Believe Me

by Molly Garcia

Fifteen years ago Carrie Martins walked into the woods with three children. They were never seen again and she was convicted of their murder. Dr Ethan Quinn has always been fascinated by the case. Now he has the opportunity to talk to her in his new role as prison psychiatrist. Carrie is up for parole and he's going to be responsible for reccomending it or not. Her presentation changes every time they meet and Ethan isn't sure who the real Carrie is underneath the masks she wears. What is she hiding from and why is she so reluctant to talk about what happened to those children? Is it the shame of someone guilty of a horrific crime, or is she protecting someone else? Carrie is known to lie as easily as she breathes, but what if the truth is hidden inside those lies?Can you work out who is telling the truth?

Genres: Thriller

266 pages, Paperback

Published November 9, 2023

About the author

I live in Spain with my partner of over 30 years and we have two grown-up children. I have worked in social care and the NHS since 1991 and use my experiences in that field to create complex and realistic characters and backgrounds.

I hope my readers enjoy the stories I write but I would also like them to address social inequality and raise people's awareness.

Reviews

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hope there is a book two!

[Shana · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVED this read by Molly Garcia!

This book kept me guessing the whooooole way through. It was such a great storyline for sure!

If you like suspense, psychological, and police interviews, this is for you.

The narrator is Grant Love, and again, he smashed it 👏🏻 Listened via Audible.

Definitely recommend ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Tammy J Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

Throughout the story, the author has the listener guessing whether the characters are telling the truth or lying. Loved that I was second guessing myself as I listened.

[Hailey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow oh wow. Y'all, this book is a wild ride from start to finish.

4.25 Stars!

Ethan is a psychiatrist newly appointed to Carrie's case to decide whether or not she's released after being convicted of unaliving 3 children. So many different stories and lies from multiple parties that it's hard to see who's telling the truth.

think Natasha Preston meets Freida McFadden.

it's a short book, less than 200 pages, so it won't take long at all to finish.

support a new indie author & pick up this book! it was released on Kindle today!

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to a free copy (from Narrator) on Audible.

Excellent story. Had me engaged all the way through, and flitting between who I thought was guilty.

Narration was spot on (I do think Scottish accents are the best to listen to)

Highly recommend

[Caroline 'relaxing with my rescue dogs' · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am enjoying the collaboration with the author and narrator. This book is the best that I have listened to by this author and one of my highlights of the year so far. It was so good and you never knew what was happening until right at the end (which was perfect)
As always the narration works well and love the sound effects.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow! This is a ten star psychological thriller. it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. There are so many twists and turns. I wasn't sure who was truly guilty or what the truth was. Grant Love added special effects contributed the scary factor. His narration was brillant.

[Angie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just when you think you've figured out the truth, there's another twist that keeps you wondering. Who do you believe? Who is lying? And should Carrie be released from prison?

[Keeley Webb Author · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well-executed psychological thriller

As someone who regularly binge watches true crime and prison documentaries, this put me in mind of something in-between the two. Like a fly on the wall chance to see a prison psychiatrist at work. 

I love the way Garcia builds the story; each word is impactful as she cleverly delves deeper into the psyche of convicted child killer, Carrie Martins. In contrast, showing the inner workings of Dr. Ethan Quinn's mind as he struggles to ascertain her innocence, guilt, or any shed of remorse to document for her upcoming parole hearing. 

Each character is well-thought out from the family dynamics, people from Carrie's past, prison officers, and other inmates'. Each plays a vital role in keeping you guessing. This is a well-executed psychological thriller and my first step into Molly Garcia's books. It won't be my last.

[Lori Peterson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Received as an audio copy from the narrator, this is an honest review. Narrated with an extraordinary performance by Grant Love and written beautifully by Molly Garcia, Believe Me, that begins the Dr. Ethan Quinn series will keep you deeply engaged in harrowingly complex thriller. As Dr. Quinn begins his new job as a prison psychiatrist, he finds himself given case of Carrie Martins and to determine if being behind bars has made the woman a better person since her conviction of murdering three children during time working at their school and be released back into society. Finding exactly what happened to the children, Dr. Quinn it feels as if he's Alice in Wonderland where everything isn't as it seems and everyone Ethan Quinn speaks to to understand just whom Carrie Martins truly is like walking a dark, twisted labyrinth without any light to find this way out. And what befell those children is hauntingly tragic.

Highly recommended.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tangle of lies

This book was so cleverly written. It honestly kept me guessing throughout. Every time new evidence is looked at or a new character is questioned, we get conflicting information, and as a reader, we have no idea who to believe. Even up until the last few pages, I didn’t know who was to blame for the murder of the three children.

Ethan looks at everything objectively and even though Carrie isn’t a pleasant character, you begin to question if she was responsible for the crime she is currently serving time for. Nobody likes her, but does that automatically mean she’s guilty?

You won’t know until the end.

[ChristyReadsDaily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a slow burn. It was interesting but predictable. As you can tell from the description, it is about an unreliable source that that’s involved in a crime. so you know throughout the book you hold loosely to what she says is the truth. I felt the ending was quite predictable, and felt let down when there were no twists. Don’t read if you are not able to overlook punctuation and spelling errors.

