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The Predator/Prey Thriller #2
Lies Run Deep
A tropical paradise. A wedding party. Among them... is a killer.
Attempting to leave her traumatic past behind, newlywed Zoe heads to a beautiful tropical island in the remote Seychelles to honeymoon with her husband, Mike. But when the pair wakes up stranded on an archipelago with their entire wedding party, it's clear the past has caught up with them. Someone in the group is working with figures from Zoe's past to betray them, confirming Zoe's worst that she can never outrun what she thought she left behind.
Using her survival skills, Zoe creates a plan to escape the island, while simultaneously investigating the wedding party to root out the betrayer. But when a boat appears on the island with a note attached, discovering the mole becomes a matter of survival. The boat will only operate if Zoe can type the name of the person who betrayed them into a console-- rigged with dynamite. One wrong answer, and the group may be stranded forever-- with Zoe still unsure if anyone in her life can be trusted.
When one of their party turns up murdered, it's clear the clock is ticking, and the danger is among them. Will Zoe place her trust in the right person, or will she find herself betrayed again?
Domestic Thriller and Beach Read fans will love this dangerous game, played out on an island where treasure is buried not just under the sand, but in the heart of the person next to you.
Attempting to leave her traumatic past behind, newlywed Zoe heads to a beautiful tropical island in the remote Seychelles to honeymoon with her husband, Mike. But when the pair wakes up stranded on an archipelago with their entire wedding party, it's clear the past has caught up with them. Someone in the group is working with figures from Zoe's past to betray them, confirming Zoe's worst that she can never outrun what she thought she left behind.
Using her survival skills, Zoe creates a plan to escape the island, while simultaneously investigating the wedding party to root out the betrayer. But when a boat appears on the island with a note attached, discovering the mole becomes a matter of survival. The boat will only operate if Zoe can type the name of the person who betrayed them into a console-- rigged with dynamite. One wrong answer, and the group may be stranded forever-- with Zoe still unsure if anyone in her life can be trusted.
When one of their party turns up murdered, it's clear the clock is ticking, and the danger is among them. Will Zoe place her trust in the right person, or will she find herself betrayed again?
Domestic Thriller and Beach Read fans will love this dangerous game, played out on an island where treasure is buried not just under the sand, but in the heart of the person next to you.
352 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 25, 2024
1 person is currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Valerie Brandy
28 books41 followers "... the key word when describing Brandy is 'unflinching'." -- the Huffington Post
Valerie Brandy is a screenwriter, director, and actress based in Los Angeles. She began her writing career by selling a screenplay at 20 years old, becoming one of the youngest members of the WGA west at the time. She’s since worked for numerous film studios and television networks, most recently serving as a full time staff writer at Walt Disney Studios live action feature department, where she continues to develop new projects under a first look deal.
Her directorial feature film debut, Lola’s Last Letter— which she also wrote and starred in— was released in 2016 by Random Media and Sony’s “The Orchard” after a successful festival run, premiering at the historic Chinese Theatre in Hollywood. The film received a five- star review from the Examiner, a special feature in Huffington Post, and a Best Principal Actress nomination from Los Angeles Film Review.
As an actress, Valerie recurred on FX’s Emmy- winning show “Justified” as the manipulative Trixie. She received her B.A. from UCLA in three years, graduating as a prestigious Alumni Scholarship Recipient.
Brandy lives in the greater Los Angeles area with her smush-faced dog and snow-white cat.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
December 6, 2025
I'll happily attend your wedding. I just won't be in it. Blame this book.
This being December (when my students are somehow even crazier than usual) I knew I wasn’t going to have much time to actually sit and read. Survival mode doesn’t leave room for page-turning. So I grabbed an audiobook on Chirp to keep me sane during my drives, hoping it would satisfy my craving for an escape from real life. This one delivered.
I just finished listening to Lies Run Deep by Valerie Brandy, and O. M. G. If this book were a roller coaster, I’d be the person in the souvenir photo with my hair straight up and my soul leaving my body. There was so much I didn’t see coming.
The story is told through the alternating viewpoints of Zoe and Cassandra, which was absolutely the right choice. At first, I trusted Zoe more because she seemed like the saner of the two. Cassandra came across as someone who might label her food in a shared fridge with threats. But then I found myself trusting Cassandra too. I mean, who broadcasts their own chaotic lunacy unless they are truly, spectacularly chaotic? Someone over-the-top insane, that’s who. Yet she kept sounding believable.
The dual perspectives added so much depth. There was just enough insight into both sides of the story without giving you the full picture, which meant I spent the entire listen convinced I had it all figured out. Yeah, I did not. Not even once. I was confidently wrong for hours at a time. The only two things I felt sure about were (1) Cassandra was absolutely unwell, and (2) Zoe and Mike genuinely loved each other.
