By: Teresa Driscoll
Narrator: Elizabeth Knowelden
Brilliance Audio
ISBN: 978-1662504983
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Publication Date: 04/18/2023
Format: Other
My Rating: 4 Stars
From bestselling author Teresa Driscoll comes a chilling thriller of past secrets and present terror. Deep in a rural hideaway, it’s only the owls watching them…right?
After a betrayal that sent their marriage into freefall, Hannah and Sam are desperate for a fresh start with their eight-year-old daughter Lily―and where better than picture-perfect Owl Cottage in beautiful Cornwall. But something about the holiday home stirs dark memories for Hannah…
When she finds dead creatures on the doorstep and hears mysterious knocks at the door, Hannah can’t help wondering whether someone is messing with her―or whether the past she’s been running from has finally claimed her sanity.
As the disturbing events at Owl Cottage seep out into the local community and the police become involved, Hannah turns to Sam for help, but when he dismisses her worries, she wonders if she was wrong to ever trust him. Are the memories making her paranoid, or is this something more sinister than she dares imagine?
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Praise
“Such a creepy and addictive read and kept me guessing all the way through―loved it!” ―Katherine Faulkner, bestselling author of Greenwich Park
“Tell Me Lies had me enthralled. It comes with all the originality, twists and turns that we've come to expect from Teresa Driscoll. I could not put it down.”
―Caroline Mitchell, bestselling author of The Village
“Just finished Tell Me Lies and what a fantastic read it was. Teresa Driscoll brilliantly builds a creeping sense of unease that leads to a shocking―and unexpected―conclusion. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough by the end!”
―Lisa Gray, bestselling author of the Jessica Shaw thriller series
“A chillingly addictive plot. Once more, Teresa weaves a deliciously sinister story…”
―Sunday Times bestselling author Jane Corry
My Review
Bestselling storyteller, Teresa Driscoll delivers a SPINE-CHILLING thriller, TELL ME LIES —where the past secrets and terror connect in this atmospheric mysterious Cornwall setting with creepy owls.
A lovely beautiful place can suddenly become threatening and scary.
It was all Hannah's idea— The Owl Cottage. She fell in love with it online, showing her daughter Lily. Of course, Lily says they look scary (I agree). But Hannah thinks they are wise, beautiful, and incredible. (that was before the week started).
She should never have brought her family here.
After a betrayal by Sam, Hannah thinks a getaway to rural Cornwall is what they need to jump-start their marriage and get it back on track with their eight-year-old daughter, Lily.
Starting from Day one at the Owl Cottage for a week, what lies ahead?
There are owls everywhere in the decor motif, and then dead owls, which stirs dark memories from Hannah's past. The little girl in her dreams. She does not want to remember.
From past to present, before and now —the counseling sessions. Sam's betrayal and what happened to Hannah as a child.
There are knocks on the door. Is someone messing with her, or is she losing her mind? Can she trust Sam?
In the past, Hannah the girl in the woods when she was only eight. A picnic with her father. Then stuck in the woods all night. The lovely writer. The man who wrote stories. He died in the forest with an undiagnosed heart condition.
Was there something she is missing? Will staying in the Owl Cottage trigger her memories that were wiped out from the past?
Who is after Hannah's trust fund?
From the dead owls, disturbing and mysterious noises—it leaks out to the locals, who get riled up about the outsiders on holiday. The police are called.
Lily has an imaginary friend, Katie. Hannah takes a fall. A power cut. There are so many emotions going on in Hannah's head—Love. Hate. Doubt. Belief. Stay. Go. Then there are the neighbors and the visitors.
CREEPY! Love this cover. The storyline flows between the narrative of Hannah, Sam, and Hannah's mother, Maud, who all give an insight into Hannah's life and why she is as she is today.
Those who have read the author's past books will enjoy cameo appearances from previous books.
The setting is the best part; even though claustrophobic and with a strong sense of foreboding, you keep turning the pages to find out what is happening.
Psychologically rich, packed with suspense, lies, secrets, tension, intrigue, horror, manipulation, evil, and betrayal to healing, love, and forgiveness—an intriguing story for those who enjoy emotionally dark mysteries. Not allowing the darkness to WIN.
It was well worth the slow burn to find out what really happened, the owners of the cottage, and what happened previously, wrapped up nicely in the epilogue.
I enjoyed reading the author's note about the cottage and the inspiration for the book. I read the e-book and listened to the audiobook narrated by Elizabeth Knowelden for a chilling performance.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: April 18, 2023
My Rating: 4 Stars
About the Author
For more than twenty-five years as a journalist―including fifteen years as a BBC TV news presenter―Teresa Driscoll followed stories into the shadows of life. Covering crime for so long, she watched and was deeply moved by all the ripples each case caused, and the haunting impact on the families, friends and witnesses involved. It is those ripples that she explores in her darker fiction.
Teresa’s novels have sold more than two million copies and have been published in twenty languages. She lives in beautiful Devon with her family. You can find out more about her books on her website (www.teresadriscoll.com) or by following her on Twitter (@TeresaDriscoll), Facebook (www.facebook.com/teresadriscollauthor) or Instagram (@tkdriscoll_author).