[Georgia Tumbleweed McNabb · Rating 5 out of 5]

The author wrote a Great Story with lots of twist and turns. Dr.Quinn is trying to dig deep enough to discover who actually murdered the three children. Narrator does a Superb job on this book and on all the various characters voices. He makes the story come alive.

[Louise Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspenseful read!

I just finished this and I really enjoyed it! Great read and I was very keen to see what happened next.
Can't wait read more books, from this writer.

[Fabian Harmsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first read by Molly Garcia and wow. I loved loved,loved how how I thought I had it figured out then didn't and then another twist!! I have to read more by her and can't wait!!

[Vina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I simply could not put down ‘Believe Me’ by Molly Garcia, and read it in one sitting. Dr.Ethan Quinn, a prison psychiatrist, has been allotted a complex case, that of Carrie. She’s up for parole, and Dr. Quinn needs to decide whether or not she is fit to return to society. After all, she is in for the murder of three small children. The story ends up solving the mystery about whether or not she did kill those children.
5 Stars

[Angie C · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this! Twisty and turny, and I couldn't piece together all the lies. I couldn't put it down. Fantastic read!

[Bob Fendt · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book. A suspenseful story of lies and twists, who's telling the truth. Loved this book by Molly Garcia. Absolutely recommend it. Incredible story that the truth only comes to light at the very end. Gripping from beginning to the end.

[Liv · Rating 5 out of 5]

⋆｡°✩ Spoiler Free Reviews ⋆｡°✩

An author I found on Facebook, and this is quickly becoming my new fave series!

The plot - This is a psychological thriller novel. It follows Dr Ethan Quinn in his new job as a prison psychiatrist. His biggest case is Carrie Martins, and she murdered 3 children, or did she? Carrie is up for parole and it’s up to Dr Quinn to decide if she gets it or not.
The mystery and suspense of this one was top notch. The twists, the turn, the storylines and the multiple POVs? Stunning. No notes. Obsessed. Doesn’t get much better and I’m gonna read the rest of the books in the series!

The characters - There are plenty of characters in this novel that all feature, including some red herring ones, and a vast set of opinions and differences in personality.
It made for an enjoyable, non repetitive experience of the story!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow talk about twists and turns! Excellent plot and writing. Will be reading more by this author

[Harmony Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant audiobook and the first of what’s sure to be a gripping series.

The narrator, with his lyrical Scottish accent, is a joy to listen to, and I cannot recommend him highly enough.

Moving straight to book 2 now.

I recommend the Dr Ethan Quinn series written by Molly Garcia and narrated by Grant Love.

Many thanks to Grant Love for a free audible edition of this series.

[Corina Prince · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a superb read. I felt like I was apart of a British crime drama. The author definitely knows her knowledge from her previous career. The MMC was diligent and wanted to give justice for the characters who deserved it, going beyond his description of work to find the missing pieces of the puzzle. Who killed the kids? Does Carrie have multiple personalities? Or a really good liar? You really have to read the book to digest and find out who killed those kids.

[Niki · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one will keep you guessing

I'm notorious for guessing the ending of books or TV shows, seeing past the red herrings right to the solution (see "THE SILENT PATIENT" as an example). But Molly... Molly Garcia knows how to WRITE. I was constantly questioning the characters, which meant I was constantly questioning myself. Her ability to build suspense while still maintaining the integrity of her characters arc is impeccable.

If you like books that keep you guessing, check this one out!

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A page turner from the very first page. I've read everyone of Molly Garcia's books. She carefully weaves a suspenseful and gripping story with well developed characters and twists that are so tantalizing riddled with secrets that you will never unravel the riveting shocking ending. Absolutely on the edge of your seat ride.

[ofy udy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful read

[Kate L · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who is lying and who is telling the truth!?!? It is a battle back and fourth and this book kept me really engaged. I liked the characters and hated them at the same time. The book was well done and I really enjoyed this one!

[Angelalynn Kramer-Thompson · Rating 5 out of 5]

believe me

Wow it a great book. When it can leave you with many emotions. To either cheer for the character, or beat the characters butt. Lol.the end I was like goodness is there going to be a sequel to this book, I would have liked to read more about the doctor.thank you

[E.J. Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believe Me is a great addition to the Psychological Thriller genre!

The story follows Dr Ethan Quinn as he takes on a new role as a prison Psychiatrist and is tasked with preparing a psychiatric report on prisoner Carrie (who had been accused and convicted of murdering 3 children 15 years prior) for her parole hearing.

It hooked me in from the first chapter and I devoured the whole book in less than 24 hours.
Will Ethan discover the truth about what happened to the 3 children Carrie led into the woods that day? Did she do it? What happened to their bodies? Is anything Carrie says actually true? These are just some of the questions that kept me turning the pages, desperate for answers.

If you like books that keep you questioning everything trying to figure out the truth from the lies, then this is the book for you.

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 but quick read and I finished it so rounded to 3. No character development, repetitive and unbelievable crime story.

[Catherine Guerrero · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 This book definitely needs to be edited. Overall it was an okay story.