Behind Her Lies

Elise Close #1

by Molly Black

Celebrity therapist Elise Close is no stranger to families with skeletons in their closets.

But when she crosses the threshold into the Nolan household on Boston's exclusive Beacon Hill, she may be entering a crypt of secrets and lies.

Hired to treat their son's sudden engagement-induced turmoil, Elise discovers a psychopathic person and cunning agenda that could ruin the family's legacy.

But with sleepless nights and overmedication, distinguishing friend from foe becomes a perilous game. Can Elise maintain her grasp on reality long enough to protect a legacy?

Or will she be undone by ghosts of her own making?

BEHIND HER LIES is the first book in a highly anticipated new psychological suspense series by critically-acclaimed and #1 bestselling mystery and suspense author Molly Black, whose books have received over 2,000 five-star reviews and ratings.

Future books in the series are also available!

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Psychological Thriller, Ebooks

149 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 12, 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

[Nina (ninjasbooks) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wouldn’t like to be a part of this family, and certainly wouldn’t like to be a therapist that breaks every rule there is.

[Andy Krahling · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sorry, this just wasn't good. The "therapist" did numerous unprofessional things that would have gotten her disbarred, and really wasn't believable or realistic. There was no real suspense or drama, and the characters were essentially one-dimensional. Dialogue was stilted and not credible.

Unsurprisingly, many people loved this book.

[Berty Morales · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rating: ⭐⭐ (and that feels generous)

This is another book I picked up in between reads, and unfortunately, it just wasn’t for me.

The so-called “therapist” engages in numerous unprofessional behaviors—actions that would realistically result in immediate disbarment—which made the story difficult to take seriously. The lack of realism significantly undermined the premise.

There was little to no genuine suspense or emotional tension, and the characters felt largely one-dimensional. Dialogue was stilted and often unbelievable, making it hard to stay engaged.

That said, many readers clearly enjoyed this book, so it may work better for others. For me, however, it missed the mark.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

War okay. Der Anfang war sehr aufzählend und irgendwie hat mir die Art, wie die Protagonistin Elise Close vorgestellt wurde, einen seltsamen Vibe gegeben.

Was mich etwas verwirrt hat, war auch, wie geduzt und gesiezt wurde, in einem Kapitel war es du im nächsten Sie, manchmal hat es auch im Gespräch geschwankt. Also entweder ist man per du oder per sie und als Psychologin denke ich, bleibt man bei seinen Kunden beim sie.

Auch das Ende war in wenigen Seiten, ohne dass groß was passiert ist, geschrieben.

Insgesamt liest sich das Buch ganz gut und man kommt schnell durch die Seiten und kann dem Geschehen gut folgen.

[Rebecca May · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ended up really liking the end of the book, however, highly dislike the main character and her weird behaviour, which is distracting to the plot and thrill of the book. Also, the one part that should have been wrapped up… what did Margaret say to her when she was high on sleeping pills?

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book more than I did - the concept was intriguing, but I didn't like any of the characters until the very end.

[Justice West · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ehhh, I’d say this was a 2.85-3.1 star book.

It was a great book to read in between series. I wouldn’t really recommend it as a favorite, nor would I read it again because it didn’t bring much thrill or excitement for a mystery.

I would hate to be apart of the family the book is focused on, it seems like it would be literal hell. I would also hate my therapist.. if the main character was my therapist.

I will say, the plot twist is not what I was expecting, which was nice.. but. ya know.

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5⭐️

Started because it was free on the “Böcker” app on my phone. It’s a decent thriller, and I was intrigued by the story. However it’s very short & there were one too many plot holes for my liking.

[andi [under construction] · Rating 2 out of 5]

2⭐️

📖Read:
February 9, 2026 - February 9, 2026

📝Review:
Author took the phrase “fuck around and find out” and turned it into a whole ass novel.

Also, Arthur Nolan would 100% be in the Epstein files.

