The Lies That Bind Us

by Molly Black

Taking on a summer job as a nanny on an isolated island estate should seem like paradise—but Lily Harris is about to discover that nearly every person on this island harbors deadly secrets.

Strapped for cash, Lily agrees to nanny three children of the wealthy Caldwell family. She finds the kids odd but charming, and sparks fly instantly between her and their summer tutor Julian.

But unnerving experiences lead Lily to believe there is more to the Caldwell’s island than meets the eye. Is her traumatic past and unresolved guilt making her overly protective of those she cares for?

Or is it something more sinister?

Lily will have to find out quickly, as hurricane season approaches and her last chance to escape becomes impossible….

“Molly Black has written a taut thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat… I absolutely loved this book and can’t wait to read the next book in the series!”
—Reader review for Girl Murder
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THE LIES THAT BIND US is a captivating new psychological thriller by critically acclaimed and #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Molly Black, whose books have received over 2,000 five-star reviews and ratings.


“I binge read this book. It hooked me in and didn't stop till the last few pages… I look forward to reading more!”
—Reader review for Found You
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“I loved this book! Fast-paced plot, great characters and interesting insights into investigating cold cases. I can't wait to read the next book!”
—Reader review for Girl Murder
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“Very good book… You will feel like you are right there looking for the kidnapper! I know I will be reading more in this series!”
—Reader review for Girl Murder
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“This is a very well written book and holds your interest from page 1… Definitely looking forward to reading the next one in the series, and hopefully others as well!”
—Reader review for Girl Murder
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Wow, I cannot wait for the next in this series. Starts with a bang and just keeps going.”
—Reader review for Girl Murder
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“Well written book with a great plot, one that will keep you up at night. A page turner!”
—Reader review for Girl Murder
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

“A great suspense that keeps you reading… can't wait for the next in this series!”
—Reader review for Found You
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“Sooo soo good! There are a few unforeseen twists… I binge read this like I binge watch Netflix. It just sucks you in.”
—Reader review for Found You
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Genres: Thriller, Mystery

242 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 3, 2024

About the author

Bestselling author Molly Black is author of the MAYA GRAY FBI suspense thriller series, comprising nine books (and counting); of the RYLIE WOLF FBI suspense thriller series, comprising six books; of the TAYLOR SAGE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eight books; of the KATIE WINTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising eleven books (and counting); of the RUBY HUNTER FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting), and of the CAITLIN DARE FBI suspense thriller series, comprising five books (and counting).

An avid reader and lifelong fan of the mystery and thriller genres, Molly loves to hear from you, so please feel free to visit www.mollyblackauthor.com to learn more and stay in touch.

BOOKS BY MOLLY BLACK

GRACE FORD FBI THRILLER

NEARLY MINE (Book #1)

NEARLY SAFE (Book #2)

NEARLY FREE (Book #3)

NEARLY GONE (Book #4)

NEARLY HIS (Book #5)

CAITLIN DARE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

COME GET ME (Book #1)

COME FIND ME (Book #2)

COME TAKE ME (Book #3)

COME CATCH ME (Book #4)

COME SAVE ME (Book #5)

RUBY HUNTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

IF I RUN (Book #1)

IF I TELL (Book #2)

IF I LIVE (Book #3)

IF I FORGET (Book #4)

IF I RETURN (Book #5)

MAYA GRAY MYSTERY SERIES

GIRL ONE: MURDER (Book #1)

GIRL TWO: TAKEN (Book #2)

GIRL THREE: TRAPPED (Book #3)

GIRL FOUR: LURED (Book #4)

GIRL FIVE: BOUND (Book #5)

GIRL SIX: FORSAKEN (Book #6)

GIRL SEVEN: CRAVED (Book #7)

GIRL EIGHT: HUNTED (Book #8)

GIRL NINE: GONE (Book #9)

RYLIE WOLF FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

FOUND YOU (Book #1)

CAUGHT YOU (Book #2)

SEE YOU (Book #3)

WANT YOU (Book #4)

TAKE YOU (Book #5)

DARE YOU (Book #6)

TAYLOR SAGE FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

DON’T LOOK (Book #1)

