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Everything Is Lies

Helen Callaghan (Goodreads Author)

3.83 · Rating details · 2,369 ratings · 431 reviews

No-one is who you think they are

Sophia's parents lead quiet, unremarkable lives. At least that is what she's always believed.

Everyone has secrets

Until the day she arrives at her childhood home to find a house ringing with silence. Her mother is hanging from a tree. Her father is lying in a pool of his own blood, near to death.

Especially those closest to you

The police are ...more

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Hardcover, 400 pages

Published February 22nd 2018 by Penguin

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Mystery & Thriller 2018

289 books — 455 voters

Lies & the Lying Liars Who Tell Them by Al Franken

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James W. Loewen

Title with 'Lie'

229 books — 18 voters

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Average rating 3.83 ·

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· 2,369 ratings · 431 reviews

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May 27, 2018 Gary rated it really liked it

This psychological thriller is a good quick read and certainly a page turner. I enjoyed this novel and throughout the book wanted to carry on reading to find out what happens next. The plot is certainly not flawless and some things better not dwelt on but this did not spoil my enjoyment in the slightest.
The lead character Sophia discovers her mother dead and her father critically injured in what appears to be a murder, suicide. Sophia does not believe this to be the case and searches for the ans ...more

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Nov 15, 2017 Christine rated it really liked it

Helen Callaghan returns with a brand new psychological drama, Everything Is Lies. Her debut was Dear Amy, which I very much loved.

We get to know a Londoner in her twenties, Sophia. Sophia returns home to visit her parents, Nina and Jared. She finds her mother dead, in an apparent suicide and her father barely alive. Sophia is in shock. She wants answers. She finds herself looking into her family and its background. Who are her parents? Are they as normal and dull, as they very much appear? Sophi ...more

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Dec 09, 2017 Liz Barnsley rated it really liked it

I got thoroughly immersed into “Everything Is Lies” almost immediately – excellent lead in to an emotionally charged story that was absolutely gripping.

Sophia comes home to find her mother dead and her father critically injured in an apparent murder/suicide – but she is not convinced and when she discovers her mother has finally written a book so begins a journey into a dark past that has never let go…

Helen Callaghan has written a story about personality, manipulation and perception, wrapping it ...more

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Sep 15, 2018 ʚϊɞ Shelley's ʚϊɞ Book Nook rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Do whatever you want, my darling heart. You get to choose. But before you do, first of all, you need to take a deep breath and think.
This book was so wonderfully layered from the start that I enjoyed every minute of it. You realise that something terrible is going to happen right from reading chapter one but not exactly what. But the thing is, with this book it isn't totally about the "big secret" it's actually the journey up to it that's as enjoyable. The author builds up the layers of th ...more

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Feb 21, 2018 Zoe Mann rated it liked it

'Everything is Lies' by Helen Callaghan is written in such a refreshing way and the story is portrayed in a way I have never experienced before.

The story is told by Sophia in the present and also by her mother in the past through her hidden notebooks. I loved this concept and was encouraged to read for longer and faster than usual to get to the notebooks and discover the secrets.

Sophia's mother is found hanging in the family tree and her father is critically wounded. The police say her mother ...more

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Jun 14, 2018 Renita D'Silva rated it liked it

Thrilling and twisted. A great read.

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May 28, 2018 Kim Ebner rated it really liked it

The first couple of chapters of this book made for riveting reading and I was hooked instantly. Wow, this one got off to a cracker. I immediately bonded with Sophia, and my heart went out to her. The terrible situation that she found herself in, the guilt, the pain, the "what if's", I could understand it all, and it made me feel immediately invested in the story.

When I started reading this book I was excited to discover that it was a dual time-frame narrative, as I really love those. This story The first couple of chapters of this book made for riveting reading and I was hooked instantly. Wow, this one got off to a cracker. I immediately bonded with Sophia, and my heart went out to her. The terrible situation that she found herself in, the guilt, the pain, the "what if's", I could understand it all, and it made me feel immediately invested in the story.

When I started reading this book I was excited to discover that it was a dual time-frame narrative, as I really love those. This story moves between the present where Sophia discovers the death of her parents, and her mother's past and the secrets that it holds, which past has been recorded by her mother in a series of notebooks that her mother had planned on publishing.

