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Monday's Lie
From the acclaimed author of the “ripping good” ( The New York Times ) debut novel Three Graves Full comes a new thriller hailed as “superb…will entrance readers from page one. Sly, poignant, and beautifully written” ( Library Journal , starred review).
Dee Aldrich rebelled against her off-center upbringing when she married the most conventional man she could Patrick, her college sweetheart. But now, years later, her marriage is falling apart and she’s starting to believe that her husband has his eye on a new life...a life without her, one way or another.
Haunted by memories of her late mother Annette, a former covert operations asset, Dee reaches back into her childhood to resurrect her mother’s lessons and the “spy games” they played together, in which Dee learned memory tricks and, most importantly, how and when to lie. But just as she begins determining the course of the future, she makes a discovery that will change her her mother left her a lot of money and her own husband seems to know more about it than Dee does. Now, before it’s too late, she must investigate her suspicions and untangle conspiracy from coincidence, using her mother’s advice to steer her through the blind spots. The trick, in the end, will be in deciding if a “normal life” is really what she wants at all.
With pulse-pounding prose and atmospheric settings, Monday’s Lie is a thriller that delivers more of the “Hitchcockian menace” (Peter Straub) that made Three Graves Full a critical hit. For fans of the Coen brothers or Gillian Flynn, this is a book you won’t want to miss.
Dee Aldrich rebelled against her off-center upbringing when she married the most conventional man she could Patrick, her college sweetheart. But now, years later, her marriage is falling apart and she’s starting to believe that her husband has his eye on a new life...a life without her, one way or another.
Haunted by memories of her late mother Annette, a former covert operations asset, Dee reaches back into her childhood to resurrect her mother’s lessons and the “spy games” they played together, in which Dee learned memory tricks and, most importantly, how and when to lie. But just as she begins determining the course of the future, she makes a discovery that will change her her mother left her a lot of money and her own husband seems to know more about it than Dee does. Now, before it’s too late, she must investigate her suspicions and untangle conspiracy from coincidence, using her mother’s advice to steer her through the blind spots. The trick, in the end, will be in deciding if a “normal life” is really what she wants at all.
With pulse-pounding prose and atmospheric settings, Monday’s Lie is a thriller that delivers more of the “Hitchcockian menace” (Peter Straub) that made Three Graves Full a critical hit. For fans of the Coen brothers or Gillian Flynn, this is a book you won’t want to miss.
304 pages, Paperback
First published February 3, 2015
75 people are currently reading
3219 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Mason
3 books329 followersJamie Mason was born in Oklahoma City, but grew up in Washington, D.C. She's most often reading and writing, but in the life left over, she enjoys films, Formula 1 racing, football, traveling, and, conversely, staying at home.
Jamie lives with her husband and two daughters in the mountains of western North Carolina.
Jamie lives with her husband and two daughters in the mountains of western North Carolina.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 269 reviews
June 27, 2021
Head games between spouses
Dee just wants a normal life. She and her brother, Simon, grew up in a snug, self-reliant family of three. Her mother, Annette Vess, was a wonderful woman, excelling in her clandestine, spy world and teaching the lessons of that world to her children: always be aware of your surroundings, look beyond the facade, and trust your instincts. But Dee wants no part of the shady world of her mother's business.
Dee , as a grown, married woman, is in a fix and doesn't know what to do, her husband has become a different person. She thinks back to her loving mother's lessons to try and solve the puzzle of her disintegrating marriage and life.
I liked this, but didn't love it. We figure out what's going on long before the protagonist and we spend much too much time in Dee's circular thoughts. I do like how their mother raised them and think these would be great lessons to learn. If you want a fantastic book by this author, read Three Graves Full.
Dee just wants a normal life. She and her brother, Simon, grew up in a snug, self-reliant family of three. Her mother, Annette Vess, was a wonderful woman, excelling in her clandestine, spy world and teaching the lessons of that world to her children: always be aware of your surroundings, look beyond the facade, and trust your instincts. But Dee wants no part of the shady world of her mother's business.
Dee , as a grown, married woman, is in a fix and doesn't know what to do, her husband has become a different person. She thinks back to her loving mother's lessons to try and solve the puzzle of her disintegrating marriage and life.
I liked this, but didn't love it. We figure out what's going on long before the protagonist and we spend much too much time in Dee's circular thoughts. I do like how their mother raised them and think these would be great lessons to learn. If you want a fantastic book by this author, read Three Graves Full.
February 23, 2015
I’m developing a slight infatuation for a woman named Jamie Mason. And, no, you can’t have her, I saw her first. This might be the best novel I’ve read this year, and every last one of you bastards should go out and read it for yourselves. Why? You might ask. Well, if you’re not just going to take me at my word and stop at third, then let’s delve a little deeper, shall we. Each word felt as though it was handcrafted and mulled over for hours. If that’s the case, then I’m probably going to cry a little, because that means I’m going to have to wait ten years until her next masterpiece, and in the meantime the market is going to be flooded with plenty of crap, unless she started her novel writing days at puberty, and in that case, I may only have to wait a couple more years while she gives her next work a bit more polish and shine and then ceremoniously flings it upon the world with much pomp and circumstance and even a few trumpets and trombones. And if that’s indeed the case, I shall cry a little less.
That’s not enough, you say. You’re all a bunch of heathens. Okay, there’s more. She totally reinvented herself from her debut novel to this one. It’s an entirely different tale filled with entirely different characters in an entirely different setting, and it ratcheted up the suspense with such subtlety and ease that I’d need a Venn diagram to plot it all out, and frankly, I just don’t have the time for plot charts and graphs. But if that’s your thing, then have at it, sister, I won’t stop you.
