Every Last Lie

by Mary Kubica

New York Times bestselling author of THE GOOD GIRL, Mary Kubica is back with another exhilarating thriller as a widow's pursuit of the truth leads her to the darkest corners of the psyche. 

"The bad man, Daddy. The bad man is after us." 

Clara Solberg's world shatters when her husband and their four-year-old daughter are in a car crash, killing Nick while Maisie is remarkably unharmed. The crash is ruled an accident…until the coming days, when Maisie starts having night terrors that make Clara question what really happened on that fateful afternoon. 

Tormented by grief and her obsession that Nick's death was far more than just an accident, Clara is plunged into a desperate hunt for the truth. Who would have wanted Nick dead? And, more important, why? Clara will stop at nothing to find out—and the truth is only the beginning of this twisted tale of secrets and deceit. 

Told in the alternating perspectives of Clara's investigation and Nick's last months leading up to the crash, master of suspense Mary Kubica weaves her most chilling thriller to date—one that explores the dark recesses of a mind plagued by grief and shows that some secrets might be better left buried.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller, Suspense, Adult

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 27, 2017

About the author

Mary Kubica is a New York Times bestselling author of suspense thrillers including The Good Girl, The Other Mrs., and Local Woman Missing. Her books have been translated into over thirty languages and have sold over five million copies worldwide. She’s been described as “a helluva storyteller” (Kirkus) and “a writer of vice-like control” (Chicago Tribune), and her novels have been praised as “hypnotic” (People) and “thrilling and illuminating” (L.A. Times). She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and children.

Reviews

[Bookphile · Rating 1 out of 5]

A *complete* miss for me. I figured out several key twists long before they were revealed, and I pretty much hated Clara. Complete review to come.

Full review:

Every Last Lie is a book that seems to be suffering from a bit of an identity crisis. On the one hand, the books hints at dark secrets, but on the other, it doesn't want those secrets to be *too* dark, lest the characters become unlikable. It probably goes without saying is that the end result is the book falls flat, and at times it even delves into ridiculous territory. There will be a fair amount of spoilers in this review, so read at your own risk.

I'll say right off that my biggest issue with this book is the characters, particularly Clara and Nick. I couldn't stand either of them, which isn't the determining factor in whether I like a book, but I could almost sense the author straining for me to like them. As a couple, they're nauseating. Every time Nick waxed poetic about his wife it came across as cheesy rather than endearing. And Clara has such a huge blind spot when it comes to her husband that it's a wonder she can see anything at all. On their own, they're no better.

Let's start with Clara. The book wants me to sympathize with her as a grieving widow, and while that coupled with the possibility of her having some form of postpartum depression or postpartum psychosis did allow the book to stretch its credibility, it's way too over the top in the end. I could understand Clara latching on to the idea of Nick's death not being an accident, particularly given Maisie's actions. However, Clara becomes unhinged, in a way that would have worked if this book wanted to go all the way to the dark side. This book doesn't want to go there, though, and so even though Clara repeatedly neglects her children to the point of abuse, acts out in ways that should have made the people around her feel a lot more alarmed for her state of mind, and eventually resorts to violence, I felt I was supposed to sympathize with her. The worst, most egregious example of this is when she loses all control with Izzy, her mother's caretaker. *Of course* Izzy turns out to be a thief, because otherwise the reader might be appalled by the fact that Clara brutally beats her. I also found it just ludicrous that Clara gets self-righteous about what her children shouldn't be exposed to, but ultimately stops beating Izzy only because Maisie sees her doing it. Oh, I'm sure *that* won't cause the poor kid any lasting trauma. I also rolled my eyes so hard at the detective who doesn't even do so much as call social services when an unwashed, unhinged new mother covered in blood (blood she outright says isn't her own) shows up at the police station with her two kids in tow--even though he suspects she assaulted Izzy. How does this woman not end up arrested?

Nick isn't much better. Clara's father issued all kinds of warnings about him, and it turns out he was right. There are varying degrees to Nick's sins, but since there's a whole laundry list of them, I ended up outright hating his character. There are his sins of omission, which range from mild (not telling his wife about an ex-girlfriend making a reappearance in his life) to outrageously awful (not telling his wife about said ex's suspicions about her son's parentage, not telling his wife about the malpractice suit being brought against him, not telling his wife about losing their entire savings, not telling his wife about... Yeah, seriously. I haven't even listed all the things he neglects to tell his wife about.) Clara's dad is straight up right about Nick being bad news, there's no doubt about that. The worst part is, after all the terrible things he does, the author pretty much gives him an out by making him win big after betting on a sporting event (because, ya know, what spouse *doesn't* want their spouse exposing them to potential further financial disaster by engaging in sports betting), thus recovering the entire savings he lost. Yep. I'm not making that up, sadly.

The mystery, such as it is, isn't a mystery at all. Oh, there are so many red herrings all over the place you'll think you're out to sea, but that does not a plot make. I think there's an argument to be made that this is more psychological suspense in that it deconstructs how a wife deals with grief rather than it being psychological suspense of a criminal nature, but that's not what this book is promising. Instead, I slogged my way through hundreds of pages of poorly developed secondary characters who exist only to move the plot along (Hello, neighbor who abuses his wife. How you doing, skeezy best friend who only seems like he's going to be helpful to his best friend's grieving widow.), overwrought passages about dealing with grief, nauseating depictions of a husband star-struck by his wife, and a protagonist who's so dense and so off her rocker that it's hard to read for all the eye-rolling her actions induce. I recommend skipping straight over this one.

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Of course I gave this 5 stars; what did you expect? 😂 In all honesty I’m a Kubica junkie. I truly love how fleshed out her characters are and how the suspense just builds from beginning to end. This one was very different than her previous three novels. Maybe it was because Clara was in a similar walk of life as I am (young mother with 2 small kids) or maybe it was because she put some of my worst fears on paper, but I really connected with the story. I think readers will be split over the ending; personally I loved it but I can see how some might be expecting a different direction. This ended up being a buddy read with the lovely Sam @ Clues and Reviews (she loved it to by the way) and trust me, you’re going to want to have someone to talk to once you finish it.