[The Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh, the dangers of being an on-site therapist at a rich family's home

[Sarah Finlay-Black · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was very unimpressed with this book. Elise is a terrible therapist with no boundaries and a penchant for terrible decision making. I did not find the main character likable at all.

[Rebecca Clarke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it as a casual simple read, that's all.

[Shannon Gardner · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really dislike writing a negative review but I literally could not finish reading this book all the way to the end due to the poor editing and proofreading. I found the dialogue stilted and unrealistic. I found the characters one-dimensional.

I also found the main character, the therapist, not trustworthy and behaving in a totally inappropriate manner. It was just too unbelievable and I wasn't invested enough to see how the story ended. I did make it half way through the book.

[Kayla West · Rating 2 out of 5]

Stars for a successful thriller, but found the storyline of ‘pill-popper therapist’ cliche. Characters and plot were not believeable.

[Wendy Del Toro · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book felt like more of an outline of a story than a fully fleshed out one. There was no depth to the plot nor the characters. Every scene felt like skimming over the surface. Zero atmosphere. The characters were shallow caricatures; there were no red herrings or twists. I was almost at the end and realized nothing had really happened. And the actual premise I found ludicrous....an in-home therapist whose 'technique' is more like that of a cop conducting an interrogation. I won't be continuing the series.

[Mi Spells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book length: 5
Individual chapter length: 5
Level of Emotion evoked: 2
Interest to finish (positive): 4
Writing (grammar, eloquence, etc): 5
Overall: 4.2⭐️ but I wanna bring it down a bit (like by half a star so 3.7⭐️) just because I’m not sure the rating should be that high.
The book was cool but I really don’t have a desire to read book number 2. And that says a lot coming from me.

[Cidney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Grief I seem to be on a roller for 2 star books! I had high hopes for this one as the blurb seemed promising. Sadly not so. Dr Elise Close (good surname for a psychologist) has a reputation for bringing people together and sorting out their problems, and she does attract wealthy clients as she does home visits and can live in with the families she helps. However a woman breezes into her surgery one day and demands that she comes to live in with her family as her son is getting married in a few weeks and she doesn't think his fiancee is good enough for him and doesn't believe she is who she says she is. There is something about this woman that Elise doesn't like and she was trying to turn her down as she's going on holiday the next day. But the wealthy woman, married to an important bloke in the town, isn't taking no for an answer, so Elise reluctantly accepts this. Something tells me she will regret this later.

Sure enough, she does. The family is a fractured one and the Nolans are indeed a powerful family, a family who could actually ruin her practice as all of them are suspicious of her and she feels that all of them are lying to her. The fiancee doesn't appear to be a bad person but the patriarch of the family is a very powerful man who could bring down her reputation by the click of his fingers. She doesn't feel safe living here (and she is spot on with that), and is looking for a way out. She sees a man watching the house and when she sees him heading to a car sneaks out the house and using the car allotted to her sets off to follow him. She later discovers he is a police officer. It's a very good thing she speaks to him as he is also thinking she should leave.

The plot does trundle along here and then speeds up at an alarming rate, Elise finds her room has been ransacked and her laptop gone and her drugs she uses are gone too. She knows that it's Mr Nolan who has done this and confronts him but he is telling her to go and don't come back. Which in hindsight is again another thing she regrets not following. This woman is full of regrets, how on earth did she become so wanted as a psychologist?

I won't give away the ending but did wonder just how she and the fiancee can get out of the situation they are being held in, one which could result in their deaths at the hands of the Nolans crooked doctor with a penchant for hyperdemic needles. Do they escape before they are drugged and cable tied? Well you have to read that for yourselves! Would I read this book again? No, she's not a good psychologist I think as she seems to be a reckless rule breaker and a drug addict into the bargain. Will I follow this book by reading another in the series? No sadly not.

[Fatimah · Rating 3 out of 5]

"There won't be a need," I say. "I'm calling the police. They can come in and search the house. I'm going to do that right now." This line had me laughing out loud at 3AM. Honestly, the funniest moment in the book.