For me personally, I loved the chapters set in the past, the chapters explaining the strange and ultimately abusive relationship between her mother and cult leader, Aaron. There were times throughout the story when I felt so irritated with Nina (Sophia's mother), where I just couldn't handle her meek and mild ways, her inability to stand up for herself and to see the truth of the situation for what it was. But ultimately this led to a story that gripped me, that made me feel something for the characters, and of course, that made me want to see how things would pan out.

As this story develops it becomes clear that Sophia's initial gut reaction to the death of her mother and the stabbing of her father - that this wasn't a murder-suicide - is correct. Her mother's strange and secretive past may very well have something to do with the death of her mother.

This is a great book that I really enjoyed. In a year where I'm battling slightly with my reading mojo, this book had me excited to get home every day and to open it up. I highly recommend this one.

My Rating: * * * *

Publication Date: March 2018 (South Africa)

Genre: Mystery / Thriller

Format: Trade Paperback

Source: Review copy received from the publisher. Many thanks to author, Helen Callaghan and Penguin Random House SA for my copy. It was my pleasure to read and review this title. ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Kate A rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018-reads

This book is one that you don’t want to go into with too much knowledge, I had read the blurb but when I got around to reading I couldn’t quite remember entirely what it was and that made for a more intense and mysterious reading experience.

The story is told in two narratives, through Sophia as she discovers her mother dead and father badly injured and then through Nina, Sophia’s mother, when Sophia discovers notebooks that unveil her past. I really enjoyed how the story switched from one to ano This book is one that you don’t want to go into with too much knowledge, I had read the blurb but when I got around to reading I couldn’t quite remember entirely what it was and that made for a more intense and mysterious reading experience.

The story is told in two narratives, through Sophia as she discovers her mother dead and father badly injured and then through Nina, Sophia’s mother, when Sophia discovers notebooks that unveil her past. I really enjoyed how the story switched from one to another, Nina’s story was told in three parts and with each revelation, I could feel the suspense building.

At first, I have to admit I found delving into Nina’s story more interesting, it’s what really hooked me into the story. However, as I got further into the book and Sophia starts to experience the consequences of what she has found out I couldn’t tear my eyes away because I was desperate to find out what had happened to Nina and what was going to happen to Sophia.

The characters were brilliant, very realistic, and I could feel the pull from them off the page. There is a large cast of them and I won’t go into detail here but their development and the clash of personalities was spot on, you can help but feel emotionally invested in them.

This book is pegged as a psychological thriller and whilst I had guessed at one of the revelations that turned out to be right, it didn’t detract from the story because for me even though there were plenty of twists in the story it didn’t feel like that was the focal point. There was a balance between the twists and how I felt about the characters, so even though I had figured out one of the strands of the story the reveal for me was more how this affected the characters, not the shock factor and I think that made it more profound.

I’m not going to say much more, except that this book did take me by surprise and I felt everything from elation, to being indignant, to feeling heartbroken, and that kind of fear where you know something bad is going to happen but you can’t take your eyes off of what is going on. The writing is realistic and the story is complex and gripping and I think readers will have a hard time putting it down.

Originally posted on everywhere and nowhere ...more

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Feb 18, 2018 Kim rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018, net-galley

I really enjoyed this book which kept me guessing all the way through. I didn't manage to guess what was going to happen. I was suspicious of everyone, but not sure who was going to turn out to be part of the mystery!
Sophia is called home by her mum and delays returning until the following day. She finds her mum dead and her dad badly injured in what the police believe is a murder/suicide. She refuses to believe that her mum could be responsible and tries to clear her name. After finding some jo ...more

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Jan 22, 2020 Helena rated it it was amazing

I have to say, I hardly ever come across a book that I never ever want it to end. Sure, I've given a lot of 5 star ratings, with all my heart too, but what I am talking about here is something completely different. My eyes seriously hurt, I was reading for 2 hours straight and didn't even know it. This is far more than a 5-star book. I don't want to ruin this unique experience for you by giving out details, I just HAD to urge you to move this one up in your TBR right now! ...more