My mood has been solely focused on slow burning novels at the moment; I’m not sure what the reason is behind this. Maybe it’s a need for a deeper connection with my characters, possibly it’s because I have had so many review copies to churn out that my inner book nerd is craving something I don’t feel pressured to fly through; whatever the reason, THIS book satisfied that desire. Please be aware that there is nothing fast paced about this novel; it needs to be savored and enjoyed slowly as it is heavily character driven. I’m amazed that a book can lack so much action and yet captivate my attention so fully. Even with it being a slow paced read, I still found myself not wanting to put it down, only wishing I had more time to read continuously. So this is your warning for those who like to constantly state that slow books=boring books; this psychological suspense won’t be for you.

THAT ENDING. I’m sure it was just me, but I was completely taken by surprise with that ending. Maybe it’s that I’ve read so many twisty novels of suspense lately that keep trying to out-do each other with elaborate, over-the-top schemes that this finale was refreshing and powerful to my psyche. I won’t say more to avoid spoilers or causing your mind to drift in any one direction, but I’m convinced it’s the type of ending that will be controversial amongst readers; you’ll either love it or you’ll hate it. I can’t get into WHY I loved it, but just know that I did. It was a risky move of Kubica and I applaud her for going outside the genre’s comfort zone to give us something fresh. Note- outside of genre’s comfort zone is not referring to a supernatural/paranormal twist. Highly recommended to suspense readers looking for a realistic, moving suspense that deals with the domestic struggles of one young family; if this is you then look no further.

*Many thanks to the author for providing my copy; it was a pleasure to provide my honest thoughts here.

[Norma ~ The Sisters · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was another enjoyable read by one of my favourite authors, Mary Kubica!

EVERY LAST LIE by MARY KUBICA is an interesting, thrilling, suspenseful, and cleverly written novel that has a really engaging storyline and solid characters that grabbed my attention from the very first chapter.

MARY KUBICA delivers an impressive read here told in the alternating perspectives of Clara’s investigation into the death of her husband, Nick and in Nick’s voice of his last months leading up to his accident. The only thing that I found a little distracting was that there were no chapters separating Clara’s and Nick’s stories.  They just ran into each other and I found that I had to go back and re-read to see if I was reading Clara’s perspective or Nick’s.  Once I realized that there were no tell-tale signs to differentiate the two then I found it a little easier to follow along with the storyline and all the characters involved. (I am sure this was just a NetGalley formatting issue though and won't be like this on the actual print copy when released.) Update: Netgalley sent me an updated version of this book with Clara & Nick's perspectives clearing marked.

I found it a really interesting read that explores how when are minds are so tormented with grief it can really mess with our psyche and how we ultimately perceive things as being the truth or fiction.  I could really relate to how Clara reacted to her overwhelming grief as she presented with quite a few things that I know that I would and could have done.  Can’t sleep, can’t eat, can’t think straight, can’t function normally, overactive imagination, and obsessive behaviour to name a few.

To sum it all up it was an entertaining, fast-paced, and an easy read with an unexpected but satisfying ending. Highly recommend!!

Publication date: July 1, 2017

Thank you so much to NetGalley, Mary Kubica, and Harlequin (US & Canada) / Park Row Books for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book for a fair and honest review.

[Paromjit · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the latest dark and disturbing psychological thriller from Mary Kubica. It explores the state of a marriage and asks whether it is really possible to know your partner. The story is narrated through the perspectives of Clara Solberg and her husband, Nick. A shattered Clara has recently given birth to son, Felix, and is looking after him when the police knock on the door. Nick has been killed after he crashed into a tree on his return journey from collecting 4 year old daughter, Maisie, from ballet class. The police have ruled it an accident.

An overwhelmed Clara is suffering from shock, grief and finding it hard to come to terms with her new status of widow and single mother of two young children. Her father is struggling to cope with caring for her mother, who is caught in the grips of dementia. Her suspicions arise when Maisie begins to suffer from terrible nightmares where she talks of a bad man and a black car. The police dismiss her concerns of there being more to Nick's death. However, an obsessed Clara cannot let it go as she starts investigating in her search for the truth and whether Nick was murdered. In this twisted story, it soon becomes clear that Nick's life harboured secrets and lies.

The novel starts with a slow pace but later shifts dramatically as the story becomes considerably more fast paced. There is plenty of suspense, tension and twists. It is beautifully written and well plotted. I really liked the characters of Clara and Nick, a man of good intentions and coming clean but never quite gets there. An enjoyable and entertaining read. Thanks to Harlequin for an ARC.

[Deanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

My reviews can also be seen at: https://deesradreadsandreviews.wordpr...

2.5 Stars

Having really enjoyed Mary Kubica's THE GOOD GIRL I was really looking forward to reading EVERY LAST LIE.

"They say that death comes in threes"
-a man who lived across the street (cancer)
-former classmate (pulmonary embolism)
and then....Nick"

Baby Felix is four days old when Clara Solberg talks to her husband Nick for the last time. He phones her as he's on his way home with their four-year-old daughter, Maisie.

"Chinese or Mexican? he asks, and I say Chinese".

Those are the last words exchanged between the husband and wife.

When Clara hears a car coming down the road a short while later, she waits for the sound of the garage door opening. Instead she hears a knock on the door. She opens the door to see a strange man on her doorstep. He's there to say the words no one ever wants to hear.

"There's been an accident"

Her husband is dead but their daughter, Maisie is physically fine. Apparently there were three reasons for the accident. The sun, the sharp turn, and Nick's rapid speed.
Clara wonders if Nick would still be alive if she had asked for Mexican instead of Chinese. She is devastated, but also angry. How could Nick have done this to them? Driving so fast down a turn he knew was sharp....with his daughter in the car? His recklessness has left her widowed with two small children to care for.

"The bad man is after us. He's going to get us"

When her daughter starts having nightmares about a "bad man", Clara is sure that she knows something about the accident. But Maise won't say anything else. After Maise has a breakdown in a parking lot after seeing a a black car, Clara decides she has to go back and talk to the police.

The police aren't receptive and tell Clara they've already investigated and confirmed that it was an accident. But Clara feels there's more to it and starts to do some of her own digging and investigating.

Will Clara find what she's looking for? Or is she putting herself in danger?

The story is told from Clara's point of view after the accident and Nick's point of view in the months leading up to the accident. I liked hearing both points of view. There was a bit of overlap but not a lot. It gave insight into what was happening with Nick.

