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Dark Lie
In this gripping psychological thriller--smart, chilling, and unrelenting--Nancy Springer establishes herself as an exciting new suspense writer with a distinctive voice and some surprises up her sleeve... To their neighbors, Dorrie and Sam Whiteare a contented couple in America’s heartland, with steady jobs, a suburban home, and plenty of community activities to keep them busy. But they’re not quite what they seem. For plain, hard-working Sam hides a depth of devotion for his wife that no one would suspect. And Dorrie is living a lie--beset by physical ailments, alone within herself...and secretly following the comings and goings of the sixteen-year-old daughter, Juliet, she gave up for adoption when she was hardly more than a child herself. Then one day at the mall, Dorrie watches horror-stricken as Juliet is abducted, forced into a van that drives away. Instinctively, Dorrie sends her own car speeding after it--an act of reckless courage that puts her on a collision course with a depraved killer...and draws Sam into a dogged, desperate search to save his wife. As mother and daughter unite in a terrifying struggle to survive, to what extremes will Dorrie go in overcoming her own limitations...and in confronting her dark, tormented past?
290 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2012
10 people are currently reading
1246 people want to read
About the author
Nancy Springer
197 books2,354 followersBIO -- NANCY SPRINGER
Nancy Springer has passed the fifty-book milestone, having written that many novels for adults, young adults and children, in genres including mythic fantasy, contemporary fiction, magical realism, horror, and mystery -- although she did not realize she wrote mystery until she won the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America two years in succession. DARK LIE, recently released from NAL, is her first venture into mass-market psychological suspense.
Born in Montclair, New Jersey, Nancy Springer moved with her family to Gettysburg, of Civil War fame, when she was thirteen. She spent the next forty-six years in Pennsylvania, raising two children (Jonathan, now 38, and Nora, 34), writing, horseback riding, fishing, and birdwatching. In 2007 she surprised her friends and herself by moving with her second husband to an isolated area of the Florida panhandle, where the birdwatching is spectacular and where, when fishing, she occasionally catches an alligator.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
October 15, 2012
“Dark Lie” by Nancy Springer, published by New American Library.
Category – Fiction/Literature
I had a terrible time trying to categorize this book. It has a little of just about everything in it, mystery, romance, horror, and religion.
Candor Verity Birch fell madly in love in high school. Although coming from very strict religious parents, she had an affair with Blake Roman and became pregnant. Candor’s family left town with her and upon her baby’s birth placed it for adoption.
Years later, Candor now married and going under the name Dorrie White, finds her daughter living in the same town. She does not make contact with her but does follow her around. While following her at a mall she sees her daughter, Juliet, being kidnapped. Unable to call for help she attempts to follow the abductor.
After several harrowing experiences, Dorrie and Juliet are held prisoner, and Dorrie’s only concern is for her daughter. She will do anything to protect her daughter even to the point of putting her own life on the line. Dorrie’s problems escalate when she recognizes the abductor and opens up a bevy of secrets that Dorrie has been hiding from her husband all these years.
Dorrie’s husband is having problems of his own when trying to find her he is informed that Dorrie is the prime suspect in the kidnapping and is given little if no help from authorities.
A page turner that is both gripping, scary, and has enough twists and turns as Lombard Drive in Los Angeles. There is some sexual content in the book but it is done in good taste and is absolutely necessary to make this book work.
Category – Fiction/Literature
I had a terrible time trying to categorize this book. It has a little of just about everything in it, mystery, romance, horror, and religion.
Candor Verity Birch fell madly in love in high school. Although coming from very strict religious parents, she had an affair with Blake Roman and became pregnant. Candor’s family left town with her and upon her baby’s birth placed it for adoption.
Years later, Candor now married and going under the name Dorrie White, finds her daughter living in the same town. She does not make contact with her but does follow her around. While following her at a mall she sees her daughter, Juliet, being kidnapped. Unable to call for help she attempts to follow the abductor.
After several harrowing experiences, Dorrie and Juliet are held prisoner, and Dorrie’s only concern is for her daughter. She will do anything to protect her daughter even to the point of putting her own life on the line. Dorrie’s problems escalate when she recognizes the abductor and opens up a bevy of secrets that Dorrie has been hiding from her husband all these years.
Dorrie’s husband is having problems of his own when trying to find her he is informed that Dorrie is the prime suspect in the kidnapping and is given little if no help from authorities.
A page turner that is both gripping, scary, and has enough twists and turns as Lombard Drive in Los Angeles. There is some sexual content in the book but it is done in good taste and is absolutely necessary to make this book work.