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Oct 26, 2018 Faye added it · review of another edition

Shelves: i-own-a-physical-copy, contemporary-fiction

DNF at page 74
There's nothing really wrong with this book, but I can't seem to get interested in reading it. ...more

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Jan 31, 2018 Lynne rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

London architect Sophia MacKenzie receives a phone call from her mother asking her to return home to Suffolk because they need to talk. Sophia, enjoying a night out with colleagues and over the legal limit to drive, puts her mother off until the following day. But when Sophia does arrive home, her parents aren't there. Venturing into the garden she finds her mother's lifeless body hanging from a tree and her father lying near-death in a pool of blood.

Sophia is astonished to learn her mother was London architect Sophia MacKenzie receives a phone call from her mother asking her to return home to Suffolk because they need to talk. Sophia, enjoying a night out with colleagues and over the legal limit to drive, puts her mother off until the following day. But when Sophia does arrive home, her parents aren't there. Venturing into the garden she finds her mother's lifeless body hanging from a tree and her father lying near-death in a pool of blood.

Sophia is astonished to learn her mother was a member of a cult in the 1980s and had written three notebooks about her life inside The Order of the Ascendants, which are going to be published. As Sophia begins to read the notebooks, it becomes apparent her mother's hanging and the near-fatal attack on her father are somehow connected to their contents.

Oh what a wonderful tangled web of intrigue this book is! The timeline is split seamlessly between Sophia in the present and her mother Nina in the past. The reader is given small pieces of the puzzle. Some are easily figured out - which I suspect is the author's intention, but others are cleverly interwoven until the final chapters. The suspense gradually builds as the two timelines come together and Sophia finally discovers the truth about her mother's past and the repercussions for the present.

The book title tells the reader Everything is Lies; therefore I was constantly questioning motives - was everything as it appeared to be or was there something much more sinister lurking under the surface? Oh boy, was I paranoid or was I paranoid?! When that happens, I know I'm reading a a quality piece of fiction.

I thought the main characters were developed to a tee. Cult leader Aaron Kessler literally jumped off the pages as he was brought to life by the author. His charisma and control were both unsettling and disturbing. The two timelines worked extremely well and the conclusion was exactly as it should have been.

In my opinion this is an excellent psychological thriller and I have no hesitation in placing it as a Top Read of 2018.

* I received an Advance Reader Copy. My thanks to NetGalley, Helen Callaghan and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph.

Read my review on my blog: http://bit.ly/2ExA20Q ...more

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Nov 21, 2017 Claire Douglas rated it it was amazing

I loved this psychological thriller and was gripped from the first chapter. The story begins when Sophia goes back to her childhood home to visit her parents and finds her mother dead and her father seriously injured. The police say it's suicide but Sophia doesn't believe it. This is such a great premise and hooked me in straight away. Sophia digs deeper into her parents' past to find out what really happened to her mother, Nina. When she uncovers some notebooks from Nina's past in the late 1980 ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Kirsty rated it really liked it

Shelves: february-2018, kindle

I read Helen Callaghan's debut novel, Dear Amy, whilst on holiday in Naples and Rome in 2016, and could barely put it down. I was really looking forward to her second book, Everything is Lies, and feel as though my rather high hopes were met. Callaghan writes engaging, gritty novels, which are very easy to get into, and which are incredibly well paced.

Two concurrent stories run here, one which tells the present day story of Sophia, and another which releases the mystery of her mother's earlier ...more

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Feb 13, 2018 Rosemary Standeven rated it it was amazing