DON’T BREATHE (Book #2)

DON’T RUN (Book #3)

DON’T FLINCH (Book #4)

DON’T REMEMBER (Book #5)

DON’T TELL (Book #6)

DON’T HIDE (Book #7)

DON’T BLINK (Book #8)

KATIE WINTER FBI SUSPENSE THRILLER

SAVE ME (Book #1)

REACH ME (Book #2)

HIDE ME (Book #3)

BELIEVE ME (Book #4)

HELP ME (Book #5)

FORGET ME (Book #6)

HOLD ME (Book #7)

PROTECT ME (Book #8)

REMEMBER ME (Book #9)

CATCH ME (Book #10)

WATCH ME (Book #11)

Reviews

[Sandra Barker · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hardly ever rate a book only 3, but this book became hard to get through. While the plot line was interesting, the melodrama and dense descriptions drug it out to almost intolerable, but I did want to see how the story ended so I skimmed a number of chapters to see how it ended. Here are s0me things about the book that caused my low rating: The number of typos in the book are the most I've ever encountered in a published novel. I can skim over typos, but sometimes it snags when it's the wrong name or word and you have to go over it a couple times. There's no excuse for that many typos. Secondly, the atmospheric descriptions were over the top. We get that the house was creepy and dark and there were shadows, etc. And then when a hurricane hit, oh, my! The dark and stormy night premise was described to the hilt - and beyond. The main character Lily gave a first person account of the drama and her thoughts got rather annoying. I hate to pan a book because I know the author goes to a LOT of work to get it written, but this is a book that could have done with a serious editing job!

[Mel · Rating 1 out of 5]

1⭐️
The Lies That Bind Us follows Lily as she takes a job on a secluded island as a Nanny for a wealthy, reclusive family. Unfortunately this wasn’t for me. The plot was tenuous and painfully slow. The book was absolutely littered with typos, spelling mistakes, characters names spelt wrong, tense mistakes and grammar mistakes.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story started out really good. But it ended a bit on the ridiculous side. And the author seemed to just like to assimilate words. The same descriptions in different ways over and over. Also I’m not generally a stickler about typographical errors but this one had a lot. Especially toward the last half of the book. Just not a great book imo. 2.5 starts.

[Layla · Rating 1 out of 5]

If I could give this a half star, I would. The narrator was mostly unlikable; she was superficial, whiney, and undeveloped to the point that I couldn’t connect to her. Lots of plot holes and typos that left unanswered questions as well as convoluted, unrealistic leaps in the story that left me feeling irritated. By the time I finished the book I was angry at it for wasting my time.

[Robin Halonen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book started out okay but quickly became hard to read. The author over-described and used the same descriptors over and over, not to mention the numerous editing mistakes. It felt like I was reading a first draft and wanted to mark it up with edits. I only finished it because I can't not finish a book for some weird reason—however, I was almost able to make an exception here.

[Joyce · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had so many punctuation, grammar and spelling errors it was horrible. I felt it was very interesting how the MC just got released from therapy and throughout the whole book she is a “therapist” to the children. Not sure I would read another book by this author.

[Angela Marsh · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too many grammatical errors.

[Lori Grube · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting plot

While I found this story intriguing, I was just too often distracted by careless editing: words missing, doubled words, mistakes, even wrong characters speaking. such a shame since This author seems talented.

[Curiously Cate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book, as it seemingly had a decent storyline. However, it was nearly 100 pages too long, contained a shocking amount of typos, & was very predictable. I have read other books by Molly Black & I would recommend another one of hers & possibly recommend skipping this one.

[Sara Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really great psychological thriller. It was a fast and easy read. However there were soooo many typos.

[Barb G · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was a freebie on iBooks. There were many, many typos and grammatical errors. Predictable storyline. Overdramatized.

[Jules · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted to like this but I found it too clumsy to be enjoyable. Alot of typos and what felt like rushed narrative in some parts, and drawn out overly descriptive and repetitive narrative in other parts, all without proper editing.

Some confusing parts, for example, the hospital scene with Tom at the end. Tom walks away but then all of a sudden is back in conversation with Lily without any explanation of him returning.

