Lies Come True

Avery Hart Trilogy #1

by Emerald O'Brien

Avery Hart narrowly escapes death after being attacked in the woods of Crown River.

Ten years later...

The body of a young woman is discovered along the path of a park in the same town. The killer is cunning and ruthless, but even the best killers make mistakes.

Fiona Wolfe, the second woman to be attacked, survives and reveals a potential link between the current killer and the attack on Avery Hart.

Noah Cotter, an ambitious new inspector, becomes drawn to the case when his curiosity combines with his attraction to Avery.

The dangerous search for truth appears to be muddied with each shocking secret brought to light, as Avery, Fiona, and Noah realize that when someone is deceived for too long, sometimes...

Lies Come True

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense, Contemporary, Fiction, Ebooks, Romance

246 pages, ebook

First published April 1, 2015

About the author

Emerald O’Brien is a Canadian writer who grew up just east of Toronto, Ontario. She studied Television Broadcasting and Communications Media, and graduated from the program at Mohawk College in Hamilton, Ontario.

When Emerald is not reading or writing unpredictable stories packed with suspense, she loves baking, bonfires, binging Netflix shows, and spending time with family.

A horror movie enthusiast, Emerald can be found watching them at the movie theatre with her best friend or while cuddled up on the couch with her favourite snacks.

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Reviews

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a dark thriller as well as a very good murder mystery that will keep you wanting to read well into the night or however long it takes you to get to the end. The author has very cleverly written something that will completely throw you off track several times when you think you have it all worked out. This is a brilliant start to the series, and I am so looking forward to more. Be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster ride with lots of angst and fear. Avery was attacked ten years ago and has ever since lived her life in constant fear. When she sees a police report her world is once again turned upside down and her worst nightmare is coming back to rule her life again. She wonders, if with a crazy killer on the loose will the police be able to keep all of the girls safe. The only downside to this story is that it ends with a cliffhanger that will absolutely demand that you find book #2.

[louise davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an awesome read. It catches you and pulls you in and you can't wait to see what happens. I can't wait to read more. Well worth the time to read.

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another freebie by a new author to me but it's another full of mistakes !! I like to try out new writers, to give them a chance, but I'm having a terrible time with them these past few days. I'll be reverting to someone tried and tested for my next read.
A killer is mentioned near the beginning but the actual murder hadn't been, which I found a bit confusing in the first place and this nonsense of Avery's locks that she counts, always leaving out lock number two was beginning to irritate me as we're not told why two is always omitted. Speechmarks were missed more than once, brief case should be the one word and the wrong word is used altogether in this sentence-"....and the figure was one in the same." In this sentence I'd have dropped the word and, as it just reads wrong-"Even when Josh would kindly ask her to come fishing with him, Josh who rarely asked for anything from her, and she would always refuse."
We're told the killer smeared blood on a mask but apparently that is just a rumour in the police department. That's pretty ridiculous, as he either did or he didn't and how would they know anyway ?? This line is in dire need of a comma to make sense-"Call me Owen alright ?" I got to girl's night and parent's cottage, where the apostrophes were both in the wrong place and I gave in.

[Gina Marie ~books are my drug of choice~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first book by this author but will definitely not be my last. The twists and turns kept the tension levels up and kept my interest peaked. Set in Canada, it is small northern town at its best. Places the police didn't know about because they weren't locals. This book kept my attention and interest from start to finish. I wasn't fond of the lead detective, he appeared willing to say anything to get the response he wanted. This included endangering the victims and the suspect's wife.
This book is one I would recommend to everyone. The limited bad language and lack of sex make it acceptable to being read by ya and older?

[Denise Zendel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Avery Hart narrowly escaped death after being attacked in the woods of Crown River. No one believed her, her parents forced her to repudiate her report and say it was a prank gone horribly wrong. Ten years later another young woman is attacked and killed and Avery recognizes the mask the killer wore from when he attacked her. She’s wracked with guilt because she didn’t pursue her attacker and by doing so fears she has allowed another young woman to die. She reports what she knows to the police, who continue to pooh-pooh her, except for the newly minted Inspector Noah Cotter. He’s drawn to her case because he’s drawn to her.

Pluses: Canadian setting (I am enamored of all things Canadian). Interesting premise. Decent traditional detective story, although it skirted the line of almost being romance dressed up in mystery clothes. Interesting characters. Avery has a vulnerability about her, having never really gotten over the trauma of the attack, but she’s managed to carve out a life for herself nonetheless. I like characters who don’t fold up like a cheap tent. Noah is also an intriguing character. He’s a bit of a conformist, but fortunately trusts his instincts, even when his superiors tell him to move along. The secondary characters are well-drawn and add to the story. There’s a nice resolution between Avery and one of her former tormentors.