When Clara learns that her husband had been keeping secrets from her, she starts to doubt everything about her marriage. What else doesn't she know? Is it possible Clara never knew her husband at all?

I have to say that Mary Kubica sure knows how to set a scene. She's good at showing what grief, stress, and exhaustion etc. can do to a person. I could almost feel the anxiety and stress Clara was experiencing. When she described how hot it was, I felt like I was starting to sweat and actually turned up my a/c.

At the same time, there were a few things that bothered me. I don't want to get into spoiler territory but some of the decisions Clara made as a mother had me baffled. There were contradictions and some of her actions distracted me from the story. I was slightly let down by the ending and felt like a few things were unresolved.

However, there are many different opinions about this book, and some of the things that irked me may not bother other readers. Although I was hoping for more, EVERY LAST LIE was still an enjoyable read and I look forward to more from Mary Kubica.

Thank you, Netgalley and Harlequin for an advanced readers copy of this book for me to read in exchange for my honest review.

[Janine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow, what a disappointment. All that buildup and in the end, this is just a story about a guy who bought a necklace for his wife and then died driving too fast. Literally, that's it.

[Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really glad to leave Clara Solberg behind me. I simply didn't like her. I felt sorry for her situation but she was just so self absorbed that it was hard to feel real empathy for her. In her late 20's and nursing a brand new baby days old, a knock comes to her door. Her husband, Nick, has been killed in a car wreck but her four year old daughter, Maisie, in the backseat comes through unscathed. Her daughter's safety barely registers with her but grief is a strange thing.

Then she does some really odd things. Even though her daughter was in the car wreck, Clara refuses to tell Maisie that her father is dead. Maisie is understandably confused. She starts to have nightmares and talks about a bad man. Clara jumps to the conclusion that Nick was murdered. Someone ran him off the road. So off she goes with a new born son and a traumatized 4 year old to discover the murderer. There are other story lines. Her mother suffers dementia and her father tends her. There is a caretaker and a situation that arises that is so predictable that I yawned when I first read it.

The story is told from Clara's perspective now and Nick's story leading up to the fatal crash. It turns out that Nick is not all he seems to be (who could have seen that coming? Everybody). Lots of bad things are going on his life but Clara notices none of them. Did I mention she was self absorbed so she had no clue of anything. Really?

This was one of the most unimaginative, boring mysteries I have read in a long time. I suppose if you are laying in the sand and want something very easy to read, you might enjoy it. I really like something that has interesting characters and unpredictable situations. This isn't it.

[Hannah Greendale (Hello, Bookworm) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Click here to watch a video review of this book on my channel, From Beginning to Bookend.

Clara Solberg’s world is torn asunder when her husband Nick and four-year-old daughter Maisie are in a car crash from which Maisie walks away unharmed and Nick is injured fatally. Police deem the crash an accident, but when Maisie starts having night terrors and crying about what she saw just before the crash, Clara has reason to believe that her husband’s death was not an accident.

In no uncertain terms, I’m told that this is Nick’s fault. Nick is to blame for his own death. He is the reason why I’ve been left alone with two young kids, a fragmented car and hospital bills. As it turns out, it’s quite expensive to die.

Every Last Lie immediately opens with a tragic and gripping setup: Clara just lost the man she loves, is recovering from recently giving birth, now has two small children to raise on her own, has been told by the police that her husband is to blame for her traumatic circumstances; and, before the first chapter concludes, an eerie incident gives readers their first inkling that the crash may not have been an accident.

Clara is emotional distraught as she begins to dig for the truth; her mistrust and uncertainty is largely the source of the book’s suspense. Her story is thrilling because questions arise through Kubica’s deft manipulation of Clara’s thought process. She’s a sleep deprived woman grappling with grief and uncertainty, and readers get swept down a vortex of spiraling speculation right alongside her.

With sharp writing and clever twists, Every Last Lie succeeds at being a psychologically suspenseful read.
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Special thanks to Harlequin Books for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing worked; her mind continues to fade.

Clara Solberg is experiencing the deep dimension of an unspeakable collision. Her husband, Nick, crashed into a tree with their four year old daughter, Maisie, in the car. He had taken her to ballet class and had picked up Chinese takeout on his way home so that Clara could stay home with their newborn son.

But this horrendous collision is now within Clara herself. It's the collision of reality obliterating any sense of the normal life she and her children once had. Shock does terrible things to one's psyche. It has left Clara reeling in its aftermath.

Fortunately, little Maisie was unhurt. Unfortunately, Nick did not survive. But Maisie is now locked into the grasp of reoccurring nightmares involving a black car and a "bad man". Soon Clara suspects that perhaps Nick's fatal accident was no accident after all. She alerts the police, but they dismiss the black car as the ramblings of a four year old.

With the support of her father, Clara tries to carry on. Boppy, as Maisie likes to call him, is strained from the care of Clara's mother who suffers from dementia. Clara sees what the weight of this care is doing to him. They both are wounded deeply in different ways and down different avenues.

So Clara decides to do some investigative work on her own in regard to this black car. Now here's where the story elevates to the next tier. Nick's life seems to have taken a turn down some very treacherous roads. Mary Kubica brings to life the nagging fear of lifting the veil on the hidden corners of a loved one's life. Can one handle that shocking reveal? And then what......

Kubica presents a storyline pumped up with the frenzy of taking on the odds of the impossible. Can anyone really trace the finite details that led to this death? She creates the character of Clara who emulates a woman raging inside from recent death and recent birth. Clara takes this on with the impetus of both wife and mother. Love is the springboard that makes all things possible.

Mary Kubica, you have a real winner here. You painted this canvas with life-like characters in life-like situations. It's a bit of a view into what drives and what motivates us to survive in such an uncertain world that can suffocate the best of us at times. Bravo, Ms. Kubica.

I received a copy of Every Last Lie through Goodreads Giveaways for an honest review.

[Melisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every Last Lie is right. So many lies.

I am a huge fan of Mary Kubica's writing. It is a slow burn and the suspense creeps up on you with time. While this particular story was a bit slower than my liking, it really picked up about half way through and left me breathless and needing to know which lie precipitated this awful tragedy. And yet, I felt totally let down by the conclusion. There was so much buildup and then it flatlined for me to the point where I feel like I am missing something, some hidden message that my brain didn't grasp.