There is no sophomoric slump. No second novel blues. Instead, she’s painted a world filled with orange and red. MONDAY’S LIE is better than her first by a country mile, and with THREE GRAVES FULL, she really showcased her writing chops, and offered up plenty of talent. But this time she took it to a whole nother level. She proved she’s a novel slinging badass in her DKNY jeans. Ms. Mason, you have fair warning that I am now going to stalk your pretty ass. Not the kind that leads to being led away in handcuffs, but the kind that turns me into a lifelong, loyal reader, or as Stephen King says, “Constant reader.” Where I shall pronounce from the mountaintop at all who I deem worthy to go out and procure a small piece of Jamie Mason for themselves at your nearest bookstore or online establishment. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
I received this ARC for free at Bouchercon.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
That’s not enough, you say. You’re all a bunch of heathens. Okay, there’s more. She totally reinvented herself from her debut novel to this one. It’s an entirely different tale filled with entirely different characters in an entirely different setting, and it ratcheted up the suspense with such subtlety and ease that I’d need a Venn diagram to plot it all out, and frankly, I just don’t have the time for plot charts and graphs. But if that’s your thing, then have at it, sister, I won’t stop you.
There is no sophomoric slump. No second novel blues. Instead, she’s painted a world filled with orange and red. MONDAY’S LIE is better than her first by a country mile, and with THREE GRAVES FULL, she really showcased her writing chops, and offered up plenty of talent. But this time she took it to a whole nother level. She proved she’s a novel slinging badass in her DKNY jeans. Ms. Mason, you have fair warning that I am now going to stalk your pretty ass. Not the kind that leads to being led away in handcuffs, but the kind that turns me into a lifelong, loyal reader, or as Stephen King says, “Constant reader.” Where I shall pronounce from the mountaintop at all who I deem worthy to go out and procure a small piece of Jamie Mason for themselves at your nearest bookstore or online establishment. Trust me, you’ll thank me later.
I received this ARC for free at Bouchercon.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
February 20, 2015
Dee and Scott were raised by their mother, a mother who had some type of secret covert ops job or something like that. She would disappear for stretches of time, but when she was home she trained her children to notice everything. It was a game they played along with some other survival and safety skills.
This book went backwards and forwards and round and round. It was incredibly and in my opinion, unnecessarily wordy. The last part contains most of the action, but I found it over dramatic and ludicrous. Never really connected with any of the characters, nor the story.
ARC from NetGalley.
This book went backwards and forwards and round and round. It was incredibly and in my opinion, unnecessarily wordy. The last part contains most of the action, but I found it over dramatic and ludicrous. Never really connected with any of the characters, nor the story.
ARC from NetGalley.
March 21, 2017
LOVED THIS BOOK!!!
Told in the first person, in Dee Aldrich’s point of view, Monday’s Lie took me on a very exciting ride. Jamie Mason is a fantastic storyteller. She has such a way with words that has me so jealous. I find that the more I enjoy a book, the harder it is for me to express my enjoyment in words. It’s like they are a jumble of feelings that can’t find a way out of my brain. It often leads to reviews where I repetitively use a lot of exclamation points and phrases like “I loved it” and “sooooo good”.
This story was shrouded in suspense that keep me on the edge of my seat, but what really worked for me was the way the story was told. Surrounding the mystery that is her flailing marriage, Dee’s story is unraveled by looking back to her relationship with her now deceased mother and how that led her to crave the “normal” kind of life she tried to build with her husband, Patrick. I found myself so sucked into the story that was her life that I kept forgetting about the mystery Dee was trying to uncover… That is, until the book kicked into high gear towards the end and had me wanting to chew off all of my nails.
Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to reading more by this author.
Told in the first person, in Dee Aldrich’s point of view, Monday’s Lie took me on a very exciting ride. Jamie Mason is a fantastic storyteller. She has such a way with words that has me so jealous. I find that the more I enjoy a book, the harder it is for me to express my enjoyment in words. It’s like they are a jumble of feelings that can’t find a way out of my brain. It often leads to reviews where I repetitively use a lot of exclamation points and phrases like “I loved it” and “sooooo good”.
This story was shrouded in suspense that keep me on the edge of my seat, but what really worked for me was the way the story was told. Surrounding the mystery that is her flailing marriage, Dee’s story is unraveled by looking back to her relationship with her now deceased mother and how that led her to crave the “normal” kind of life she tried to build with her husband, Patrick. I found myself so sucked into the story that was her life that I kept forgetting about the mystery Dee was trying to uncover… That is, until the book kicked into high gear towards the end and had me wanting to chew off all of my nails.
Really enjoyed this one and looking forward to reading more by this author.
August 3, 2015
Monday's Lie is a standalone thriller written by Jamie Mason. One thing that caught my eye while reading the synopsis for this book was Ms. Mason's reported delivery of "Hitchcockian menace". I grew up watching VHS recordings of Hitchcock movies weekly, if not daily. My mother loved his work, and I soon learned to appreciate his dark suspense as well. So when I saw his style referenced, I knew I had to read this book.
I agree that Monday's Lie did carry a bit of a Hitchcock tone, but it manages to remain its very own style which I enjoyed. The female lead: Dee Aldrich grew up with a mother whose line of work closely resembled a 007 operative. I imagine all the real-life secret agents out there have a family somewhere, right? For Dee and her brother, chores and other daily tasks always included some kind of fun but subliminal lesson in observation, awareness, investigation, strategy, etc. I bet Dee had no idea that her mom's parenting style would come in handy one day.
Monday's Lie spends the majority of its time with an emphasis on Dee remembering her mother and allowing the reader to view how her mother's parenting style and work impacted Dee throughout her life. Now, at present-day, Dee finds herself in a concerning situation that causes her to pause and question those around her. What is true? What is a lie? Are the people in her life really what she thinks them to be? Fortunately, Dee's spy school memories are resurfacing right when she needs them most.
I thought Jamie Mason's writing was stunning in this novel. I immediately fell in love with the beauty of it and I began marking relevant quotes right away. I do want to note though that although Monday's Lie is marketed as a thriller, it spends about eighty percent of the book building up to the “thrilling” climax. In my opinion, it's more literary fiction meets quiet mystery until that point. But at the eighty percent mark...OMG, hold onto your seat!!!
Overall, I very much enjoyed Monday's Lie. Like I said, the writing won me over, even in the midst of my ongoing questioning about the advertised genre and my wondering when Dee would figure out the main mystery (I was all but yelling at the book!). But if anything, that eighty percent mark made it all worth it. If you enjoy any of the genres mentioned in this review, then consider picking up this novel.