Minuses: The author uses the term “gunna” too much. Way. Too. Much. I get that she’s trying to be colloquial, but please, the excessive repetition made me want to climb into the book, line up every character who used that term and slap them. Hard. One right after the other. Also, the ending is extremely abrupt. I got whiplash from Avery barely getting a resolution to her case to the shifting focus one of her former tormentors who had a connection to the current case. Suddenly the last part of the book became about her. I was like, what, wait, what happened to Avery? And why are we focusing so much on this new person?

On balance, this was just an OK read for me. I don’t think I’ll read books 2 and 3 of this trilogy, but I am interested in some of the author’s other work, the Knox and Sheppard Mysteries. And so help me, if any of those characters use the term “gunna” in conversation, I will climb into the book and start indiscriminately slapping.

[Kristin & Sue Ellen ~ GirlyGirlBookReviews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best I have read in this genre this year!!! Holy mystery!  This is one of those that you can't tell what is gonna actually happen.The author knows how to grab the attention of the readers by hook, line, and sinker. And trust me when I say oh boy is it one heck of a mystery and suspense filled novel. I started reading this and knew immediately it was going to be one that would have me guessing. I especially loved all the twists and turns that the author throws at you to keep you off balanced. The plot is exceptional and mind thrilling.  The characters are well developed and all are a great part in the story even the secondary characters that you come to know as it progresses.  The scenes are realistic because we do have sadistic people however the author wrote it with great taste. Avery has lived her whole life in fear because of what happened to her 10 years ago. Will she be able to help or will she be reliving her worst nightmare again. As the time ticks and Officer Noah is trying to solve this decade long mystery who will be the next one to be on one crazy killers list. Grab this fantastic thriller and get ready for an edge of your seat ride because once you start you won’t stop. I read this in a day and am so ready for the next one. The suspense continues because it is a cliffhanger however,  IT IS DEFINITELY WORTH THE WAIT. HURRY MS. O’BRIEN I AM PATIENTLY IMPATIENTLY WAITING :)

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

Birch Falls, Ontario. Fiona Wolfe had escaped for a while.
She had been shot in the leg & fell into the Crown river. The sun was setting fast.
Joshua Carter had rescued Fiona.
Avery Hart was going to see Inspector Noah Cotter (Crown River Regional PD).
What were Charla Kent & Fiona discussing?
Dr. Freebush had attended to Avery.
Tamara Sweeten (Webber) was the 1st victim. Grant Hornby drowned in the Crown River. Wendy O’Connor was murdered.

Will the murders be solved & someone brought to justice?

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written police thriller book. It was very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish & never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a great set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great police thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. To be continued. There is no doubt in my mind this is a very easy rating of 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; InstaFreebie; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[The Humble Jess · Rating 1 out of 5]

Dnf 40%

Description: Avery Hart narrowly escapes death after being attacked in the woods of Crown River.
Ten years later...
The body of a young woman is discovered along the path of a park in the same town. The killer is cunning and ruthless, but even the best killers make mistakes.
.................................

Review: I bought this for free on KU. Kindle Unlimited and Prime do offer free books besides first reads. The book sounded interesting but...to be honest, it was dull. The book flat lined. It sounded as if it was bad acting. There was ONE moment there where there was a high climax where your heart races and your blood pressure goes up, can't read fast enough...it was getting exciting but instead of the climax holding...it flat lined. It went dead. I couldn't help but scream WHAT THE HELL. And then you have the characters. There are several people named and are just thrown into the jumble without any backstory. It was like "wait who's this person?" And then "who's this?". It was just a jumble. THIS isn't a great Mystery or a suspense. It's dull.. I had to stop reading before I got a migraine 🤦🏽‍♀️.

I dnf at forty and that's àll I can do. I've learned my lesson on NOT buying free books on Kindle. I just deleted this and will be cleaning out my Kindle of any other free books I bought.

[Coco.V]

🎁 FREE on Amazon today (3/13/2019)! 🎁

Blurb:
Avery Hart narrowly escapes death after being attacked in the woods of Crown River.

Ten years later...

The body of a young woman is discovered along the path of a park in the same town. The killer is cunning and ruthless, but even the best killers make mistakes.

Fiona Wolfe, the second woman to be attacked, survives and reveals a potential link between the current killer and the attack on Avery Hart.