These characters definitely ran me through a gamut of emotions - fear, pity, sympathy, disbelief, frustration, and on and on.

I loved the dual narrative of Clara (present) and Nick (near past). It really helped to build up the tension and backstory and gave a real sense of suspense. I have to say it would be no easy feat to create a storyline in this fashion, and it's very well done.

All in all, the pacing and the conclusion didn't work for me with this one. I will still read each and every one of Mary Kubica's books!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Lauren Hopkins · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is hands down the worst book I have ever read. SPOILERS (though it's hard to spoil you because absolutely nothing happens so if you don't want to be spoiled by nothing happening, stop instantly!). If you're not planning on reading it, and you shouldn't plan on reading it, here's the gist. A man dies in a car accident. The four-year-old daughter who was in the car with him yells out about a "bad man" in her dreams. Naturally, her mother and the wife of the dead guy is like "SOME BAD MAN MUST HAVE KILLED MY HUSBAND!" She goes on a weeks-long crusade trying to figure out who, putting her two children at risk including leaving them in hot cars during 106 degree weather on multiple occasions and meeting up with a stranger in a park with them in tow, following lead after lead to investigate a cast of SHADY CHARACTERS including an abusive neighbor who beats his wife, a woman suing her husband for medical malpractice, a former business partner of her husband's who was laid off and wants revenge, AND EVEN HER OWN MOTHER WITH DEMENTIA AS WELL AS HER MOTHER'S DAY NURSE WHOM SHE BEATS WITH A BASEBALL BAT LMAO, only to find out at the end that...no one killed him. He was just driving too fast. THAT'S LITERALLY WHAT THIS BOOK IS ABOUT. I am like...damn bitch, you sold this manuscript?! You put this on shelves?! J.K. Rowling wrote a fantasty epic and got denied like 3 billion times and you got THIS out there? Good for you. You literally wrote a book about nothing and got paid bank for it. All the power to you, you master of manipulation. I shouldn't say nothing happens...during the weeks between his death and SOLVING THIS MYSTERY, the woman, who spends the entire novel calling her dead husband a liar, a cheater, and a bastard discovers that -- gasp -- her husband loved her! The shockingest of shocking endings. Really.

PS: Yeah, I get it. Mom gives birth! Husband dies, money problems, kids to take care of...mom is clearly cracking. Write the Next Great American Novel about it. This is literally the crime/suspense/mystery genre, not the "tired moms losing their shit" genre.

[Susanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Stars.
A Solid read, which unfortunately yielded very little payoff.

Clara Solberg is a mother of newborn Felix, and little four-year old, Maisie. Her husband Nick is their world. Clara and Maisie worship the ground he walks on. That ground however, is not solid under Nick’s feet. He is a dentist in their small town. And unbeknownst to Clara, he is not a profitable one. Yet he pretends to be. Nothing in his life is as it seems. And once that life is taken from him in a car crash, Clara’s world comes crashing down and she discovers the secrets Nick worked so desperately to keep hidden.

Clara, however, can’t cope. Not with the secrets. And not with Nick’s death. Her search for answers to both, leads her down a path she can’t quite handle. Her quest affects everything in her life – including her ability to parent her children. This frustrated me to no end. It could have led to disastrous consequences. Luckily for Clara, it did not.

“Every Last Lie” by Mary Kubica is a coined as a thriller, but in my opinion, it was anything but. The novel switches timelines between Nick’s - before his demise, to Clara’s – after her husband, Nick’s death. This provides an interesting perspective into each character’s mind, yet doesn’t do enough to make the novel “mysterious.” Clara is a woman whose life was destroyed when Nick died. In her grief and while searching to uncover answers about what happened to her husband, she does completely uncharacteristic things, which frustrated and annoyed me to no end. One could state that all of these choices were simply made out of grief, yet none of these built the stage for a thriller of any kind. That said, all of the characters in this novel, including Clara, Nick, Maisie and Nick’s best friend Connor, etc., were extremely well written. “Every Last Lie” was, in my opinion, a character driven novel centering around Clara and Nick Solberg, not an “exhilarating thriller.” It was however, quick and easy to get through and it kept my attention throughout.

Published on Goodreads and Amazon on 7.14.17.

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 3 out of 5]

When the police leave Clare's house, she knows her life will never be the same. With her four year old daughter in the car, she was told Nick, driving too fast around a dangerous curve, hit a tree. He is dead but thankfully her young daughter is unhurt. She has recently given birth to their second child, a child Nick will not see up. When her daughter begins to have nightmares and day fears about a black car and a bad man, Clare starts to think that maybe there was more to Nick's death than it appears.

This book is definitely suspenseful, told in alternating chapters by Clare trying to cope while investigating Nick's death and by Nick, before the accident happens. My problem is that Clare's character irritated the heck out of me. I understand her grasping at straws, following lead after non lead, but the author let this go on far to long, imo. I actually felt more and understood Nick's story and his grasping at straws, his desperation, far more easily. Clare's mothering skills also left much to be desired.

So a mixed read for me, suspenseful yes, but maybe a tad overwritten. Please keep in mind other readers did not have the same roadblocks to their enjoyment that I did, always best to read for yourself and see where you fall.

ARC from Netgalley.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 Stars → I do love Mary Kubica's writing, and in EVERY LAST LIE she presents an engrossing tale of a young mother named Clara facing her husband Nick's secrets and deceit just days after he dies in a car accident.

There was one witness to the crash, the couple's 4-year old daughter Maisie, who was strapped in her car seat and luckily unhurt. Clara begins to doubt the wreck was simply an accident when Maisie starts having nightmares about a "bad man" being after them. As she digs for clues, Clara finds that Nick was hiding some unsettling secrets, but were they enough to get him killed?

The story is told in alternating perspectives - Nick, in the weeks leading up to the crash, and Clara, in the weeks after Nick's death. I liked that readers got to hear both POVs, which added to the suspense of what Nick might reveal and what Clara might discover. Not only is Clara dealing with her husband's suspicious death, she's also now the sole caregiver of Maisie and newborn Felix. So many anxiety-inducing elements in this story! Clara made some very questionable choices throughout, and I'm sure teetering on the edge of sanity didn't help.

