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    To Tell You the Truth: A Novel
    To Tell You the Truth: A Novel
    To Tell You the Truth: A Novel
    Audiobook8 hours

    To Tell You the Truth: A Novel

    Written by Gilly Macmillan

    Narrated by Emma Fryer

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    ""A spellbinding book about a missing child, and about the life of a writer. Bold, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. This one will stay with me for a long time."" — Samantha Downing, #1 internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

    The acclaimed author of The Nanny and What She Knew—hailed by stalwarts including Ruth Ware, Liane Moriarty, Rosamund Lupton, Tess Gerritsen, and Shari Lapena—returns with another serpentine thriller that cleverly blends atmosphere, tarnished memories, mystery, and twisty secrets from the past into a potent, intense read that will leave you questioning everything you believe.

    To tell you the truth . . . everybody lies.

    Lucy Harper’s talent for writing bestselling novels has given her fame, fortune and millions of fans.  It’s also given her Dan, her needy, jealous husband whose own writing career has gone precisely nowhere.

    Now Dan has vanished. But this isn’t the first time that someone has disappeared from Lucy’s life. Three decades ago, her little brother Teddy also went missing and was never found. Lucy, the only witness, helplessly spun fantasy after fantasy about Teddy’s disappearance, to the detectives’ fury and her parents’ despair. That was the start of her ability to tell a story—a talent she has profited from greatly. 

    But now Lucy’s a grown woman who can’t hide behind fiction any longer. The world is watching, and her whole life is under intense scrutiny. A life full of stories, some more believable than others. Could she have hurt Teddy?  Did she kill Dan?  Finally, now, Lucy Harper’s going to tell the truth.

    Cross her heart.

    And hope to die.

    “One of the most unsettling—and unforgettable—heroines I’ve ever met.” — Shari Lapena, New York Times bestselling author of The Couple Next Door

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateSep 22, 2020
    ISBN9780063015661
    Author

    Gilly Macmillan

    Gilly Macmillan is the internationally bestselling author of seven other novels including What She Knew, The Nanny, and The Long Weekend. She lives in Bristol, England.

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    Reviews for To Tell You the Truth

