on her since she was found near her mother’s home. Only Eva doesn’t remember that night at all...since she was knocked unconscious when she was struck by lightning! (And that’s just the beginning).
Lol! I shouldn’t laugh...but Eva is one of the unluckiest characters I have ever come across! It’s a wonder she gets out of bed each morning! I think I’d be scared to!
This is my second read by Christina McDonald and while her previous novel The Night Olivia Fell was a five star read for me, this one just fell short. I can usually suspend my believability, but it was just a bit too much. That said, I will still be reaching for her next novel!
A buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Pocket Books and Christina McDonald for an ARC to read and review.
Eva Hansen awakens in the hospital only to find that her mother has been murdered. And every eye is on her since she was found near her mother’s home. Only Eva doesn’t remember that night at all...since she was knocked unconscious when she was struck by lightning! (And that’s just the beginning).
Lol! I shouldn’t laugh...but Eva is one of the unluckiest characters I have ever come across! It’s a wonder she gets out of bed each morning! I think I’d be scared to!
This is my second read by Christina McDonald and while her previous novel The Night Olivia Fell was a five star read for me, this one just fell short. I can usually suspend my believability, but it was just a bit too much. That said, I will still be reaching for her next novel!
A buddy read with Susanne!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Pocket Books and Christina McDonald for an ARC to read and review.
February 16, 2020
Brilliant, tense, addictive, and memorable! Christina McDonald has done it again... this book was as thrilling as her first book was emotional.The Night Olivia Fell sits proudly on my favorites shelf where I will be placing this book as well. Both Olivia and this book focus on the mother daughter relationship. Olivia was a raw emotionally charged story, this book is more of a pulse pounding edge of your seat thriller. Both books were so compelling yet very different. I think this shows the strength of Christina‘s marvelous storytelling. Eva wakes up in the hospital to find out she has been struck by lightning and that her mother has been murdered. She has no recollection of the night before, no idea how she ended up out on the street without her coat near her mothers house in a rain storm, and how she ended up covered in blood. There is no way she had anything to do with the murder of her mother.... right?
Oh boy what a wild ride! The story is told from two alternating perspectives Eva trying to figure out what happened in the present and her mother Katharine in the past. It looks as though Katharine has some explaining to do. Has Katharine’s past caugh up with her? Was it the secrets she’s been trying so hard to hide that led to her murder? This is a fast paced thriller that will have you tearing through the pages needing to know what is going on. Eva is a great unreliable narrator and I loved puzzling this story together with her. The story has so much atmosphere that added to the overall tension of the plot. There were so many times I was so worried about the safety of Eva (The girl was not listening to my warnings, anyone else talk to their books?). Such a captivating tale, cannot wait to see what is next up from Christina McDonald.
This book in emojis⚡️ 🔪 🧸 👩�
Behind every "Truth" there is always a "Lie", Behind every " Lie" there is always a "Reason", and behind every " Reason" there is always a "Person"....
shujoy chowdhury
*** Big thank you to Gallery for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
Oh boy what a wild ride! The story is told from two alternating perspectives Eva trying to figure out what happened in the present and her mother Katharine in the past. It looks as though Katharine has some explaining to do. Has Katharine’s past caugh up with her? Was it the secrets she’s been trying so hard to hide that led to her murder? This is a fast paced thriller that will have you tearing through the pages needing to know what is going on. Eva is a great unreliable narrator and I loved puzzling this story together with her. The story has so much atmosphere that added to the overall tension of the plot. There were so many times I was so worried about the safety of Eva (The girl was not listening to my warnings, anyone else talk to their books?). Such a captivating tale, cannot wait to see what is next up from Christina McDonald.
This book in emojis⚡️ 🔪 🧸 👩�
Behind every "Truth" there is always a "Lie", Behind every " Lie" there is always a "Reason", and behind every " Reason" there is always a "Person"....
shujoy chowdhury
*** Big thank you to Gallery for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
November 10, 2019
I loved “The Night Olivia Fell� and when I reviewed it, I described it as “emotional and suspenseful�.
The relationship between Mother and Daughter felt so authentic and having to say “GOODBYE� was “heartbreaking�!
In this book, I am guessing that the author was going for more of a “thriller with twists you won’t see coming� story.
But, I preferred the style of her first book-more of a suspenseful, women’s fiction novel.
I missed the well developed characters and relationships of her debut-the more realistic dialogue, the anguish....
The “GOODBYES� in this book seemed too easy- the characters didn’t seem to feel any loss or pain.
This book required the reader to SUSPEND DISBELIEF.
I don’t do well with that.
At all.
But, as you can see from the many 5 star reviews, there are definitely readers who have no problem doing that!
Perhaps YOU will be one of those readers??
Many thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review. This title will be released on Feb. 4, 2020.
The relationship between Mother and Daughter felt so authentic and having to say “GOODBYE� was “heartbreaking�!
In this book, I am guessing that the author was going for more of a “thriller with twists you won’t see coming� story.
But, I preferred the style of her first book-more of a suspenseful, women’s fiction novel.
I missed the well developed characters and relationships of her debut-the more realistic dialogue, the anguish....
The “GOODBYES� in this book seemed too easy- the characters didn’t seem to feel any loss or pain.
This book required the reader to SUSPEND DISBELIEF.
I don’t do well with that.
At all.
But, as you can see from the many 5 star reviews, there are definitely readers who have no problem doing that!
