Hey, everyone. Despite being busy with my own writing, I’ve made a point to read more books this year. My latest review is the second book I’ve read by this author, and it was a page-turner.
I should note the title of this book changed from The Lake House to Her Best Friend’s Lie shortly after I purchased it.
Blurb
You can always trust your closest friends. Can’t you?
This trip was a chance to reconnect away from our busy lives. The five of us used to be so close—going right back to our college days, when we shared a rickety house and all our favorite clothes, as well as every high and low of our lives—but that was then.
Now, the thought of three days in a small cabin far from anywhere, surrounded only by water and trees, with my four oldest friends makes my stomach sink and my hands sweat. Because if they knew what I’d done—the betrayals I’ve committed—they’d never forgive me. And neither would you.
The straight-A student, the sports star with a bright future ahead of her, the sheltered girl who blossomed away from her family and the hippie child who was going to save the world. Their lives have turned out so differently to how we pictured all those years ago. I try not to think about why.
But then danger strikes, and too late I discover I’m not the only one keeping secrets. And I wonder: who will go furthest to keep the truth hidden?
Gripping, addictive and totally unputdownable, Her Best Friend’s Lie will have you reading late into the night. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, The Woman in the Window and Big Little Lies.
My Review
After reading Laura Wolfe’s, Two Widows, earlier this year, I knew I wanted to read more of her books. Her Best Friend’s Lie is so far my favorite.
Five college friends plan a long weekend to celebrate turning forty at a secluded cabin near a lake. Sounds like a perfect getaway, right?
Wrong. When they arrive, the cabin does not look like it did in the advertisements, or as Wolfe described it, “looked like a long-lost sibling who’d fallen on hard times and lived a much more difficult life.”
To make matters worse, the landlord doesn’t appear to be the type of person you’d want to meet in a dark alley. They learn a nearby summer retreat for wayward youths closed after the death of a staff member under “suspicious circumstance.”
But the women decide to stay and make the best of it.
Then the unthinkable happens.
One friend is strangled to death. Was the creepy landlord responsible? Or someone else? Could it be one of them?
When a second friend is also killed, the remaining three try to find a way out of the place. They have no cell phone service, the minivan they arrived in has two flat tires, and one woman has a severely sprained ankle.
The author weaved in enough plot twists to keep me guessing the killer’s identity. And though I figured it out before the end, I was on the edge of my seat hoping the murderer wouldn’t strike a third time.
Five stars!
19 Responses
This sounds so good, Joan. Interesting about the title changing. Thanks for sharing!
The title change was unusual. I’m sure the author and the publisher had a valid reason. Thanks, Jill.
Yay for a five-star read! Good review. I’m intrigued about the landlord. Does he turn out to be a good guy or a bad guy . . .
All part of the mystery, Priscilla. I will say the author had me guessing. 🙂
Great review, Joan. I’ll have to give this one a look. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have another one of Wolfe’s books on my TBR list. I look forward to reading it as well. Thanks, Harmony.
Would you believe I just finished reading this last night? I saw it on your BookBub reviews and scooped it up last week. I figured it out before the end too, but not without waffling between three characters I considered suspects at one time or another. And that last line? I SO did not see that coming!
I’m going to have to pick up Two Widows. Thanks for introducing me to a new author, Joan. Excellent review.
I’m like you, Mae. I waffled between two or three characters. I didn’t see that last line either! It wasn’t what I expected.
I enjoyed Two Widows, but I liked this one best. I have another of her books, “She Lies Alone” on my Kindle, and I hope to read it soon.
Wonderful review, Joan. Thanks for sharing. I need to follow up with this one for sure!
it’s a page-turner, Gwen.
Excellent review, Joan. Thanks. Looks like an entertaining read.
Thanks, John. It was hard to put down, that’s for sure.
😁
This sounds like a real nail-biter, Joan! I puzzled over the title change, but I’m sure the author had her reasons. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on this intriguing story!
It was a nail-biter. I too wonder about the name change. I’m sure there was a valid reason, but it did surprise me.
Great review, Joan. This sounds like one I’d enjoy, so I added it to my TBR list.
It will keep you on the edge of your seat, Denise.
Sounds like a good one.
I’ve been reading a lot of psychological fiction lately. It’s becoming my favorite genre. This was a good one.