February 20, 2016
I'm a little shocked that this novel was written by the same author who penned the beloved Enola Holmes series. Very little of this story would hold up under scrutiny and I like my fictions realistic. This is a huge miss for me.
December 7, 2012
This was a real roller coaster of a book! I have to say that I could NOT stop thinking about this book once I started reading it. Nancy has crafted a tight plot that has you running on all cylinders! A MUST READ for anyone who loves psychological suspense
Nancy Springer's first adult suspense novel tells the story of Dorrie, a middle aged woman suffering from lupus, who finds herself living in the same town as the daughter she was forced to give up for adoption by her strict religious parents as a teenager. Once Dorrie realizes that Juliet, the daughter of the town DA, is her daughter, she is drawn to trying to be near her in public. It is this desire to observe her now teenage daughter that leads Dorrie to be the only one to see Juliet get abducted in the mall parking lot. Dorrie is the only one who can save her- but who will save Dorrie when she becomes the prime suspect- Enter Sam, her husband who knows that Dorrie would never hurt anyone- and that there is a dark secret that she has been hiding from him.
Nancy Springer's first adult suspense novel tells the story of Dorrie, a middle aged woman suffering from lupus, who finds herself living in the same town as the daughter she was forced to give up for adoption by her strict religious parents as a teenager. Once Dorrie realizes that Juliet, the daughter of the town DA, is her daughter, she is drawn to trying to be near her in public. It is this desire to observe her now teenage daughter that leads Dorrie to be the only one to see Juliet get abducted in the mall parking lot. Dorrie is the only one who can save her- but who will save Dorrie when she becomes the prime suspect- Enter Sam, her husband who knows that Dorrie would never hurt anyone- and that there is a dark secret that she has been hiding from him.
May 9, 2023
Pretty good! Author of the Enola Holmes series.
March 13, 2013
Most people would think that this middle aged couple Dorrie and Sam White are the solid contented couple they appear in America’s heartland. And for the most part they would be correct. Sam hides a deep and loving devotion to his wife, never quite sure that it is enough for her and thinking every day a blessing she is home waiting for him. Dorrie, however, is living a lie - suffering from physical ailments, she lives for the comings and goings of a the sixteen year old daughter, Juliet whom she’d been forced to give up at the moment of her birth. Stalking her daughter at the mall one afternoon, Dorrie was horrified to watch as her daughter is abducted and forced into a van. Without thinking Dorrie sends her own car speeding after the van - an act of recklessness that puts herself in a terrifying situation of life and death, and sending Sam into a desperate search to save his beloved wife.
*** One could almost describe Ms. Springer’s DARK LIE in one word - RELENTLESS! Or better yet, use that word to describe Dorrie - a middle aged woman battling a crippling disease who would rather die than let a psychotic maniac hurt the daughter she could never claim as her own.
Almost from the very beginning was I was caught up in this novel and not only because Dorrie was not some super-gorgeous over-accomplished femme-fatale. No Dorrie was none of that but she was a woman, loved by a good man, and still caught in a romanticized version of the only good thing from her past. A past that as the author enlightened was actually wrought out of a very fractured childhood Dorrie had endured, and glossed over with a fantasy of being loved.
Only with the brilliance of author Nancy Springer, was this story told so that the fantasy which Dorrie had built up because of the horror of her life allowed her to gain the strength she needed to put aside her demons, face the truth, and save her daughter’s very life. The only thing I can say is that this story was mesmerizing from start to finish and is one of those stories that will stay with you forever, if for no other reason than having a very fresh creative plot, coupled with exquisite writing by an author I must place on an auto-buy list. Awesome writing and HIGHLY recommended.
Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com
*** One could almost describe Ms. Springer’s DARK LIE in one word - RELENTLESS! Or better yet, use that word to describe Dorrie - a middle aged woman battling a crippling disease who would rather die than let a psychotic maniac hurt the daughter she could never claim as her own.
Almost from the very beginning was I was caught up in this novel and not only because Dorrie was not some super-gorgeous over-accomplished femme-fatale. No Dorrie was none of that but she was a woman, loved by a good man, and still caught in a romanticized version of the only good thing from her past. A past that as the author enlightened was actually wrought out of a very fractured childhood Dorrie had endured, and glossed over with a fantasy of being loved.
Only with the brilliance of author Nancy Springer, was this story told so that the fantasy which Dorrie had built up because of the horror of her life allowed her to gain the strength she needed to put aside her demons, face the truth, and save her daughter’s very life. The only thing I can say is that this story was mesmerizing from start to finish and is one of those stories that will stay with you forever, if for no other reason than having a very fresh creative plot, coupled with exquisite writing by an author I must place on an auto-buy list. Awesome writing and HIGHLY recommended.