Perhaps YOU will be one of those readers??
Many thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review. This title will be released on Feb. 4, 2020.
February 12, 2020
2.5 Stars
“Behind Every Lie� is now the second novel I’ve read by Christina McDonald. Going into it I had high hopes. I didn’t love “The Night Olivia Fell� - but I had listened to the audiobook and I really disliked the person who narrated the character of Abbi and I thought that might have something to do with my not liking that book. I was hoping that by my reading “Behind Every Lie� - I might have better luck, unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
When Eva Hansen comes to, in the hospital, she realizes that she has been struck by lightning and after having flashbacks, she is terrified that she was involved in something very bad. When the police come a knocking informing her that her mother was murdered and question her about her whereabouts, she is running scared, literally.
Can Eva clear her own name, before it’s too late?
Told in two povs and two timelines: Eva, in the present day and Kat (Eva’s Mother) in the past, the story unravels like a ball of yarn.
For me, “Behind Every Lie� is a novel that has way too many far-fetched moments that made me roll my eyes in disbelief. Far-fetched storylines are not my cup of tea and therefore, admittedly, this is a novel that I struggled with for that reason. That aside, “Behind Every Lie� is a short, highly readable novel that I tore through in a matter of hours. It kept my attention throughout and was definitely entertaining.
This was another buddy read with Kaceey!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the arc.
Published on NetGalley and ŷ on 2.8.20.
“Behind Every Lie� is now the second novel I’ve read by Christina McDonald. Going into it I had high hopes. I didn’t love “The Night Olivia Fell� - but I had listened to the audiobook and I really disliked the person who narrated the character of Abbi and I thought that might have something to do with my not liking that book. I was hoping that by my reading “Behind Every Lie� - I might have better luck, unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
When Eva Hansen comes to, in the hospital, she realizes that she has been struck by lightning and after having flashbacks, she is terrified that she was involved in something very bad. When the police come a knocking informing her that her mother was murdered and question her about her whereabouts, she is running scared, literally.
Can Eva clear her own name, before it’s too late?
Told in two povs and two timelines: Eva, in the present day and Kat (Eva’s Mother) in the past, the story unravels like a ball of yarn.
For me, “Behind Every Lie� is a novel that has way too many far-fetched moments that made me roll my eyes in disbelief. Far-fetched storylines are not my cup of tea and therefore, admittedly, this is a novel that I struggled with for that reason. That aside, “Behind Every Lie� is a short, highly readable novel that I tore through in a matter of hours. It kept my attention throughout and was definitely entertaining.
This was another buddy read with Kaceey!
Thank you to NetGalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the arc.
Published on NetGalley and ŷ on 2.8.20.
August 31, 2023
Eva Hanson, who lives in Whidbey Island, Washington, makes and sells beautiful decorative pottery.
Whidbey Island
However Eva is reluctant to exhibit her artwork in nearby Seattle, partly because of a terrible trauma she suffered a few years ago, which caused self-doubt and distrust. Eva now relies heavily on her fiancé Liam to take care of the bumps in her life, and Liam - a take charge kind of guy who works as property developer - is happy to do it.
Given her nervous disposition, Eva is REALLY disquieted when she wakes up in a hospital after being struck by lightning. Worse yet, Police Detective Kent Jackson tells Eva that her mother Kat was brutally murdered last night, and he makes it clear that Eva is a suspect.
Eva knows she was at her mom's house yesterday evening, but has no memory of what happened beyond flashes of a bloody scene and a knife in her hand, which she (smartly) doesn't mention to the cop.
Though Eva is woozy - and has amnesia, a lump on her head, and blistered feathery markings covering her arm (lightning-induced Lichtenberg figures) - she leaves the hospital and makes her way to her mother's house.
Lichtenberg figures
There Eva finds a letter that sends her haring off to London, where her mom Kat lived until she came to the United States.
Detective Jackson calls Eva in London, with threats to have her arrested by Interpol, but Eva refuses to return to Washington until she's completed her inquiries. And Eva makes some startling discoveries before she returns home, where she just might have to face a murder charge.
The story alternates back and forth between accounts of the past narrated by Kat, and sections about Eva's life now. It turns out that all the main protagonists in the book have big secrets, which are unveiled one by one as the story unfolds.
Other characters in the story include Eva's brother Andrew; Eva's fellow artist Melissa; Eva's childhood friend and neighbor Jacob; Kat's British employer Rose; and various men important to the tale.
The book is fast moving with plenty of action, but I do have a few quibbles.
First, I dislike stories that feature a female who puts up with a man like Liam, who expects her to defer to him about everything. Eva was too weak and submissive for a good part of the book - prattling on about how strong and reliable Liam was - and this irritated me.
Second, there are several occasions when characters make stunning discoveries, or make life-changing decisions.....and they don't have a dramatic response. It seems like they think, "Oh really," and calmly go on with their lives. This seems unrealistic.
That said, this is an enjoyable mystery/thriller. Recommended to fans of the genre.
Thanks to Netgalley, the author (Christina McDonald), and the publisher (Gallery Books) for a copy of the book.
You can follow my reviews at
December 12, 2022
When Eva wakes up in the hospital after being struck by lightning, she learns that her mother, Kat, is dead. Violently murdered. And because she was seen near her mother’s home that evening, the police have begun to suspect her for the crime. With limited memories from the night before, she is unsure of whether she can trust herself. Did she play a part in Kat’s death?