Noah Cotter, an ambitious new inspector, becomes drawn to the case when his curiosity combines with his attraction to Avery.

The dangerous search for truth appears to be muddied with each shocking secret brought to light, as Avery, Fiona, and Noah realize that when someone is deceived for too long, sometimes...

[Sarah Mcleod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story

A great story, first of a series. Well written, just the right length, keeps moving at a good pace. Will look out for the other books in the series.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good book with a good story, good characters and believable dialogue.

Love Avery!

[Mary Rowe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Split Decision

To this reader, the narrative seemed uneven and disconcerting. I felt confused; was this a police procedural? Was it an attempt at a cozy? Chick lit? The abrupt ending was also a shock - the cliff-hanger an unwelcome development. Was it meant as a ploy to sell the next book? Some of the word usage was puzzling as well. A “grizzly” scene, with ursine overtones? Or “grisly”, as in blood, none and gristle? I wonder what’s next but am not quite convinced to spend my money.

[Carrie Shields · Rating 5 out of 5]

So glad to have found this one, and knowing it's part of a trilogy makes the experience even better!

I love a good serial killer mystery, and this one fits the bill by providing realistic, fully developed characters, just the right amount of terror, and believable yet unexpected twists. I can't wait to read more about Avery in the next book!

[TE · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a murder mystery about a serial killer. The pacing wasn't the fastest but it was well written. Not a bad read but it ends with a cliffhanger that apparently takes two more books after this to finish. Some cussing.

[cindy ost · Rating 5 out of 5]

SWow what a surprise

I didn't know if I would enjoy this but..it was great and surprisingly very good. Quite a few surprises along the way
Can't wait to read the next book
Loved it

[Laura Furuta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies Come True (The Avery Hart Trilogy Book 1)
By: Emerald O’Brien
5 out of 5 stars

The story Lies Come True (The Avery Hart Trilogy Book 1) by Emerald O’Brien is a book that I loved reading. It is a story that has mystery and suspense. There are times when reading I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen next. It is a book that hooked me in and didn’t let me go until I had read the final page. This police procedural takes you on a journey that you will not soon forget. I enjoyed reading about the characters of Avery Hart and Noah Cotter. Avery escaped death ten years ago. Was her attack then and a more recent one linked? Noah is a new inspector who is curious about the case and also attracted to Avery. What will Noah find in his search for the truth? Read this book to find out what happens. I enjoyed the description of the police investigation that takes place and felt like I was trying to solve a puzzle. There is intense dialogue. Avery is a character that is likeable and one you can relate to. She at times feels like an outcast and I could empathize and sympathize with what she goes through. Noah feels the need to protect Avery. There are additional characters that are introduced and some of them I really enjoyed reading about. Others I found myself questioning their motives and actions. Don’t miss out on a thrilling story that will have your heart pounding. I would recommend reading it. This is the first book in a trilogy and I look forward to reading the next one.

[Bookstagramshaz Sharon Logue · Rating 4 out of 5]

📚 BOOK REVIEW 📚 Lies Come True By Emerald O’Brien - Publication 2015.
❤️ This is the first book in the Avery Hart trilogy. I have had my eye on Emerald’s books for a while now on Instagram. They looked right up my street! Thank you @writeremeraldobrien for sending me the trilogy to read & of course review ❤️. When Avery was at school, she was attacked while taking a shortcut to her new home. Her attacker wore a mask and was never caught. Years later someone else is attacked and Avery see’s the story on the TV. Immediately she recognises the mask on the TV and contacts the police. This is when she meets Noah Cotter, who is a new police Inspector in the area. Noah is taking her seriously and ask her to go over what happened when she was attacked. He seems keen to help Avery. Can she trust him to listen and help?!
📚 Really enjoyed this book! It was gritty, fast paced and even though there were a number of characters, it was so well written, everything just flowed. Look forward to reading the other books. #emeraldobrien #thriller #books #bookstagram #booktrilogys #bookstagramshaz

[Audrey Stars in Her Eye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies Come True is action-packed and thrilling.
On her first day at a new school, Avery takes the woods as a shortcut home. She was chased by a masked man and fell off a ledge sustaining wounds. Her parent's and other adults told her it was just a prank. No one was really after her and no one meant to hurt her. But, ten years later, that same masked man is shown in a police sketch as a suspect of a murder in the woods. Avery knows that she was always right; she had escaped a killer. Avery knows she has to do something before he strikes again.
I enjoyed the pace of the book. It never lagged or went off on a tangent. Everything wove together beautifully leaving no loose ends.
That being said, the book never really looked into the motivations of the characters. The killer is written as just some psycho in a mask. I also never understood why Avery was into photography and how that became her life. But this is just the first in a series, so maybe more light will be shed on those areas.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a thrill ridre.