I guess I have two niggling complaints with the book. First, there were some loose ends and questions that I wanted answers to, and secondly, I wasn't thrilled with the ending. I read another mystery that had a similar ending, and while it worked there, it didn't so much with EVERY LITTLE LIE. Nevertheless, I still think this was an intriguing and well-written book, as much a character study in grief as a novel of suspense.

Disclosure: I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara Solberg’s world is torn apart when her husband Nick and four-year-old daughter Maisie are in a car crash from which Maisie walks away unharmed and Nick is injured fatally.

Police deem the crash an accident, but when Maisie starts having night terrors and crying about what she saw just before the crash, Clara has reason to believe that her husband’s death was not an accident.

This is when it becomes a question for the reader – what are we to believe?

And that is when the story becomes a slow-burning twisty psychological suspense.

At times, it felt like a heart-pounding tale of one woman's desperate search for answers.

But, was she losing it, or were we sympathetic to her cause?

There is a dual narrative of Clara (present) and Nick (near past).

It really helped to build up the tension and backstory and gave a real sense of suspense.

And then…Well, I will leave it to you.

[Brenda]

No rating. DNF at 86 pages. Book starts off with cops telling Clara, who has just given birth to a son four days ago, that her husband, Nick, has died in a car accident. The grief was palpable and I initially thought, “I don't need this right now.” As I read further, I realized a postpartum, sleep deprived, and grieving main character does not appeal to me. Neither do the many tantrums from the four year old daughter. The dentist husband’s chapters were sort of more interesting until money problems/old friend/new dentist in town/patient from hell showed up. So the book may or may not be at fault, but I know my head is the main problem.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been looking forward to reading this novel for sometime now and have had high hopes for it, so on reading it I am so pleased to be writing positive things rather than saying how disappointed I was.
The latest novel by author Mary Kubica is an excellent read and succeeded in keeping me up trying to finish it in an effort to discover the truth.
Clara Solberg's perfect life collapses the day her husband, Nick, and her daughter, Maisie are involved in a car crash. Nick is killed but fortunately Maisie survives. The Police are certain that the crash is an accident, caused by Nick speeding and apparently losing control and crashing into a tree. But when Maisie starts to have nightmares and when she mentions that there was another car involved Clara starts to think that maybe her husband was murdered.
Clara is troubled and needs answers, she refuses to tell her daughter that Nick is dead and struggles to eat and sleep.
Clara discovers that Nick had secrets and there are plenty of unanswered questions. She discovers that they were in a lot of debt and that Nick was gambling. Lots of unanswered questions that throw her suspicions on several people as she tries to uncover the truth behind her husbands death.

The story is told in part by Clara, the here and now and Nick's tells his story in the months leading up to his death. This book is full of suspense and is a real page turner. A well written novel that is a real who-dunnit and had me guessing right to the end.
I would highly recommend this novel to readers who love suspense.

I would like to thank Net Galley and HQ for supplying a cop of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare Solberg is home with her new four day old baby when the police knock on her door to tell her that her husband Nick has died in a car accident. They tell her he was speeding and with the sun in his eyes, took a bend too fast, ran off the road and hit a tree. Fortunately, their little girl Maisie survived with barely a scratch. Now Clare must face life as a single Mum with two young children.

Struggling with her grief and sleep deprived looking after a new born, Clare has trouble accepting that Nick's accident was his own fault. When Maisie starts having nightmares and talking about the bad man in a black car coming after her and her Daddy, Clare starts to believe that Nick might have been murdered.

This is a bit of a slow boiler with Mary Kubica ramping up the tension gradually as Clare becomes more and more unravelled and allows her grief to take over her emotions. The narration alternates between Clare in the present tense and Nick relating the weeks leading up to his death including all the events he kept secret from Clare and this works well. I was disappointed in the ending as I expected an interesting twist or revelation so the ending we got fell a bit flat after the build up to it. Still a good read but not my favourite by Kubica. 3.5★

Product link: https://s2.netgalley.com/catalog/book...

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher Harlequin Australia for a digital copy of this book to read and review

[chantalsbookstuff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the mystery factor in this book.

[retronerd Steinkuehler · Rating 1 out of 5]

Will this book never end -aargh!!

First - an L shaped (90 degree angle) does not a hairpin turn make. She tries too hard to be descriptive - repeatedly.

Though Clara suffers a shattering loss, she is too helpless and unlikeable to garner much sympathy from this reader.
And the book does nothing to promote female intelligence. Not only is Clara a poor parent, she is a stupid woman.
And lazy. How difficult is it to let a dog pee outside rather than in the corner of a house. Yuck!!

And how can one not like a child? I never once liked bratty. Maisie who watches non-stop TV. And Felix. And their names... Boppy is even annoying!! And Clarabelle - give me a break! Nick loved her - sad that she even questions it. Boring!!!

Those things said, it is a tale that I did finish, but barely. Save yourself the trouble.

I was a huge fan of Kubica and liked her other books but No More. This one was awful!!! Maybe she was distracted by her own life and just wanted to write a never ending saga....

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nick and Clara Solberg seem to be a happily married, successful young couple living on the outskirts of Chicago.....until something terrible happens.



Nick is driving his little girl home from ballet class when a terrible accident takes his life.....and miraculously spares his four-year-old daughter Maisie.



Nick's wife Clara - who's home nursing their 4-day-old infant Felix when the tragedy occurs - is shocked and disoriented by the loss. One minute she's married to a successful dentist, and the next she's a 28-year-old widow with two small children.





Clara has other problems as well. Her mother is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.....



and her father - who cares for his wife with the help of an aide - can barely cope.



The police investigate the crash and conclude that Nick's reckless driving caused the accident. Clara refuses to accept this; she doesn't think Nick would put his child at risk. Clara's beliefs are reinforced when Maisie says 'a bad man' was following the car.....and freaks out at the sight of a black automobile. Clara concludes that someone in a black car forced Nick off the road - in other words, murdered him!

Clara does some investigating of her own, and talks to people who live near the accident site.



She brings her 'evidence' to the police, who say they'll look into 'the black car' murder theory. However, the cops are clearly skeptical.

SPOILER ALERT / SPOILER ALERT / SPOILER ALERT

Meanwhile, Clara - a photographer with little income at the moment - knows she has to pull things together. She needs to collect Nick's life insurance to pay for hefty funeral expenses and household bills; and she has to sell Nick's dental practice. When Clara looks into doing these things, however, she discovers that Nick was keeping BIG secrets from her!

