Customer Reviews

Never Tell a Lie: A Novel of Suspense

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(32)
3 star:		(26)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Wow! I finished this novel in and afternoon, it was a quick read that was well plotted and mastefully crafted. I was sucked in after the first page, looking at the Rose's perfect life get shattered by a terrible missing persons case.

Ephron does a great job of bringing the reader into the Ivy and David's world, peeling back layers of the past as things get more and more mysterious about the missing Melinda.

Reading this book was a treat, and I didnt want to put it down until I found out what happened and how the story ended. It reads in a very visual style, and I have no problem imagining this book turned into a movie very soon. It fits well into the vein of "Single White Female", "What lies Beneath", and "Basic Instinct." Mash all that up together and you get a hint of what is in store.

I am really impressed with this book and will look forward to other things that Ephron writes. She infuses her characters with flaws, tained morality, and questionable decisions. But to top it all off, they are also given humanity and written in such a way as to be the couple that lives next door. Well written, well plotted, and above all else...the suspense is doled out in just the right dosage. Enough to keep the adrenaline high and then BANG! a wonderful conclusion that still leaves you turning the story around in your head after the book is closed.

I usually agree with the reviews by PUBLISHERS WEEKLY. A starred review by them is ususally a treat for me. They are totally off here. This novel is in no way worthy of 5 stars. The book is an easy read and delves only slightly into the psychological depths of the characters. It is more a plot driven story. It flows lightly along like your standard romantic suspense novel. Only difference is the main characters are already married. But it is that light.

The premise is interesting. Ivy and David Rose are a couple very near the due date of their first child who are having a yard sale to get rid of much junk left in the house by the previous tenant. We are told early on that Ivy and David are the perfect couple and very happily married. We are supposed to just accept this. The story progresses when an old high school classmate Melinda White appears at the yard sale. Both Ivy and David hacve conversations with her. She says she used to play in the house and David takes her in for a tour.

The title of the book NEVER TELL A LIE certainly has meaning throughout the story. Melinda is reported missing and David tells the police about giving her the tour of the house and that she then left. Ivy verifies that she saw Melinda leave. Thing is, she didn't. The suspense does start here and develops quite nicely as clues the police find seem to link Ivy and David to the disappearance. Some story lines don't ring true though and belief must be suspended like with the fact of Ivy going along with the fact that she supposedly saw Melinda leave. She knows she didn't and never questions her husband about it. Is this believable?

Ignore this and the story does move along nicely for a while in regards to the suspense. You want to read on and see what happens. Problem is the story becomes very formulaic. We were told at the beginning that Ivy and David were the perfect couple. Surprise, surprise when the mystery that evolves starts to put cracks in the relationship. Much deceit and betrayal seems to be present. I could accept all this and give the book 4 stars as a light mystery a little sparse on character development but intriguing for the mystery and suspense.

But I have one huge problem with this book and it is an ethical one. This is surprising when talking about such a casual suspense novel but as we learn more about the lives and actions of our main characters we find actions that are certainly questionable and beyond redeemable. The story was interesting but I just could not like the main characters. We were supposed to excuse certain actions for certain reasons and that was not ok with me. There is a certain darkness within this novel that put a bad taste in my mouth. Read it and judge for yourself.

I had not read a suspense novel in years and I took a chance on this one based on a positive newspaper review. I was immediately hooked and couldn't put it down....until I started noticing 'tells' about 1/4 of the way through. I was hoping that there would be a 'twist' and that I would be surprised by the ending....but my initial thoughts as to 'whodunnit' were correct. Having said this, however, it was a fast, fun read and I don't feel like it was a big waste of time. Just wish I hadn't figured it out so quickly.

I read this book it one night. It's a fast read and there are a lot of plot twists which kept me guessing. The plot twists make this book almost entirely plot-driven, though. The author made some attempts to give character stories such as Ivy and her Russian heritage. I actually think I would have liked to see more from this book, a longer version, with more character development, especially from the husband. It's east to suspect several people as 'the killer' in this book because you don't really learn much about them.

This "novel of suspense" never really engaged me. The plot was very predictable and even the casual reader will see the climax coming long before you get there. A couple of long married high school sweethearts encounter a myriad of problems after an unexpected encounter with an old high school classmate at their "yard sale". The plot unfolds with the usual incompetent police work and manipulation.

I have a few "pet peeves" with this book. The first is the lack of attention to detail. The two main characters meet "late in the fall of their senior year" in high school. He was the quarterback of the football team and he accidentally hits her with pass while she is practicing with her relay team on the track. She is a distance runner. There are no relays "late in the fall" to be practicing for, most distance runners would be winding up their cross-country seasons. It's love at first sight. She then wore his varsity jacket "so many football games". What? One or two? Remember it is late in the fall of their senior year. Please don't make up silly details if you don't then take the time and care to get the details right. Which leads me to my second "pet peeve" - Authors think that using details (such as the flavor of the tea or the color of the wallpaper) and think that is character development. It is not. Read Michael Connelly or Laura Lippman and you will see real character development.

It was a quick read and the writing wasn't bad. It was like a snack. This was probably more a 2 1/2 star review. Wait for the paperback. Don't think too much while you are reading it and it will get you through to the next real meal.

I was very pleased with this book. It was a quick read (great for a vacation by the pool or beach). I don't want to sound like a prude here, but it was a crime drama without all the super gritty violence that is not always necessary. Obviously there is violence, and I would expect it. Yes, the villain is a nut-job, but you don't have mayhem for no reason. Some plot twists I did not see coming. Overall a good book.

This is supposed to be a suspense story and a who done it type of story, but I figured out what was going on very soon after the problems and the suspense were introduced. There were really no surprises here.

A young couple in a small Masschusetts town, David and Ivy Rose, hold a garage sale and a woman shows up at the garage sale and introduces herself as a former high school classmate. Soon thereafter, the woman is reported as missing by her family and the police question the couple because she was last seen at their garage sale. I don't want to reveal much more since I don't want to reveal much of the story, but, I think the so called mystery disappearance and suspense are very transparent and I knew what was going on almost immmediately.

There is not much of a mystery here and I thought that the book was really pretty much an amateur effort and the ending was felt like something was left incomplete.

There are better suspense and thrillers out there. If you want a real suspense and thriller novel, read Vanished.

This is not the typical suspense thriller on the market today -- in fact, I enjoyed it even more because it didn't contain grisly details of torture and murder! Sure there's murder -- but -- is there?

This is a really fast read that grabs you and keeps you glued to the pages through the night. Easy to finish in one sitting, it's a great debut mystery novel by an author I haven't previously read.

Pregnant Ivy and her husband David are having a yard sale when they reconnect with a former acquaintance -- a fellow high school classmate named Melinda. She's friendly and interested in them and their lives -- coincidentally, she's also pregnant. It's after their conversation that the roller coaster takes off and the wild ride ensues.

Even though most readers will figure out what's going on long before the end, they will still enjoy the ride to the final destination. Enjoy!

Hallie Ephron's NEVER TELL A LIE is a quick read with an interesting twist for a mystery. She turns the tables with this suspense novel that keeps you going to the last page and I'm not going to spill the fun.
The Rose's perfect home, prefect marriage, etc. all goes wrong and it starts with a garage sale. Who hasn't had one and wondered who all of those strangers are who descend on you before dawn? They can change your perfect life.
A great summer read.
Nash Black, author of Indie finalists WRITING AS A SMALL BUSINESS and HAINTS.

Predictable and far-fetched though it may be, "Never Tell a Lie" holds one's interest tightly enough to make it the perfect choice for those days when you have minimal mental energy and are looking for a way to take a break from reality.