Goodreads informs me this is the third Sophie McKenzie I’ve read and I’ve obviously enjoyed them all, rating the two previous novels 3 stars. (I’m a hard marker, so 3 stars is a good solid read in ‘my book’.) #sorrynotsorry

Her latest Here We Lie is another psychological thriller which will keep you guessing until the very end.

The blurb

On holiday with family and her adoring fiancé, Jed, Emily couldn’t be happier. But overnight, the idyllic trip turns into a waking nightmare when one of the group is found dead in what appears to be a terrible accident.

The devastated party returns to London to cope with their loss while trying to resume their normal lives. But new revelations shed a shocking light on the holiday tragedy and set Emily on a perilous journey to discover the truth about what happened. Soon a terrifying series of threats and lies bring her face to face with the dark truths at the heart of her family – and into life-threatening danger…

Extra blurb from me

Emily’s happily in love with (the much older) Jed. They met while he was still married though he claims it was an unhappy union and was keen to get away from his difficult wife. His separation and divorce haven’t been pretty however and Emily initially struggled with Jed’s two children who blamed her for their family’s disintegration.

Things finally seem to be improving however as both Dee Dee and Lish have joined Jed and Emily (and Emily’s siblings) on a holiday in Corsica. Until 13yr old Dee Dee is found dead one morning.

When it’s discovered that Dee Dee has been poisoned her family blames counterfeit headache medication and Jed takes action against the pharmaceutical company.

However, Emily’s ex-boyfriend has appeared and suggests that, as the medication was Emily’s, she was the intended victim and the culprit may be closer to home.

My thoughts

Emily’s the baby of her family and the death of her parents when she was a child means that her older siblings, Rose and Martin have spent much of their lives protecting her. She’s stronger than they realise however, but struggles to relieve herself of Rose’s worry. Bizarrely Jed’s taken responsibility and (to me) there’s something creepy about the way he refers to his young fiance as ‘Baby’ constantly and (worse still) refers to himself as ‘Daddy’ during sex. #creepymuch?

The introduction of Dan, Emily’s ex (initially via a memory of ‘the one that got away’) makes it obvious he’ll be reappearing and I for one was relieved to see him… although we find out his intentions may not quite be what they seem.

Emily’s soon befuddled by half-truths and lies and struggles to know who to trust.

I enjoyed this novel and McKenzie kept a great pace so I felt (ahem) ‘compelled’ to read it in a night. However… I was bothered by a few plot holes and scenarios which didn’t ring true.

I’m pretty sure, for example, French police would not have allowed the holidaying party to leave the country while they were still investigating Dee Dee’s suspicious death.

As for Dee Dee’s online friend ‘Bex’… how would Bex have found Dee Dee in a chat room and been there at the right place and time and known who it was?

And Rose’s absolute determination that Emily and Jed end up together really didn’t make sense. I know she was trying to give her sister the happy ending she didn’t have, but still….

As for Dee Dee’s secret, well… I expected something a bit more traumatic.

However, though I was sceptical about some elements I still enjoyed this book and found it unputdownable. I could, however, have loved it.

Here we Lie by Sophie McKenzie, published in Australia by Simon & Schuster is now available.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for review purposes.