The story is told in the alternating voices of Nick and Clara. Nick relates his experiences before the accident; and Clara talks about what happens right before and then after the crash.

In Nick's narrative we learn that he had a big fight with his bullying neighbor across the street; he pulled the tooth of a patient from hell, with dire consequences; he fell out with his 'partner' in the dental practice; he gambled with the family's funds; he became reacquainted with his (now married) former girlfriend, whose son might be his; and so on. Nick was becoming undone by these problems - but felt he couldn't tell Clara because she was pregnant.



In Clara's chapters, we see her find out about Nick's secrets.....one by one. Clara discovers that the dental practice is in disarray and that Nick's life insurance policy was cancelled. Clara also sees a receipt for a pricey necklace among Nick's things and learns that a woman had a restraining order against him. These discoveries - and other 'clues' - lead Clara to speculate that Nick was having an affair; that he was a drug dealer; that he was planning to leave her; etc.



Clara adds to her own troubles by refusing to tell Maisie that her father is dead. Maisie's continual request 'to see daddy' is met with lies and misdirection.

On top of all that, Clara's parents are in crisis. Her mother no longer recognizes her; acts out when Clara's visits; and - when no one is looking - swipes the car keys and goes for rides. For his part, Clara's father seems to be having problems with his memory and is apparently mishandling the family's finances.

As Clara tries to identify Nick's killer; take care of her money woes; figure out who Nick really is; and take care of a toddler and an infant - she starts to break down. She can't sleep, can't eat, and edges toward becoming delusional - unable to separate speculation from fact. Moreover, Clara's paranoia is exacerbated by a real life 'stalker.'

The story is engaging and kept my attention, but at some point - around the middle of the book - the characters' woes started to strain credulity.

For instance, Nick's problems became so immense that I no longer believed he could keep them from his wife. A man with so much on his mind couldn't act completely normal at home. Surely Clara would suss something out!



As for Clara, she seemed to lose all her common sense and - at one point - behaved like a psychopath.....with her children right there. I found this behavior to be unbelievable.



END SPOILER ALERT / END SPOILER ALERT / END SPOILER ALERT

Even with these problems, though, the story is a compelling thriller with surprises I never saw coming. The book doesn't require much deep thinking and would be a good choice for vacation entertainment (IMO).

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....

[Bryn Barnes · Rating 1 out of 5]

What the actual F?!

Like what was the point of that?

[Judy Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 30 Best Books of 2017

One of my very favorite authors, talented Mary Kubica returns following, the sensational Don’t You Cry, landing on my Top 10 Books of 2016 with yet another 5 star winner: EVERY LAST LIE — a compelling and clever domestic suspense of a young widow trying to make sense of her husband’s untimely death.

A marriage of secrets.

A slow-burning twisty psychological suspense. Heart-pounding, a tale of one woman's desperate search for answers. From an array of emotions —grief, disbelief, anger, fear, and confusion.

What was her husband hiding? Her children are one parent away from being orphaned. A young daughter with nightmares. Was he killed purposefully, intentionally, and with malice? Was he the bad man or someone else?

Clara Solberg lives in Chicago suburbs with her husband Nick, a dentist; with children: four-year-old daughter, Maisie, and newborn son, Felix.

A few days after Felix is born, Clara receives the horrific news. Her husband is dead in an automobile accident, yet their daughter is alive, unharmed. He was on his way home from taking his daughter to ballet practice.

Chinese or Mexican? These are the last words Clara would ever exchange with her husband. If she had asked for Mexican, Nick would be home.

A crash on Harvey Road leaves one dead.

An accident implies that something has happened unintentionally and without deliberate cause. Soon Clara begins to suspect foul play was to blame.

She is angry at Nick for leaving her.

Nick is dead. When she is not sad, she is angry. For him being careless. For driving too fast with Maisie in the car. For driving too fast period. For losing control and launching headfirst into a tree.

She hates the tree. The force of the impact wrapped the car around the oak tree on Harvey Road, while Maisie sat in the back seat, on the opposite side, miraculously unharmed.

Reckless driving is to blame. There is no investigation. Is he driving too fast? What was going through his mind, minutes before the accident?

Her daughter says there was a bad man in a car, following Maisie and Nick. Who is the bad man that was following Nick and her daughter? Who is the bad man that took her husband? A black car.

Her daughter is afraid. She continues to scream, “the bad man is after us. He’s going to get us.” She fears for her terrorized four-year-old-daughter. She fears for herself and her family.

She replays Maisie’s words over and over in her mind. In no uncertain terms, Maisie has made it clear that Nick’s car accident was no accident at all. The questions continue to run through her mind.

Does Maisie know this evil man? Did the car push Nick from the road? Did her daughter get a glimpse of him before the car went airborne, flying into the tree? Did Nick see the man?

An illusion or a figment of a little girl’s imagination? What if there was another car on the road that fateful afternoon? What didn’t she know about her husband? What secrets was he hiding?

Everyone loved Nick. He had no enemies. Whatever transpired on the street had to be the worst kind of luck, a simple act of being at the wrong place at the wrong time. Was someone watching Nick as he crashed?

Why was he going sixty on four-five miles per hour road, that drops to twenty at the bend?

How could Maisie be fine and unharmed? Did he take the turn too quickly? A black car? Would he take his own life with his daughter in the car?

Carla is in denial. She cannot bring herself to tell her daughter her father is gone and not coming back. He is dead.

She must find answers. Financial problems. Who was Melinda Grey?

Drugs, restraining orders, stealing, affairs, suicide?

Not Nick. There were no secrets in their marriage, or was she wrong? She begins to suspect everyone.

Nick’s secrets. Secrets can destroy marriages. Lives. Families. From an unreliable narrator, feelings of paranoia, grief, confusion. The money. She soon learns there is nothing. She needs closure. She hates this sense of the unknown and uncertainty.

What really happened on Harvey Road?

Clara is overwhelmed by grief, caring for her children, the needs of her aging parents; she’s also unable to sleep. She is coming unhinged. Is she going through the stages of grief? Can she ever reach acceptance?

Skillfully executed, Kubica takes readers on a chilling psychological journey— a woman grief-stricken obsessed with solving the events surrounding her husband’s mysterious death.