Determined to uncover the truth, Eva travels from Seattle to London to follow the clues she’s unearthed. As Eva digs through her mother’s past, she discovers that someone may not want her to uncover the truth. She’s being followed and they may kill to keep their secrets buried. As gruesome memories flood her mind, Eva doesn’t know if she can trust herself. Are they responsible for Kat’s death…or is Eva?
In a tragic story that morphs into a gripping thriller, Behind Every Lie is about long-held secrets and lies that have the power to kill. With a fantastic unreliable narrator that you alternately suspect and support throughout the book, it poses the truly terrifying question of what you would do if you couldn’t trust your memories or even yourself.
Filled with vibrant descriptive scenes that make you feel like you’re in the middle of the action, the characters are believable and genuine. The somewhat dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship is revealed through an adeptly-timed plot that twists and turns. Told in two timelines and points of view, Eva’s in the present and Kat’s in the past, it provides deep backgrounds for both characters, strengthening the story. I particularly liked the inclusion of kintsugi (a Japanese method of repairing broken pottery with gold), which mirrored Eva’s growth from a self-described broken individual into something stronger and more beautiful.
Ultimately, I found this to be a complex, intricately interwoven story that had me riveted much like her previous book, The Night Olivia Fell, did. A bit of forewarning, however, there are a considerable number of triggers in this book (although none are graphic), so please check my list at the end of this review. A thoroughly enjoyable read that puts McDonald into the auto-buy category for me. Now on to her next novel, Do No Harm. Rating of 4 stars.
Trigger warning: rape, cheating, abortion, physical abuse, domestic abuse, death of a child, memory loss, cancer
Determined to uncover the truth, Eva travels from Seattle to London to follow the clues she’s unearthed. As Eva digs through her mother’s past, she discovers that someone may not want her to uncover the truth. She’s being followed and they may kill to keep their secrets buried. As gruesome memories flood her mind, Eva doesn’t know if she can trust herself. Are they responsible for Kat’s death…or is Eva?
In a tragic story that morphs into a gripping thriller, Behind Every Lie is about long-held secrets and lies that have the power to kill. With a fantastic unreliable narrator that you alternately suspect and support throughout the book, it poses the truly terrifying question of what you would do if you couldn’t trust your memories or even yourself.
Filled with vibrant descriptive scenes that make you feel like you’re in the middle of the action, the characters are believable and genuine. The somewhat dysfunctional mother-daughter relationship is revealed through an adeptly-timed plot that twists and turns. Told in two timelines and points of view, Eva’s in the present and Kat’s in the past, it provides deep backgrounds for both characters, strengthening the story. I particularly liked the inclusion of kintsugi (a Japanese method of repairing broken pottery with gold), which mirrored Eva’s growth from a self-described broken individual into something stronger and more beautiful.
Ultimately, I found this to be a complex, intricately interwoven story that had me riveted much like her previous book, The Night Olivia Fell, did. A bit of forewarning, however, there are a considerable number of triggers in this book (although none are graphic), so please check my list at the end of this review. A thoroughly enjoyable read that puts McDonald into the auto-buy category for me. Now on to her next novel, Do No Harm. Rating of 4 stars.
Trigger warning: rape, cheating, abortion, physical abuse, domestic abuse, death of a child, memory loss, cancer
February 20, 2020
I loved “The Night Olivia Fell� and when I reviewed it, I described it as “emotional and suspenseful�.
The relationship between Mother and Daughter felt so authentic and having to say “GOODBYE� was “heartbreaking�!
In this book, I am guessing that the author was going for more of a “thriller with twists you won’t see coming� story.
But, I preferred the style of her first book.-more of a suspenseful, women’s fiction book.
I missed the well developed characters and relationships of her debut., the more realistic dialogue, the anguish....
The “GOODBYES� in this book seemed too easy. the characters didn’t seem to feel any loss or pain.
This book required the reader to SUSPEND DISBELIEF, the entire time.
I don’t do well with that.
At all.
But, as you can see from the many 5 star reviews, there are definitely readers who have no problem doing that!
Perhaps YOU will be one of those readers??
Many thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review.
The relationship between Mother and Daughter felt so authentic and having to say “GOODBYE� was “heartbreaking�!
In this book, I am guessing that the author was going for more of a “thriller with twists you won’t see coming� story.
But, I preferred the style of her first book.-more of a suspenseful, women’s fiction book.
I missed the well developed characters and relationships of her debut., the more realistic dialogue, the anguish....
The “GOODBYES� in this book seemed too easy. the characters didn’t seem to feel any loss or pain.
This book required the reader to SUSPEND DISBELIEF, the entire time.
I don’t do well with that.
At all.
But, as you can see from the many 5 star reviews, there are definitely readers who have no problem doing that!
Perhaps YOU will be one of those readers??
Many thanks to Netgalley, Gallery Books and Christina McDonald for the digital ARC I received in exchange for a candid review.
April 9, 2020
I'm somewhere between 3 and 3.5 stars.
In Behind Every Lie , a woman’s search for answers is complicated when she can’t trust her own memory.
The last thing Eva remembers is finding a knife in her hand and her mother’s body unconscious in front of her. But then the cops found her not far from her mother's house. It turns out she was struck by lightning and sustained a brain injury. And to top it off, her mother is dead and the cops suspect Eva.
