#BlogTour - The Lies I Tell by Joel Hames

SHE’S WATCHING YOU

BUT WHO’S WATCHING HER?

From the bestselling author of Dead North, a tense, claustrophobic psychological thriller perfect for fans of Lucy Foley, Claire McGowan and Clare Mackintosh.

Meet Polly. Meet Emily. Meet Belinda. 

They're all me. My name is Lisa and I’m an identity thief. If I’m not inside your system stealing your money, I’ve probably already stolen it. I’m your friend. I’m a thief. I’m gone. 

I’m in control. 

Only now, the tables have been turned. I’m in danger. My son is in danger. And I don’t know where that danger’s coming from. 

Any friend. 

Any enemy. 

Any stranger. 

Anyone from the past I’ve been trying to outrun for years.

NOBODY CAN BE TRUSTED.

THE LIES I TELL by Joel Hames is very much a contemporary psychological thriller. Lisa Atkins is an identity thief, a con artist, who supports herself and her young son with the proceeds of various scams. Her crimes range from appearing on doorsteps at just the right moment to accept package deliveries, invoice fraud, and a series of social media deceptions. Lisa has multiple identities running simultaneously and spends her days juggling Facebook pages to keep potential victims warm. Indeed, Lisa is not her real name, just her current day-to-day identity. There have been others.

In other novels, Lisa would be the villain and it speaks volumes of Joel Hames' talent that he makes her a sympathetic protagonist. Hames achieves this through telling the story in Lisa's first person narrative, by alternating chapters telling of Lisa's, or Penny Haslam's, childhood in a dysfunctional, abusive household, and by giving her a nemesis... Someone is turning the tables on Lisa, closing off potential marks, setting her up for crimes she has not committed. Lisa's situation becomes very claustrophobic, her days filled with paranoia. The author maintains the tension, the pace of events quickening, mounting increasing pressure on Lisa who, having spent her life deceiving others, doesn't know who to trust. 

THE LIES I TELL is an exciting psychological thriller, told at breakneck speed. It is breathless and emotionally draining. It is also a very good advertisement for password security and VPNs. 

Thanks to @Tr4cyF3nt0n at Compulsive Readers and @joel_hames for the invitation to review the book.