This book is a riveting read, that heads off in some quite unexpected directions. It starts with an office party gone wrong. Sophia is hungover before the night comes to an end, and in no condition to drive home to calm her mother’s perpetually fractured nerves. By the time the morning comes, it is too late. Sophia gets to her parent’s garden centre/café to find no-one there, except ….
The police are called, but Sophie cannot believe what they try to tell her. Her mother, Nina, – the mother that This book is a riveting read, that heads off in some quite unexpected directions. It starts with an office party gone wrong. Sophia is hungover before the night comes to an end, and in no condition to drive home to calm her mother’s perpetually fractured nerves. By the time the morning comes, it is too late. Sophia gets to her parent’s garden centre/café to find no-one there, except ….
The police are called, but Sophie cannot believe what they try to tell her. Her mother, Nina, – the mother that Sophie knew – was not capable of such violence. Nina had wanted to tell Sophie something very important last night, but what? Her father, Jared, is in no state to be able to answer her questions. Sophie discovers that her mother had finally written a book, one that a number of people are interested in. All her life Sophie’s mother had claimed she would do this one day – no one really believed her. Now, with part of the manuscript in her hands, Sophie tries make sense of Nina’s life, and what is happening to hers.
The book is written in the first person – the present, narrated by Sophie – and the past by Nina. The writing of Sophie’s tale is very good, and captures her internal torment and confusion perfectly. Nina’s is different, much more jagged, tentative. Paragraphs stop mid-sentence, and the time-line is not always consistent – as befits the first draft of a first book. Nina’s tale begins with the title of this book: “Everything is Lies”. Sophie’s world is blown away as she reads further and further into Nina’s story, and as everything that she knew was true becomes dubious. The only anchor point in her life now is her best friend, Rowan.
In part the story follows predictable lines, and you get a feeling of where it is heading. That makes it all the more interesting when the story suddenly lurches in new directions. Who is telling the truth? Is Nina’s story really an autobiography, or that of an older woman reverting to a dark teenage fantasy?
There are suspicious characters everywhere – many turn out to be benign – but your mind works overtime trying to keep things straight. I found the book invading my dreams, and when I woke, I’d have to read back a bit to ensure that it wasn’t my imagination writing the plot instead of the proper author.
I can highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thriller, and particularly to anyone who has ever thought that their parents were a bit boring.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review
...more

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Feb 04, 2018 Michelle rated it liked it

Sophia is an Architect is a high profile firm. She is out enjoying herself after work when she gets another call from her mother asking her if she can come home, this time it’s an emergency. She reluctantly agrees to go home the following day.
When she arrives at the family home she finds her mother dead hanging from a tree in the garden and her dad is unconscious after being stabbed, on the ground.
The police are called and they believe that Sophia’s mother killed herself and tried to kill her fa ...more

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Feb 26, 2018 Blair rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-thriller-etc, secret-history-esque, read-abroad, cults-communes-captivity, 2018-release, past-and-present, read-on-kindle, netgalley

Sophia's life in London is a bit of a mess, and after an ill-advised hook-up with a married colleague that threatens to jeopardise her career, she flees to her parents' country home. There, she finds an unimaginably horrifying scene: her mother has repeatedly stabbed her father, leaving him in a coma, before taking her own life. Sophia can't believe her mum, Nina, could do this, but the police confirm they are treating the case as an attempted murder-suicide.

In the aftermath of this shocking eve ...more

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Nov 24, 2017 Rebecca Stobart rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I went into everything is lies without reading the blurb, I didn’t know what it was going to be about at all -I just saw Helen’s name and downloaded the book from Netgalley on the spot. When I found out that it was about a cult I got really excited because the two books this year I have read about cults have been brilliant.

Helen Callaghan has written about a woman called Sophia Mackenzie, whose mother stayed at a place called Morningstar, the hub of a spiritualist cult, prior to her birth.

Sop I went into everything is lies without reading the blurb, I didn’t know what it was going to be about at all -I just saw Helen’s name and downloaded the book from Netgalley on the spot. When I found out that it was about a cult I got really excited because the two books this year I have read about cults have been brilliant.

Helen Callaghan has written about a woman called Sophia Mackenzie, whose mother stayed at a place called Morningstar, the hub of a spiritualist cult, prior to her birth.

Sophia learns the truth Morningstar only through the tragic loss of her mother, who takes her own life early on in the story, but was it really suicide? Sophia certainly doesn’t think so. Nina Mackenzie had been hand-writing a memoir and by reading her mother’s journals, Sophia begins to piece together the violence and horror that went on in her mother’s youth.

The story alternates between the present, where Nina is dead and her husband is critically injured in hospital, and the past in which she is essentially a prisoner in Morningstar. Unsavoury things are going on in both storylines and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.