This book is a good quick read, something that will keep you on the edge of your seat and guessing. I did have two major gasp moments while reading, it was also that shocking when more of the secrets were revealed. The cliffhangers between chapters were written really well and had me refusing to put the book down. I had to know what happened next and how the characters were going to react to such twists and turns. Dr. Elise Close is not an extremely likable or dislikable character. It was quite cheesy for her to always put together the most cohesive story of a character when she found out such small but new details.

The book ended in a way that has me still questioning the motives and actions of the family members. Yes, Arthur went to jail for what he has done, but what about the children and their relationships with their parents? I wanted to know more about that. What consequences did they actually experience if they refused to do what was expected of them? How exactly was Grace able to get away from them if the consequences were so scary and serious? What role did Margaret play in the consequences? There must be more to Arthur's character to make him feel in such control over all family members. I wanted to know MORE about his character!

Overall, if you're in need of a quick, suspenseful read - this book is your go-to. It will have you continuously turning the page to read more about the dynamic of the family members and the psychologist.

[Avid · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a few reviews and had to laugh at myself. As a not so young person in this world any longer and an avid reader for my entire life, I, too, struggled with the liberties writers used when in their fiction books. 😋 There are still times it can take away from the story itself or become so unbelievable that it's not worth reading. However, when reading a suspenseful, murder mystery... do you really expect everyone to be 💯 perfect? How can they? If they did, there would never have been a murder? Hmmm? So, yes, our main character does stray from the righteous path. Then again, which one of you reader's who read this genre are perfect model citizens? I really wish people could stop being so critical and enjoy the work put in for their pleasure to read. Unless there is constructive criticism, don't trash the author.

Rant over.

The overall story was itself enjoyable. Parts of it were fragmented, lacking in character development, and also the audio had numerous areas of loud faulty screeching over the recorded book, so I only gave it a 3-star rating.

The main character is hired to help a wealthy family by living in their home to do a psychoanalysis of their family dynamic. She was a bit of an emotional wreck herself even before she arrived. She had a past that haunted her (this wasn't very well developed), an issue with drugs, and no one in her life for support other than her own therapist. The family she's hired to help is wealthy and powerful. No one seems to want help. She soon finds herself in trouble and doesn't know how to get out. She seeks help in the most unlikely places.

It's not bad. 👍
📚📚📚

[Denise Zendel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boston therapist Elise Close provides in-home therapy to the rich and frequently famous. She has a discreet profile, with business being done mostly through word of mouth. The more exclusive she appears, the more people want to use her. Just as she is about to leave on vacation, a distraught woman shows up in Elise’s office, seeking help for her son, who is engaged to a young woman the family doesn’t like. What she does know is that the son is the “topic”, but not the real issue.

I wanted to like this book, I really did. I like this author’s other series, and thought this one had an interesting premise – a therapist who moves into a family’s home short term (a week or two) and then does follow up as necessary. But the main character pays lip service to the severity of her own fondness for prescription drugs and alcohol, sometimes mixing the two (which I think a therapist ought to know better than) and takes a multitude of Stupid Chances that someone in her position should know are wrong. Plus, it’s written in present tense which just sets my teeth on edge.

I can recommend some of the author’s other series (the Maya Gray FBI suspense thriller series, and the Rylie Wolf FBI suspense thriller series, for example), but I just can’t get behind this one.

[Daria Ageeva · Rating 1 out of 5]

I found this story mundane, with no real twists or turns. Everything is revealed to the reader as Dr Close discovers it.

The story follows Dr Close who is an in house psychologist who comes to assess the Nolan family, and they are not only rich but they have some deep secrets of their own. Arthur Nolan is the father and an ex state senator, Margaret Nolan is the mother who requested Dr Close’s help and they have a few adult kids, Ethan, Olivia, Henry and Grace… though Grace is estranged from her family. Henry is due to be married to his fiancé Sophia. None of these characters are one bit helpful in trying to assist Dr Close and as she starts digging she finds more about these ‘secrets’.