A fan of Mary’s very first book—and every one in between, to her latest. EVERY LAST LIE is riveting domestic suspense which will leave you guessing to the conclusion, as we hear from POVs of Clara and Nick.

Motherhood is a strong ongoing theme in this whodunit mystery novel. Both Clara as a mother to Maisie and Felix, as well as Clara’s relationship with her mother, Louisa. Relationships strained. An ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions.

As always, each of her books is strongly character-driven and psychologically rich. You feel Clara and Nick’s desperation. If only there were no lies. How would the outcome be different?

The feeling of entrapment and coming unhinged is front and center. Twisty suspense of lies and secrets you cannot miss. For fans of B.A. Paris, Ruth Ware, Kimberly Belle, Clare Mackintosh, and Fiona Barton My favorites.

I highly recommend all of Mary Kubica’s books! Top-rated —she never disappoints her fans, and you can always expect to be surprised.

Don’t You Cry
Top Books of 2016

Pretty Baby
Top Books of 2015

The Good Girl
Top Books of 2014

A special thank you to Park Row Books and NetGalley for an early reading copy.

I also purchased the audiobook narrated by Carly Robins and Graham Hamilton for an engaging performance.

JDCMustReadBooks

[Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just four days after giving birth to their second child, Clara Solberg answers the door to learn that her husband, Nick, and four year old daughter, Maisie, were in a car accident just miles from home. After rushing to the hospital, she is heartbroken to learn that while Maisie escaped with barely a scratch, Nick has suffered a fatal head injury and been pronounced dead.

Clara is told that the crash, which has cruelly stolen the love of her life, was nothing more than an accident. A simple matter of distraction and driving too fast. But, when Maisie begins having vivid nightmares, Clara starts to wonder if the police were wrong. Is it possible that there was a reason why Nick was driving so fast besides his inherent lead foot? Or is she simply grasping for straws?

As her bottomless grief and lack of sleep combine, Clara’s mind begins to search for what really happened that tragic afternoon. One by one, she narrows down the possibilities, looking for someone to blame. But the more Clara learns, the more she wonders how well she ever really knew her husband in the first place. Was there someone out there who had ill will towards Nick? And, if so, what did they do about it?

From the start I found Every Last Lie equal parts underwhelming and entrancing. How is that even possible, you might ask? Well, to begin with, I was wrapped up in the story of a heartbroken woman convinced that her loving husband has been murdered. But the more she uncovers about the man she adored, the less she is certain about. And, just like Clara, I was completely absorbed by the surplus of red herrings and possible motives and couldn’t wait to find out what really happened to Nick.

With a storyline told in dual POVs and timelines, it was easy to follow, yet provided plenty of blind turns, keeping me in the dark. Plus, I was spellbound by the evocative prose, which gave me a perfect picture of each scene in my mind. Even better, this character-driven novel was stuffed full of slow burn suspense that asked the question: how well do you really know your own spouse?

But the further into the book I got, the more disenchanted I became. Unfortunately, Clara, who was initially a very believable unreliable narrator, began to collapse into one paranoid rant after another. While I’m sure that a sufficient lack of sleep and profound grief could certainly cause this level of unraveling, it felt overplayed and melodramatic.

Don’t get me wrong, the tension seemed to ratchet ever higher right along with the page count. So, naturally, I was looking for one heck of a doozy of a twist when the climax rolled around. Instead, however, I found it over-the-top, requiring quite a bit of suspension of disbelief. And to top it all off, the conclusion was wholly unsatisfying for my tastes (and rather anticlimactic), which left me disappointed when I closed the cover. Even worse, there were several unresolved threads that left me filled with questions, which I always loathe to find.

In the end, however, I was more impressed than let down by this disturbing and unsettling thriller (although I would really classify it as domestic suspense). An exploration of the damage of grief, it was, for the most part, addictive and unputdownable despite the flaws I’ve mentioned. So now the big question: do I recommend this one? Ultimately, I do, just don’t expect a fast-paced, action-packed read and you should be fine. Rating of 3 stars.

Trigger warning: death of a spouse, fatal car accident, spousal abuse, dementia, assault

[Elizabeth of Silver's Reviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nick? My Nick? It can't be.

Nick wouldn't hurt a fly or tell a lie... EVER.

Did Clara really know her Nick?

Nick's life kept spinning and spiraling out of control as debts mounted and his savings was depleted, and then the unthinkable happened.

Clara couldn't believe her husband was talking on the phone while driving, driving too fast around a curve when he had their daughter in the car, and having an affair.

When the police came to Clara's door and said there had been an accident, Clara didn't want to believe it was Nick until she saw him lifeless on the table in the emergency room . The only saving grace was that Maisie miraculously hadn't been harmed.

As the days after Nick's death turned into weeks and Clara still hadn't told her daughter her father had died, Maisie began to scream about a bad man and continually asked when her daddy would be home. This made a sleep-deprived and grieving Clara believe someone had killed Nick and that it wasn’t his speeding that had killed him.

EVERY LAST LIE begins with a car crash that turned Clara's life upside down for more than one reason and turns worse every day as things about her husband are revealed. Nick lied about their finances and who knows what else. Clara just couldn't believe it.

Clara was an annoying character for me because she had no clue about what was going on in her household, and her parenting skills were awful. She left children in a running car and didn't know how to handle crying children. She didn't even know how to take care of herself.

Nick seemed to be a good father and husband on the surface but a sleaze bag in every other way.

There actually were not too many trustworthy characters in this book, but oh did they all make EVERY LAST LIE an excellent read.

Ms. Kubica cleverly moves from past to present with chapters headed CLARA and chapters headed NICK - BEFORE And AFTER as she takes us on a secret-revealing ride with the secrets having been better left unknown.

This was my first book by Mary Kubica, and it grabbed me the minute I read the suspenseful, attention-grabbing opening lines.

EVERY LAST LIE is a book every reader of psychological thrillers won't want to miss.

EVERY LAST LIE is marvelous from the first word to the last even though the ending was a bit flat. 5/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.

[Melissa (Always Behind) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I cannot figure out the love of this book by everyone--5 stars? Seriously?
I really liked Kubica's last book, but this one left a LOT to be desired.

