Book Review :The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

My Rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

“The difference between justice and revenge comes down to who’s telling the story.”

Meg Williams is a con woman who has mastered her craft over the years - meticulous planning, in-depth research, and a whole lot of smarts result in the almost flawless execution of her plans, changing locations and identities as the situation demands. But there is more to her story and her motivations as is gradually revealed as the narrative progresses. Unbeknownst to Meg, she has been on someone’s radar for over ten years, ever since one of her cons inadvertently resulted in a young journalist’s life falling apart.

Kat Roberts has waited ten years to exact revenge on the woman whose actions wrecked her life years ago. She is out to con the con woman, expose her and write about all of it. A lot is going on with both of these characters. While Kat has her eyes set on revenge, Meg has returned to town with her own agenda that involves settling old scores. Kat, hiding her true identity, succeeds in befriending Meg and what follows is an intricate web of deception, revenge, unlikely friendships and some surprising revelations along the way. The first-person narrative is shared between Meg and Kat in alternating chapters. The story jumps back and forth between the past and present-day events, giving us a clear understanding of who these women are, the grudges they have nurtured and what motivates them to do what they do.

If you enjoy stories featuring strong female protagonists, this one does not disappoint. I found Meg more interesting than Kat, though both of these women do hold their own. Consistently paced, with a good dose of suspense, tension and an intricately woven plot, The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark is a smartly crafted story that hooks you in from the first page and keeps you engaged till the very last sentence. This was my first Julie Clark novel and it won’t be my last!