The story focused too much on Close and her addiction to tranquillisers and sleeping pills and not enough of developing the characters more than their two dimensional selves, the story focuses on trust being built and honesty however Close is able to build strong relationships with both Grace and the house keeper Eleanor within the same chapter, did the author run out of pages to fill and had to cut down on the plot or is it a book aimed at people who like things spoon fed to them?

[Inarita222 · Rating 2 out of 5]

lol how’s has she broken every confidentiality rule to exist and her motive as to why’s she speaking to cop and sharing all the family’s information is not clear. Snooping around too?? Like who sent you to investigate and snoop around m?? You’re a therapist. Then the way she easily trusts the cop without him having to show identification girl! And she’s so sloppy calling sources using her real name and meeting up with grace what if they all decide to tell the family what she’s been doing. Also once again what is her motive at first glance the family doesn’t seem to be doing anything illegal so why go through the effort to snoop on them?? The funniest part is when she says she won’t tell what grace had to told her to the cop because it’s a breach of trust GIRLLL you’ve breached trust in millions ways some ways that has never been done before but now you draw the line ??😭😭😭😭LOLL

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great plot. Good character detail.

My one complaint about this book is the same as most independent authors: SPELL CHECK and GRAMMAR CHECK are your friends. I can't believe I even have to say it but this is the third book (all different authors) that has multiple easily recognizable errors. Does no one edit anymore? Have a friend who can read it for you before publishing?
As for the story itself, still a solid 4. Dr. Close is the heroine we need; someone who isn't afraid to admit her own inadequacies. I'd be interested to read more about her other cases

[Thumper · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the kind of thriller that kept me flipping pages way past when I should’ve stopped. I loved how Elise Close felt sharp but vulnerable — she’s clever enough to untangle the lies around her, yet human enough to make mistakes that keep you hooked. The tension never let up, and every reveal pulled me deeper instead of feeling forced.

What I enjoyed most was the atmosphere: the sense that everyone’s hiding something, and that truth is always just one step out of reach. It’s fast-paced, twisty, and exactly what I want when I dive into a psychological thriller. Five stars.

[Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something about the style of writing annoyed me. There was no depth to the characters or even the plot, it kind of started and then ended. The psychologist is highly unprofessional and addicted to pills, and she keeps jumping to conclusions without actually showing us how she got there; yet she’s so certain. It’s so odd to me. Why don’t they like the fiancé? What happened to their granny? What did Mrs Nolan say when the therapist was under the influence? I finished questioning so much

[ahava · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting!

This was a decent mystery and I’m happy about the ending. There are a lot of reviews that call out the psychiatrist for this or that, but it’s fiction, and also, she mentions her own flaws so I think that makes up for it. I also love how she is a risk taker. As far as everything else, most of it was a guessing game for me and became predictable. I’m now invested, though, and will eventually read the next book.

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, it was a quick read. It drew me in and held my attention. The Nolan family is extremely dysfunctional and awful, however I would have liked all their characters to be a bit more fleshed out to showcase more disfunction. Perhaps Elise shouldn’t be popping tranqs either, not very professional. However, I will read more of this series as this was a quick easy pallet cleanse type book.

[Neera Kapahi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is a riveting page turner and the first in the psychological thriller series. Elise Close specializes in on site family therapy. When an unexpected new client suddenly shows up and hires her she is caught in a web that she did not see coming. I am planning to read the next one in the series.

[no_1_at.all · Rating 5 out of 5]

Suspense is heavy and plot is intense. It kept me fully interested and engaged from the beginning and throughout. Author had me worried that this was a genuine sleeper

But soon enough the plot took an interesting turn and the book became one of the best I've read in months.
I recommend it for anyone that loves stories with a twist.

[Rene M. Mastin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Behind Her/His/Their Lies

This is a well written story that kept me turning the pages with the various plot twists as a result of couch sessions. Political, powerful, ruthless and domineering for the sake of family!! A volatile combination. What would you do for the sake of family?