She couldn’t have killed her mother, could she? They always had a prickly relationship, but why would she have killed her? As Eva tries to remember what happened that fateful night, she discovers that her mother had some secrets, but were they secrets worth killing for?
Against the advice of everyone—her fiancé, her family, her doctors, and the police—Eva goes to London to figure out what her mother was hiding. But when she gets too close, someone is willing to kill her to keep those secrets hidden. Is the truth worth the danger? And who is it that wants to keep her from finding it out?
There are a lot of twists in this book. One I figured out within the first few pages (which annoys me), but Christina McDonald kept throwing more twists and coincidences into the mix. It was confusing after a while and I had to reread part to be sure I understood.
The book's narration switches back and forth between Eva in the present and trying to make sense of that fateful night, and Kat, her mother, years later, so you understand her impetus for keeping secrets. I loved McDonald's last book, The Night Olivia Fell , so much, but although the emotional content of the story in this book resonated with me, it just didn’t appeal to me overall.
Lots of other people loved this, so I’m starting to wonder if thrillers are my jam. Don't be dissuaded by my review.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at .
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at .
See all of my reviews at .
Follow me on Instagram at
In Behind Every Lie , a woman’s search for answers is complicated when she can’t trust her own memory.
The last thing Eva remembers is finding a knife in her hand and her mother’s body unconscious in front of her. But then the cops found her not far from her mother's house. It turns out she was struck by lightning and sustained a brain injury. And to top it off, her mother is dead and the cops suspect Eva.
She couldn’t have killed her mother, could she? They always had a prickly relationship, but why would she have killed her? As Eva tries to remember what happened that fateful night, she discovers that her mother had some secrets, but were they secrets worth killing for?
Against the advice of everyone—her fiancé, her family, her doctors, and the police—Eva goes to London to figure out what her mother was hiding. But when she gets too close, someone is willing to kill her to keep those secrets hidden. Is the truth worth the danger? And who is it that wants to keep her from finding it out?
There are a lot of twists in this book. One I figured out within the first few pages (which annoys me), but Christina McDonald kept throwing more twists and coincidences into the mix. It was confusing after a while and I had to reread part to be sure I understood.
The book's narration switches back and forth between Eva in the present and trying to make sense of that fateful night, and Kat, her mother, years later, so you understand her impetus for keeping secrets. I loved McDonald's last book, The Night Olivia Fell , so much, but although the emotional content of the story in this book resonated with me, it just didn’t appeal to me overall.
Lots of other people loved this, so I’m starting to wonder if thrillers are my jam. Don't be dissuaded by my review.
Check out my list of the best books I read in 2019 at .
Check out my list of the best books of the decade at .
See all of my reviews at .
Follow me on Instagram at
January 8, 2020
5 stars. I loved the suspense & with so many twists and turns I spent a majority of the book sitting on the edge of my seat! � Excited for & moving up next, The Night Olivia Fell 👍🏻
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Releasing February 2020.
Thanks to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Releasing February 2020.
June 22, 2024
This twisty thriller opens with a lot of murky scenes as Eva, who has been struck by lightning and is now being accused of having murdered her mother, struggles to remember what happened the night her mother died. Told in dual timelines, we explore Eva trying to piece together what happened in the present (including other past events where she’s had memory lapses) and Kat, her mother’s timeline, from when Eva was a little girl. Suffice it to say there are lots of surprises and this went in directions I wasn’t expecting! Loved the vivid descriptions and the wonderful sense of suspense.
Trigger warning:
Trigger warning:
January 16, 2020
Maybe it is unfair to review a book based on the comparison to another book by the same author, but was such a wonderful and emotional debut novel that there is no way I can’t compare to it. As I mentioned above, Christina McDonald’s debut novel made such an impression on me that I was extremely excited to get my hands on an ARC copy of her new book. Unfortunately, Behind Every Lie did not live up to my expectations, which is OK, because it was still a 4 solid stars read for me. What I missed in this book were the well-developed characters and the emotional connection I felt to them. Yes, I do understand that this book was more of a suspense/thriller read, and maybe that’s why the plot was so twisted, shocking, and required for me to suspend disbelief to fully enjoy it, but the lack of characters� emotions to what was happening to them was a little off-putting.
In the end, this was still an enjoyable read, and I am Christina McDonalds’s fan for life which means I will be impatiently waiting for her new book.
Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books, and the author for providing me with and ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
In the end, this was still an enjoyable read, and I am Christina McDonalds’s fan for life which means I will be impatiently waiting for her new book.
Thank you NetGalley, Gallery Books, and the author for providing me with and ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
December 11, 2019
I'm gonna be honest here.......
Behind Every Lie is somewhat like a tossed salad in which you crouch in front of the refrigerator and throw in every ingredient within your reach. Doesn't matter if it's palatable. Just flip it into the bowl and give it a good toss.
Christina McDonald introduces us to Eva Hansen, a talented potter who rents space at the Crafted Artisan on Whidbey Island near Seattle. Life seems to be going well as Eva is newly engaged to the handsome Liam Sullivan, a successful property developer in the Seattle area.
As readers, we will soon come to find that bad mojo sticks to Eva like velcro in its grasp. McDonald takes us into an early chapter in which Eva is caught out in a hail storm one evening stumbling in the darkness as she's covered in blood. But whose blood is it and why can't she remember where she's been and what has just transpired? A lightning bolt finds its target on Eva's back and she slams to the sidewalk in a blackout.
