White Lies

I read at least 1 new book a day, sometimes 2 or 3 & most of them are so called “thrillers” or “mystery” or “psychological thrillers” and most turn out to be predictable domestic thriller boredom. This one might have at times seemed to have become predictable, I’m not going to lie. It was, however a he-said-she-said set up, so just as I was on one Persia’s side, I’d start to feel guilty, or persuaded to believe the other person. At times I thought each party was both mentally unstable. In the end you’re definitely brought out of the dark, but there is a BIG UNFORESEEN TWIST that grabs you and smacks you WHAM across the face before the light of the truth blinds you! This book is stylistically brilliant. Dawson doesn’t try to over dazzle you with wordsmithing you to death. It’s a great book all around a a definite breath of fresh air in the thriller market! No domestic boredom here! Didn’t want to put it down and didn’t want it to end. I enjoyed The Daughter, but this book blew even that one out of the water! 5 STARS ALL AROUND! This book could easily be enjoyed by a huge span of ages as well bc of the relatable and current characters. To think a song spurred this book’s creation is interesting. I’d like to know the song behind the book.

I have probably read a million books over the last 40 years, mostly psychological thrillers like this. I also have a degree in criminal justice. Due to my experience, I now tend to find most books to be predictable and I'm also able to pick up on the little mistakes that are made. Well, that wasn't the case with this book! I found this book to be exceptionally well written. It kept my attention from the very first page to the last. I don't like to reveal any spoilers in a review so I'll just say that I wasn't able to predict the ending. Also, all the little details were there so I didn't find any mistakes and there were no questions left unanswered. I highly recommend this fabulous book! You won't be disappointed. I'm off to buy another book by the brilliant author, Lucy Dawson.

Two very unlikable protagonists and a wholly absurd conclusion. Perhaps the people who are raving about the “wow-didn’t-see-that-coming” resolution don’t need narratives to make sense, but if you’re the sort of reader for whom the denouement needs to be explicable, for whom characters need motivation to do what they do, skip this one. I’ve read novels where I didn’t see the end coming, but when it occurred I could see things I’d overlooked along the way that made it work. Here? Not so much. Sorry I wasted my time.

I am not passing this book on. I read to page 71, then one of the characters said the "F" word in a sentence, and connected it to Jesus Christ. That did it for me. I quit reading. There are certain lines that I will not cross. And the phrase was totally unnecessary. Didn't add a thing to the story. No more books by Lucy Dawson for me,

This is one of those stories where it’s difficult to decide who is trustworthy and who isn’t. The ending of this book certainly wasn’t foreseen. I also found both of the potential culprits’ characters intelligently written because one immediately has sympathy with each, but also impatience and disappointment with both.It is the tale of a young man who brings charges of sexual abuse against a female GP who is considerably older than him. She already has a prior record of becoming involved with a patient, a married man at the time, who she later marries. Eight years into their marriage her husband confesses to her that he has had a night of indiscretion with a work colleague, and she, foolishly on a weekend away, decides that what’s good for the goose is good for the gander when she engages in a night of sex with a seventeen year old boy. This comes back to haunt her and her family.The essence of the theme is encapsulated in the lines “fascinating that he could suppress or invoke feelings for the purpose of control rather than the authenticity of the feelings themselves. Like all good liars, he adapted his lies to suit his circumstance.”The story further highlights the fact that power in the doctor-patient relationship is always inherently unequal and abuse of this position of trust is unethical. It’s well known that doctors are more likely to cross boundaries while facing problems in their personal life.The dark triad referred to in the novel comprises three personality traits: narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy. They always have a malevolent connection. If you have traits of one you’re likely to share traits of the others. Narcissists have no empathy. Machiavellianism is about manipulation and exploitation of others with a total lack of morality and psychopaths are remorseless. The question raised is whether the doctor or the patient or both exhibit any or all three characteristics.

