Liza Cole is running out of time. She is a novelist who is trying to write her next bestseller. Actually, she is hoping to reclaim her former glory. Because, once upon a time, Liza was a successful author whose debut novel was a hit. But a few books later, she is only an average mystery writer. Liza has other problems as well: her husband’s business partner has gone missing, and the fertility treatment she is undergoing is not working.

Liza’s latest thriller is about Beth, the mother of a newborn who finds out that her husband is cheating on her. Beth is torn between confronting him and saving her marriage by keeping quiet. But when left with not many options, she does the unthinkable --- she kills her husband’s lover.

"LIES SHE TOLD is an intelligently written psychological thriller. It is a gripping and highly suspenseful story that features amazing female characters caught in difficult situations they never asked for."

As the story progresses, the events in Liza’s life suddenly turn out to be pretty similar to those of Beth’s. Then, after a while, it becomes hard to define where Liza’s life ends and where Beth’s begins. Reality becomes blurred by fiction as much as fiction becomes blurred by reality. There are more and more contact points occurring between Liza’s and Beth’s stories, and the characters from the novella are becoming similar to people in Liza’s life. I also started wondering what was real and what was fiction.

Cate Holahan has written an intriguing novel. Its progress is slow, but once things start to occur and the mother turns into a killer, the story becomes very intense and there is no stopping until all the secrets are out. Holahan manages to keep both stories equally interesting, and it is great to see them merge and become one at a certain point.

The story that Liza writes is of a more straightforward plot that revolves around Beth’s husband’s affair and the murder, although it also touches upon the issue of women with newborn children and the difficulties they face. Liza’s story is more complex, dealing with issues like memory loss, trauma, infertility, secrets and the writer’s life.

LIES SHE TOLD is an intelligently written psychological thriller. It is a gripping and highly suspenseful story that features amazing female characters caught in difficult situations they never asked for. Because sometimes bad things happen to good people.