Sophia thinks the past came back to haunt her mother when the news of the book hit the original cult members, everyone else thinks that the stress of losing her mother so suddenly, and mounting pressure at work, has left Sophia tired and stressed.

I was suspicious of everyone. They all seemed so quick to dismiss Sophia’s worries, especially childhood friend Rowan who seemed to know more about Sophia’s parents personal lives than she did. When Sophia finished the second journal and couldn’t find the third and final part of the story, there was a whole list of suspects who might know its whereabouts.

This was a brilliantly paced, suspenseful story that tackled some really tough elements in a well-rounded way. It showed the ugly truths of what cults can do to people, but also the way that people deal with their grief and trauma -there was also a really eye opening anecdote about pyramid schemes and the workplace sharing graduate with the more familiar
religious/spiritualist cult.

As well as loss, grief and the other traumas discussed in this book, like the vulnerability of young people, in this case it is predominantly an example of how young women can be coerced by charm, fame and promises of love. The manipulation in this story is what makes Everything Is Lies so powerful, so I’d recommend you consider that before reading if this is something you think will affect you.

I really enjoyed Sophia as a character, she’s a career girl with mostly good morals and her faults only made her seem more real. There wasn’t really anything I didn’t like about this book, other than the awful things some of the characters got up to of course. I’m really looking forward to the final version of this book as Netgalley always messes things up a little, plus this was the pre-final edits version of the book.

Everything Is Lies comes out February 22nd from Penguin, I highly recommend you keep an eye out for this one. ...more

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May 13, 2018 Ingstje rated it it was amazing

4.5 -> 5*
This novel baited me with its wonderful title and I can only say that it really lived up to its promise! It's funny how it turned out to be completely different from what I expected when I read the blurb though. I thought it would be a novel weaving some lies into a story, getting all out of proportion in the end and with big consequences perhaps yes but not that it would be about lying in an up front and into your face fashion, and that someone would find herself smack dab in the middl 4.5 -> 5*
This novel baited me with its wonderful title and I can only say that it really lived up to its promise! It's funny how it turned out to be completely different from what I expected when I read the blurb though. I thought it would be a novel weaving some lies into a story, getting all out of proportion in the end and with big consequences perhaps yes but not that it would be about lying in an up front and into your face fashion, and that someone would find herself smack dab in the middle of this web of lies like a little fly.

Everything Is Lies turned out to be a real page-turner. I found myself completely taken in by Nina, Sophia's mother's story when I started reading her diary entries. Nina's character, her shyness, her lack in confidence and her naivity were written so well that although I knew she was foolish, I could understand her all too well when she reacted the way she did.

The lies continue and they are spun delicately around little Nina and she doesn't even know what's going on. She doesn't realise how she's manipulated and played with. I bristled and wanted to reach out, protect her and whisk her away but she obviously wouldn't have listened anyway. I was very much kept in suspense, almost losing hope myself, about how the lies would stop.

The only reason I'm not giving it a full five star rating is because I was able to predict some of the twists. I don't think they're actually too easy to spot but I just had a feeling about it. It didn't spoil my enjoyment in any way though as I was still eagerly anticipating the reactions once the twists became obvious. I also really couldn't predict the consequences or future for Sophia once she knows everything her mother tried to hide for so long. I liked how the story showed how everyone faired long after the facts too and suddenly the scales tipped over and the present had me in its grip and I was just hoping history wouldn't repeat itself and Sophia wouldn't let herself be manipulated by anyone. You'll have to read to find out more ;-).

I'm very happy now that I didn't know what this novel was exactly about because I'm normally the first to say that this type of novel isn't really my thing and I'm quite sure I'd not have taken the chance to read it and in doing so I would have missed out on such a great read and a wonderful journey with Sophia and Nina. I can highly recommend this one! ...more

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May 28, 2018 Elaine Mullane || At Home in Books rated it liked it

Shelves: 2018, readwomen, thrillers-horrors, grip-lit, arc

2.5 - 3 stars

Sophia is a twenty-six year old architect living her life in London. Her parents, who live a seemingly quiet and unremarkable life, call her one Friday night and ask her to return to her small-village home in Suffolk. Used to her mother's needy calls, Sophia puts off the trip back until the following morning, when she enters her parent's garden to find her mother hanging from a tree and her father stabbed and struggling for his life. It looks like (and is deemed by police) a murder- ...more

