Brilliantly written and terribly twisted thriller

It has been quite a while since I longingly looked forward to my late night and early morning Audiobook fix during the day but this beautifully crafted psychological thriller had me hooked from the get go and I simply loved the style of the writing, the fresh, unique construct and the narration which was spot on.

I am not sure what it was about the synopsis which made me immediately pre-order the Audiobook and thrill a little when I saw it had landed in my library, but it managed to even exceed my expectations and I loved every minute sometimes going back a half or full chapter if I felt I had not been giving it my full and undivided attention.

Anyone who ever had a best friend knows how the complexity and depth of emotions as this relationship shifts and evolves driven by changing circumstances, events and dynamics is a very rich and powerful area to explore as with many people, especially women it can rival or even surpass the intimacy, excitement and co-dependence of marriage with drama and passions running every bit as high.

I found the way the story was told to the reader was the perfect construct as hearing shared confidences from one best friend about her long standing relationship about the other was immediately intriguing and inviting and I was instantly hooked. I also adored the 7 lies title, structure and theme as the lies got deeper, darker and deadlier. This whole book was just so clever, seamlessly stylish, polished and tightly crafted it made for compulsive reading with a pace which did not let up.

I also very much admired the way the book was so evocatively and beautifully written conjuring up almost a cinematic feel as it skilfully painted the scenes and highlighted the passing of time by the changing of the seasons down to the way the light illuminated rooms and the texture and ambient noise of a room. It really was a winning combination, fascinating topic, fantastic storytelling allowing layer after layer to be revealed and nothing is quite as it seems, well thought out plot, deliciously dark deeds and fabulous characters.

Author Elizabeth Kay and narrator Ellie Heydon are both new names to me but together they made a dynamite team and I will look out for both of them again. I am hoping perhaps there might even be a sequel, as without giving anything away about the very satisfying ending - which of course is the hardest act to pull off in a suspense thriller - given the charismatic and likeable characters I would really love to know what happened next.

I thought Ellie Heydon was just perfect as Jane and at times her crisp, intelligent and airy narration was reminiscent of Emilia Fox albeit without quite her level of cut glass accent, which made the character very believable and a real pleasure to listen too.

This really was a wonderful treat with just about everything on my wishlist and I really recommend it and will now go and do a bit of research on the author and hope to read more of her superbly crafted and beautifully written work soon.

Throughout the whole book I only had one tiny niggle that Marnie's hair was described as both fair and auburn and possibly also red which was a strange discrepancy in an otherwise flawless and very addictive thriller. It makes me wonder if editors even exist these days - but as Niles from Frasier said " what is the one thing better than an exquisite meal? An exquisite meal with one tiny flaw we can pick at all night." And so it is with this exquisite book!

8 people found this helpful

When friendship turns to obsession

Jane and Marnie grow up together and both go through difficult times. When one of their lives turns tragic the other one becomes obsessed and things go from bad to worse. Unfortunately I found Jane’s character quite annoying towards the end and the ending a little rushed, which is why I only gave it a 3 star. Narration was good though.

1 person found this helpful

Great Psychological Thriller with a Good Twist

Very enjoyable listen. This was a clever book with a real twist I loved the is she good or bad element to the main character it kept me guessing right to the end.

1 person found this helpful

Disappointed

Tried really hard to finish this book, kept picking it up and giving it a go again. The concept of the seven lies was intriguing but the story line just seemed so long winded and didn't keep my attention. The characters were rich in some ways but I just seemed so 2 dimensional and boring.

1 person found this helpful

Overly descriptive, pointless plot

As mentioned in other reviews there is too much uneccessary description, which makes the story drag & doesn't add anything.
The story had potential to be thrilling bit ultimately turns out to be pretty pointless with a lacklustre finish. I wouldn't recommend.

1 person found this helpful

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This was very enjoyable and entertaining right up until it started to become a little farcical.

An under realised story

Potentially intriguing story doesn't really take off at any level. Very disappointing ending . Some of the descriptive writing about place, emotions, action etc really good but the development lacking.

No stars, absolute rubbish

Thankfully I got this free in a 2 for one deal or I would have returned it. Its a jumbled mess, makes no sense, overly descriptive and padded out. Do not recommend!

Couldn’t stop listening

Brilliant story finished in no time as couldn’t stop listening. Definitely recommend as didn’t want it to end.

not a lot of action

definitely not a bad book but not the most riveting either. I was expecting a bit more action and perhaps a more satisfying finish. this was more subtle in it's telling of a tale of obsession. ok but I wont be raving about it to my friends