Tell Me Lies by J.P. Pomare

Publisher's Synopsis

Psychologist Margot Scott has a picture-perfect life: a nice house in the suburbs, a husband, two children and a successful career.

On a warm spring morning Margot approaches one of her clients on a busy train platform. He is looking down at his phone, with his duffel bag in hand as the train approaches. That's when she slams into his back and he falls in front of the train.

Margot's clients all lie to her, but one lie cost her family and freedom.

A fast-paced psychological thriller for fans of The Silent Patient.

My Review 

Tell Me Lies is a psychological thriller fittingly featuring a psychologist - Margot Scott.

Right from the off we’re confronted with a man being pushed in front of an approaching train by an unnamed woman. The identities of both the victim and perpetrator aren’t revealed providing us with a teaser for the story to follow.

We then rewind to one month earlier…

Margot Scott is a psychologist with a heavy client list. She sees all sorts of patients with a full range of psychological issues.

They all tend to suffer the same habit of lying by omission. She’s aware of this condition and it’s up to her to tease out the truths from each. Sometimes it involves her making some leaps of deductive reasoning.

One evening, on the way home, she gets the feeling she is being followed before, later that night, her family home is firebombed with a Molotov cocktail. On the doorstep of the home is a picture displaying hideously graphic violence.

She comes to the (not unreasonable) conclusion that one of her patients is the culprit and begins to try to narrow down her suspect.

But the question that sat in the back of my mind was: has Margot fingered the right suspect?

Clearly this is the question Pomare wants us to ask and sets about building up a series of clues that reinforce our belief. 

But just when it seems things are pretty clear, the doubts begin to be built in by some alarming revelations. 

…And it’s these inconsistencies that drive the ever-deepening mystery. 

As with many good suspense thrillers, the reader is faced with an array of possible suspects, all of whom could reasonably be suspected of committing the crime.

Each of Margot’s patients are fully fleshed out for us, painted with a revealing brush to uncover their darkest fears, quirky failings and shaky grip on society's norms. In short, they each reveal themselves to be likely suspects.

At the same time, we gain a deeper understanding of Margot herself, and come to understand that she’s not without her past troubles and fears.

With the understanding that the narrative is filled with subtle misdirections and the occasional plot twists to keep you slightly off-balance, it was easy to become fully engaged in the story.

It all builds to an epic climax that leads to an inevitable conclusion - hinted at by the opening prologue. 

Tell Me Lies firmly places you into the situation of wondering, “what would I do if I were put into this situation”. Admittedly, it all feels a bit hopeless as the antagonist is revealed as a deeply damaged person who seems hellbent on revenge to the point where it would feel as though there are very few options available.

Author J.P. Pomare has built a solid psychological thriller, delving into the mind of both the therapist and the patients in equal measure. The plot twists, while not always perfectly executed, managed to alter my thinking as they unfolded, meaning they worked.

All in all, I found this to be a well-paced thriller that kept me fully engaged throughout.