My favorite quote:
"But a story is a house, a home for something that happened. The truth lives there forever, along with its cousins, the half-truths, and also with everyone's servants, the lies. And no house has only one door. There's always another way in.”
I agree that Monday's Lie did carry a bit of a Hitchcock tone, but it manages to remain its very own style which I enjoyed. The female lead: Dee Aldrich grew up with a mother whose line of work closely resembled a 007 operative. I imagine all the real-life secret agents out there have a family somewhere, right? For Dee and her brother, chores and other daily tasks always included some kind of fun but subliminal lesson in observation, awareness, investigation, strategy, etc. I bet Dee had no idea that her mom's parenting style would come in handy one day.
Monday's Lie spends the majority of its time with an emphasis on Dee remembering her mother and allowing the reader to view how her mother's parenting style and work impacted Dee throughout her life. Now, at present-day, Dee finds herself in a concerning situation that causes her to pause and question those around her. What is true? What is a lie? Are the people in her life really what she thinks them to be? Fortunately, Dee's spy school memories are resurfacing right when she needs them most.
I thought Jamie Mason's writing was stunning in this novel. I immediately fell in love with the beauty of it and I began marking relevant quotes right away. I do want to note though that although Monday's Lie is marketed as a thriller, it spends about eighty percent of the book building up to the “thrilling” climax. In my opinion, it's more literary fiction meets quiet mystery until that point. But at the eighty percent mark...OMG, hold onto your seat!!!
Overall, I very much enjoyed Monday's Lie. Like I said, the writing won me over, even in the midst of my ongoing questioning about the advertised genre and my wondering when Dee would figure out the main mystery (I was all but yelling at the book!). But if anything, that eighty percent mark made it all worth it. If you enjoy any of the genres mentioned in this review, then consider picking up this novel.
My favorite quote:
"But a story is a house, a home for something that happened. The truth lives there forever, along with its cousins, the half-truths, and also with everyone's servants, the lies. And no house has only one door. There's always another way in.”
January 31, 2015
3.5 "Everyone rebels against their upbringing, either honestly, right out in the open, or deep in their hearts while they pay lip service to their splendid childhoods".
Dee's choice of husband, Patrick, was her ultimate defiance.
Dee's brother, (and Dee's best friend, and confidant), said that Patrick was a boring dork who would build a picket fence, knock her up with 2.3 children, then buy a golden retriever. That all sounded perfect to Dee. She was seeking a very normal (boring sounded refreshing) life.
Her childhood was everything 'but' boring with a mother who worked for the government. Annette Vess blended 'training' her children to be very observant in life (by playing games), and being a normal mother. She was was a strong-interesting-asskicker-bright-don't-mess-with-me-woman! She also had a mysterious aura ---which made it a little challenging for Dee to understand.
Dee, loved her mother --listened carefully to things she learned from her -- but wanted as far away from her mother's lifestyle as possible for herself.
However, Dee, begins to reaching for her mother's words -her wisdom - as her 'normal' marriage begins to show red-flag problems.
As secrets and lies begin between Dee and Patrick ... Dee's desire to dig up more history from her mother's past becomes important to her. Her misses her mother more than ever --(She died of Cancer) --and her marriage is suffering.
The secrets, lies, betrayal, grow bigger and more dangerous between Dee and Patrick.
The voice of Annette in Dee's mind grows bigger at the same time... (a place for Dee to draw her strength)
..... "There is nothing supernatural, Annette would say. There are only the things in this world that we understand, the things that we don't understand, and made-up crap."
So, What is made up between Patrick and Dee? Who is having an affair -and lying about it?
Who is secretly planning a divorce? Who is hiding money? Or...who is trying to kill the other?
To find know the answer to these questions --you'll have to read this book yourself.
I liked this story --(but without giving anything away) -- I didn't think the ending came together all that smooth --or all that surprising. However, there were some creative ideas the author presented.
'The games' taught to the children could actually be useful lifetime skills!
Dee's choice of husband, Patrick, was her ultimate defiance.
Dee's brother, (and Dee's best friend, and confidant), said that Patrick was a boring dork who would build a picket fence, knock her up with 2.3 children, then buy a golden retriever. That all sounded perfect to Dee. She was seeking a very normal (boring sounded refreshing) life.
Her childhood was everything 'but' boring with a mother who worked for the government. Annette Vess blended 'training' her children to be very observant in life (by playing games), and being a normal mother. She was was a strong-interesting-asskicker-bright-don't-mess-with-me-woman! She also had a mysterious aura ---which made it a little challenging for Dee to understand.
Dee, loved her mother --listened carefully to things she learned from her -- but wanted as far away from her mother's lifestyle as possible for herself.
However, Dee, begins to reaching for her mother's words -her wisdom - as her 'normal' marriage begins to show red-flag problems.
As secrets and lies begin between Dee and Patrick ... Dee's desire to dig up more history from her mother's past becomes important to her. Her misses her mother more than ever --(She died of Cancer) --and her marriage is suffering.
The secrets, lies, betrayal, grow bigger and more dangerous between Dee and Patrick.
The voice of Annette in Dee's mind grows bigger at the same time... (a place for Dee to draw her strength)
..... "There is nothing supernatural, Annette would say. There are only the things in this world that we understand, the things that we don't understand, and made-up crap."
So, What is made up between Patrick and Dee? Who is having an affair -and lying about it?
Who is secretly planning a divorce? Who is hiding money? Or...who is trying to kill the other?
To find know the answer to these questions --you'll have to read this book yourself.
I liked this story --(but without giving anything away) -- I didn't think the ending came together all that smooth --or all that surprising. However, there were some creative ideas the author presented.
'The games' taught to the children could actually be useful lifetime skills!
April 15, 2015
The writing style was not for me. I found it extremely wordy, so much so that I couldn't stand it after awhile and gave up before I finished the book. I stayed up very late hoping it would get better but it didn't. I was so looking forward to reading this book, too, because I loved the premise. What a let down. I usually don't rate books that I don't finish but I'm going to with this one.
