Never Lie

***SPOILER WARNING

Never Lie by Frida McFadden was not only a very quick read for me, but got me out of my reading slump. I definitely enjoyed it overall. At times, Trisha was a bit annoying as a narrator and felt shallow before her reveal as Pa(trisha). That said, I understand why the author chose to voice her in the personality she projects to seem innocent.

Since most of the book is told in Trisha’s hollow voice, it could be a little harder to get through. Personally, I preferred Adrienne’s perspective. Still, the plot twist was really intense. I had an inkling Trisha was P.L. once she began listening to the tapes. It didn’t make much sense why P.L. would be part of a story with so few characters and no side characters who weren’t crucial to the plot.

Even so, I couldn’t quite connect how or why she would be P.L., so the twists remained surprising, yet cheap. I felt like the author did whatever she could to surprise her audience making the narrative flimsy. Why would Trisha’s inner monologue be a facade? It was not the most satisfying ending. I think a better perspective would have been third person or Trisha reflecting back, or maybe the being twist that the whole narrative was Trisha being interviewed?

I have a soft spot for this story, but if the author writes all her mystery novels like this then I don’t think I will try another.

2.5/5 stars