    4/5

    195 ratings21 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Nope.... I found myself pretty irritated throughout most of this book.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 2/5
      Is the narrator half asleep? Her lazy pace doesn’t help a lagging storyline.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      4.5 stars! Didn't know what to think of it untill the very end,that's how long it kept me guessing! Beautifully written with good weight! Only con is I'm not sure whether the narrator was the best choice for the story. Her narrating sometimes gave the stroy a wrongful impression! However,I don't think she is bad at narrating,just that her style is not for this book!
    • 3/5
      It was ok. Not her best but average. She generally writes better. Nice narrater though
    • 5/5
      It is a good book. It kept me guessing until the end.
    • 3/5
      I couldn't finish the book. The main characters every move/ lack of move bothered me to my core. I read the spoilers. I just wish lucy had more of a personality .
    • 2/5
      The narrator of this audiobook has such an annoying voice, so anemic, zero energy, it feels whiney at times and annoys me so much!
    • 1/5
      What happen to teddy??? Horrible and the reader puts you to sleep
    • 5/5
      Great plot twists all around! Definitely a wonderful story to read
    • 3/5
      It’s almost a bit overdramatic. Maybe it’s the narrator? I’m not sure but it was like the main character was always on edge and which is a bit stressful to listen to for 80 chapters.
    • 4/5
      A good summer read. Don't overthink it. Great narration. ??
    • 5/5
      Loved this book so much. The writing is incredible, reader is ??
    • 3/5
      Great build up and great story but unsatisfying ending that doesn’t close all the plot holes and answer all the questions
    • 3/5
      Lucy Harper is a successful author of crime mystery books. She is married to Dan, who is her assistant, and they live a quiet life in the city, but Lucy is haunted by a secret. When she was young, she took her younger brother, Teddy with her on an adventure in the woods near their house. She returned home, but Teddy didn't and was never found. Suspicion that she was responsible followed her throughout her young life. When Lucy discovers that Dan bought a house near the woods where her brother went missing, she isn't sure how she will survive it, especially with the constant presence of her life-long imaginary friend, Eliza, who has been taking control more and more often. When Dan turns up dead, Lucy isn't completely sure she didn't kill him.
      In To Tell You the Truth, Lucy, the protagonist, is a very unreliable narrator. She clearly suffers from an untreated mental illness that seems to have been a part of her life since she was a child. Several chapters of the book written in italics, tell the story of the night Lucy's brother disappeared. The rest of the chapters detail the struggles Lucy has had to maintain a bad marriage, as she then tries to find out who murdered Dan. This kind of book brings with it the expectation of a twist, and this book is no exception, however, there is so much conflicting information that the twist seems a bit anticlimactic. Overall, a decent suspense thriller including the inner monologue of someone who doubts reality.
    • 5/5
      Lucy Harper has achieved what many writers dream of: her detective novels about Eliza Grey have become highly successful and she built up a huge fan base. Her husband Dan supports her and takes care of their finances and everyday life. When he, without asking her first, decides to buy a house, she gets angry, even more so when she learns where exactly the house is located: close to where she grew up, next to the woods where her younger brother once disappeared and which she connects with her most dreadful nightmares. How could he do something like this, knowing about her childhood? Quite obviously, he is gaslighting her – that’s what Eliza tells her. Eliza, not only the protagonist of her novels but also the voice that has been in her head as long as she can remember. What has been useful for her writing now becomes complicated when Lucy struggles to distinguish between what is real, what is fiction and what is only in her head and when her husband is found murdered, the writer finds herself the main suspect of a story just like her novels.I have several of Gilly Macmillan’s novels, always liking how she plays with the reader’s sympathies for the characters and the unexpected twists which keep suspense high. “To Tell You the Truth” is also masterfully crafted in terms of being vague and keeping you in the dark about what is real within fiction and what is only imagined by Lucy. Just like the protagonist, it takes a long time to figure out where the actual threat comes from, many different leads offer options for speculation which makes reading totally enjoyable. Having a crime writer who finds herself suddenly suspect in a crime in which the police use her own writing against her, is a setting which has been used before. Yet, Gilly Macmillan added a lot of aspects to make the case much more complicated. On the one hand, the voice in Lucy’s head is quite strong and surely a negative character whom you shouldn’t trust. Again and again, Lucy also seems to suffer from blackouts thus opening the possibility of actions she simply cannot recollect and which therefore remain blank spaces also for the reader. The backstory of her vanished brother and the big question looming over all if she herself might be responsible for his likely death – maybe even willingly – also add to the unpleasant feeling that she might not be a victim in this story at all.Her husband, too, raises many questions. He is, quite obviously, envious of his wife’s success since he also dreams of a career in writing but lacks talent. The bits and pieces of information one gets directly lead to the assumption of him gaslighting her. However, the possibility of Lucy getting it all wrong due to her hallucinations and the Eliza-voice is also in the air. A creepy thriller which keeps you alert at all times. Even though I found the end a bit too simply for the plot, a fantastic read I totally enjoyed.
    • 4/5
      Thank You to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone for this ARC!!

      Lucy was nine years old when her brother vanished in the woods near home. As the only witness, Lucy’s story of that night became crucial to the police investigation. Thirty years on, her brother’s whereabouts are still unknown.

      Now Lucy is a bestselling thriller writer.But her husband, Dan, has started keeping secrets of his own, and a sudden change of scene forces Lucy to confront some dark, unwelcome memories. Then Dan goes missing and Lucy’s past and present begin to collide.

      Absolutely loved this book!! A very well written psychological thriller !! I was never quite sure where the plot was going but it was my curiosity that lead me through this book. I loved all the characters and the twists. The ending was totally unexpected and surprising.

