Here's the synopsis:
Tough as nails and seven months pregnant, Detective Maggie Kennedy-O’Keefe of Grotto PD, is dreading going on desk duty before having the baby her and her husband so badly want. But when new evidence is found in the 25-year-old cold case of her best friend’s murder that requires the work of a desk jockey, Maggie jumps at the opportunity to be the one who finally puts Eve Knox’s case to rest.
Maggie has her work cut out for her. Everyone close to Eve is a suspect. There’s Nola, Eve’s little sister who’s always been a little... off; Nick, Eve’s ex-boyfriend with a vicious temper; a Schwinn riding drifter who blew in and out of Grotto; even Maggie’s husband Sean, who may have known more about Eve’s last day than he’s letting on. As Maggie continues to investigate, the case comes closer and closer to home, forcing her to confront her own demons before she can find justice for Eve.
In a post on Instagram, when I was about 100 pages into the book, I said I had an idea of who the killer was. I also noted that I would totally be fine if I was wrong. I almost wanted to be because that meant there were unexpected twists in the story that I failed to see coming. Not surprisingly, I did not figure out the murder before the detective and I was surprised with the information that came to light later on in the story.
The novel starts with Eve's death and we read it from her perspective. Each chapter is told from a different character - Eve, Maggie, Nola - and from a different time period. Gudenkauf helpfully puts the character's name and the date at the start of each chapter so you know who you're reading and when. Each chapter moves forward in time, either in 2020 or 1995, until it all comes together at the end. Eve's death chapter is fully expanded so you know exactly what happened and who killed her. It was all so well done.
If I had to be nitpicky there were a few things that didn't totally sit well with me or fit the flow of the story. Maggie said over and over again that she wondered if she was the only one, to the point where I wanted to yell at her, of course you're not! (Sorry, that's super vague but, trust me, you don't want me to give it away.) Nola, is completely bananas and she almost became too outrageous. I think a slightly more restrained character would have worked a bit better for the story but she was so incredibly unpredictable and you still have no idea what makes her tick by the end of the novel. Also, strangely, I felt like Maggie's brother was a convenient character who was just there to solve the problem of who was looking after their dad. But, all of these things were so minor that they could not take away from my enjoyment of this novel.
I also have to admit that I was weirdly picturing Maggie as a cross between two Olivia Colman TV characters. We recently (finally) started watching Broadchurch so I had Colman's character D.S. Miller in my head. But Maggie is pregnant so in pops Colman's character from The Night Manager, which she played when she was actually quite pregnant herself. I'm not sure that's what Gudenkauf had in mind for Maggie but that's how I pictured her throughout the book.
The novel starts with Eve's death and we read it from her perspective. Each chapter is told from a different character - Eve, Maggie, Nola - and from a different time period. Gudenkauf helpfully puts the character's name and the date at the start of each chapter so you know who you're reading and when. Each chapter moves forward in time, either in 2020 or 1995, until it all comes together at the end. Eve's death chapter is fully expanded so you know exactly what happened and who killed her. It was all so well done.
If I had to be nitpicky there were a few things that didn't totally sit well with me or fit the flow of the story. Maggie said over and over again that she wondered if she was the only one, to the point where I wanted to yell at her, of course you're not! (Sorry, that's super vague but, trust me, you don't want me to give it away.) Nola, is completely bananas and she almost became too outrageous. I think a slightly more restrained character would have worked a bit better for the story but she was so incredibly unpredictable and you still have no idea what makes her tick by the end of the novel. Also, strangely, I felt like Maggie's brother was a convenient character who was just there to solve the problem of who was looking after their dad. But, all of these things were so minor that they could not take away from my enjoyment of this novel.
I also have to admit that I was weirdly picturing Maggie as a cross between two Olivia Colman TV characters. We recently (finally) started watching Broadchurch so I had Colman's character D.S. Miller in my head. But Maggie is pregnant so in pops Colman's character from The Night Manager, which she played when she was actually quite pregnant herself. I'm not sure that's what Gudenkauf had in mind for Maggie but that's how I pictured her throughout the book.
I am so, so glad I had the chance to read Heather Gudenkauf's novel This Is How I Lied. This is definitely a book to pick up if you enjoy mysteries and thrillers because I think it'll surprise you with the layers and possible murder suspects. It was a well told story with characters who were hiding a lot more than you expect. Highly recommend!
Where to buy This Is How I Lied:
Harlequin * Barnes & Noble * Amazon.com * Books-A-Million * Powell’s * Amazon.ca * Kobo * Indigo *
Harlequin * Barnes & Noble * Amazon.com * Books-A-Million * Powell’s * Amazon.ca * Kobo * Indigo *
Connect with Heather:
Website * Twitter * Instagram * Facebook * Goodreads
About Heather:
Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many books, including The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden. Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages. She lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and running.
*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, Park Row Books, in exchange for a review for the purposes of a blog tour. All opinions are honest and my own.*
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