The Lie – A book review

The Lie by C.L.Taylor, well what can I say? I read this book in 3 days and this is not something I have been able to do since becoming a parent. The opportunities to sit and completely submerge yourself in the pages of a book for hours on end are lost once you have an actual human to look after. However, for The Lie I made the time, picking it up whenever I had a spare minute or 2 and spending whole evenings devouring chapter after chapter.  If you are looking for a fast paced, gripping read then you need not look any further.

The Lie is a novel that easily sits in the thriller genre. If you like mysteries and suspense novels then I am sure this one is for you. The story follows Jane Hughes, a 30 year old woman living in Wales, happily dating her prince Charming Will and enjoying her dream job working in an animal sanctuary. All is not as perfect as it may seem, Jane Hughes is really Emma Wolfe. 5 years ago Emma and her university friends Daisy. Leanne and Al went on what was supposed to be a relaxing, dream holiday to Nepal, that ended up being the complete opposite.
C.L.Taylor leads you on 2 different plot paths as the story begins to unravel. Some chapters you find yourself in the present day with Jane and others you are in the claustrophobic and often terrifying mountain retreat of Ekanta Yatra in Nepal. In the present day, Jane quickly learns that she has not managed to escape her past as she receives eerie letters and messages, the writer claiming they know she is hiding her true identity. Taylor has a very clever way or building up suspense and intrigue in one time frame before making us travel back in time and fly to Nepal and carrying on with an even more mysterious narrative there. 
I was hooked on this book from the start, as soon Jane received her first letter I was desperate to know why she was hiding her identity. Once in Nepal, the dream holiday in Ekanta Yatra quickly descends in to a hellish cult like prison for Emma, yet her group of friends appear oblivious to the danger they are all in. The retreat founder Isaac is a creepy character and whenever he was present I felt on edge yet gripped at the same time; Isaac is unpredictable and his character takes the story to some pretty dark places. 
The book gathers pace very quickly and events in present day Wales and Nepal 5 years ago are all drenched in threat and tension. Taylor strategically switches between the two plots so your need for more is left lingering for a couple of chapters at a time. I seriously couldn’t put it down, just when something important was revealed in the present day, I knew the next chapter would contain the answers to the questions I had been asking myself about what was going to happen in Nepal since reading them a few chapters previously.
Although I found  The Lie fascinating, gripping and it was like nothing I had read before, I was slightly disappointed by the ending. After reading a book in such a short space of time, where the story picked up so much momentum and created so much intrigue, the big climactic finish just fell a bit flat for me. I needed a little bit more from the confrontation and a little bit more of an explanation. Unfortunately, for me anyway, although the ending was good and fit well with the story it just didn’t wow me in the way all the pages leading up to it had done.
Do not let my thoughts of the ending put you off reading this book, like I have said the plot is really exciting and will keep you guessing the whole time you are reading. If you want to get lost in a book and escape for a little while, give The Lie a go. Be warned though, escaping to the idyllic retreat of Ekanta Yanta will not be as relaxing as you may think…
Have you read The Lie? What did you think? What are your thoughts on the ending (no spoilers)? If you haven’t read it, do you think you might give it a go?
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My Random Musings

                                                            

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10 Comments

  1. March 25, 2016 / 9:23 am

    Well first of all congrats on reading a book and juggling everything else. I've managed half a book this month. This book looks right up my street, I might look at a download of it. thanks:) x
    mainy – myrealfairy

    #picknmix

  2. March 25, 2016 / 8:47 pm

    I need to start reading again. Since having a blog I find it hard work having time to read. Sounds like a great book 🙂

  3. March 28, 2016 / 8:21 am

    I love it when you get immersed in a good book! Glad you enjoyed it xx #bigpinklink

  4. Louise W
    March 28, 2016 / 7:01 pm

    There is nothing so nice as a gripping book that makes you neglect all chores & responsibilities as you need to know more! Sorry the ending fell flat though. So disappointing when that happens. Thanks for linking! #bigpinklink

  5. A Cornish Mum Blog
    March 31, 2016 / 3:27 pm

    I love a good thriller read! I haven't managed to find time to read a book in a ridiculous amount of time though eek, really will try to find the time soon as I love reading 🙂

    Stevie x P.S Thanks for linking up to #PicknMix

  6. April 9, 2016 / 4:42 pm

    It is hard to find the time to read isn't it?I hope you enjoy if you do read it xx

  7. April 9, 2016 / 4:44 pm

    I know what you mean, blogging has taken over lots of my reading time too xx

  8. April 9, 2016 / 4:44 pm

    Me too!Thanks, I loved it xx

  9. April 9, 2016 / 4:45 pm

    Ahh I know, it's really annoying when the ending isn't as good as the rest of the book.xx

  10. April 9, 2016 / 4:46 pm

    It is so hard to find the time, I hope you manage to soon so you can get stuck into a good book xx