Review: To Tell You the Truth

To Tell You the Truth, just published yesterday, is the third Gilly Macmillan novel I've read. I really enjoyed the other two so was very much looking forward to the latest one. I don't know if it was high expectations or not the kind of book I was in the mood for but I wasn't thrilled with this one. I mean, I was surprised by the twists and turns but I don't think I particularly liked it. It seems that I'm in the minority, so far, so maybe it was just a personal thing. Read on as I try to explain why it is I wasn't a fan of this book.

Here's the synopsis:

Bestselling mystery writer Lucy Harper’s talent for invention has given her fame, fortune, and an army of adoring readers. It has also saddled her with dependents, namely her fawning husband Dan.

When Dan suddenly goes missing, his disappearance evokes dark memories that take Lucy back more than thirty years—to the day her brother vanished without a trace. That’s when Lucy began conjuring stories. The police investigation revealed few confirmed details, so she created tales to fill in the gaps, to explain what happened that day her brother disappeared—and young Lucy was the only witness.

Now decades later, with the whole world watching, Lucy’s past and present are colliding, and this bestselling author skilled in telling stories is losing control of her own narrative. 

Where is Dan? What happened to Lucy's brother? And is the brilliant mystery writer—an expert in devising red herrings and hidden clues—revealing all she knows about both disappearances?

As you may know, I have a tendency to read the book's description when I request it from the publisher and then I won't again until I write up my review. This time I had to check with the synopsis after I started reading it because I needed to remind myself what, exactly, the mystery was going to be. Part of that was because it is a slow start. It takes about a quarter of the book for Dan to go missing and, by that point, I was honestly glad.

You see, Dan is terrible. He's totally gaslighting Lucy (so keep that in mind if this is a trigger for you) and I was incredibly frustrated and angry with him right at the start. And then once Lucy starts mentioning other things he had done throughout the years? I so badly wanted to protect her from him. 

I've seen other reviewers on Goodreads say they didn't like the book because they didn't like Lucy. That wasn't my issue. I actually quite appreciated that Lucy was a difficult character because we need to see more of those in books. I don't know why people seem to need likeable characters all the time (and this is from someone who loves romances and any stories that have a hint of a Happily Ever After). So, I applaud all authors, especially females, who write so-called unlikeable characters, especially females. 

Now, that said, I think this novel took the unreliable narrator trope a little too far. I think there were some serious mental issues with Lucy and something about that, that she was unreliable because of her mental state, made me really uncomfortable. I don't think that was Macmillan's intention but I just didn't really like that there were so many doubts and it was because there was actually something wrong with Lucy. 

I did really like that Lucy was an author. It's always fun, for me, to read about a writer and what their life is like. All authors are different, I know, so to see the life Macmillan dreamed up for Lucy was enjoyable. 

The setting was also a win for me. I've been enjoying a few more British detective stories and shows during lockdown so I liked that this novel took place in Brighton in a small neighbourhood where it seemed like everyone knew everyone else's business.

All in all, To Tell You the Truth was not a win for me. Gilly Macmillan is a great writer and told the story well but the story just didn't resonate with me. It seems to with other readers so you still might want to check it out if Macmillan is an author you love or you're a fan of suspenseful stories.

*An egalley of this novel was provided by the publisher, HarperCollins Canada, in exchange for review consideration. All opinions are honest and my own.*