Next scene is in the hospital where Eva is recovering. She's just been told her mother was murdered that night. Police gonna be givin' ol' Eva the side-eye from now on. Her fiance Liam can't make sense of it either.
Then McDonald flips us back twenty-five years earlier to London where we begin to lock in on Eva's mother, Kat. That's where this novel begins to ooze out all those lies mentioned in the title. In fact, the whole book is wallpapered in lies until the ending. Bring a rake.
I found McDonald's earlier novel, The Night Olivia Fell, to be quite good. That's why I was so excited to pick this one up. Behind Every Lie seems to suffer from overkill and from the weight of trying to keep the reader at a panting level throughout the read. We trip over too many threads and too many implausible situations that don't mesh well. Hitchcock kept his viewers so engaged and transfixed on a simple thread that the unexpected was exactly that. Too much is just too much.
I'd like to see what Christina McDonald has in store for the next one. I received a copy of this book for an honest review. My thanks to Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster) and to Christina McDonald for the opportunity.
Behind Every Lie is somewhat like a tossed salad in which you crouch in front of the refrigerator and throw in every ingredient within your reach. Doesn't matter if it's palatable. Just flip it into the bowl and give it a good toss.
Christina McDonald introduces us to Eva Hansen, a talented potter who rents space at the Crafted Artisan on Whidbey Island near Seattle. Life seems to be going well as Eva is newly engaged to the handsome Liam Sullivan, a successful property developer in the Seattle area.
As readers, we will soon come to find that bad mojo sticks to Eva like velcro in its grasp. McDonald takes us into an early chapter in which Eva is caught out in a hail storm one evening stumbling in the darkness as she's covered in blood. But whose blood is it and why can't she remember where she's been and what has just transpired? A lightning bolt finds its target on Eva's back and she slams to the sidewalk in a blackout.
Next scene is in the hospital where Eva is recovering. She's just been told her mother was murdered that night. Police gonna be givin' ol' Eva the side-eye from now on. Her fiance Liam can't make sense of it either.
Then McDonald flips us back twenty-five years earlier to London where we begin to lock in on Eva's mother, Kat. That's where this novel begins to ooze out all those lies mentioned in the title. In fact, the whole book is wallpapered in lies until the ending. Bring a rake.
I found McDonald's earlier novel, The Night Olivia Fell, to be quite good. That's why I was so excited to pick this one up. Behind Every Lie seems to suffer from overkill and from the weight of trying to keep the reader at a panting level throughout the read. We trip over too many threads and too many implausible situations that don't mesh well. Hitchcock kept his viewers so engaged and transfixed on a simple thread that the unexpected was exactly that. Too much is just too much.
I'd like to see what Christina McDonald has in store for the next one. I received a copy of this book for an honest review. My thanks to Gallery Books (Simon & Schuster) and to Christina McDonald for the opportunity.
April 20, 2020
3.5 Stars
If you have read The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald last year, you probably have expectations about Behind Every Lie. BEL is a totally different kind of book - more confused woman can't remember a terrible crime she may have committed and less emotional heartwrenching suspense. Told in alternating perspectives and timelines, we learn whether Eva Hansen is really responsible for her own mother's death and how exactly this came into question in the first place!
Behind Every Lie was fast paced and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. However, a lot of it was just too farfetched for me and took away some of my enjoyment. Overall, still an enjoyable read, but lacking the emotional component I loved in her prior work.
Thank you to Gallery books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
If you have read The Night Olivia Fell by Christina McDonald last year, you probably have expectations about Behind Every Lie. BEL is a totally different kind of book - more confused woman can't remember a terrible crime she may have committed and less emotional heartwrenching suspense. Told in alternating perspectives and timelines, we learn whether Eva Hansen is really responsible for her own mother's death and how exactly this came into question in the first place!
Behind Every Lie was fast paced and I couldn't turn the pages fast enough. However, a lot of it was just too farfetched for me and took away some of my enjoyment. Overall, still an enjoyable read, but lacking the emotional component I loved in her prior work.
Thank you to Gallery books for an advanced copy. All opinions are my own.
January 30, 2020
The world breaks everyone and afterward many are strong at the broken places.
-Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms
3.5 stars rounded down
has once again weaved together a fast-paced mother/daughter tale which examines those complicated, familial bonds. is a good story, but unlike , it's not a great story.
Told from the dual perspectives of Kat and Eva, the reader is submerged into decades of trauma and abuse. While there are some beautifully done metaphors scattered throughout, the whole of the story felt a little too extreme and contrived (Eva was struck by lightning minutes after her mother was murdered, for Pete's sake). Further, while it's likely due to my unedited copy of the novel, I did find a couple timeline/plot hole errors which bothered me. There was very little character development, and the relationship between the characters seemed glaringly lacking. Those beautiful, meaningful relationships was one of the highlights of The Night Olivia Fell. It's unfortunate they were missing here.
While I wasn't able to completely untangle the web of lies and deceit, I did find the antagonist to be fairly obvious very early on. Regardless of my nitpicking, this story is still a helluva ride...and I believe any fan of the suspense genre will find it well worth their time.
**Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
January 25, 2020
4.5 lightning-struck stars
This complex thriller kept me guessing! Just when I thought I had some things figured out, there was another twist.