June 19, 2015
i could barely get through this one. not sure how i came across it but seem to remember reading somewhere that it had "hitchcockian" undertones.
nope.
not accurate, that.
moving on.
nope.
not accurate, that.
moving on.
February 20, 2015
3.5 stars
"Love is love when it's electrifying, but what is it when it's soothingly plain?"
Dee grew up with an eccentric mother. One that made a sort of game out of surveillance and quizzing her kids. Naturally making Dee and her younger brother inquisitive and very aware of their surroundings. While it was never confirmed, it was easy to make the assumption that her mother was some type of agent. Everything was kept sort of hush-hush and covert.
In college, Dee met Patrick, and picked him. Something about him was ideal. He seemed like the type of guy that she could have a normal life with, which she craved. But somewhere along the way, after years of marriage, it became apparent they wanted different things. She accepted the complacency of their marriage, but he wanted more. And he went out looking for it. It became a tangled web of secrets and half truths that took a dark turn.
After reading the first couple of chapters, I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the entire book. The writing was heavy, almost to the point of stifling and it felt like a jumble of memories just thrown together. I had a hard time seeing where the author was going with the story. Somehow, I was able to push through and around the halfway point it got a lot better. I didn't totally connect with the author's voice or they way she told the story, but I liked that it was different. My only wish was that the ending had held up to the twist. It felt sort of predictable and unsatisfying.
3.5/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
*Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
"Love is love when it's electrifying, but what is it when it's soothingly plain?"
Dee grew up with an eccentric mother. One that made a sort of game out of surveillance and quizzing her kids. Naturally making Dee and her younger brother inquisitive and very aware of their surroundings. While it was never confirmed, it was easy to make the assumption that her mother was some type of agent. Everything was kept sort of hush-hush and covert.
In college, Dee met Patrick, and picked him. Something about him was ideal. He seemed like the type of guy that she could have a normal life with, which she craved. But somewhere along the way, after years of marriage, it became apparent they wanted different things. She accepted the complacency of their marriage, but he wanted more. And he went out looking for it. It became a tangled web of secrets and half truths that took a dark turn.
After reading the first couple of chapters, I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the entire book. The writing was heavy, almost to the point of stifling and it felt like a jumble of memories just thrown together. I had a hard time seeing where the author was going with the story. Somehow, I was able to push through and around the halfway point it got a lot better. I didn't totally connect with the author's voice or they way she told the story, but I liked that it was different. My only wish was that the ending had held up to the twist. It felt sort of predictable and unsatisfying.
3.5/5 Fangs
MrsLeif's Two Fangs About It
*Complimentary copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
February 5, 2015
Dee Aldrich grew up with a mother who played "spy games" with her. She learned to notice people, to find things that people have hidden, and to detect lies. In order to escape this nontraditional upbringing, she marries the most normal man she could in order to escape. Patrick, a college sweetheart. However as her marriage begins to fall apart, she discovers that he may not be all that he seems and her mother's teachings may be more useful than she thought.
I felt that the book flowed quite well, despite the jumps in time between Dee in the current moment, and memories from her childhood. I enjoyed reading about their relationship and quickly found myself wanting to learn more about these well rounded characters that had an air of mystery surrounding them.
The author definitely has a way with words, and while the majority of the imagery was beautiful, a few metaphors were awkward and I had to pause to think about what the author was trying to convey. Thankfully those instances were few and far between and in general the story followed a good pace, the twists and turns keeping me turning pages.
Definitely a potential read for those who love a good thriller by a talented author.
I felt that the book flowed quite well, despite the jumps in time between Dee in the current moment, and memories from her childhood. I enjoyed reading about their relationship and quickly found myself wanting to learn more about these well rounded characters that had an air of mystery surrounding them.
The author definitely has a way with words, and while the majority of the imagery was beautiful, a few metaphors were awkward and I had to pause to think about what the author was trying to convey. Thankfully those instances were few and far between and in general the story followed a good pace, the twists and turns keeping me turning pages.
Definitely a potential read for those who love a good thriller by a talented author.
June 2, 2015
I raced through this book in a day on the edge of my seat. Jamie Mason keeps you guessing till the very end what exactly is happening in this marriage gone awry and what caused it. So happy to have found this book! Highly recommend.
December 17, 2014
“Monday’s Lie” by Jamie Mason, published by Gallery Books.
Category – Mystery/Thriller Publication Date – February 03, 2015
Jamie Mason is the author who brought us the thriller, “Three Graves Full”, which I heartily recommend for those who have not read it. I must admit I have reservations for “Monday’s Lie”.
Dee Aldrich and her brother, Simon, have a mother that is hard to define. Annette has led a very singular life that had her part of covert operations. Operations that were kept very secret from her children, although Annette used her guile to education her children in her “spy” tactics.
Dee wanting to lead a “normal” life tends to reject this education and marries a very normal Patrick. Everything seems to be going “normally” until a few years into their marriage Dee starts to question the changes in Patrick’s behavior. In fact, Dee believes that he may be planning on getting rid of her permanently.
Dee begins to use he mother’s “spy” tactics and with the help of Simon she starts to unravel what is happening in her life.
Although I found the first part of the book very tedious and hard to get through and very wanting in necessary information to formulate what was going on between mother, daughter, son, husband, handler, and a covert operator that worked with her, I was pleasantly surprised at the ending.
I can honestly say it was worth my while to finish the book, but just wished it hadn’t been so difficult to get to the last 100 pages.
Category – Mystery/Thriller Publication Date – February 03, 2015
Jamie Mason is the author who brought us the thriller, “Three Graves Full”, which I heartily recommend for those who have not read it. I must admit I have reservations for “Monday’s Lie”.
Dee Aldrich and her brother, Simon, have a mother that is hard to define. Annette has led a very singular life that had her part of covert operations. Operations that were kept very secret from her children, although Annette used her guile to education her children in her “spy” tactics.