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Feb 20, 2018 Julie Lacey rated it it was amazing

I loved this book!
I was hooked from the first few chapters and was desperate to know more about Sophia’s mum’s life before she was born.
Sophia returns home to find her Mum hanging dead from a tree and her dad fighting for his life on the floor.
The Police think her Mum is responsible but Sophia just won’t accept it.
Sophia then starts to discover that her mum had some secrets from her past and starts to unravel them.
I never expected this book to be so addictive and I really liked the way it s ...more

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Apr 26, 2018 Joann rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, dnf, kindle, over-rated-books, depressing

OK, I know I'm in the minority here but I DNF this book. Half-way through - after forcing myself to that point - I thought I really can't bear anymore of this cult type talk and I really disliked the majority of the people in the book. I just couldn't connect with any of them. I'm old so maybe it appeals to a younger group of readers. The beginning didn't grab me and the only part that got a bit interesting was once Sophia reached home. After that it just sort of lagged for me. ...more

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Feb 12, 2018 Vicki_cosy.books added it

Dear Amy was one of the first books I read last year, and I absolutely loved it, and so I was incredibly eager to read Helen Callaghan’s latest novel – Everything Is Lies. When I began reading I was delighted to realise it was a duel time frame narrative, as in the present Sophia discovers her quiet and reclusive parents dead in what appears to be a murder/suicide while the secrets of her mother’s past are revealed in the notebooks she’d compiled in the months leading up to her death. I LOVE a d Dear Amy was one of the first books I read last year, and I absolutely loved it, and so I was incredibly eager to read Helen Callaghan’s latest novel – Everything Is Lies. When I began reading I was delighted to realise it was a duel time frame narrative, as in the present Sophia discovers her quiet and reclusive parents dead in what appears to be a murder/suicide while the secrets of her mother’s past are revealed in the notebooks she’d compiled in the months leading up to her death. I LOVE a duel narrative, it’s probably my favourite writing style to read as I find myself gripped between the switching stories of the past and present and desperate to know how they connect.

Everything of Lies starts exceptionally well – Sophia’s grisly and deeply shocking discovery grabbed my attention and with sympathetic storytelling, drew me in emotionally. Her distress, horror and trauma was palpable and connected me to her immediately. When Sophia begins to suspect that all is not as it seems and discovers her mother’s notebooks, I was hooked by the tale of a young, impressionable girl who finds herself involved in a cult led by a failed rock star. I settled down for the duration, as page after page flew by almost without me realising.

What made this book so compelling was just how convincing it is. The cult is sinister and weird yes, but subtly so and it was incredibly easy to imagine just how easily a lonely young person lacking in self esteem and confidence could find themselves wrapped up in it, not realising what was going on around them until they are so involved and reliant, there’s no way back. I also thought the character of Aaron, a narcissistic, deluded control freak, was well crafted as he relies on his past fame as a rock star to lure in vulnerable people. Again, he was convincing and it was easy to see why he would at first appear so alluring.

I often find that when reading duel timelines, it’s the sections from the past I find the most intriguing and enjoyable. Surprisingly though, it was the present that really caught me attention and drove this book, as Sophia seeks the truth about her parent’s horrific demise and at the same time, finds herself in danger. While I did enjoy reading her mother’s experiences of the cult, I felt that around the middle it lost pace a bit and wasn’t as tense as I would have liked it. On the other hand, the present galloped along and while I did see a major plot twist coming and predicted it correctly quite early on, I still found myself gripped as the truth is revealed.

Everything Is Lies is one of those books that are so easy to read, you find yourself halfway through before you’ve even looked up. Helen Callaghan certainly has an engaging and evocative writing style which manages to emotionally involve readers in her convincing characters and their stories. While I would probably have liked a little more tension and pace during some aspects of this book, on the whole it was a gripping and satisfying read. Recommended. ...more

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Feb 04, 2018 Aileen Mckenzie rated it really liked it

*Actual rating 3.5

Everything is Lies is the second book by Helen Callaghan but the first of Helen’s I’ve read. Gripped from the start by the distinctively original plotline, Everything is Lies is an immersive read that sucked me right under.