The “whodunit” reveal was completely jaw-dropping. I had my suspicions locked on one person the whole way through and could not have been more wrong.
My feelings about the characters shifted a lot as the story unfolded. Cassandra stayed unhinged, yes, but the more I learned, the more compassion I felt. She went from cringe-worthy with much shuddering and wincing to tragically needing empathy and understanding. I loved Zoe from the start. I liked Mike and then respected his tenacity. Oliver, Alicia, Rick, and Jason I hated them with the fire of a thousand suns. Peak narcissists. Walking red flags. If they were on a wedding seating chart, I’d put theirs in the next county.
The theme that stood out the most for me was loyalty: Who has it, who doesn’t, and how far people will go when they feel betrayed. And that made the wedding setting diabolical. To go from bridal bliss to kidnapping to lights-out terror on an isolated island was enough to make me want the narrator to pick up the pace. And for this to happen on Zoe and Mike’s honeymoon was absolutely unconscionable. I want a safe, boring redo honeymoon for them.
I liked the ending. It wrapped up the story well but left things open for what’s next. I didn’t read the first book in the trilogy, but this one stands on its own just fine. Still…Logan is out there, and something needs to be done about him. I might pick up book three just to make sure he gets what’s coming to him. Hopefully what's coming to him is done Reacher-style.
And as for me? After reading this, I’ve decided one thing with absolute certainty: I’m never being in another wedding party ever again. I’ll send a gift. I’ll smile for pictures. I’ll eat cake. But bridesmaid? Maid of honor? Flower girl? Nope. Not happening. I’m not taking that risk.
This being December (when my students are somehow even crazier than usual) I knew I wasn’t going to have much time to actually sit and read. Survival mode doesn’t leave room for page-turning. So I grabbed an audiobook on Chirp to keep me sane during my drives, hoping it would satisfy my craving for an escape from real life. This one delivered.
I just finished listening to Lies Run Deep by Valerie Brandy, and O. M. G. If this book were a roller coaster, I’d be the person in the souvenir photo with my hair straight up and my soul leaving my body. There was so much I didn’t see coming.
The story is told through the alternating viewpoints of Zoe and Cassandra, which was absolutely the right choice. At first, I trusted Zoe more because she seemed like the saner of the two. Cassandra came across as someone who might label her food in a shared fridge with threats. But then I found myself trusting Cassandra too. I mean, who broadcasts their own chaotic lunacy unless they are truly, spectacularly chaotic? Someone over-the-top insane, that’s who. Yet she kept sounding believable.
The dual perspectives added so much depth. There was just enough insight into both sides of the story without giving you the full picture, which meant I spent the entire listen convinced I had it all figured out. Yeah, I did not. Not even once. I was confidently wrong for hours at a time. The only two things I felt sure about were (1) Cassandra was absolutely unwell, and (2) Zoe and Mike genuinely loved each other.
The “whodunit” reveal was completely jaw-dropping. I had my suspicions locked on one person the whole way through and could not have been more wrong.
My feelings about the characters shifted a lot as the story unfolded. Cassandra stayed unhinged, yes, but the more I learned, the more compassion I felt. She went from cringe-worthy with much shuddering and wincing to tragically needing empathy and understanding. I loved Zoe from the start. I liked Mike and then respected his tenacity. Oliver, Alicia, Rick, and Jason I hated them with the fire of a thousand suns. Peak narcissists. Walking red flags. If they were on a wedding seating chart, I’d put theirs in the next county.
The theme that stood out the most for me was loyalty: Who has it, who doesn’t, and how far people will go when they feel betrayed. And that made the wedding setting diabolical. To go from bridal bliss to kidnapping to lights-out terror on an isolated island was enough to make me want the narrator to pick up the pace. And for this to happen on Zoe and Mike’s honeymoon was absolutely unconscionable. I want a safe, boring redo honeymoon for them.
I liked the ending. It wrapped up the story well but left things open for what’s next. I didn’t read the first book in the trilogy, but this one stands on its own just fine. Still…Logan is out there, and something needs to be done about him. I might pick up book three just to make sure he gets what’s coming to him. Hopefully what's coming to him is done Reacher-style.
And as for me? After reading this, I’ve decided one thing with absolute certainty: I’m never being in another wedding party ever again. I’ll send a gift. I’ll smile for pictures. I’ll eat cake. But bridesmaid? Maid of honor? Flower girl? Nope. Not happening. I’m not taking that risk.
June 17, 2024
Like the tropical setting, learned more about Cassandra. Great read!
June 17, 2024
Even better than the first book. This time it's on a secluded island and someone in their wedding party is a mole.
July 8, 2024
Characters are trapped on an island with a puzzle to solve. Great story, second time reading. Finding new things to like!
July 13, 2024
Best yet even better than the first onto book three
August 2, 2024
Liked this even more than the first book. Interesting point of view on Cassandra and who she is versus who we expected her to be.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews