More JT Ellison is coming out this month and another win for the #allthebookreviews duo!
Thanks to Mira Books for the free early copies in exchange for our honest reviews
HER DARK LIES – J.T. Ellison (Releasing March 9th, 2021)
Book Description:
At the wedding of the year, a killer needs no invitation
Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends…and a host of dark secrets.
From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire’s otherwise blissful relationship—the strange mystery surrounding Jack’s first wife.
Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out—and the real terror begins…
Chandra’s Thoughts: 4/5 stars
My 5th Ellison book! She truly knows how to entertain, y’all! I enjoyed traveling to Italy to a clifftop villa that reeks of money, gorgeous views, hidden passages and statues. Yes, please. But with all of this, comes the Compton family … and they require a few things from Claire before she’s set to marry Jack. They all have secrets… just how many of them will come to light and will Claire last longer than Jack’s first wife did?
Told through various POVs, these short chapters keep you invested and quickly turning the pages to see what’s going to conspire. While nothing ever really shocked me, I still was like, “OH NO…. whaaaaaat.” Haha. Of all the characters, Claire surprised me the most. I kinda want to hang out with her… and I also want the dogs, Romulus and Remus. For some reason that campfire scene stuck with me. SOMEBODY GET ME A GUARD DOG. I will say there were a couple of moments towards the end that I side eyed a little bit… but who doesn’t love a good side eye every once in a while.
Ellison is just a master story teller and I will always pick up anything she writes. I would definitely recommend Lie To Me and Tear Me Apart along with this one if you’re looking for something to binge. Those short chapters get me every time!
My Thoughts: 4/5 stars
I’ve been a big fan of J.T. Ellison since picking up LIE TO ME a few years ago, and I haven’t been disappointed since! We can expect complex and well-developed characters, plenty of suspense, and that we’ll be kept guessing until the very end. HER DARK LIES is like a locked in type mystery as our characters are stuck on a private island together as the body count rises. This one starts a little slower as we get the lay of the land and the scene is set, but then the pacing picks up and doesn’t let up until the very end.
This book has a great building mystery to it and, oh boy, talk about a body count! I couldn’t believe how many bodies were stacking up in this book, it was getting harder and harder to figure out who was the killer! I had seen a few other reviewers compare this to AND THEN THERE WERE NONE and I totally see it. I love Ellison’s writing style and I really enjoy the way she weaves these complex stories while keeping it so easy to follow. That being said, there were a couple times I mixed up which character we were reading in some chapters but then I was able to keep it straight. I can’t wait to see what she releases next and I highly recommend this to those that love locked room mysteries and very atmospheric suspense reads.
Jessicamap Reviews 