“Everything is lies. No one is who you think they are.”

When London architect Sophia returns home to visit her parents, Nina and Jared, she finds her mother dead, hanging from a tree in an apparent suicide. Her father is lying unconscious in the bushes next to *Actual rating 3.5

Everything is Lies is the second book by Helen Callaghan but the first of Helen’s I’ve read. Gripped from the start by the distinctively original plotline, Everything is Lies is an immersive read that sucked me right under.

“Everything is lies. No one is who you think they are.”

When London architect Sophia returns home to visit her parents, Nina and Jared, she finds her mother dead, hanging from a tree in an apparent suicide. Her father is lying unconscious in the bushes next to her, barely alive after being stabbed multiple times by Nina before she killed herself. Sophia is in shock and finds it hard to accept the murder-suicide. After reading a letter addressed to her mother from a publishing house regarding the book Nina had written, Sophia becomes even more convinced that her mother wouldn’t have killed herself as she had always longed to write a book of her memoirs and finally was about to be published. Positive that the answer to this tragedy lies within her book, Sophia starts to read Nina’s journals determined to get to the truth.

Everything is Lies is told from two points of view, across two timelines: Sophia’s in present day and Nina’s perspective in the 80s through her journals, and the author switches seamlessly between both. I absolutely adore books written in this type of structure – alternating timelines through either flashbacks or diary/journal entries, so it was no surprise to me that I found the journal entries the most engaging of the two.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for it to go this far.”

For me personally, Everything is Lies biggest selling point was Nina’s membership (if that is the right word) of a spiritualist cult back in the 1980s, when she was in her late teens. Reminiscent of the Manson Family, the hedonistic, polyamorous group who call themselves “The Order of the Ascendents” is led by ego-maniac Aaron Kessler, a semi-famous musician, drawing a parallel with Manson himself.

Packed with suspense, this tangled web of deceit, manipulation and control is a bit of a slow burner. The author drip feeds information to the reader bit by bit, slowly revealing how a friendship with a group of new people slowly turned into a nightmare. There was something almost enchanting and mesmerizing about the chapters set in the past that made it easy to see how Nina could be pulled in so effortlessly.

The detailed, evocative descriptions of Morningstar, the grand mansion where the cult resided in, gave the novel an atmospheric and authentic feel. The characters are all both enigmatic and beautifully drawn, brought into stunning colourful life through Nina’s memoirs. Charismatic cult leader Aaron is so vividly evoked, it’s easy to understand why so many fall under his spell. I connected well with the resolute, pragmatic Sophia and although Nina was frustratingly timorous, I felt nothing but empathy towards her. Being possessed, manipulated and completely engulfed by a toxic character like Aaron is quite a relatable situation for a lot of people to be in, especially women.

Unpredictable and alarmingly realistic, Everything is Lies kept me guessing right to the very end. I would class this under the Psychological Suspense genre rather than a thriller, as it does lack the fast paced, head-spinning events of a typical thriller, however it does contain some of the thriller components: multidimensional, palpable, cultural, and compellingly engaging.

Everything is Lies is an ethereal and bewitching tale with a dark sense of foreboding that increases throughout as more of Nina’s memoirs are read. Would definitely recommend this one, thanks to Helen Callaghan and Penguin for advanced review copy. ...more

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Feb 20, 2018 Emma rated it really liked it