Dee wanting to lead a “normal” life tends to reject this education and marries a very normal Patrick. Everything seems to be going “normally” until a few years into their marriage Dee starts to question the changes in Patrick’s behavior. In fact, Dee believes that he may be planning on getting rid of her permanently.
Dee begins to use he mother’s “spy” tactics and with the help of Simon she starts to unravel what is happening in her life.
Although I found the first part of the book very tedious and hard to get through and very wanting in necessary information to formulate what was going on between mother, daughter, son, husband, handler, and a covert operator that worked with her, I was pleasantly surprised at the ending.
I can honestly say it was worth my while to finish the book, but just wished it hadn’t been so difficult to get to the last 100 pages.
August 12, 2016
Quick comment: best psychological thriller book I've read this year. Way better than Girl on a Train.
Highly recommended to anyone that likes psychological thrillers. This book deserves to go high on bestseller lists.
Highly recommended to anyone that likes psychological thrillers. This book deserves to go high on bestseller lists.
December 30, 2014
A special thank you to Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Jamie Mason’s MONDAY’S LIE, is a mixture of quirky, wacky, and think "old detective spy movie," for a humorous and an "off the beaten path" wild crazy ride, contemporary mystery thriller.
Poor Dee loves the days of the week, and each one has a meaning connected to her memories and future. She thinks Monday her marriage will be over, as her mother always said never to keep a man for more years than you could count on your fingers (sounds about right). However, her mom lost some of her fingers along the way.
As a child there would be stories of daring stunts in exotic backwaters and then twenty minutes later, her mom would be helping her with her algebra. Clues, and more clues…..she teaches her children how to be good spies.
Needless to say she did not have a normal childhood with Dee and younger brother Simon (now a cop). Her late mother Annette, was a former covert operations asset (CIA) where she learned many spy games and tricks and how to lie at an early age. (Some wild events happening here).
Her mom left her money and she thinks her husband, Patrick (her college sweetheart) wants her dead. Her brother had told her years ago that Patrick was a boring dork who would build a picket fence, knock her up with 2.3 children, and buy a golden retriever. At the time she thought it sounded perfect. She thought if you had a boring life it would be normal, which is not what her childhood was. Anything but.
Now that Annette has been gone for years, Dee is still trying grasp how all will be worked out, to solve the mystery while a blue sedan is tailing her and texts from Angela, and all sorts of strange things happening. The burglary at the yoga studio, the insurance? Something is not right. “If clues waved flags and blew trumpets, baby girl, we’d all be Sherlock Holmes.”
Mason has some imagination. From past to present; let the games and the suspense begin!
This is a hard one to review, as there are so many humorous one liners with this array of eccentric characters. You will not be sorry, stay with it, as it all comes together by the ending. If you have not read Three Graves Full, would recommend. Both books are like "no other"!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
Jamie Mason’s MONDAY’S LIE, is a mixture of quirky, wacky, and think "old detective spy movie," for a humorous and an "off the beaten path" wild crazy ride, contemporary mystery thriller.
Poor Dee loves the days of the week, and each one has a meaning connected to her memories and future. She thinks Monday her marriage will be over, as her mother always said never to keep a man for more years than you could count on your fingers (sounds about right). However, her mom lost some of her fingers along the way.
As a child there would be stories of daring stunts in exotic backwaters and then twenty minutes later, her mom would be helping her with her algebra. Clues, and more clues…..she teaches her children how to be good spies.
Needless to say she did not have a normal childhood with Dee and younger brother Simon (now a cop). Her late mother Annette, was a former covert operations asset (CIA) where she learned many spy games and tricks and how to lie at an early age. (Some wild events happening here).
Her mom left her money and she thinks her husband, Patrick (her college sweetheart) wants her dead. Her brother had told her years ago that Patrick was a boring dork who would build a picket fence, knock her up with 2.3 children, and buy a golden retriever. At the time she thought it sounded perfect. She thought if you had a boring life it would be normal, which is not what her childhood was. Anything but.
Now that Annette has been gone for years, Dee is still trying grasp how all will be worked out, to solve the mystery while a blue sedan is tailing her and texts from Angela, and all sorts of strange things happening. The burglary at the yoga studio, the insurance? Something is not right. “If clues waved flags and blew trumpets, baby girl, we’d all be Sherlock Holmes.”
Mason has some imagination. From past to present; let the games and the suspense begin!
This is a hard one to review, as there are so many humorous one liners with this array of eccentric characters. You will not be sorry, stay with it, as it all comes together by the ending. If you have not read Three Graves Full, would recommend. Both books are like "no other"!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
February 4, 2015
Ok let me introduce you to one of YOUR favorite books of 2015. Bold statement, yes, but odds are good I'm right.
"It's funny what you remember about terrible things." - That's how begins the story of a brother and sister who are raised by a single mom, who oh yeah, might be a government operative. Their earliest memories are of her playing games meant to teach them trade craft. And learn they do.
With "Monday's Lies" Jamie Mason has created an intricate portrait of a wildly unconventional upbringing. The feelings ring true, they are familiar and yet not like any family I've known.
I do know a dysfunctional luau when I see one. When we were kids my little sister Shaun screamed "Why can't we be more like the Brady Bunch?" A valid question when your life is chaos. Mason gets that feeling down to the bone. She looks directly at that need to feel like a Brady, and the price we are all willing to pay to try and live that normal life. Any of us who grew up weird will see pieces of our childhood yearning here.
Monday's Lie is also a taut thriller that kept me reading late into the night. And it's funny as hell, but never at the expense of believability. Her first book was compared to a Coen Brothers film, and that remains apt here. In fact the brothers would be wise to look into the rights before they are snatched up.
Ok, great read, fun, got it, but what slays me, I mean really guts me is Mason's damn fine prose. She strings a sentence together like no one I've read. Not rigid or stuffy or overly learned, just stunning and clearly her own.
"A sob coiled in the roof of my mouth, pressing against my tongue."
Like that. So pick it up, you can thank me later.
"It's funny what you remember about terrible things." - That's how begins the story of a brother and sister who are raised by a single mom, who oh yeah, might be a government operative. Their earliest memories are of her playing games meant to teach them trade craft. And learn they do.