I treat all books with respect. Maybe this is the first book I tossed in the trash. Hateful cruel and unlikeable characters. None of which are fleshed out. Uncomfortable to say the least storyline. Don’t waste your time. Bloody dreadful.

I never liked relationship books, but lately, there are a bunch of good ones out that have some interesting suspense in them. This is one. A husband who cheats, a wife who cheats while in Spain, and doesn't feel bad about it, but confesses because he did, so all is sort of well. They may or may not repair their marriage, but then, she sees her one-night stand in her office and it's who he is that makes the book's plot begin. When it all blows up in her face, there are four sides to the story, and the wife and her lover are both completely believable. So, who's telling the truth? And how does the problem get resolved? That's always the case, but I loved the resolution and the puzzle pieces being shuffled around till they fit. You'll love it. I promise.

What a cracking book! This book sucked me in right from the beginning and I was literally unable to put it down. The story is told from various points of view of different characters and from a psychological perspective it was fascinating and clever to view the same events but from different perspectives. As the old saying goes- there are always three sides to every story- mine, yours and the truth. Well, my thoughts on who in this book was telling the truth swung wildly with each chapter like a pendulum. I could not decide who was being truthful and who was being deceptive and just when I thought I'd smugly pinned down the truth and figured it out, something would happen that made me doubt all over again. I really enjoy books that pull the rug out from underneath you and keep you guessing and if you enjoy this kind of plot too then you will LOVE this book. An excellent read!

I purchased this book due to great reviews. Story told from different sides, from different character perspectives. I found it to be totally unbelievable. I was waiting for the amazing twist at the end. I won’t ruin it for anyone but found the twist unrealistic as character had no reasons for the action they took..so it didn’t really add up for me. I love a shocking twist that makes sense. However having said that the book was ok. Would appreciate if anyone could recommend a good thriller, not had a decent read for ages.

Dr Alex Ingliss is a 40 year old well respected GP, mother and wife. After a girls holiday it seems that Alex has unwittingly and drunkenly slept with one of her patients. A series of statements and chapters from people involved left me feeling pretty confused about what happened and with absolutely zero empathy for Alex. Coupled with some contrived stereotypical characters and the conveniently and impeccably behaved little daughters, I just didn't find it gripping at all.

I certainly didn’t see that ending coming.I had mixed feelings about Alex and who she was.Did she or didn’t she behave that way or was it all a figment of Jonathan’s imagination.I didn’t realise the importance of David in the story.I loved the fact it was set near where I live and I could visualise the places especially Bunny Lane which I regularly drive.A brilliant book exploring the balance of power especially the Doctors and Patient relationship.Also the power of social media and teenagers desire for followers.Look forward to reading more my this author.

I could see what the author was trying to do but personally I think she could have done more with the idea.Didn’t expect the twist at the end, although it felt that the ending was rushed .What did thoroughly annoy me was the use of a new phenomenon in grammar which is a real hate of mine.” She was sat in her kitchen” and “ she was stood behind her son”These expressions make me want to scream but maybe that’s just me and it’s a sign of the times as I am hearing this more often.

A respected GP and a 17 year old boy. She says it was a one night stand, he says it was a 3 month affair. The reader believes one character and then thinks maybe they should be believing the other. An unexpected ending but I'm still not sure who to believe.

Absolutely loved this , couldn't put it down once i'd started . Dr Alex Inglis is a GP who has a one night stand on a girls weekend away . It soon becomes clear that its a lot more complicated than that , she found out recently her husband had done the same . she believes her indiscretion was with a stranger but we soon learn that he is one of her patients , and still at school . You really feel for Alex as you read her story and i was so sure her account was correct . We then have the story from the point of view of Jonathon Day , and it seems according to him that they had been having a torrid affair for the last three months . I really wasn't sure who to believe , as both stories sounded credible . This had me hooked from start to finish and can whole heartedly recommend it . 5 stars from me , thank you to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC in return for an honest review