When Sophia gets a late-night call from her mom asking her to come home, she does what she always does - puts it down to her mom's usual erratic behaviour. Putting her mom off, she tells her she's had too much to drink and will drive over the next day, which she duly does only to find her mom (Nina) dead and her dad seriously injured, with knife wounds to the stomach.
While her dad lies in a coma, unable to tell them what happened, the police rule Nina's death a suicide - something Sophia can't g When Sophia gets a late-night call from her mom asking her to come home, she does what she always does - puts it down to her mom's usual erratic behaviour. Putting her mom off, she tells her she's had too much to drink and will drive over the next day, which she duly does only to find her mom (Nina) dead and her dad seriously injured, with knife wounds to the stomach.
While her dad lies in a coma, unable to tell them what happened, the police rule Nina's death a suicide - something Sophia can't get her head around and can't bring herself to believe. Her mom may have been many things, but suicidal is not one of them.
Things become even more confusing - and interesting - when a letter arrives from a publisher, confirming they will be publishing Nina's book and asking when they'll be sent the final chapters. Nina, Sophia discovers, has been writing her memoir and it's much more interesting than anyone could have imagined. The question Sophia needs to answer though is was it interesting enough to kill Nina for?
After reading Dear Amy, I was really keen to read this latest book by Helen Callaghan and I am very pleased to say (especially after my last few reads) that I wasn't disappointed at all. This is a cracking book, with plenty going on to keep you interested and lots of red herrings and wrong turns to have you wondering just where the truth lies.
Alternating between Sophia in the present and Nina in the past, the truth slowly reveals itself. I did have an inkling just what was coming about two-thirds of the way through but not enough to make me lose interest or want to give up. I liked both Sophia and Nina too much at this point to do that, finding them both strong women in their own ways and Nina especially fascinating. Her story is one that seemed so real, I could imagine it happening.
The other characters were perhaps not as well drawn, but that is a minor thing, and - if I'm honest - I only have one niggle, which is the way Sophia was with her job and the way the people she worked with behaved. It didn't sit quite right with me and I'm not sure it was needed - if anything, it distracted me from the story and made me wonder if something else was going to happen because it kept coming up.
Overall, then, a really, really good read - one I would highly recommend and hope you enjoy. ...more

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Sep 13, 2018 Rachel Bridgeman rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2018

This was amazing!!! As soon as I had finished this it was one of those books that you rush to your nearest electronic device, summon carrier pigeons and start semaphoring to anyone who will listen-this is a wonderful sophomore book from the author of 'Dear Amy'.
It twists and turns right until the end, you feel as though you are experiencing the plot reveals along with main character Sophie.

She is a 26 year old architect with parents, who ring, like most parents, at inopportune moments. Snapping ...more

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Jan 21, 2018 Vikki Patis rated it really liked it

Everything Is Lies is the second book by Helen Callaghan, and it is just as engrossing as the first. This is a powerful coming of age story, set against the dark backdrop of sex, drugs, and violence in the 80s.

The characters are deep and real, drawn expertly to create a cast that you almost recognise. Being a 90s kid, I missed the revolution that began, slowly, with the suffragettes, and paved the way for second wave feminists. A time when more women were realising that, actually, it wasn't eno ...more

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Mar 19, 2018 Kat rated it it was amazing

5 massive stars and I just adored this book it had everything that I love in a book..good writing, mystery, great characters and most of all a cult !!! Many many thanks to Helen Callaghan for a fantastic read ...well recommended

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Jan 24, 2018 Neil rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, thriller

I received a free copy via Netgalley in exchange for a honest review.

This is a complex thriller which at times I found difficult to follow.
Still it was worth the effort as I did enjoy the story.

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Nov 07, 2018 Nina rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ebook, from-author-or-publisher, 2018-read, fiction, mystery, thriller

I’ve read a lot of intense and amazing books recently, and after a while it can feel like you need a palate cleanser. Mystery/thrillers always do the job perfectly for me, as 99% of the time they are easily engrossing and interesting. This is definitely true for Everything is Lies (which I have really struggled to put down). I’m excited to see what the author will bring out next.

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About Helen Callaghan

Helen Callaghan

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My name is Helen Callaghan and I write fiction whenever I am left unsupervised. I live in Cambridge amongst teetering piles of books.

My debut novel, Dear Amy (2016), and my other novels, Everything is Lies (2018) and Night Falls, Still Missing (2020), are published by Michael Joseph and available now.

Books by Helen Callaghan

Mörderische Aussichten: Thriller & Krimi bei Knaur: Ausgewählte Leseproben

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“Morningstar was a grande dame, beautiful and luxurious but with arthritic bones that snapped and popped as we crossed her floorboards or clung to her bannisters.” — 0 likes

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