It’s a great opening premise, the main character, Eva, is in the hospital after being struck by lightning. Her mother was murdered the same night and Eva can’t remember anything. This frustrates both the police and Eva. All the clues point to Eva being at the house that night, but is she guilty of the crime? Eva sets out to discover the truth, including a visit to London, her mother’s original hometown.
Along the way, the reader isn’t sure if her paranoia and strange behavior are symptoms of the lightning strike or is Eva pretending that she can’t remember? I didn’t quite know who to trust and there was quite the web of deceit! Some secrets are buried very deep for good reason.
There is an alternating storyline with Eva’s mother from the past and we start to get some clues that there are secrets in Kat’s life and it seems that someone doesn’t want Eva digging too much into the past. As Eva digs deeper and some memories start to return, the story builds to a stunning conclusion that I did not predict!
This is another mother-daughter domestic tale from Christina McDonald that I truly enjoyed. The pacing was excellent, and it is definitely a page-turner.
Thank you to Christina McDonald, Gallery/Pocket Books and NetGalley for an early copy of the book to read in return for an honest review. This one is out 2.4.2020
This complex thriller kept me guessing! Just when I thought I had some things figured out, there was another twist.
It’s a great opening premise, the main character, Eva, is in the hospital after being struck by lightning. Her mother was murdered the same night and Eva can’t remember anything. This frustrates both the police and Eva. All the clues point to Eva being at the house that night, but is she guilty of the crime? Eva sets out to discover the truth, including a visit to London, her mother’s original hometown.
Along the way, the reader isn’t sure if her paranoia and strange behavior are symptoms of the lightning strike or is Eva pretending that she can’t remember? I didn’t quite know who to trust and there was quite the web of deceit! Some secrets are buried very deep for good reason.
There is an alternating storyline with Eva’s mother from the past and we start to get some clues that there are secrets in Kat’s life and it seems that someone doesn’t want Eva digging too much into the past. As Eva digs deeper and some memories start to return, the story builds to a stunning conclusion that I did not predict!
This is another mother-daughter domestic tale from Christina McDonald that I truly enjoyed. The pacing was excellent, and it is definitely a page-turner.
Thank you to Christina McDonald, Gallery/Pocket Books and NetGalley for an early copy of the book to read in return for an honest review. This one is out 2.4.2020
February 13, 2020
The exciting start grabbed my attention immediately!
And the setting of Whidbey Island brought back wonderful memories of one of my favorite vacations. That area is gorgeous.
I thought the book was a bit predictable, but I love Christina’s writing style. I receive her newsletter and she’s the most generous, thoughtful and engaging author I know of. She’s wonderful at interacting with her readers.
My Rating: 3.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
Published: February 4th 2020 by Gallery Books
Pages: 336
Recommended: Yes
#NetGalley #BehindEveryLie
@Christinamac79
My review can be found on: ŷ, Twitter, Amazon, BN.com, Pinterest and BookBub.
And the setting of Whidbey Island brought back wonderful memories of one of my favorite vacations. That area is gorgeous.
I thought the book was a bit predictable, but I love Christina’s writing style. I receive her newsletter and she’s the most generous, thoughtful and engaging author I know of. She’s wonderful at interacting with her readers.
My Rating: 3.5 ⭐️’s (rounding up)
Published: February 4th 2020 by Gallery Books
Pages: 336
Recommended: Yes
#NetGalley #BehindEveryLie
@Christinamac79
My review can be found on: ŷ, Twitter, Amazon, BN.com, Pinterest and BookBub.
February 23, 2020
“They say that behind every lie is a person and a reason�.
This new emotionally charged thrilling suspense novel about lies, family secrets and the lengths of how far a mother would go to protect their child is amazing! I loved The Night Olivia Fell and I loved Behind Every Lie even more.
The story is told in alternating point of views between Kat whose story began 25 years ago in London and of Eva Hansen whose story is currently in Seattle tracing back what happened to her murdered mother. The story merges together to one mind blowing conclusion - that is the writing genius of Macdonald that I come to enjoy in her writing!
I know you will love it and this book is available now!!
This new emotionally charged thrilling suspense novel about lies, family secrets and the lengths of how far a mother would go to protect their child is amazing! I loved The Night Olivia Fell and I loved Behind Every Lie even more.
The story is told in alternating point of views between Kat whose story began 25 years ago in London and of Eva Hansen whose story is currently in Seattle tracing back what happened to her murdered mother. The story merges together to one mind blowing conclusion - that is the writing genius of Macdonald that I come to enjoy in her writing!
I know you will love it and this book is available now!!
February 5, 2020
An engrossing and intense hearts-stopping thriller
SUMMARY
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street from her mother’s home, but she can’t remember what happened. In the hospital she learns the police are suspicious of her. Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. When violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
If you can’t remember it, How do you prove you didn’t do it?
REVIEW
She had me with the lightning strike. BEHIND EVERY LIE is an engrossing and intense heart-stopping thriller. The writing effortlessly blends the characters, settings and story into a compelling read that you will not want to put down. The cast of characters is masterfully developed with each character playing a vital role in the story.
Reading BEHIND EVERY LIE was like putting a huge thousand piece jigsaw puzzle together, there are so many pieces but it’s oh so satisfying when that last piece clicks into place. Eva’s confusion and angst was paramount to the story, and the vivid descriptions allow the story to come alive on the page.