With "Monday's Lies" Jamie Mason has created an intricate portrait of a wildly unconventional upbringing. The feelings ring true, they are familiar and yet not like any family I've known.
I do know a dysfunctional luau when I see one. When we were kids my little sister Shaun screamed "Why can't we be more like the Brady Bunch?" A valid question when your life is chaos. Mason gets that feeling down to the bone. She looks directly at that need to feel like a Brady, and the price we are all willing to pay to try and live that normal life. Any of us who grew up weird will see pieces of our childhood yearning here.
Monday's Lie is also a taut thriller that kept me reading late into the night. And it's funny as hell, but never at the expense of believability. Her first book was compared to a Coen Brothers film, and that remains apt here. In fact the brothers would be wise to look into the rights before they are snatched up.
Ok, great read, fun, got it, but what slays me, I mean really guts me is Mason's damn fine prose. She strings a sentence together like no one I've read. Not rigid or stuffy or overly learned, just stunning and clearly her own.
"A sob coiled in the roof of my mouth, pressing against my tongue."
Like that. So pick it up, you can thank me later.
February 15, 2015
Sent by Publisher fore review. Not my style of writing at all: flowery, convoluted and generally felt like the character was having a 'stream of consciousness' rather than providing a story. Ostensibly a thriller / myster, I got to 40% and wasn't thrilled. Apart from an odd reference to the here and now, the majority of the script had focused on the there and then of her past and the only mystery was when was the plot going to start......
February 3, 2015
When I read the synopsis for Monday’s Lie, I had a certain idea of what the story would be like. While it wasn’t exactly like I thought it would be, the book still managed to be an entertaining mystery/thriller. I would even say that it’s more than that. To me, the story was also about a unique mother/daughter relationship and childhood had ramifications in a woman’s life and marriage.
First off, what really stood out for me about this book is the writing of Jamie Mason. The style actually caught me off guard considering the type of book this was. I didn’t expect the beautiful, lyrical quality of the narrative. Mason just had a way of putting things that leapt out at me. It was a different tactic, but it still resulted in an intriguing mystery story. Furthermore, I also liked the way the story unfurled. It wasn’t in a linear fashion that often found in mystery/thriller books. Even though almost all of the story was told Dee’s childhood and aspects of her past, including her relationship with her husband, Patrick, it was effective in evoking the sense of something off-kilter. As you went through Dee’s recollections involving her childhood, mother, and Patrick, you got to see the little nuances that eventually built up to create the trouble that Dee has found herself when you first met her.
With that said, this book was more than that. I really enjoyed the focus on Dee’s mother, Annette, who had an unconventional occupation and how it influenced the way she raised Dee and Dee’s younger brother, Simon. I think there are many of us who carry conflicting feelings regarding our parents, where we can recognized the almost omnipotent quality they carry and yet still acknowledge that they have the ability to affect how we live the rest of our lives. The way Dee speaks of her mother, both with awe and distance, is something that is very relatable and illustrates the often complicated nature of our relationships with our parents. And yet, as Dee tries to unravel the mystery of what Patrick, is up to, you can clearly see how she still carried her mother around with her even as she tried to live as differently as she did.
Often times we read stories where the characters are striving for something beyond the “normal”. So it was really interesting to have read a book where the main character was aiming for a normal life, or at least what she believes to be normal. On the whole, the book was engaging from the beginning to the end. It wasn’t the typical mystery/thriller story and yet still managed to capture your attention all the same.
*Received Advance Uncorrected edition from Goodreads First Reads giveaway
First off, what really stood out for me about this book is the writing of Jamie Mason. The style actually caught me off guard considering the type of book this was. I didn’t expect the beautiful, lyrical quality of the narrative. Mason just had a way of putting things that leapt out at me. It was a different tactic, but it still resulted in an intriguing mystery story. Furthermore, I also liked the way the story unfurled. It wasn’t in a linear fashion that often found in mystery/thriller books. Even though almost all of the story was told Dee’s childhood and aspects of her past, including her relationship with her husband, Patrick, it was effective in evoking the sense of something off-kilter. As you went through Dee’s recollections involving her childhood, mother, and Patrick, you got to see the little nuances that eventually built up to create the trouble that Dee has found herself when you first met her.
With that said, this book was more than that. I really enjoyed the focus on Dee’s mother, Annette, who had an unconventional occupation and how it influenced the way she raised Dee and Dee’s younger brother, Simon. I think there are many of us who carry conflicting feelings regarding our parents, where we can recognized the almost omnipotent quality they carry and yet still acknowledge that they have the ability to affect how we live the rest of our lives. The way Dee speaks of her mother, both with awe and distance, is something that is very relatable and illustrates the often complicated nature of our relationships with our parents. And yet, as Dee tries to unravel the mystery of what Patrick, is up to, you can clearly see how she still carried her mother around with her even as she tried to live as differently as she did.
Often times we read stories where the characters are striving for something beyond the “normal”. So it was really interesting to have read a book where the main character was aiming for a normal life, or at least what she believes to be normal. On the whole, the book was engaging from the beginning to the end. It wasn’t the typical mystery/thriller story and yet still managed to capture your attention all the same.
*Received Advance Uncorrected edition from Goodreads First Reads giveaway
November 9, 2014
Monday's Lie
I loved Jamie Mason's Three Graves Full and was delighted when NetGalley offered another opportunity to indulge in another quirky adventure by Mason.
Dee Aldritch's mother Annette was a covert operative with the CIA. Both naturally and through training, Annette had some unusual skill sets which helped her accomplish her missions and keep her alive.
On the other hand, when she was home, she was a mother devoted to her children. She did all the things a mother does to keep her kids happy and healthy, but she also went a step further. Annette played "spy games" with her kids, teaching them to be truly aware of their surroundings.
After a trip to the supermarket, on the way to the car:
..."heads up! We're playing. Five points: What was the man two places behind us in line wearing?"
"A tan sweater," I'd say.
"Black shoes with tassels," Simon would crow.
"Five bonus points for each item in his basket you can name."
"Vanilla ice cream."
