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A review by katiegilley
Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison
5.0
“I don’t remember. Three words, so simple, yet so duplicitous. What is memory anyways? Echoes of reality, twisted and molded into what we want to believe. What we want to remember. Our brains allow us grace to cope with trauma. They give us space to heal, to come to terms with our actions, our fears.”
I love to hate thrillers and really wanted to hate this one, but I couldn’t stop listening to it. I was certain I’d dislike it when I realized what was happening: an exclusive wedding on a secluded island (how many times has that been done lately?) and a young artist marrying into one of America’s wealthiest families (extreme wealth makes me want to gag). This was prime for me to disdainfully push aside and say, thrillers aren’t thrilling.
Well, I was wrong. I loved how this was structured and Ellison’s propulsive plot. This story was told from many perspectives, including the groom’s dead first wife. We start in Nashville, where Claire Hunter is preparing to marry Jack Compton, one of America’s wealthiest bachelors. They’re marrying on his family’s island in Italy, which just happened to be one of Cesar’s old stomping grounds.
The villa is opulent and full of history, including the mysterious deaths of women over the centuries. The island, the Comptons, and even Claire are full of secrets that slowly unfold throughout this novel. I’m calling it a perfect summer read!
I love to hate thrillers and really wanted to hate this one, but I couldn’t stop listening to it. I was certain I’d dislike it when I realized what was happening: an exclusive wedding on a secluded island (how many times has that been done lately?) and a young artist marrying into one of America’s wealthiest families (extreme wealth makes me want to gag). This was prime for me to disdainfully push aside and say, thrillers aren’t thrilling.
Well, I was wrong. I loved how this was structured and Ellison’s propulsive plot. This story was told from many perspectives, including the groom’s dead first wife. We start in Nashville, where Claire Hunter is preparing to marry Jack Compton, one of America’s wealthiest bachelors. They’re marrying on his family’s island in Italy, which just happened to be one of Cesar’s old stomping grounds.
The villa is opulent and full of history, including the mysterious deaths of women over the centuries. The island, the Comptons, and even Claire are full of secrets that slowly unfold throughout this novel. I’m calling it a perfect summer read!