White Lies is the first book I’ve read from this author, but I will certainly be tracking down her other books after this fabulous introduction.The story, ostensibly about a one night stand (but really about so much more) kept me guessing right up until the end. Who can the reader trust? The respectable GP, Alexandra Inglis? Or the aspiring teen YouTuber, Jonathan? The multi narrator technique fleshes the story out brilliantly and gives the reader several different perspectives until you almost feel like you’re on a jury, trying to decide what the truth is, because it’s hard to know who to believe.I read this gripping, tense novel in two sittings and was thoroughly absorbed.Superbly written, masterfully plotted and full of guessing games. As your loyalties change, you might be surprised who you end up feeling sorry for.

At first I tended to keep leaving this book and play games so it's taken me a while to finish it. It started to get more interesting and by the time I got to the end I decided I liked it.I had an inkling, then changed my mind then realised that I should have stuck to my original idea of who the perpetrator was.The moral if this tale is " Don't tell lies; Don't commit adultery". Look where it can get you !Now for the Grammar Police bit. I noted a dozen times that the word "sat" was used instead of "sitting"; the same applies to the word "stood" instead of "standing", "I" used instead of "me" (when used as the object if the sentence). A few typos : "briskly" instead of "bristly", "breathes" for "breaths". Surely it should be "unreality" not "unrealness". None of these errors spoil the story but I cannot help myself noting them. There were not as many mistakes as are in many e-books.

Loved the stories told by the different characters’ version of events. I was totalling believing Alex’s version, then I wasn’t so sure when I read Jonathan’s version. Was he the one telling the truth? Then I thought neither of them were telling the complete truth. But which parts were the truth and which were lies? You also get the perspective of Rob, Cherry and Dr David Harper. Did Alex, Jonathan or both exhibit any or all three personality traits (as mentioned in the book) of narcissim, Machiavellianism and psychopathy and was it possible that someone else in the book shared these traits? Found the ending a bit confusing and unsatisfied. Felt the ending could have been padded out more.

Alex is a GP and is married to Rob. They have two young children. Alex goes to Ibiza with her friends and unwittingly sleeps with a patient of hers.Alex didn’t know he was a patient. He says different.The story is told from the perspectives of Alex, Rob, the patient and Alex’s work partner.Right from the start I didn’t know who to believe and couldn’t see how it was going to end.The characters were interesting and well fleshed out. Despite that, I still couldn’t tell who was being truthful!This isn’t a thriller with some crazy shock ending. It is more of a small suspense regarding the truth. There are some shocks and twists along the way.I would highly recommend this book!

Crikey who to believe? I was backwards and forwards like a yo yo, first believing one version and then next minute the other. Each told with credibility, so it was really hard to know who was telling the truth. Then to top it all you are hit with yet another twist at the end. The book keeps you hooked all the way through. A great read and highly recommended.

By gosh, this book had me gripped! Lead character, Dr Alex Inglis, has made a huge mistake, one that looks set to tear her family apart and ruin the career she's worked so hard to achieve. This nail-biting psychological thriller had me on the edge of my seat on more than one occasion. If you're after a fast moving thriller that you'll struggle to put down, then look no further.

Not enough of a punch line for me..I enjoy more of a motive..and i think it would be a good read for a younger personregarding the social media part of the story..think the first part of the book was quite exciting but felt it got quite boring inparts..I usually read crime and detective novels ..so i guess for me it was just nota book that kept you in suspense enough

I was hooked on this from the moment I picked it up and read it in two sittings, which is very unusual for me. Although on reflection certain elements of the plot are slightly unbelievable, it didn't matter while I was reading as the way the story is told is so compelling, and one of the main premises of the book is that there are different perspectives on the same story, so you don't know who to believe.I was worried that the ending might be disappointing or unsatisfactory, but there are several twists and it's all tied up nicely at the end.It's not a literary classic, but for a gripping page turner, things really don't get much better.