Never Lie
⭐⭐⭐⭐
〰️
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 〰️
Synopsis
Finished up one of my favorite psychological thrillers of the year - Never Lie by Freida McFadden. Ethan and Tricia are newlyweds in search of their perfect dream home. While house-hunting, they become stranded in a blizzard at a remote manor that once belonged to a successful author and psychiatrist, Dr. Adrienne Hale, who strangely disappeared years prior. Despite the unsettling circumstances, Tricia searches for a way to kill time when she stumbles upon a secret room full of tape recordings leading up to the timeline of Dr. Hale’s disappearance. Each tape is an audio transcript of her patients’ sessions and Tricia finds herself attempting to piece it all together - until she gets to the final tape: the tell all.
“I believe that any human being is capable of terrible things if you push them hard enough.”
Favorites
I completed this fast-paced thriller in just two sittings - the first getting through about 30% and then finishing it the next night. I have to applaud Freida for her writing in this book; she incorporated many different POV’s and never once lost me. Each character within the plot was expanded upon in such a comprehensible manner and truly added to the suspense. I appreciated each character’s name being brought up sporadically, almost as a refresher, greatly aiding my comprehension of the characters and their distant connections. Each time I thought I knew what the next twist would be, I was completely thrown, and yet nothing felt even remotely far-fetched. Every development created a new set of burning questions and had me flipping pages as quickly as I possibly could.
“After all, my mother always said that the only way two people can keep a secret is if one of them is dead.”
Icks
There were a few things I was frustrated with, but not enough to dock my high rating of this book. At least once in each initial chapter, Tricia touched on her fear and hesitance in sharing this “secret” that she was keeping from her new husband. It was quite a while before we, as readers, were told her secret and I found this extremely aggravating. I am all for a bit of foreshadowing, but I was not enjoying Tricia’s internal monologue before we knew that she was pregnant. Furthermore, I was actively rolling my eyes every time Tricia needed help with something due to her pregnancy. How, at only two weeks pregnant, are you afraid to move a couch, yet have no problem throwing back deli meat? These inconsistencies were bothering me, but again, not enough to make me hate the book.
“I am ashamed that even as a psychiatrist, I completely misdiagnosed him, which may have been the most costly mistake I have made in my career. But now I know the truth. The man is a psychopath.”
Final Thoughts
Out of all the Freida McFadden books I have read, I definitely enjoyed this one most. I typically enjoy her writing as it is comparatively easy to follow and pretty engaging from cover to cover. What I loved most about this book, and what her other books have lacked in, was the relatively realistic ending. By now I know to expect many plot twists and surprises, though I felt Tricia’s finale uniquely aligned with the rest of her story. All of the original questions were answered, including trivial details, such as why Judy never arrived for the showing and why Tricia wore such inappropriate attire for the blizzard. We even received closure for each and every character - even if only two of them made it out alive. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers and I would encourage those who have not enjoyed other Freida McFadden books to give it a try.
