I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Crooked Little Lies by Barbara Taylor Sissel Published by Lake Union Publishing on August 1, 2015
Pages: 391
Format: eARC
Source: NetGalley
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On a cool October morning, Lauren Wilder is shaken when she comes close to striking Bo Laughlin with her car as he’s walking along the road’s edge. A young man well known in their small town of Hardys Walk, Texas, Bo seems fine, even if Lauren’s intuition says otherwise. Since the accident two years ago that left her brain in a fragile state, she can’t trust her own instincts—and neither can her family. Then Bo vanishes, and as the search for him ensues, the police question whether she’s responsible. Lauren is terrified, not of what she remembers but of what she doesn’t.
Unable to trust herself and unwilling to trust anyone else, Lauren begins her own investigation into the mystery of Bo’s disappearance. But the truth can prove to be as shocking as any lie, and as Lauren exposes each one, from her family, from her friends, she isn’t the only one who will face heart-stopping repercussions.
Crooked Little Lies is nothing like what I usually read and had a really hard time putting it down. It took while to get going, but once the novel found its rhythm it was easy to get lost in the tale.
We meet Lauren, a recovered addict who struggles from day to day with her memory. She sees a man, Bo Laughlin, on the side of the road and stops to make sure he’s okay. Lauren is the last person to see him before he goes missing. Annie Laughlin, Bo’s sister, searches desperately for her missing brother. It’s her desperate search that connects her and Lauren.
Over time, we learn about both family’s deepest secrets and plenty of shocking revelations are uncovered. Crooked Little Lie’s title is extremely appropriate. There’s plenty of mysteries to keep this novel interesting.
“Thank you.” Annie said it again, and she tried not to mind the intensity of Darlene’s gaze, how filled with longing it was for every last detail, the more personal in nature, the better. People craved tragedy, Annie thought, as long as it wasn’t their own. They were like skeletons at the feast, and she was the main course.
I honestly enjoyed the fact that Crooked Little Lies spent so much time in the beginning slowly revealing each character’s histories, lives and secrets because it allowed me plenty of time to theorize what is actually going on. Surprisingly, I had no idea what was actually going on until the very ending.
Crooked Little Lies is a cerebral novel filled with plenty of small clues pertaining to the bigger picture. Its up to the reader to figure out the mystery.
I loved, loved, loved this book. It was properly heart wrenching and mysterious made possible by strong characters. Barbara Taylor Sissel is a very talented writer with a gift for making a mundane exciting and an eye for situations that are worth writing about. I will definitely be on the look out for another Sissel novel! I think Sissel has a knack for writing family drama in unique ways to develop a novel well worth reading. I definitely suggest this as a fall read..
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy novels about family drama, dark secrets and want a slow burn with thrilling reveals. Crooked Little Lies is not your every day novel, but meant for readers who enjoy thought provoking mysteries.
About Barbara Taylor Sissel
Barbara Taylor Sissel was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, and raised in various places across the Midwest. She is the author of five additional novels: The Last Innocent Hour, The Ninth Step, The Volunteer,Evidence of Life, and Safe Keeping. An avid gardener, Sissel has two sons and lives on a farm outside Austin, Texas. Crooked Little Lies is her sixth novel.
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