"Itch ointment."
"Baked beans."
"Three cans of tuna. Do I get fifteen points for that one?"
The games made Dee and Simon more observant and increased their short term memories. They were fun, and they were useful.
The story opens with a prologue, a flashback to the time when Dee was thirteen and Simon eight. It was a traumatic event that altered Dee's life and was thereafter known as "The Long Trip." After a frightening event in the middle of the night, Annette abruptly left for seven months, and Dee became aware that her mother's job was dangerous and could take her away at any time. Her reaction to this episode was to seek the normal, the mundane, and when she fell in love it was with a man who would keep her a path that would avoid surprises.
Then came Monday's lie, and Dee found herself remembering the childhood games and re-evaluating the last few years of her marriage. The skills her mother taught her might now be necessary to save her life.
The book goes back and forth in time both in memory and in episode as Dee contemplates the complexities of her situation.
Highly recommended.
Read in Oct.; blog post scheduled for Jan. 19, 2015
NetGalley/Gallery Books
Mystery. Feb. 3, 2015. print length: 304 pages.
I loved Jamie Mason's Three Graves Full and was delighted when NetGalley offered another opportunity to indulge in another quirky adventure by Mason.
Dee Aldritch's mother Annette was a covert operative with the CIA. Both naturally and through training, Annette had some unusual skill sets which helped her accomplish her missions and keep her alive.
On the other hand, when she was home, she was a mother devoted to her children. She did all the things a mother does to keep her kids happy and healthy, but she also went a step further. Annette played "spy games" with her kids, teaching them to be truly aware of their surroundings.
After a trip to the supermarket, on the way to the car:
..."heads up! We're playing. Five points: What was the man two places behind us in line wearing?"
"A tan sweater," I'd say.
"Black shoes with tassels," Simon would crow.
"Five bonus points for each item in his basket you can name."
"Vanilla ice cream."
"Itch ointment."
"Baked beans."
"Three cans of tuna. Do I get fifteen points for that one?"
The games made Dee and Simon more observant and increased their short term memories. They were fun, and they were useful.
The story opens with a prologue, a flashback to the time when Dee was thirteen and Simon eight. It was a traumatic event that altered Dee's life and was thereafter known as "The Long Trip." After a frightening event in the middle of the night, Annette abruptly left for seven months, and Dee became aware that her mother's job was dangerous and could take her away at any time. Her reaction to this episode was to seek the normal, the mundane, and when she fell in love it was with a man who would keep her a path that would avoid surprises.
Then came Monday's lie, and Dee found herself remembering the childhood games and re-evaluating the last few years of her marriage. The skills her mother taught her might now be necessary to save her life.
The book goes back and forth in time both in memory and in episode as Dee contemplates the complexities of her situation.
Highly recommended.
Read in Oct.; blog post scheduled for Jan. 19, 2015
NetGalley/Gallery Books
Mystery. Feb. 3, 2015. print length: 304 pages.
April 1, 2015
I would like to thank Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via Net Galley for my copy.
This was a book that took me a while to 'get into' but once I did, I find time flew along fast.
Dee [to me] was a bit OCD she liked to name things by days of the week, what happened on a Monday, Tuesday etc, she lived her life by this rule.
Its about her memories and her future.
Annette, her Mother was part of the CIA and used to play many spy games. One minute they would be doing algebra or reading a book the next.......spy connecting games.
Her brother ended up a cop!
Dee wants nothing but a quiet, normal life, picket fence, roses around the garden, 2.4 children and a happy married life. She thought she got that, alas, things start going wrong.
She thinks that her husband is wanting her dead.
Her Mother has left her a packet full of money, does he want to get his hands on it?
A blue sedan starts trailing her, things start happening, she gets texts that is worrying.
There are some quirky one liners in this book though which will make you laugh out loud.
I give this a 3.07 star as it took me ages to get into this, not sure if it was the book or me! But at the end, it all came together.
May 14, 2015
This is Jamie Mason's second book. I really enjoyed the first one. I liked this one too but not as much. It was what I call a "slippery book." There were many moments where I thought I understood what the character was getting at but I wasn't 100% sure. For myself I just prefer not to have to infer too much about what is going on. The story was told as an extended series of flashbacks that basically told this woman's whole life interspersed throughout a car drive to the denouement at the end of the book. The form worked pretty well and I kept turning pages to see where she was going and why. Most of the book was really just the heroine thinking things over in her head and remembering and reviewing what she thought then vesus hinting what she she knows now as she drove along. I'm not real sure what I felt about her. I liked her when she was actively deducing things, I didn't really like her while she was burying her head in the sand for years and whining about how she just wanted to be normal to the extent that she was an idiot about how she lived her life.
I will definitely try Ms. Mason's next book.
I will definitely try Ms. Mason's next book.
July 16, 2015
I'm sorry I cannot get myself to continue with this one. I'm at 25% and there's nothing I've read that compels me to keep going. All I've read so far is about Plucky's childhood and her mother. This is called Monday's Lie and we are still at Friday. The words and paragraphs are so lengthy. I felt the way the backstory told through grown-up Plucky was too verbose when referring to her former 13-year-old self. I know it's part of the whole story-building process. I just wasn't interested in anything I was reading. Life is just too short to keep reading books that aren't grabbing me.
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2015
Wow, this author's first book, Three Graves Full and the second book, Monday's Lie are like day and night. I really enjoyed Three Graves Full but found myself not liking anything about Monday's Lie. Nothing in this book captured my attention and stuck with me. In fact as I was reading this book it felt like I was in a daze. I was going through the motions but nothing sparked my attention. I thought it would get better as the story progressed but no such hope. I found myself skimming the rest of the book from the middle to the end. I am hoping that the next book is better like the author's first book.
February 19, 2015
I loved this! Dee and her brother, Simon, were raised by a quirky mother who was a successful spy many years ago, which greatly influenced their childhood, to say the least. Their mother taught them so many life lessons using her "spy games" and other memory tactics, which really come in handy when Dee's "normal" husband starts acting quite shady. This book was so well written, I loved it. If I had a ton of money the first thing I'd do is buy the movie rights and make a fun film with Claire Danes as Dee and Susan Sarandon as her wacky, brilliant mother Annette. Great book!