There were many instances where things felt a bit sloppy. At times things didn’t flow logically or characters were all of a sudden in a new location without much explanation, or scenes changed quickly and not enough character inner thoughts were made privy to the reader.

It just fell a bit flat I’m sorry to say.

[Rachel Girolimon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Lies that Bind Us...not too binding

This book is, first, poorly written. There are too many smilies used, so many it is irritating every time I read the word "like" or "as."
Secondly, the writer, several times, did not follow the line of action... such as Lily's conversation with Tom in Epilouge. She writes, "Tom walked away." Then, in the next sentence, Lily continues her conversation with Tom. This same type of mistake happened several times in this book.
Which brings up my third point, the book is VERY poorly edited. There are spelling mistakes, wrong names used, and the plot/action errors.
Overall, it reads like a freshman work, maybe self-edited.

[Kaz Bland · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have taken to Molly Black's books. The first ones I listened to via Audiobook and continue those series in that format. This one is a stand alone novel and it kept me gripped all the way. I wondered where it was going to begin with but as usual Molly weaves the storyline fantastically. Great characters, suspense and intrigue. Another great book.

[Rachel K. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Started out rushy and sloppy, then it actually had a solid 10ish chapter of decent writing, and then it turned into a murder-mystery-feeling thriller. Super corny. Author repeats the same few descriptive lines a bunch of times. She sure loves the word “labyrinth” to describe the mansion. A lot of the book is just far fetched. Also, a handful of typos and just poorly worded sentences.

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been so much better! The author used such dramatic flourishing descriptions so often that it became laughable near the end of the story. Lots of typos to where I think she swapped the name of the nanny and the daughter and used the word replace feature but missed one of them early on as I had to reread the same page multiple times to understand the people she meant.

[Danielle Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many mistakes

This book had a good premise and a pretty good story, however, the grammar mistakes made me so angry. The wrong names being used and moved around made the story get confusing. I like that there was no waiting for the story to start twisting but I wish it was not so rushed.

[Trevor Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the premise of the story but it all got a bit messy at the end
One thing that needs addressing is the grammar and spelling mistakes I’m no A level English expert but even I know when a word is spelt wrong.

[Durwin Mitschke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t want to put the book down

I have read other Molly Black books and they are always written where you get sucked in and want to keep turning the page to see what happens next.

[Nikki Parker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very rarely will I not finish a book, but this unfortunately is one of them. It was just so tedious. The main character was just unlikeable and I gave up about half way through. The book also has numerous typos and examples of bad editing.

[Brenda · Rating 2 out of 5]

annoying writing style ~

The book was very poorly edited and the author’s writing style weighed down each sentence with inflated and unnecessarily exaggerated descriptions. It created an annoying, burdensome read. Cannot recommend.

[Sophia Scarlett · Rating 4 out of 5]

The novel is a fast-paced plot, gripping suspense, and unexpected twists that keep readers hooked until the end. Many reviewers found the story engaging and the characters well-developed, with some calling it a "page-turner" that’s hard to put down.

[Lyndsey Gollogly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a quick read. A good story and well written. Plenty of family drama mixed with a mystery of a young girls disappearance. A vulnerable young woman trying to get back on her feet finds herself tangled up in this strange family drama. Worth a read.

[Jane Spieker · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Lies That Bind Us

Well written psychological thriller. The book is a fast read, I read the book in 2 days. Will look for more books written by Molly Black.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

Curiously gripping, eagerly page-turning, and expertly crafted story of a resilient person unraveling the hidden truths in untoward family situations!

[Toni Bean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story

An interesting and different tale, however, it could use additional editing to improve. I enjoyed the storm on an island.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but I sometimes felt that it was a little verbose. I didn't find the ending a surprise.

[Terri Denison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disjointed

I felt like the storyline didn’t quite flow smoothly. At times I had to force myself to continue reading to the end.

[Kianne Werrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story was quite interesting but there are so many typos. It really could do with being re-edited.

[Liz Otter · Rating 3 out of 5]

So many spelling and grammar mistakes made it hard to read at times. Good start to the story but then all seemed to be a bit rushed and I felt no conclusion.