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Lies Come True is the first book in the Avery Hart Trilogy by Emerald O’Brien. This is the first book of Ms. O’Brien’s that I have read, so I was looking forward to reading this story, discovering her style, and enjoying the mystery. It is a suspenseful murder mystery- with drama, intrigue, and plenty of surprising developments. Ms. O’Brien deftly wove her story, building tension and suspense, and adding enough twists to really leave me guessing, the whole way through.
Avery Hart endured a very traumatic experience ten years prior that has left her a little broken. So, what will she do when her nightmares come back, with deadly consequences- now that a dangerous and cunning killer is on the loose and targeting women. We follow Avery, Noah, Fiona, and the rest of the cast as this gripping mystery unfolds. Will they uncover the mystery before anyone else gets hurt or killed? Will it put a target on their backs? How will it all play out?
A gripping, intriguing, and believable story which kept me on the edge of my seat. Bring on Book Two!

Thank you, Ms. O’Brien!

[Jenni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies Come True (The Avery Hart Trilogy Book 1) by Emerald O'Brien is a great dark thriller, murder mystery that kept me on the edge of my seat through to the end. Emerald has very cleverly written something that completely throws you off track just when you think you have got it worked out. The suspense will keep you on alert and intrigued without letting go. This is a brilliant start to the series and I can not wait The book is an emotional rollercoaster ride and the angst and fear is palpable.

Avery has lived her life in constant fear since her attack 10 years ago, but when she sees a police report her world is once again turned upside down and her worst nightmare is coming to rule her life again. With a crazy killer on the loose can the police keep all of the girls safe?

This is on thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and your heart rate pulsing and the only downside is that it ends with a cliffhanger. No fair Emerald. I am trying to be patient and wait for the next story but it’s hard.

[Erica Fish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies Come True by Emerald O’Brien is the first book in the Avery Hart Trilogy. I will warn you that this is a book that has a “to be continue” feel towards the end of the book. In other words, if you do not like cliffhangers this book may not be for you. I on the other hand love cliff hangers. This is my first book by Emerald O’Brien and it was a great suspenseful mystery. Not only is this book a great suspenseful mystery, but also a thriller, drama, and the occasional right hook out of nowhere. Avery Hart is the main character that had a traumatic experience about 10 years prior and it appears as if the attacker has come back to attack again. With the recent events happening in town, will Avery be able to put the past in the past and help with the new cases? Noah is the local inspector who is looking into the crimes. Every time I thought I had a grasp of what was going on here comes that screwball out of left field. I love that this story kept me guessing. I cannot wait to read the next book to continue the story on.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies Come True is the opening act of Emerald O’Brien’s Avery Hart Trilogy. It is like sitting down and watching a British serial crime drama television series (think of Broadchurch…) that is taking place in Birch Falls, Ontario.
The writer is masterful in keeping you at the edge of your seat and as Lies Come True is the first of the trilogy then she will leave us with one heck of a cliffhanger that I am sure I am not the only one impatient to read!
We have Avery Hart who survived an attack when she was fourteen. Wind forward ten years and another woman has been attacked and she survives as well … are these cases related? Enter Inspector Noah Cotter who is keen on solving the case while also being attracted to Avery … the writer gives us some intense and detailed police investigation descriptions, a puzzle that I was not able to solve until the pieces had been put together and actually, there are still some things up in the air … I have a slight feeling that we need to get to the end of the trilogy to be able to solve it all!

[Maura · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW!!!

This story was a real page turner for me. LIES COME TRUE is book 1 in the Avery Hart trilogy and holy moly if the next two are as good as this one, I will never get chores done until the very last page.

This is one of those books that I desperately wanted to skip ahead to find out how it resolves itself. There are A LOT of characters and sometimes I had to slow down to remember who was who. The story has a very strong plot point that involves mis-direction, murder, and mystery. There were parts that made me grateful I wasn't reading it home alone. It is NOT horror, but there was a noise in the dark that gave me pause.

While this is a long book with lots of chapters, each chapter was on the shorter side so it was easy to navigate from the beginning to the end.

I absolutely will be downloading the second and third books in the trilogy because I need to know who/what/why/how/when IMMEDIATELY.