April 8, 2015
Loved it! Brilliant writing, a creative and unique story, suspenseful - just amazing. Love the descriptiveness, the introspection, the flow. I'm a fan.
August 14, 2015
Unlike Three Graves Full, which started with a bang, Jamie Mason's second novel starts off very slowly and doesn't hit full speed until almost the end. It requires more patience, but not the barf bag that might be a welcome accessory to its predecessor. Definitely more Hitchcock than Tarantino, most of the novel takes place inside the narrator's head, laid out in precise detail.
Dee grew up in the shadow of her mysterious, bold, somewhat glamorous mother, who apparently worked in covert ops. Her mother taught Dee and her younger brother to always be aware of their surroundings, to pick up things other people wouldn't. Dee's response to this unconventional childhood is to be as "normal" as possible. She married the most "normal" man she could find, reliable Patrick, with whom she tried to build a "normal" life, but by the time we meet Dee, nearly a decade into her marriage, things are decidedly not normal. The book blurb gives you a good idea of where the novel is headed, just how far the marriage has deteriorated, but the slow build is still gripping. Alternating between the distant past of Dee's childhood and the near past of her marriage, we discover how Dee has found herself here: on Friday, where Monday's Lie has led her.
Dee grew up in the shadow of her mysterious, bold, somewhat glamorous mother, who apparently worked in covert ops. Her mother taught Dee and her younger brother to always be aware of their surroundings, to pick up things other people wouldn't. Dee's response to this unconventional childhood is to be as "normal" as possible. She married the most "normal" man she could find, reliable Patrick, with whom she tried to build a "normal" life, but by the time we meet Dee, nearly a decade into her marriage, things are decidedly not normal. The book blurb gives you a good idea of where the novel is headed, just how far the marriage has deteriorated, but the slow build is still gripping. Alternating between the distant past of Dee's childhood and the near past of her marriage, we discover how Dee has found herself here: on Friday, where Monday's Lie has led her.
February 4, 2015
I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.
Although this story was action packed AFTER one gets through the half way point the best way I can describe this novel is Victorian wordy. I feel like the author just kept 'talking' in a sense while never really saying anything and it got rather annoying and made me want to put the book down multiple times. Once you get past the first half of the book it does get more exciting but.....I pretty much had figured out how it would end and I was spot on so unfortunately it was not as thrilling for me. One thing that was rather annoying throughout the novel was you kept getting flashbacks about Dee's mother and her very secret career, but at the same time there were no answers ever given!! That's just down right annoying, let's hint over and over again about her mother's secret career in a clandestine world but....let's never tell you anything because the author can't figure something out. The novel was okay but I probably won't read it again and it makes me rather concerned about her first novel that was such a hit, but I have not read and at this point I do not know that I would want to. Just rather disappointing in the end...
Although this story was action packed AFTER one gets through the half way point the best way I can describe this novel is Victorian wordy. I feel like the author just kept 'talking' in a sense while never really saying anything and it got rather annoying and made me want to put the book down multiple times. Once you get past the first half of the book it does get more exciting but.....I pretty much had figured out how it would end and I was spot on so unfortunately it was not as thrilling for me. One thing that was rather annoying throughout the novel was you kept getting flashbacks about Dee's mother and her very secret career, but at the same time there were no answers ever given!! That's just down right annoying, let's hint over and over again about her mother's secret career in a clandestine world but....let's never tell you anything because the author can't figure something out. The novel was okay but I probably won't read it again and it makes me rather concerned about her first novel that was such a hit, but I have not read and at this point I do not know that I would want to. Just rather disappointing in the end...
February 14, 2015
Thank you to NetGalley and Gallery Books for providing an ARC. My honest review can be found below!
This was a swing...and an almost miss.
The premise caught me right away, but the first 50-100 pages were difficult to push through, and I wasn't a fan of the jumps in time, as they didn't provide quite as much information as I would have liked. I suppose my biggest issue with this novel was that it lacked the thrill of a thriller. Once you sludge your way through the way-too-wordy first half, you've likely already guessed what happened.
This may be another case of... I've been reading way too many thrillers lately and need to switch it up. I almost wish it were the middle of the summer, and I'd read this one lying out in the sun. Maybe atmosphere would have changed my mind. I would still give Mason's novels a try; she has some great ideas, and they do seem to be better executed with each book.
This was a swing...and an almost miss.
The premise caught me right away, but the first 50-100 pages were difficult to push through, and I wasn't a fan of the jumps in time, as they didn't provide quite as much information as I would have liked. I suppose my biggest issue with this novel was that it lacked the thrill of a thriller. Once you sludge your way through the way-too-wordy first half, you've likely already guessed what happened.
This may be another case of... I've been reading way too many thrillers lately and need to switch it up. I almost wish it were the middle of the summer, and I'd read this one lying out in the sun. Maybe atmosphere would have changed my mind. I would still give Mason's novels a try; she has some great ideas, and they do seem to be better executed with each book.
February 13, 2015
*I received a free ARC of Monday's Lie from Gallery Books via Netgalley in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*
Brilliantly written, Monday's life is full of thoughts... most of the action is a retrospective in Dee's mind, and the dark twists and turns take her on a chase she never imagined she'd have to go on.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Brilliantly written, Monday's life is full of thoughts... most of the action is a retrospective in Dee's mind, and the dark twists and turns take her on a chase she never imagined she'd have to go on.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
September 1, 2020
Hell. This was not my cup of tea--I found everyone just a little too clever including the style of the writing. I really dug Three Graves Full so will try one more by her.
March 11, 2018
I was a super fan of Mason's first novel, Three Graves Full, and was delighted to read her follow-up, Monday's Lie. The woman can write a sentence and plot with as deft a hand as a master mapmaker. She does a terrific job describing the inner workings of a marriage falling apart. She's a magnificent writer but does get bogged down in backstory which makes the first part slow going like fellow reviewer Debbie mentioned.
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