      Highly Recommended!!
    • 3/5
      I was quite conflicted with this book. For me, it was slow to start, it took me a while to get into it. It piqued my interest around pg 70 or so. Up to this point, I had put it down several times and read other books, but something intrigued me about To Tell You The Truth, and I wanted to know what happened. So, I picked it up again to try it. I am glad I did. I enjoyed the book. I could not put it down! I found myself turning and turning the pages with every twist of the book. I had some guesses as to what would happen, but, I was wrong. I did not like the character of Eliza. As a matter of fact, I felt like smacking her. The one thing I did not like about the book was the ending. It left me hanging. It was a let-down. Maybe it was done on purpose to have a follow-up book? If so, I would definitely read it.I won this book as a Goodreads giveaway. I appreciate the chance to review it.
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars. Page Turner for sure, as are all Gillian Macmillan books. Unique plot, diverse personalities in the cast of character...some you’ll like, some you’ll hate. An imaginary friend that grows up with the protagonist, creepy in itself. I enjoy books about writer’s and a look into their process, even though it’s fictional. Lucy is a famous writer of crime drama, who just finished her latest book, with a different twist from what her editor and husband want, married to Dan. Dan suddenly disappears, and Lucy’s past and present collide. She’s learned to make up stories ever since her little brother goes missing and she’s the only one who was there. Unreliable, she’ll leave you scratching your head. I like my endings more neat and tidy, so this was disappointing for me, but, the story kept my interest and had me thinking about it long after I read the last page. Thanks to Ms. MacMillan, Harper Collins Publishers and NetGalley for this ARC. Opinion is mine alone.
    • 4/5
      Lucy Harper who is always haunted by her past and her imaginary friend, is a renowned author of bestselling thrillers.As a celebration on the completion of her latest novel, Lucy and her husband, Dan, moved into a more upscale residence, where Dan has mysteriously disappeared shortly after.Gilly Macmillan’s TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH is a gripping thriller entwined with unexpected twists and turns. The suspense of Lucy’s dark secrets is captivating until the end where the truth is revealed. I would like to thank William Morrow and NetGalley for this thrilling eARC! #ToTellYouTheTruth#NetGalley
    • 3/5
      I didn't love or hate this book - it was just okay for me. Lucy is a highly unreliable narrator and not very likable. She has had an imaginary friend since childhood, Eliza Gray, who is now the main character in her very successful detective book series. There are two mysteries in this book - who killed her husband, Dan (who is an awful person) and what happened to her brother Teddy when they were children. I wanted to find what happened in both cases but only one is resolved in the end, which was disappointing. There were some surprising twists and it did keep me reading but the lack of resolution in the end bothered me. Thanks to Book Club Girls and NetGalley for the digital ARC.
    • 4/5
      Lucy Harper is a successful novelist and she has just completed her latest novel. However, it is not the novel her editor and publisher want. It is not an Eliza Gray novel. Lucy needed to remove Eliza from her novel because Eliza, Lucy’s imaginary childhood friend, is becoming a louder presence in Lucy’s life.Once Lucy completes her novel, her husband, Dan, has a surprise for Lucy, but Lucy doesn’t want the surprise. It also signals trouble for both Lucy and Dan. Not only that, but the surprise brings back the horror of her youth. When Lucy was young, she took her little brother into the forest with her in the middle of the night, but when she came out of the forest, Teddy was missing. Now, all the memories come back, and Lucy is once again the subject of a police investigation. Eliza is continuing to tell Lucy what to do, and Lucy wonders if she is sane or mad. I always enjoy a Gilly Macmillan novel and this kept my interest as to see what the resolution of the story would be. I wasn’t 100% on the ending, but otherwise, it kept me engaged. I read it in one sitting.Thanks to The Book Club Girls, Harper Collins, and NetGalley for this copy of the novel. My opinions are my own. #ToTellYouTheTruth #GillyMacmillan #HarperCollins #NetGalley