The Lies We Tell

The Lies We Tell starts off well enough, and there is a mystery here, but for the life of me, I'm not quite sure exactly what that mystery was. Is Julian out to get Rowan? Did her mother have some involvement in it all? Was her father the man she thought he was? Oh, and then, we have two murders that have Rowan and Billy running around and asking questions. And exactly why is the undertaker so involved in a police investigation anyway? So, yes, there were questions, loads of questions with very few answers. I suppose this story is several mysteries in one with none of them getting the focus they need. The thing is this is part of a series, and I'll admit that I didn't know that when I started reading. That said, it didn't take me long to figure it out. I'll just add here, that I would not recommend this book as a standalone. The author does give some backstory, but it's not really enough to get a good feel for what's happened so far and at the same time, it's repetitive. Yes, that left me a little befuddled too, but it is what it is. I'm not even sure how many times we're told that Julian is a prolific serial killer. I get it, this dude has killed a lot of people, and he's obsessed with Rowan. I can remember that without it being repeated. So, it's safe to say that the repetitiveness of this one annoyed me. Quite often, I'll grab a book in the middle of the series and like what I find enough to go back and start at the beginning - Even if I don't understand everything that's mentioned in said mid-series book. That is not the case with The Lies We Tell. To sum it up, the story is convoluted, and parts of it seem to almost go in circles. I was less than impressed with Billy and Rowan who spend an awful lot of time running in those previously mentioned circles. For a smart woman, she wouldn't even remember to eat if Billy didn't constantly provide meals for her. Basing my opinion on what I've found here, I won't be bothering with earlier books in the series. At the risk of being spoiler-ish, I'll add that Julian isn't the only serial killer I learned about in this book, so I can only deduce that Rowan is some kind of serial killer magnet. If that seems a little farfetched, I thought so too. On a positive note, one case is solved in this winding road of a story, but I still ended up with more questions than answers, and then it just ends. It's more open-ended than cliffhanger, but it felt like this whole thing was just one big set up for the next book in the series. One that I won't be bothering to check out.

The Lies We Tell by Debra Webb The Undertaker’s Daughter #2 Not having read the prequel or book one in this series I do feel I might have been at a disadvantage. We know a serial killer is after her and there are secrets to be learned about the past. As I read I found out that Rowan once worked as a psychiatrist with the Nashville Police Department but left because of her inability to “see” that another psychiatrist was a serial killer. The killer is still on the lose and Rowan has gone back to Winchester to take up the family funeral business while sometimes helping out her buddy police chief Billy Brannigan. In this story there are several murders but whether or not they are related is unknown for most of the book. Two murders are solved but a few others are not. The FBI makesa an appearance, t here is a kidnapping and torture and a bone pile is found and a romance begins. We learn from a wise woman that both Rowan attracts death and that her mother did, too. Again, I did feel lost at times and felt there were some strange occurrences that were not explained. I have a feeling that the main psychiatrist serial killer may be a recurring theme in this series until he is caught and also feel other serial killers might pop up from time to time. Did I like this book? Not sure Would I read more in the series? Maybe Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin-Mira for the ARC – This is my honest review. 3 Stars