The story is told in alternating perspectives of Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, which also alternates us between Seattle and London. Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.
Author Christina McDonald is The USA today best selling author of The Night Olivia Fell, which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she has an MA in journalism from the National University of Ireland Galway. Cristina now lives in London, England with her husband, two sons and their dog.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Gallery Books
Published February 4, 2019
Review
SUMMARY
Eva Hansen wakes in the hospital after being struck by lightning and discovers her mother, Kat, has been murdered. Eva was found unconscious down the street from her mother’s home, but she can’t remember what happened. In the hospital she learns the police are suspicious of her. Determined to clear her name, Eva heads from Seattle to London—Kat’s former home—for answers. But as she unravels her mother’s carefully held secrets, Eva soon realizes that someone doesn’t want her to know the truth. When violent memories beginning to emerge, Eva doesn’t know who to trust. Least of all herself.
If you can’t remember it, How do you prove you didn’t do it?
REVIEW
She had me with the lightning strike. BEHIND EVERY LIE is an engrossing and intense heart-stopping thriller. The writing effortlessly blends the characters, settings and story into a compelling read that you will not want to put down. The cast of characters is masterfully developed with each character playing a vital role in the story.
Reading BEHIND EVERY LIE was like putting a huge thousand piece jigsaw puzzle together, there are so many pieces but it’s oh so satisfying when that last piece clicks into place. Eva’s confusion and angst was paramount to the story, and the vivid descriptions allow the story to come alive on the page.
The story is told in alternating perspectives of Eva’s search for answers and Kat’s mysterious past, which also alternates us between Seattle and London. Behind Every Lie explores the complicated nature of mother-daughter relationships, family trauma, and the danger behind long-held secrets.
Author Christina McDonald is The USA today best selling author of The Night Olivia Fell, which has been optioned for television by a major Hollywood studio. Originally from Seattle, Washington, she has an MA in journalism from the National University of Ireland Galway. Cristina now lives in London, England with her husband, two sons and their dog.
Thanks to Netgalley for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Publisher Gallery Books
Published February 4, 2019
Review
December 10, 2019
Amazing story of murder, mind tricks, gaslighting, strength, and healing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It must be difficult to be an author. You’re often compared to your last work regardless of what you put out. I try not to be a reviewer that compares work to work as each individual novel stands on its own.
However, I do tend to go into a story half expecting a similar outcome or a similar story and theme. The story was so much more than I expected.
Written with short chapters that flash between past and present, mother and daughter, we piece together the truth or what we expect is the truth as the story goes along.
This is a type of psychological thriller that offers so many possibilities as to how the story could go that you easily get completely caught up. Everyone seems suspect and it’s tough to determine what the real story is and what is the lie.
And when those lies start coming to a head, several of them will catch you by surprise.
McDonald killed it with Behind Every Lie. Intense, intriguing, and highly illuminating when it comes to what people will do for love. Murder, mind tricks, gaslighting, secrets, trust, strength, and healing. Complex layers of emotion wraps you up tight and does not let up until the end.
Fabulous story with so many surprises along the way!
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review -
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It must be difficult to be an author. You’re often compared to your last work regardless of what you put out. I try not to be a reviewer that compares work to work as each individual novel stands on its own.
However, I do tend to go into a story half expecting a similar outcome or a similar story and theme. The story was so much more than I expected.
Written with short chapters that flash between past and present, mother and daughter, we piece together the truth or what we expect is the truth as the story goes along.
This is a type of psychological thriller that offers so many possibilities as to how the story could go that you easily get completely caught up. Everyone seems suspect and it’s tough to determine what the real story is and what is the lie.
And when those lies start coming to a head, several of them will catch you by surprise.
McDonald killed it with Behind Every Lie. Intense, intriguing, and highly illuminating when it comes to what people will do for love. Murder, mind tricks, gaslighting, secrets, trust, strength, and healing. Complex layers of emotion wraps you up tight and does not let up until the end.
Fabulous story with so many surprises along the way!
* copy received for review consideration
Full Review -
February 3, 2020
Eva is determined to clear her name when she is suspected of killing her mother. On the night of her mother's murder, Eva was struck by lightning, and she doesn't remember anything from that night. As Eva tries to discover what happened that night, she learns her mother had secrets.
Told with alternating points of view - Eva and Kat, Eva's mother. Eva's story is told in the present day, while Kat's story tells about the past. Eva is an unreliable narrator, since she's been struck by lightning and can't remember what happened the night of her mother's death. Eva does have vague memories of being with her mother, but it's unclear what happened that night.
Every person in this book is keeping secrets and telling lies, so Behind Every Lie is an apt title for this book. There is a complicated backstory and a lot of twists and turns. An entertaining read for fans of psychological thrillers. Suspenseful, dramatic, and intense.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Told with alternating points of view - Eva and Kat, Eva's mother. Eva's story is told in the present day, while Kat's story tells about the past. Eva is an unreliable narrator, since she's been struck by lightning and can't remember what happened the night of her mother's death. Eva does have vague memories of being with her mother, but it's unclear what happened that night.
Every person in this book is keeping secrets and telling lies, so Behind Every Lie is an apt title for this book. There is a complicated backstory and a lot of twists and turns. An entertaining read for fans of psychological thrillers. Suspenseful, dramatic, and intense.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
January 8, 2020
My thanks to Gallery Books and NetGalley for sending me an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own and are not influenced by the publisher.