The premise is interesting, but there's not any depth to the story, so it turns out to be like a crazy-pants TV movie with Clara suspicious of everyone and paranoidly accusing random people of a crime-that-might-not-even-be-a-crime. Was it suicide? Accident? Murder by (take your pick)Connor? Izzy? Random tattooed stranger in the grocery store parking lot?, Clara's mom? Scary neighbor?

I guess I am supposed to believe that Clara's grief and postpartum state (possible depression/psychosis) are what lead to her paranoia and bizarre behavior. But the author doesn't go far enough with this to make it believable. And how naive can you be to not have ANY sense of your family financial state. This is 2017, not 1950, and women have NO excuse not to know things about their finances, especially if they own a business.

And don't even get me started on Nick. What a horrible character. For supposedly being such an upstanding family man, so in love with his wife, he comes across as a complete jerk most of the story. His not telling his wife about anything going on (ex-girlfriend, malpractice suit, etc. etc.) just made me hate him more and I really didn't care by the end what the cause of his death was, because I didn't like him at all.

So many things were left unresolved in the end as well, I finished the book late at night and when I got up today to write the review, I had to re-read the ending because I thought I had forgotten how it ended. Nope, just loose ends.

This could have been a decent book had the lies and secrets been good twists, but unfortunately they are pretty lame in the end.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

[Linda Strong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clara Solberg has a perfect life .... at least up until the day her husband, Nick, and her daughter, Maisie are in a car crash. Nick is killed, Maisie, fortunately, got nothing but a scratch.

The accident is ruled an accident ... Nick had been speeding and apparently lost control and rammed into a tree. However, Maisie is having night terrors, leaving Clara to think that maybe her husband was murdered.

Clara has to find out the truth. She can't sleep, she doesn't eat. She hasn't even told Maisie yet that her daddy is gone. Her grief is overwhelming and she's obsessed with the idea that her beloved husband was murdered.

Her pursuit of truth leads her to secrets that her husband kept from her. She didn't know how much in debt they were. She doesn't know that he had begun gambling. She doesn't know that Nick fired his best friend? What else is there that she doesn't know?

The story is told in part by Clara, the here and now. Nick's story is told in his voice in the months leading up to his death.

This is another highly suspenseful story by this author. The story premise is cleverly written and the characters are solid. The ending was quite different from what I thought it would be.

The only thing I really didn't like is that there seems to be no separation (as in chapters) between Clara's story and Nick's remembrances. They ran into each other. I would be reading Clara and then all of a sudden it would hit me that I was reading Nick. Just a tad disorienting.

Many thanks to the author / Harlequin (US & Canada) / Park Row Books / Netgalley for the advanced copy of EVERY LAST LIE. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

[JanB · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Clara has just given birth to her second child when her husband Nick dies in an accident. (This is not a spoiler, it's how the book opens.) Their daughter Maisie has nightmares and terrors that leads Clara to suspect Nick's death was not an accident.

Told in alternating chapters with the POV of both Clara and Nick (before the accident) the pieces of the puzzle that led up to the accident are revealed. Clara's suspicions leads her to conduct an investigation of sorts, all while she's navigating new parenthood, financial problems, grief, and her mother's worsening dementia.

Clara is overwhelmed with grief and obsessed with finding the truth, and finds plausible reasons and evidence for a number of different scenarios. There's a feverish quality to her narrative and I felt her pain, confusion, and grief. Painful secrets her husband kept from her are uncovered and she begins to suspect different people with each revelation. The characters, including Nick, aren't always the most likable people.

I found this a credible narrative of grief, as well as those crazed sleepless first days/weeks with a newborn and the exhaustion that comes with it. The suspense was more of a slow burn since Nick was already dead, but along with Clara I wasn't sure who or what was responsible for the accident and was invested in discovering the truth. This wasn't my favorite book of hers but it was a solid read for fans of the author.

** I received a copy of this book via the goodreads giveaway program

[Carla Palmeiro · Rating 2 out of 5]

I guess I’m in the minority here but I did not like this book particularly much!

I’ve read all of Kubica’s books (4 I think!) but so far only The Good Girl really impressed me. The others were solid writing and compelling but there’s no better love that the first I guess.

In my country we have a saying: ‘E a montanha pariu um rato’ something like ‘and the mountain gave birth to a mouse’. Much ado about nothing really! That’s exactly what I thought after finishing ‘Every Last Lie’.

‘’’’’’’BIG SPOILER ‘’’’’’


Yes, it was in fact an accident!!!

Really?? Off course I suspected the easy way out was going to be used to explain the big death but really?? Disappointing and rather lackuster ending.


2,5 star rating

**Written in a rush don’t judge the poor writing!!

[Rose · Rating 1 out of 5]

And that, folks, is what we call a hot mess.

This should be a short story, which may have been good, but it’s been filled with an over-abundance of non-relevant crap to make it novel length. By 1/4 in I considered poking my eyes out with a stick. I’m going to give you one example and I even cut stuff out in the middle:

What could have been said - I waited 15 minutes before Detective Kaufman came out to see me. He brought me to a small, private room so we could speak.

What was said - “I wait for nearly fifteen minutes for a Detective Kaufman to arrive, hearing the sound of his footsteps before he appears. By comparison, he’s a short man, five foot nine or five foot ten, enough that as I stand from the chair, I meet him eye to eye. His hair is raven, mottled with flecks of gray. Though the hair on his head is sheared quite short, there is a curl to it, an obdurate wave combed backward, away from the tan eyes. His mustache and beard are well groomed, trimmed and brushed, also flecked with gray. There is a swarthiness to his complexion and on his face, a sad, somber expression.”
“Detective Kaufman leads me to a small room and invites me to sit down on a hard plastic chair. I follow behind as he leads the way, trailing the single squeak of a pair of leather shoes. The room reminds me of a workplace lunchroom, with a round table that seats four, and four hard plastic chairs. Blue. The walls, too, are painted blue, cinder block walls painted blue like lapis lazuli. Metal grids and drop tiles line the ceiling, interspersed every now and again with plastic light panels, which make the room artificially bright. There is no window. There is a counter lined with an unwashed Keurig machine, a microwave, a forgotten paper plate and, on the floor, a watercooler sans water. The bottle is bone-dry”

The entire freaking book is like this, and it didn’t help that the main character wasn’t remotely likeable. *Please God don’t make me read another book like this, I’ll be good, I swear*