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Lucy Harper has a talent for invention. She was nine years old when her brother vanished in the woods near home. As the only witness, Lucy’s story of that night became crucial to the police investigation. Thirty years on, her brother’s whereabouts are still unknown. Now Lucy is a bestselling thriller writer. Her talent for invention has given her fame, fortune, and an army of adoring fans. But her husband, Dan, has started keeping secrets of his own, and a sudden change of scene forces Lucy to confront some dark, unwelcome memories. Then Dan goes missing and Lucy’s past and present begin to collide. Did she kill her husband? Would she remember if she did?
This read is all about Lucy and what a compelling narrator she makes. I was hooked by very early on and completely taken in by her and the story she was weaving. MacMillan does a masterful job of creating a very unnerving, intense atmosphere, it left me feeling unsettled and I never knew who was really telling the truth. I particularly enjoyed the writing style; mostly through the eyes of Lucy but there are chapters from a book being written about her brother’s disappearance. As the book progresses, the timelines begin to catch up which made for intoxicating reading.
The writing really made this book but I found the plot to be very strong as well. I was hooked as I have already said and read this very quickly as I wanted to find out the truth. However, I was left feeling a little disappointed and I thought the read loses its way towards the end. The reveals and twists were not that shocking and I feel MacMillan could have done more with the ending.
I have mentioned how strong a narrator Lucy is, but she is also a very strong character, both literally and in the book. I enjoyed getting to know her and it was great to see her strengths come out as the book progresses and see the fight come alive in her. I very much enjoyed following her and she absolutely made the book. The other characters are not as strong but I have to say it feels like this was done on purpose and the read does not suffer as a result of not knowing them that well.
‘To Tell You The Truth’ is a dark, unnerving read that had me hooked. Lucy absolutely made this book and I adored following her and never really knowing what her true intentions are. This read is addictive.
Thank you to NetGalley and Century for an advance copy.
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