This is yet another review that I must preface by saying I'm in the minority opinion when it comes to this book. At the time of this writing, it has a perfectly respectable 4.16 average on ŷ, so maybe I was just the wrong reader for this book. I read McDonald's last novel,The Night Olivia Fell,and had a pretty mediocre experience with that book. I thought I'd give her writing a second chance, because a big part of my problem withThe Night Olivia Fellwas that it bore a pretty stunning similarity to another book I'd already read, leaving the whole book feeling like watching a rerun of a crime drama. After readingBehind Every Lie,however, I think it's clear that this author's work just isn't for me. Soooo, take this review with a grain of salt, I guess.
For starters, the novel felt like a bit of a jumble of over-used tropes. I'll omit discussing some of them here to avoid getting into spoiler territory, but I can talk freely about the amnesia as that's discussed in the synopsis. We have a protagonist in a thriller suspected of murder who can't defend herself because she has no memory of the night in question. Familiar tropes like this can be fun and offer a great way to subvert the reader's expectations by doing something new and fresh with it. McDonald really didn't do that (unless you count the novelty of amnesia brought on by a lightning strike, I guess. Bonus points for that?)
This is also yet another thriller with a middle class, white, female protagonist whose boyfriend/husband is clearly terrible, hyper-controlling, and suspect from the very beginning of the story. Whether the significant other is actually guilty of anything (and in 90% of these thrillers, he is) this dynamic has just gotten terribly boring. I feel like I've read about the same couple over and over and over, existing in slightly diverging parallel universes.
Finally, there is a sub-plot which emerges in the flashback scenes (told from her mother's point of view) which is too predictable to every hold any tension. I really wanted to like this book. If you've read this author's other work and enjoyed it, don't let me dissuade you, but I think it's safe to say this will be my last Christina McDonald novel.
You can read all of my reviews on my blog, !
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This is yet another review that I must preface by saying I'm in the minority opinion when it comes to this book. At the time of this writing, it has a perfectly respectable 4.16 average on ŷ, so maybe I was just the wrong reader for this book. I read McDonald's last novel,The Night Olivia Fell,and had a pretty mediocre experience with that book. I thought I'd give her writing a second chance, because a big part of my problem withThe Night Olivia Fellwas that it bore a pretty stunning similarity to another book I'd already read, leaving the whole book feeling like watching a rerun of a crime drama. After readingBehind Every Lie,however, I think it's clear that this author's work just isn't for me. Soooo, take this review with a grain of salt, I guess.
For starters, the novel felt like a bit of a jumble of over-used tropes. I'll omit discussing some of them here to avoid getting into spoiler territory, but I can talk freely about the amnesia as that's discussed in the synopsis. We have a protagonist in a thriller suspected of murder who can't defend herself because she has no memory of the night in question. Familiar tropes like this can be fun and offer a great way to subvert the reader's expectations by doing something new and fresh with it. McDonald really didn't do that (unless you count the novelty of amnesia brought on by a lightning strike, I guess. Bonus points for that?)
This is also yet another thriller with a middle class, white, female protagonist whose boyfriend/husband is clearly terrible, hyper-controlling, and suspect from the very beginning of the story. Whether the significant other is actually guilty of anything (and in 90% of these thrillers, he is) this dynamic has just gotten terribly boring. I feel like I've read about the same couple over and over and over, existing in slightly diverging parallel universes.
Finally, there is a sub-plot which emerges in the flashback scenes (told from her mother's point of view) which is too predictable to every hold any tension. I really wanted to like this book. If you've read this author's other work and enjoyed it, don't let me dissuade you, but I think it's safe to say this will be my last Christina McDonald novel.
You can read all of my reviews on my blog, !
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May 10, 2021
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
Sigh. I really, really wanted to like this one. I loved The Night Olivia Fell by this author, but unfortunately Behind Every Lie did not live up to what I had hoped.
What didn't work for me: It felt that every "twist" imaginable was thrown into play, making it too over-the-top for me. And while I understand you have to suspend reality a bit when it comes to suspense thrillers, this one felt WAY too unrealistic and came across more as a Lifetime movie than an edgy, suspenseful read.
Nonetheless, it moves quickly and kept me hanging on just enough that I stayed with it and finished it. But, unfortunately, I wasn't blown away by how it ended or the surprises/shocks that were revealed throughout, giving it a cliche feel.
That said, I can totally see this as a lazy Saturday afternoon and/or beach read. If you're just looking for something quick and easy with a Lifetime movie melodrama feel, then this one works.
Sigh. I really, really wanted to like this one. I loved The Night Olivia Fell by this author, but unfortunately Behind Every Lie did not live up to what I had hoped.
What didn't work for me: It felt that every "twist" imaginable was thrown into play, making it too over-the-top for me. And while I understand you have to suspend reality a bit when it comes to suspense thrillers, this one felt WAY too unrealistic and came across more as a Lifetime movie than an edgy, suspenseful read.
Nonetheless, it moves quickly and kept me hanging on just enough that I stayed with it and finished it. But, unfortunately, I wasn't blown away by how it ended or the surprises/shocks that were revealed throughout, giving it a cliche feel.
That said, I can totally see this as a lazy Saturday afternoon and/or beach read. If you're just looking for something quick and easy with a Lifetime movie melodrama feel, then this one works.
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