[Heidi Eich Woodring · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies Come True by Emerald O’Brien is the first book in the Avery Hart series and a book that I could NOT put down!! This page turner was filled with such suspense and mystery that it grabbed me at the beginning and held my interest in the two sittings that it took me to finish. This is a trilogy and you will be left with a cliff hanger, and I know I will be reading all book as I want to know more about what happens to the character’s and what happens with the story line.
Avery escaped a horrible attack ten years ago, and there seems to be a connection to current attacks and the cops are worried there is a killer on the loose. Noah, a new investigator is drawn to this case as his attraction to Avery intensifies. Now Noah must find out the truth!
This book will make you think and think hard and it what will draw you more into the story and make you want to dive right into the next two books! I give this book 4 stars and look forward to reading the next two books.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sometimes when I read a book I get caught on something. Maybe something small, maybe something big, maybe just a personal nope point. In this book this passage on pgs 183-184 was so completely nonsensical it left me unable to take the rest of the book seriously-

Two inspectors are talking about a potential suspect and the suspect's wife:
"They didn't get married until they were together for over ten years. That rarely happens and when it does, it's usually high school sweethearts. They met after high school though, when they were both twenty."
"So what does that mean" [Inspector 2 asked] "other than a case of cold feet and commitment issues?"
"It supports the abuse theory [...]"

How that's relevant to abuse, or anything is never explained. A lot of things are never explained. I suspect that's because the author was setting up the sequel, but this could have been one tightly plotted mystery/ thriller but instead it was bloated and full of underdeveloped relationships.

[Robin Rankin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies Come True by Emerald O'Brien is the first book in the Avery Hart Trilogy is reminded me how much I love a crime story. I started reading it in the tub and before I knew it the water was cold and I had already read the first quarter of the book. I hated putting it down long enough to get out and ready for bed.

Avery was attacked when she was only fourteen years old as she was walking home from school. She barely escaped with her life that day.

Fast forward ten years, women are being attacked in a similar area and the description given matches the one Avery gave all those years ago and she decided to reach out to the police department and that is when Noah enters her world.

There are things I want to mention but they could be considered spoilers and the last thing I want to do is ruin this book for anyone. Looking to find time now to read the next book in this series.

[Stefanie Carney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies Come True is one very fast paced read that kept me flipping the pages. I found this book to have a lot of twists, I was always on my toes trying to figure out the mystery but sometimes it could be just a little bit too much. This is the first book in the Avery Hart Trilogy and I think that it set you up perfectly for the next installment. Emerald O'Brien did a great job with the characters and interweaving them so subtly throughout the lives of Avery and Noah, I was never sure where they stood in the story and I appreciated that. I questioned my instincts a lot while I read this story and not a lot of books make me do that. While I think that it may have been a bit overwrought at times, like too many twists, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I can't wait to read the second one and find out some answers.

[linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the first in a series of three. I was well written and kept my interest right until the end.

The main character is called Avery who had a lucky escape ten years earlier when she was being chased by someone who was trying to kill her. She was only saved went she accidentally fell over the edge of cliff she didn't know was there. Her fears are brought back to life when she sees a new flash about a women who was murder and they show an artist's impression of a man in a mask, which Avery thinks is the same person as her attacker. She contacts the police as she feels this piece of information will help them catch the killer.

The story has plenty of twists and turns, keeping you guessing right to the end. It doesn't come to a full conclusion so you have to read the other books in the series but don't let this put you off.

[Kaitlynn Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies Come True by Emerald O’Brien

5-stars

Lies Come True is the phenomenal first book in Emerald O’Brien’s Avery Hart Trilogy. This is my first book by this author, but it certainly won’t be my last. I couldn’t get enough of this twisted and mysterious crime read, I read it in one day as I couldn’t bring myself to stop reading, plus I needed to get answers to all of my questions as soon as possible. Unfortunately for me I’ll have to wait a bit longer to get those answers as this book ends in a griping cliffhanger that had me speechless.

I absolutely can’t wait to continue this series and will be starting book 2 as soon as possible. And I would definitely recommend this book to others, its one that should not be missed!

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lies Come True (The Avery Hart Trilogy Book 1) by Emerald O'Brien is a suspenseful mystery. The author leads the reader through the story setting the stage for the trilogy. The main characters are well established with secondary characters introduced throughout the story. I felt that the story was written in a way that works for this genre and keeps the reader interested wondering where they are being led and questioning what is going to happen next. Avery, the heroine of the story, has had a horrid past to overcome, but she's survived. Now the new events are occurring and it's wrecking havoc, bringing forth memories and questioning what's to come. Definitely a great read for those who enjoy a good mystery.