Marilyn Rondeau, for www.ck2skwipsandkritiques.com
February 11, 2016
I really loved Nancy Springer’s Drawn Into Darkness, so when I finished it I immediately searched for her other books to read another one of hers. She’s a prolific author who writes in many different genres and her only other thriller on Audible (as far as I could find) is this one. I liked it too, a lot, but certainly didn’t love it as much as Drawn Into Darkness.
I think it’s mostly because the 2 stories are really similar. There is a central structure that follows both and the main characters all have a remarkable resemblance. Both books are extremely well-written and original in their core; their plots and characters are greatly constructed and the action keeps the reader on the edge all through the novels, but there was a faint sense of déjà vu. Not really a problem; I still recommend both novels, and for what I’ve read so far, the author in general. I plan on reading more by her in the future.
The narrator does a great job here; I could really feel Dori through her voice and appreciate the whole story, with its twists and turns in her intonation.
I think it’s mostly because the 2 stories are really similar. There is a central structure that follows both and the main characters all have a remarkable resemblance. Both books are extremely well-written and original in their core; their plots and characters are greatly constructed and the action keeps the reader on the edge all through the novels, but there was a faint sense of déjà vu. Not really a problem; I still recommend both novels, and for what I’ve read so far, the author in general. I plan on reading more by her in the future.
The narrator does a great job here; I could really feel Dori through her voice and appreciate the whole story, with its twists and turns in her intonation.
October 14, 2012
Dark Lie is a quick read mixing elements of mystery, psychological suspense, and religious fanaticism. Springer's narrative seamlessly alternates through Dorrie's past and present while including the perspective of her husband Sam, and Sissy Chappell, a young black police woman and handwriting expert, who is the only one realizing just how much trouble Dorrie and her daughter are facing. The horror of Dorrie's story is a convincing one in Springer's capable hands, and the result a startling page-turner. Recommended.
November 12, 2017
she was tricked into having sex with a boy from school. her strict parents moved them all away to another town, she was preg and they gave the baby away. she got married to get away from her parents
she found out her college money came from what her parents got from the adoption, she found out who the parents were and found her teen daughter that she watched at the mall. her husband never knew she had a kid. she has lupus now and cant have a child
she saw her daughter abducted at the mall. she chased the van, tried to call 911 but they didnt exactly understand her. when they stopped at the gas station she got out of her car (why she didnt grab the girl i dont know). when she got back in her car her cell phone was gone and the man tampered with her hood so it flew up when she was on the freeway. she finally got it down but by then he was gone
she continued on the freeway to her hometown and the library where she had sex with the boy with her name 'candy was laid here'. and the van was abandoned there. the pay phone didnt work.
meanwhile her husband is trying to figure out where she is. the police locate her broken car and her husband goes there, to her hometown, to see if he can find her. he is very worried
meanwhile she is trying to trick the guy and find a way to get her and her daughter (who doesnt know shes her birth mom) out of there. hes crazy
she managed to kill him but got sliced. her daughter tried to stop the bleeding. her husband busted in while the police were still trying to get a search warrant.
she was saved. she didnt come out and tell her daughter she was her mom as she didnt want her to know that crazy man was her father.
she found out her college money came from what her parents got from the adoption, she found out who the parents were and found her teen daughter that she watched at the mall. her husband never knew she had a kid. she has lupus now and cant have a child
she saw her daughter abducted at the mall. she chased the van, tried to call 911 but they didnt exactly understand her. when they stopped at the gas station she got out of her car (why she didnt grab the girl i dont know). when she got back in her car her cell phone was gone and the man tampered with her hood so it flew up when she was on the freeway. she finally got it down but by then he was gone
she continued on the freeway to her hometown and the library where she had sex with the boy with her name 'candy was laid here'. and the van was abandoned there. the pay phone didnt work.
meanwhile her husband is trying to figure out where she is. the police locate her broken car and her husband goes there, to her hometown, to see if he can find her. he is very worried
meanwhile she is trying to trick the guy and find a way to get her and her daughter (who doesnt know shes her birth mom) out of there. hes crazy
she managed to kill him but got sliced. her daughter tried to stop the bleeding. her husband busted in while the police were still trying to get a search warrant.
she was saved. she didnt come out and tell her daughter she was her mom as she didnt want her to know that crazy man was her father.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2018
Nancy Springer's DARK LIE is a gripping adventure, one that my mind has been returning to, even after finishing. Mother love can give strength to power through fear and disability and learned passivity, and art can help explain the confusions of life. I love and sympathize with Dorrie, and love and admire her at the end, and I love her loyal, loving husband.
Another hero for me is Officer Sistine Chappell “no relation to the Vatican” who “wondered when, if ever, she could expect respect as a police officer” and “could not imagine that anybody who collected Flutterkitties could ever plan and execute a violent crime.” Brava for having intelligence and the courage to follow through on her ideas and insights.
They persisted!
Gems and wisdom:
“He needed to tell His story. We all did.” (We are all protagonists of our own stories).
Good vs. evil in disguise, “ . . . as if all my life I have been gazing at visions of angels . . . but now I was living an Escher . . . angels were empty white spaces between devils. . .”
Another hero for me is Officer Sistine Chappell “no relation to the Vatican” who “wondered when, if ever, she could expect respect as a police officer” and “could not imagine that anybody who collected Flutterkitties could ever plan and execute a violent crime.” Brava for having intelligence and the courage to follow through on her ideas and insights.
They persisted!
Gems and wisdom:
“He needed to tell His story. We all did.” (We are all protagonists of our own stories).
Good vs. evil in disguise, “ . . . as if all my life I have been gazing at visions of angels . . . but now I was living an Escher . . . angels were empty white spaces between devils. . .”
October 4, 2022
Excellent novel. I really enjoy reading authors who shift gears and write something that upsets the fan base. This novel was published in 2012. I somehow missed this book. A great story with some creepy characters. Nancy Springer is a superb storyteller. I'm hearing this book is making some ban lists across the country. Folks, its's a story. A rather dark story. I will continue to read Nancy Springer's books.
December 13, 2024
If this wasn’t my only book on my trip to Asia I would have stopped reading after the 2nd chapter. It’s insane to me that this book has so many 4 star reviews. This grand tale could and would have been solved by the second chapter if our lead women wasn’t a complete and total imbecile. I mean when I say she’s stupid she is STUPID. I understand she grew up sheltered but this is bad. Bad writing, and the characters are all infuriating.
May 5, 2020
I found this book at the library as a free giveaway when they cleaned out inventory and didn't think much of it. It sat on my bookshelf for over a year, and once I read it I was hooked. I finished this in about 3 hours and immediately shared it with a friend when done. It was a quick, easy, fast-paced read.
November 24, 2018
It was just okay. Some decent twists and surprises but the Blake character seemed a little far-fetched. And being from Ohio and a graduate of Ohio University.....it drives me crazy that the author kept say University of Ohio, that’s just a little personal irritant of mine. Lol
July 2, 2017
WOW!!!!!! Edge of my seat...may never quite leave this one. Harrowing, intense, marvelous. WOW.
October 29, 2020
An edge-of-your-seat thriller! I couldn't put it down!
January 8, 2021
This book was droning on and was very predictable. Not worth finishing
September 2, 2022
This did not do it for me. Weird kinda cheesy writing and not very surprising at all.
August 18, 2023
This was poorly written and poorly edited. Major plot holes and a personal pet peeve of mine, thrillers that ar ‘magically’ solved with no real evidence or work done.
October 22, 2023
This was too creepy and twisted for me.
March 31, 2024
Hated this
February 3, 2013
Playing Jokers Blog: all suits of genres and book news
Dorrie has a secret. She hasn't told her husband, and has even buried it from herself. But when she witnesses a teenage girl getting kidnapped, she surprises herself and launches into action.
Dorrie is not your usual heroine. Middle aged and battling Lupus, she is an interesting main character. She is overweight and is in almost constant pain or stiffness. She is also extraordinarily subservient. Her parents are the couple from the American Gothic picture. Very conservative and religious, they are the kind of people that see only the sin in people and have forgotten the love part of faith. Parents leave an impact on their children, which was shown through various characters in the book.
There was very strong religious tones in the book that I'm not sure how I felt about. At first I didn't like it, but as I began to understand the characters more, I understood the stylistic choices that the author made. And it didn't cross the line between allowing the characters to be religious and the author preaching a certain religion. I appreciated that.
I read the book pretty fast. I tried to read it before going to bed but found myself too wound up. It's definitely an intense read with its themes and plot.
Dorrie has a secret. She hasn't told her husband, and has even buried it from herself. But when she witnesses a teenage girl getting kidnapped, she surprises herself and launches into action.
Dorrie is not your usual heroine. Middle aged and battling Lupus, she is an interesting main character. She is overweight and is in almost constant pain or stiffness. She is also extraordinarily subservient. Her parents are the couple from the American Gothic picture. Very conservative and religious, they are the kind of people that see only the sin in people and have forgotten the love part of faith. Parents leave an impact on their children, which was shown through various characters in the book.
There was very strong religious tones in the book that I'm not sure how I felt about. At first I didn't like it, but as I began to understand the characters more, I understood the stylistic choices that the author made. And it didn't cross the line between allowing the characters to be religious and the author preaching a certain religion. I appreciated that.
I read the book pretty fast. I tried to read it before going to bed but found myself too wound up. It's definitely an intense read with its themes and plot.
January 31, 2016
This book was thrilling, suspenseful and I could not put it down! So why only three stars you ask? Well... There were so many plot holes that I really had to completely turn my brain off and not question anything. The police were so ridiculously incompetent that I often found my self wondering how any of this could even be remotely possible. The answer is, it isn't. Not even a little bit. There is no way that the police and FBI would know a suspect/missing person by their nickname and not have a clue as to their real name. There is no way that they have information on a criminal and don't connect it with someone with the same last name. Who lives in the same small town. And is a member of the police force. Yes really! I was never really sure if this book was a parody or if it was actually serious. There were bits of ridiculous humour thrown in that were totally out of place and I didn't know quite what to think about it. A cop named Sistine Chappell? A chief who wears eyebrow toupees? What am I supposed to do with this in the middle of a quite dark, sad story? It was a bit odd and not in a good way! Despite all the issues I did find it a very exciting book. Just leave your critical reading skills at the door!
January 17, 2016
Geez. Where Should I start with this book? Starts out interesting enough I guess. A sad, pathetic main character that grew up in a strict home with no love, desperate for attention falls "in love" with a psycho in high school and gets pregnant. Of course her parents make her give it up, move to a new town and she eventually marries a good but boring man named Sam. She finds her daughter and stalks her for a year until one day she sees her get abducted and without telling anyone she goes after the kidnapper. Who is the kidnapper? Why, the same guy she screwed in high school who was and still is obsessed with her. The police think she abducted her, her parents don't care either way and so her husband is the only one that actually believes she is innocent. Oh, besides the young rookie cop that takes one look at the old love notes that the main character saved and can tell everything about the psycho kidnapper just by his handwriting. *eye roll.
A book about a sheltered woman who did things she didn't know she had in her, realizes she isn't missing anything by being married to her husband, reunites with her daughter and escapes a crazy fucker. I also forgot to mention that the police are completely inept in this book.
A book about a sheltered woman who did things she didn't know she had in her, realizes she isn't missing anything by being married to her husband, reunites with her daughter and escapes a crazy fucker. I also forgot to mention that the police are completely inept in this book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2014
It is a surprising novel and a good read. I had never read Nancy Springer before this book. I met her at the Tallahassee Writers Conference and bought her book, because she impressed me as a fascinating person. Her sense of humor is evident throughout Dark Lie. The protagonist is a lupus-affected middle aged woman with many problems. Talk about unforgiving parents! It is amazing this poor woman has any ego after being brought up by two ultra religious freaks. The plot is plausible and the main character is totally sympathetic. I am purposefully leaving out many details because the element of surprise is an essential component of enjoyment in this book. I highly recommend it and plan to read many more of Nancy's books.
April 11, 2014
I loved that a good crime & family-drama mystery used handwriting analysis in the plot. As a student of graphology, I can relate to the scepticism shown it, especially in the U.S. While no full-blown handwriting analysis was done, the amateur graphologist in the story uses several of the things she's learned about it.
I feel for the protagonist in this book, as I had a close friend die of Systemic Lupus in middle age. Sometimes there seemed a little too-much coincidence in the plot, but overall it was an exciting page-turner.
I feel for the protagonist in this book, as I had a close friend die of Systemic Lupus in middle age. Sometimes there seemed a little too-much coincidence in the plot, but overall it was an exciting page-turner.
July 22, 2015
I really enjoyed this book. I'm not generally a super-speedy reader, but this novel had me turning the pages so quickly that I finished it in a day. The characters are the strongest aspect--Dorrie, an unremarkable, small-town woman suffering from lupus, is an unlikely and complex heroine with whom the reader can easily relate. Each of the other characters is written well, too. In the end, this novel serves as a kidnapping thriller, but also as a gripping tale of a weak, mild woman's determination to overcome the odds against her and save herself and her daughter.
June 7, 2013
I thought this was an enjoyable, satisfying mystery. Although I'm not sure how plausible the story was I guess it would be possible. This would make a good TV movie. When thinking back on the story it's amazing how multi layered it was.
April 28, 2015
First of all, I found this book at a dollar store and after reading it I can firmly say I believe it should not have been there. This book is sincerely amazing! If you haven't read it then shame on you!
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January 10, 2013Didnt have time to read it before it had to be returned to the library...oh well.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews