What do you think?
Rate this book
Detective Max Carter #1
Tell Me Lies
Fans of Lee Child and David Baldacci will be gripped by this heart-racing FBI thriller from bestselling author Ed James.
Megan Holliday opens her eyes and finds herself slumped on her doorstep. The last thing she remembers is being in the car with her two kids. She sees a handwritten note on her lap – Don’t call the police. It’s then that she realises her car is missing, and her children are gone…
Leading the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, FBI agent Max Carter will stop at nothing to find children taken from their families. After all, he was once one of those taken children, so he knows exactly what’s at stake. When he hears that a young senator’s two children have been abducted and their mother left for dead, he races to the Holliday family home in Washington State.
Facing a wall of police cruisers and blacked-out SUVs, Carter quickly uncovers the facts. Megan Holliday was ambushed by a man with a gun as she returned home from taking her kids out for ice cream. Bound and drugged, the attacker left her unconscious on the doorstep with the sinister note on her lap.
As Senator Christopher Holliday walks through the halls of the US Federal Building in Seattle, his phone beeps with an alert. Frustrated by the interruption, he takes a cursory glance and is horrified by the image on the screen – his two children, Brandon and Avery, unconscious. The message he gets simply reads Meet me or they die.
When Agent Carter tries to make contact with the busy senator, it seems the politician has gone missing, fleeing from the Federal Building and abandoning his distraught wife. If Carter knows one thing, it’s that Holliday has something to hide. And he just became Carter’s prime suspect.
What readers are saying about Ed
‘What a book!... I loved the author’s style of writing. It is certainly fast-paced and an easy read.’ Baker’s Not So Secret Blog, 5 stars
‘Compulsive reading.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Fast-paced and heart-stopping.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Excellent read. The story gripped me… I can’t wait for the next one!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Loved this book. I literally couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Ed James does it again!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A gripping story from beginning to end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘What a read. I started it and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished and now I’m in withdrawal… if you are looking for a high-octane book, this is the one.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Enthralling. Kept me guessing right up to the end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Such a fantastic, original story. Very clever and loads of twists you can’t see coming.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
Megan Holliday opens her eyes and finds herself slumped on her doorstep. The last thing she remembers is being in the car with her two kids. She sees a handwritten note on her lap – Don’t call the police. It’s then that she realises her car is missing, and her children are gone…
Leading the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, FBI agent Max Carter will stop at nothing to find children taken from their families. After all, he was once one of those taken children, so he knows exactly what’s at stake. When he hears that a young senator’s two children have been abducted and their mother left for dead, he races to the Holliday family home in Washington State.
Facing a wall of police cruisers and blacked-out SUVs, Carter quickly uncovers the facts. Megan Holliday was ambushed by a man with a gun as she returned home from taking her kids out for ice cream. Bound and drugged, the attacker left her unconscious on the doorstep with the sinister note on her lap.
As Senator Christopher Holliday walks through the halls of the US Federal Building in Seattle, his phone beeps with an alert. Frustrated by the interruption, he takes a cursory glance and is horrified by the image on the screen – his two children, Brandon and Avery, unconscious. The message he gets simply reads Meet me or they die.
When Agent Carter tries to make contact with the busy senator, it seems the politician has gone missing, fleeing from the Federal Building and abandoning his distraught wife. If Carter knows one thing, it’s that Holliday has something to hide. And he just became Carter’s prime suspect.
What readers are saying about Ed
‘What a book!... I loved the author’s style of writing. It is certainly fast-paced and an easy read.’ Baker’s Not So Secret Blog, 5 stars
‘Compulsive reading.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Fast-paced and heart-stopping.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Excellent read. The story gripped me… I can’t wait for the next one!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Loved this book. I literally couldn’t put it down.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Ed James does it again!’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘A gripping story from beginning to end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘What a read. I started it and couldn’t put it down until I’d finished and now I’m in withdrawal… if you are looking for a high-octane book, this is the one.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Enthralling. Kept me guessing right up to the end.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
‘Such a fantastic, original story. Very clever and loads of twists you can’t see coming.’ Goodreads reviewer, 5 stars
364 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 16, 2020
171 people are currently reading
267 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews
January 5, 2020
FBI agent Max Carter heads up the Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team - he’s good at his job - understands the distress of being abducted, but then he should do, because Max himself was abducted as a child.
His latest case begins when mother of two and Senator’s wife, Megan Holliday, awakes to find herself slumped on her front doorstep with a note on her lap warning her “Don’t Call The Police “. Her car, and more importantly, her children who were inside it are gone!
Senator Chris Holliday meanwhile, is contacted by the abductor, and told to meet him or his children will die.
This was a complex but compelling read, that takes the reader into the murky world of politics, greed and corruption, and involving more than just the Senator’s children, as if that wasn’t bad enough!
Though a little slow at times, it was a great read, good storyline, and a strong protagonist in Max Carter.
* Thank you to Bookouture for my ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
His latest case begins when mother of two and Senator’s wife, Megan Holliday, awakes to find herself slumped on her front doorstep with a note on her lap warning her “Don’t Call The Police “. Her car, and more importantly, her children who were inside it are gone!
Senator Chris Holliday meanwhile, is contacted by the abductor, and told to meet him or his children will die.
This was a complex but compelling read, that takes the reader into the murky world of politics, greed and corruption, and involving more than just the Senator’s children, as if that wasn’t bad enough!
Though a little slow at times, it was a great read, good storyline, and a strong protagonist in Max Carter.
* Thank you to Bookouture for my ARC. I have given an honest unbiased review in exchange *
January 17, 2020
Tell Me Lies is the first in what appears to be a promising new police procedural series featuring Special Agent Max Carter a member of the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team based out of the FBI Seattle Field Office. Max Carter and his colleagues are called in investigate when senators wife Megan Holliday rouses from a drug-induced slumber on her doorstep cold and alone and discovers a note in her lap telling her not to call the police. She takes a look around and finds her car is gone and moving inside the house her heart stops when she comes to the realisation that both her young children, Brandon and Avery, are missing. Her husband, Chris, then receives a very scary text which asks him to meet up with the perpetrator and it included a photograph of the two children who appeared to have also been drugged.
I have loved Ed James’s thrillers since Ghost in the Machine but this one brings a potent mix of emotion, surprising reveals and twists, and tension he ratchets up over the course of the story. There is plenty going and the action barely allows you a moment to compose yourself after a shocking twist takes you completely by surprise. It’s a thrill-a-minute and I couldn’t contain my excitement and satisfaction when I kept guessing wrongly what was about to happen; it’s one of the most cleverly plotted thrillers I have encountered in years with the suspects each having a possible motive for the attack. Some of the scariest and most nightmarish crime reads involve the abduction and/or harm of children, and not only is this an addictive and engrossing read, the type we’ve come to expect from Mr James, but it is quite emotive due to the subject matter too. This is one fast-paced thrill ride crime readers won’t want to miss. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.
I have loved Ed James’s thrillers since Ghost in the Machine but this one brings a potent mix of emotion, surprising reveals and twists, and tension he ratchets up over the course of the story. There is plenty going and the action barely allows you a moment to compose yourself after a shocking twist takes you completely by surprise. It’s a thrill-a-minute and I couldn’t contain my excitement and satisfaction when I kept guessing wrongly what was about to happen; it’s one of the most cleverly plotted thrillers I have encountered in years with the suspects each having a possible motive for the attack. Some of the scariest and most nightmarish crime reads involve the abduction and/or harm of children, and not only is this an addictive and engrossing read, the type we’ve come to expect from Mr James, but it is quite emotive due to the subject matter too. This is one fast-paced thrill ride crime readers won’t want to miss. Many thanks to Bookouture for an ARC.
December 14, 2019
Let me say that I enjoy the writing of Ed James and especially the excellent DI Fenchurch series. But unfortunately I struggled to feel the same about this new series featuring Detective Max Carter. Admittedly the more I read the more I did enjoy it so maybe for me it is a slow burner and with my prior knowledge of the authors writing would certainly give the series another chance.
Megan Holliday's world is crushed when she has her two children abducted and against the kidnappers advice decides to call the police. FBI agent Max Carter is in charge of the case, who himself was once abducted himself so knows all about these types of crime. Megan's husband is senator Holliday so the case is never going to be straight forward and when he is contacted by the abductor and told to meet him or his two kids will die he feels he has no other option.
The more I write and reflect about this book the more I feel that I may have been a little harsh.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Megan Holliday's world is crushed when she has her two children abducted and against the kidnappers advice decides to call the police. FBI agent Max Carter is in charge of the case, who himself was once abducted himself so knows all about these types of crime. Megan's husband is senator Holliday so the case is never going to be straight forward and when he is contacted by the abductor and told to meet him or his two kids will die he feels he has no other option.
The more I write and reflect about this book the more I feel that I may have been a little harsh.
I would like to thank both Net Galley and Bookouture for supplying a copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
October 14, 2021
"Tell Me Lies" is the first book in the Max Carter series featuring a Seattle-based FBI Detective, heading up their child abduction unit. Carter can relate to children being abducted, he thinks, because his father abducted him from his mother's home in London when he was a child. Here, the case set against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains of the Northwest, is that a Senator's two children are kidnapped as a way to get a hold on the Senator and ferret information out of him about a training exercise gone wrong. Although billed as an exciting thriller and plotted as such, the characters are cardboard cutouts and interchangeable and the plot simply does not hold up to the promises made in the sales pitch. At best, an airport lounge read.
August 2, 2020
TELL ME LIES is the first new police procedural novel in the Detective Max Carter Series, featuring Special Agent Max Carter, by bestselling author ED James.
FBI special agent Max Carter is in charge of the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team based out of the FBI Seattle Field Office. He understands the stress and anguish of being abducted, because Max himself was abducted as a child.
As Senator Christopher Holliday walks through the halls of the US Federal Building in Seattle, his phone beeps with an alert. He is horrified by the image on the screen – his two children, Brandon and Avery, unconscious. The message simply reads: Meet me or they die.
Megan Holliday, the senator’s wife, was attacked by a man with a gun as she returned home from taking her kids out shopping. Bound and drugged, she was left unconscious on the doorstep with a note on her lap warning her NOT TO CONTACT THE POLICE. When she woke up, she realized her car, with her two children inside was missing! She immediately contacted her husband.
Special Agent Max Carter from the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, is called in to lead the investigation of the two missing children. He will stop at nothing to find children stolen from their families – after all, he was once one of those taken children, so he knows exactly what’s at stake.
But when the senator fails to show up at home, Carter becomes alarmed. Where did the Senator go? What was he doing? The senator had vanished without telling anyone what he’s up to. What is Holliday hiding?
Now Carter just became the prime suspect.
This novel evolves around the corrupt world of politics, and although slow in some parts, it was a good read and shows a promising start to a new series with a strong protagonist and intriguing plot. Now on to book 2 in the series, “Gone In Seconds”.
FBI special agent Max Carter is in charge of the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team based out of the FBI Seattle Field Office. He understands the stress and anguish of being abducted, because Max himself was abducted as a child.
As Senator Christopher Holliday walks through the halls of the US Federal Building in Seattle, his phone beeps with an alert. He is horrified by the image on the screen – his two children, Brandon and Avery, unconscious. The message simply reads: Meet me or they die.
Megan Holliday, the senator’s wife, was attacked by a man with a gun as she returned home from taking her kids out shopping. Bound and drugged, she was left unconscious on the doorstep with a note on her lap warning her NOT TO CONTACT THE POLICE. When she woke up, she realized her car, with her two children inside was missing! She immediately contacted her husband.
Special Agent Max Carter from the FBI’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, is called in to lead the investigation of the two missing children. He will stop at nothing to find children stolen from their families – after all, he was once one of those taken children, so he knows exactly what’s at stake.
But when the senator fails to show up at home, Carter becomes alarmed. Where did the Senator go? What was he doing? The senator had vanished without telling anyone what he’s up to. What is Holliday hiding?
Now Carter just became the prime suspect.
This novel evolves around the corrupt world of politics, and although slow in some parts, it was a good read and shows a promising start to a new series with a strong protagonist and intriguing plot. Now on to book 2 in the series, “Gone In Seconds”.
August 20, 2020
Special Agent Max Carter works for the FBI Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team. He understands the stress and anguish of being abducted. because Max himself was abducted as a child.
The wife of a prominent Senator is drugged and left on her own from porch with a written message that says ... Do NOT Call The Police. She also discovers that her two young children are nowhere to be found. Her husband is not returning her calls or messages.
Meanwhile Senator Christopher Holliday has received a text showing his two children, apparently drugged, with directions to meet him. When Carter manages to reach the Senator, he says he is on his way ... but he's not going home, He's going to where his children are being held.
When the busy politician vanishes without telling anyone what he’s up to, he becomes Carter's prime suspect.
This is an engaging novel, fast paced, with action that starts on the very first page. The characters are deftly drawn and are found amid a swirling eddy of greed, corrupt politicians, secret organizations, murder, revenge. Twists and turns lead to frequent changes of direction.. like traveling a rugged mountain road. This is first in a series that looks compelling and riveting.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
The wife of a prominent Senator is drugged and left on her own from porch with a written message that says ... Do NOT Call The Police. She also discovers that her two young children are nowhere to be found. Her husband is not returning her calls or messages.
Meanwhile Senator Christopher Holliday has received a text showing his two children, apparently drugged, with directions to meet him. When Carter manages to reach the Senator, he says he is on his way ... but he's not going home, He's going to where his children are being held.
When the busy politician vanishes without telling anyone what he’s up to, he becomes Carter's prime suspect.
This is an engaging novel, fast paced, with action that starts on the very first page. The characters are deftly drawn and are found amid a swirling eddy of greed, corrupt politicians, secret organizations, murder, revenge. Twists and turns lead to frequent changes of direction.. like traveling a rugged mountain road. This is first in a series that looks compelling and riveting.
Many thanks to the author / Bookouture / Netgalley for the digital copy of this crime fiction. Read and reviewed voluntarily, opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.
January 18, 2020
What the freak!! This was one book which started with a bang, the kidnapping of a Senator’s children and drugging his wife and ended up with FBI Agent Max Carter finding the truth including the skeletons in the cupboards.
My first book by Ed James, and I enjoyed it completely. An action packed story with Max racing against time to bring back the kids made me stick to my kindle. The kidnappers didn’t want money, they wanted something more which made me all the more eager to know the senator’s secrets.
Max Carter was delectable, he was bold and intelligent, sauve and interesting. I was quite enamored by him in the entire book. Excitement coursed through me with every word of the prose, and each chapter ratcheted up the suspense. I love books which can thrill me so much. The plot lines seemed seamless as they were strategized well.
The author knew how to keep my pulse racing, and that was what made this book an absolutely fun filled ride… What a way to start my weekend.
My first book by Ed James, and I enjoyed it completely. An action packed story with Max racing against time to bring back the kids made me stick to my kindle. The kidnappers didn’t want money, they wanted something more which made me all the more eager to know the senator’s secrets.
Max Carter was delectable, he was bold and intelligent, sauve and interesting. I was quite enamored by him in the entire book. Excitement coursed through me with every word of the prose, and each chapter ratcheted up the suspense. I love books which can thrill me so much. The plot lines seemed seamless as they were strategized well.
The author knew how to keep my pulse racing, and that was what made this book an absolutely fun filled ride… What a way to start my weekend.
December 25, 2019
In this first book in a new series by Ed James, readers are introduced to FBI agent Max Carter. His past and family issues are touched on, and those things are imperative when it comes to seeing how hard Carter works on his cases.
Max Carter certainly does not have an easy job. As he directs the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, his cases are hard-hitting. Max focused on this work because he himself was abducted as a child.
His current case involves Megan Holliday's two children as they were abducted while she was drugged. It is immediately learned that her husband Christopher is a U.S. Senator. Max cannot help but have suspicious ideas from the very start. Christopher's sudden disappearance definitely raises Max's suspicion.
Tell me Lies is not for the faint of heart. It is full of danger and despair and the action starts and continues at breakneck speed. This story, often quite tragic, is an excellent first book in the new Max Carter series by Ed James. I could not put this book down, despite the devastation I felt while reading. Carter is a thorough FBI agent and I look forward to reading more of his cases in the future.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
Max Carter certainly does not have an easy job. As he directs the FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment team, his cases are hard-hitting. Max focused on this work because he himself was abducted as a child.
His current case involves Megan Holliday's two children as they were abducted while she was drugged. It is immediately learned that her husband Christopher is a U.S. Senator. Max cannot help but have suspicious ideas from the very start. Christopher's sudden disappearance definitely raises Max's suspicion.
Tell me Lies is not for the faint of heart. It is full of danger and despair and the action starts and continues at breakneck speed. This story, often quite tragic, is an excellent first book in the new Max Carter series by Ed James. I could not put this book down, despite the devastation I felt while reading. Carter is a thorough FBI agent and I look forward to reading more of his cases in the future.
Many thanks to Bookouture and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.
February 13, 2023
Think I found my new favorite author of detective stories! This is the 1st of 3 in the Max Carter series! I didn't want to put the book down! Kept me hooked from start to finish! Now onto the 2nd one!
January 11, 2020
This is the first book in this series and it gets off to a great start.
Megan wakes up on her porch after being drugged and having her children taken from her, and despite a note telling her not to, she calls the Police.
Her husband is a senator and gets a message to meet someone if he wants to see his children again and then his nightmare begins.
We also learn about an incident at a school where a child is abducted because of his father and it’s not until later in the book that we find out how the incidents are linked.
Max Carter is with the FBI and does all he can to find the children but is not in the story much as it kind of runs itself with Holliday and Mason finding out what really happened.
I’d like to get to know Max more so look forward to more books in this series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Megan wakes up on her porch after being drugged and having her children taken from her, and despite a note telling her not to, she calls the Police.
Her husband is a senator and gets a message to meet someone if he wants to see his children again and then his nightmare begins.
We also learn about an incident at a school where a child is abducted because of his father and it’s not until later in the book that we find out how the incidents are linked.
Max Carter is with the FBI and does all he can to find the children but is not in the story much as it kind of runs itself with Holliday and Mason finding out what really happened.
I’d like to get to know Max more so look forward to more books in this series.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
January 5, 2020
I would like to thank Netgalley and Bookouture for an advance copy of Tell Me Lies, the first novel to feature Special Agent Max Carter of the FBI Seattle Field Office’s Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team.
Megan Holliday wakes from being attacked and drugged to find her two pre-school children, Brandon and Avery, missing. Meantime, her husband, Senator Chris Holliday is reacting to the text he just received, a picture of his drugged children and a message saying “meet me”. The senator wants to find his children so he ignores the FBI and sets out to find them.
I thoroughly enjoyed Tell Me Lies which is an exhilarating, high octane read with plenty of twists and turns. It is told from various points of view, including the kidnapper, and for once I didn’t find that distracting, The story is so high octane and the various characters’ real motives well hidden - as you can guess from the title most of them have lots to hide - that I just kept reading to find out what was coming next. I would like to say that the plot line is rather far fetched but with what has come out of America recently, maybe not. I didn’t have too much difficulty swallowing the premise although how fast the technology worked for them made me wonder. Never mind, it adds to the fast moving atmosphere of the novel. I liked the way the novel twists and turns the reader’s preconceptions and assumptions on their heads. You never know what’s coming next.
It is not, however, a difficult novel to understand. Each character has a clearly defined role so it’s all about motivation and that’s where the changing point of view comes in handy, signalling the whys and wherefores of each action (mostly). The language is simple and clear as well. In some ways I felt it was below my reading age but the clarity makes up for it.
The characterisation is not particularly nuanced but it never is in a thriller, although the author is not afraid to mix it up so that the stock bad guy isn’t perhaps all bad when you understand his motivation or perhaps he is, given his actions. That’s the subtle part - making the reader think.
Tell Me Lies is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
Megan Holliday wakes from being attacked and drugged to find her two pre-school children, Brandon and Avery, missing. Meantime, her husband, Senator Chris Holliday is reacting to the text he just received, a picture of his drugged children and a message saying “meet me”. The senator wants to find his children so he ignores the FBI and sets out to find them.
I thoroughly enjoyed Tell Me Lies which is an exhilarating, high octane read with plenty of twists and turns. It is told from various points of view, including the kidnapper, and for once I didn’t find that distracting, The story is so high octane and the various characters’ real motives well hidden - as you can guess from the title most of them have lots to hide - that I just kept reading to find out what was coming next. I would like to say that the plot line is rather far fetched but with what has come out of America recently, maybe not. I didn’t have too much difficulty swallowing the premise although how fast the technology worked for them made me wonder. Never mind, it adds to the fast moving atmosphere of the novel. I liked the way the novel twists and turns the reader’s preconceptions and assumptions on their heads. You never know what’s coming next.
It is not, however, a difficult novel to understand. Each character has a clearly defined role so it’s all about motivation and that’s where the changing point of view comes in handy, signalling the whys and wherefores of each action (mostly). The language is simple and clear as well. In some ways I felt it was below my reading age but the clarity makes up for it.
The characterisation is not particularly nuanced but it never is in a thriller, although the author is not afraid to mix it up so that the stock bad guy isn’t perhaps all bad when you understand his motivation or perhaps he is, given his actions. That’s the subtle part - making the reader think.
Tell Me Lies is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.
January 21, 2020
I received a free ARC copy of this mystery from Netgalley, Ed James, and Bookouture. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me. I have read this novel of my own volition, and this review reflects my personal opinion of this work. Ed James writes a tight, engrossing tale. We see this story unfold in several different prospectives but this is handled well. I am pleased to add Ed James to my list of authors to watch for. Tell Me Lies is the first of a series featuring Mac Carter in the Northwestern US, but there are several other series including the Scott Cullin mysteries set in Ireland, and also those featuring DI Fenchurch set in Scotland that Ed James has brought to us.
Max Carter is an almost burned-out FBI agent in Seattle. We begin with a bit of serious bullying in a school gym full of 9-year-olds, followed by what could be a possible abduction, then cut to a Seattle Mall a year later where Meghan, the wife of Senator Christopher Holliday, is herding their bored and cranky 3 and 4-year-old children, hopefully in the direction of the parking lot. Meghan is unaware of their near-miss with a kidnapper in the mall shopping center but her ice cream promise will delay her getting home - and gives Mason time to get there first, knock Meghan out, kidnap the children and make his getaway. This was the only part I found confusing - I got so deeply invested in these young Holliday children that I failed to keep the 9-year-old school children from last year in mind.
This story continues to evolve through the 1st person chapters of FBI Carter, Senator Holliday, bad guy Mason and eventually a chapter from the viewpoint of Faraj, one of the nine-year-olds in the opening chapter, bringing that year-old possible child abduction back into play, and ties the story into one tale.
My only complaint about Tell me Lies is the fact that though there are several interesting and well-developed women woven into this mystery, they have no voice, and little if any effect on the mystery
pub date Jan 21, 2020
Bookouture
Reviewed on Jan 20, 2020, at Goodreads and Netgalley. Reviewed on January 21, 2020, on AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo. Not available for review on GooglePlay.
Max Carter is an almost burned-out FBI agent in Seattle. We begin with a bit of serious bullying in a school gym full of 9-year-olds, followed by what could be a possible abduction, then cut to a Seattle Mall a year later where Meghan, the wife of Senator Christopher Holliday, is herding their bored and cranky 3 and 4-year-old children, hopefully in the direction of the parking lot. Meghan is unaware of their near-miss with a kidnapper in the mall shopping center but her ice cream promise will delay her getting home - and gives Mason time to get there first, knock Meghan out, kidnap the children and make his getaway. This was the only part I found confusing - I got so deeply invested in these young Holliday children that I failed to keep the 9-year-old school children from last year in mind.
This story continues to evolve through the 1st person chapters of FBI Carter, Senator Holliday, bad guy Mason and eventually a chapter from the viewpoint of Faraj, one of the nine-year-olds in the opening chapter, bringing that year-old possible child abduction back into play, and ties the story into one tale.
My only complaint about Tell me Lies is the fact that though there are several interesting and well-developed women woven into this mystery, they have no voice, and little if any effect on the mystery
pub date Jan 21, 2020
Bookouture
Reviewed on Jan 20, 2020, at Goodreads and Netgalley. Reviewed on January 21, 2020, on AmazonSmile, Barnes&Noble, BookBub, and Kobo. Not available for review on GooglePlay.
January 15, 2020
This is my first book by this author. I usually prefer books based in the UK, but the synopsis for this book sounded like the kind of read I would enjoy. Based in Seattle, and featuring FBI Special Agent Max Carter, this book focusses on the abduction of Senator Holliday’s two children and the ensuing race against time for Max Carter in finding them.
This is a high action political thriller, with the story told from the perspectives of the different characters. Max Carter is a great character based within an FBI unit specialised in abduction cases. From what you find out throughout the story, Max has had a difficult past. You don’t get to find out too much more with the story being focussed on the missing children, but this leaves it for Max’s character to develop more in future books. I do like his character though, and found him gritty, determined and all in all a very clever guy!
The plot twists and turns as it moves through the book. It gives you plenty of suspects with all the different characters, and leads you up so many wrong paths in pursuit of the truth. You may think that the amount of characters is a little difficult to keep up with at times, but it’s such an easy book to read that this just doesn’t happen. The storyline flows effortlessly, and I found it a good American thriller read, on a par with some of the bigger names in the business!! An enjoyable read, full of pursuits, danger and corruption. Roll on the next book of the series so we can find out more about Special Agent Max Carter.
This is a high action political thriller, with the story told from the perspectives of the different characters. Max Carter is a great character based within an FBI unit specialised in abduction cases. From what you find out throughout the story, Max has had a difficult past. You don’t get to find out too much more with the story being focussed on the missing children, but this leaves it for Max’s character to develop more in future books. I do like his character though, and found him gritty, determined and all in all a very clever guy!
The plot twists and turns as it moves through the book. It gives you plenty of suspects with all the different characters, and leads you up so many wrong paths in pursuit of the truth. You may think that the amount of characters is a little difficult to keep up with at times, but it’s such an easy book to read that this just doesn’t happen. The storyline flows effortlessly, and I found it a good American thriller read, on a par with some of the bigger names in the business!! An enjoyable read, full of pursuits, danger and corruption. Roll on the next book of the series so we can find out more about Special Agent Max Carter.
January 27, 2020
My first book by this author. I was very curious to find out what he had in store for me. It goes without a doubt that the story has to captivate you, but the writing style can also make or break a book.
No need to worry here. I was sucked into the story straight away and the cat and mouse game was a great asset.
We all need money, but unfortunately it’s also often used for less above board deals.
When children of famous parents are abducted, it often has to do with a ransom. Agent Carter is on the case and he got a lot more than he bargained for. He finds himself in the middle of a hornet’s nest.
A very good start to a new series with devastating and heartbreaking moments and revelations and where the ‘good ones’ did not seem to be that good and you might sympathise with the ‘bad ones’. 4 stars.
Thank you, Ed James and Bookouture.
https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
No need to worry here. I was sucked into the story straight away and the cat and mouse game was a great asset.
We all need money, but unfortunately it’s also often used for less above board deals.
When children of famous parents are abducted, it often has to do with a ransom. Agent Carter is on the case and he got a lot more than he bargained for. He finds himself in the middle of a hornet’s nest.
A very good start to a new series with devastating and heartbreaking moments and revelations and where the ‘good ones’ did not seem to be that good and you might sympathise with the ‘bad ones’. 4 stars.
Thank you, Ed James and Bookouture.
https://bforbookreview.wordpress.com
January 29, 2020
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
Ok I have never read anything by this author but I really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more. Following the kidnapping of two children of a local senator it’s a race against time to try and find who has them and why they were targeted in the first place. This is a twisty turning story which kept me hooked and I love the narrators reading tone as it’s worked perfectly for this story
Ok I have never read anything by this author but I really enjoyed this book and will be looking out for more. Following the kidnapping of two children of a local senator it’s a race against time to try and find who has them and why they were targeted in the first place. This is a twisty turning story which kept me hooked and I love the narrators reading tone as it’s worked perfectly for this story
January 8, 2020
Tell Me Lies is the first book in a new series by best-selling author, Ed James.
Let me start by saying this is a fast paced and enthralling book. A page turner impossible to put down. I do not hesitate recommending it heartily.
Max Carter is a special agent in a FBI unit specialized in abduction cases. He and his team are called into action when the two children of an US senator are kidnapped from under their mother, immediately after a shopping trip. Max Carter’s job isn’t made easy by the fact that the father, Senator Holloway, seems to be keeping some things to himself, and keeps wandering away.
This doesn’t surprise the reader (and is not a spoiler) as, right away in its first chapter, the book let us know the story wasn’t going to be about a simple abduction.
The writing style is unusual. First person is used for the antagonists, third person for our hero and his entourage. This feels weird at the beginning, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
All along the book, Max Carter and his FBI Unit are always kept one step behind. They’re led by the kidnappers and the other characters those kidnappers meet on the way. The dual first/third person narrative strengthen the feeling that Max Carter and his entourage are rather secondary characters in this story.
This was unexpected for a first book in a series, in which I expected to learn more about the main character. However, this served the story pretty well.
As we follow the kidnappers on their own fascinating quest, the successive discoveries and twists constantly alter their relationships with the characters they’re interacting with, which makes for a very compelling reading, keeping us on our toes while an intricate conspiracy is slowly untangled.
So, maybe I didn’t learn much about Special Agent Max Carter this time around, but I’ll certainly be there for the second book, in which I have no doubt the character will get more fleshed out.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.
Let me start by saying this is a fast paced and enthralling book. A page turner impossible to put down. I do not hesitate recommending it heartily.
Max Carter is a special agent in a FBI unit specialized in abduction cases. He and his team are called into action when the two children of an US senator are kidnapped from under their mother, immediately after a shopping trip. Max Carter’s job isn’t made easy by the fact that the father, Senator Holloway, seems to be keeping some things to himself, and keeps wandering away.
This doesn’t surprise the reader (and is not a spoiler) as, right away in its first chapter, the book let us know the story wasn’t going to be about a simple abduction.
The writing style is unusual. First person is used for the antagonists, third person for our hero and his entourage. This feels weird at the beginning, but I got used to it pretty quickly.
All along the book, Max Carter and his FBI Unit are always kept one step behind. They’re led by the kidnappers and the other characters those kidnappers meet on the way. The dual first/third person narrative strengthen the feeling that Max Carter and his entourage are rather secondary characters in this story.
This was unexpected for a first book in a series, in which I expected to learn more about the main character. However, this served the story pretty well.
As we follow the kidnappers on their own fascinating quest, the successive discoveries and twists constantly alter their relationships with the characters they’re interacting with, which makes for a very compelling reading, keeping us on our toes while an intricate conspiracy is slowly untangled.
So, maybe I didn’t learn much about Special Agent Max Carter this time around, but I’ll certainly be there for the second book, in which I have no doubt the character will get more fleshed out.
Thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for this unbiased review.
January 22, 2020
This is the first in a new crime thriller series featuring Special Agent Max Carter of the FBI. He heads up the Seattle Field Office's Child Abduction Rapid Deployment Team.
Agent Carter is called to the home of Senator Christopher Holliday and his wife. Megan Holliday has woken to find herself on the front porch and her two young children, Avery and Brandon, are gone. Assuming some sort of abduction, the agency kicks into high gear and begins a search. Max, however, is finding it odd that he can't seem to get in touch with Senator Holliday even though he was told to come home immediately. Meanwhile, Holliday is contacted by the abductor and is meant to meet him. Hoping to get his children back safely, Holliday goes off on his own. Things go from bad to worse and the case soon becomes quite complex and involves the CIA and an illegal mission on US soil using hired thugs. NO SPOILERS.
This was a fine start to a new series and a quick read that I finished in a couple of hours. There was lots of action and quite a bit going on. The narrative shifts between points of view so the reader has a much larger picture of the motives behind the entire operation. The characters, at this point, are not fully developed and thus don't create much empathy or relatabiililty. The basic plot elements include secrets, lies, murder and corruption. I did feel that, despite the build up, the ending was a bit of a letdown and left some loose ends. I may or may not continue reading the subsequent books in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.
Agent Carter is called to the home of Senator Christopher Holliday and his wife. Megan Holliday has woken to find herself on the front porch and her two young children, Avery and Brandon, are gone. Assuming some sort of abduction, the agency kicks into high gear and begins a search. Max, however, is finding it odd that he can't seem to get in touch with Senator Holliday even though he was told to come home immediately. Meanwhile, Holliday is contacted by the abductor and is meant to meet him. Hoping to get his children back safely, Holliday goes off on his own. Things go from bad to worse and the case soon becomes quite complex and involves the CIA and an illegal mission on US soil using hired thugs. NO SPOILERS.
This was a fine start to a new series and a quick read that I finished in a couple of hours. There was lots of action and quite a bit going on. The narrative shifts between points of view so the reader has a much larger picture of the motives behind the entire operation. The characters, at this point, are not fully developed and thus don't create much empathy or relatabiililty. The basic plot elements include secrets, lies, murder and corruption. I did feel that, despite the build up, the ending was a bit of a letdown and left some loose ends. I may or may not continue reading the subsequent books in the series.
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for this e-book ARC to read and review.
January 23, 2020
I was looking forward to reading this book and it lived up to everything that I could have asked for and much more. Max Carter heads a special unit in the FBI that deals with the abduction of children, he understands more than most, how it affects a child because he was a victim himself when he was a boy. This new series is about Max Carter and the cases that he will be taking on. He really knows how something like this can screw with your head because with him it still does.
When a senators wife is drugged and her two children abducted Max Carter and his team don’t take too long to click onto the fact that this whole thing seems a bit off. Someone’s behaviour is more than a little odd.
The story is told through a few different characters, including the kidnapper and I soon began to realise that I could assume nothing. I found it was impossible to guess the outcome which made it not just intriguing but pretty unique too. Nothing is random and before long the way that I had put everyone into neat little boxes of good and bad just fell apart.
I love the way this author thinks, the inner stories that lead to the way someone does what they do, the last resort which is out of character to who they are. Ed James pushes his characters to the brink and the results are unpredictable. Superb reading.
There is a little worm on the hook ending to keep you thinking and wanting more, well it worked. Bring me more.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
When a senators wife is drugged and her two children abducted Max Carter and his team don’t take too long to click onto the fact that this whole thing seems a bit off. Someone’s behaviour is more than a little odd.
The story is told through a few different characters, including the kidnapper and I soon began to realise that I could assume nothing. I found it was impossible to guess the outcome which made it not just intriguing but pretty unique too. Nothing is random and before long the way that I had put everyone into neat little boxes of good and bad just fell apart.
I love the way this author thinks, the inner stories that lead to the way someone does what they do, the last resort which is out of character to who they are. Ed James pushes his characters to the brink and the results are unpredictable. Superb reading.
There is a little worm on the hook ending to keep you thinking and wanting more, well it worked. Bring me more.
I wish to thank NetGalley and the publisher for an e-copy of this book which I have reviewed honestly.
January 25, 2020
Tell Me Lies by Ed James
Detective Max Carter #1
The first chapter set my teeth on edge and that might be because I have lived overseas in the Middle East for more years than I have lived anywhere else. Having a young boy taken from school by “military” types during an “exercise” then finding out little by little what happened or did not happen to this boy with a Muslim father made me...angry. I have to admit I skipped ahead to find out the gist of the story rather than just closing the book and not trying. I did not read every word in the book but this is my impression from what I did read…
What I liked:
* Max Carter – seems to be a good man intent on finding and saving abducted children. He is married to a good woman and has a little girl. He has issues with his father that encouraged him into the job he has with the FBI
* The writing – it was well done, fast-paced and executed well
Words that came to mind while reading:
* Dark
* Grim
* Greed
* Revenge
* Big Business
* Government
* Black Ops
* Torture
* Child Abduction
* Torture
* Terrorists
* Evil
* Religion
* Radicals
* Terrorists
What I did not like:
* What happened to Faraj
* The manipulation of grieving parents
* Bullying that began the book
* Not being able to invest enough to read every word
Did I like this book? Not as much as I had hoped to from the description
Would I read more in this series? I might give one more book a try
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.
Star Rating
* 4 for writing
* 2 for topic
* 3 overall
Detective Max Carter #1
The first chapter set my teeth on edge and that might be because I have lived overseas in the Middle East for more years than I have lived anywhere else. Having a young boy taken from school by “military” types during an “exercise” then finding out little by little what happened or did not happen to this boy with a Muslim father made me...angry. I have to admit I skipped ahead to find out the gist of the story rather than just closing the book and not trying. I did not read every word in the book but this is my impression from what I did read…
What I liked:
* Max Carter – seems to be a good man intent on finding and saving abducted children. He is married to a good woman and has a little girl. He has issues with his father that encouraged him into the job he has with the FBI
* The writing – it was well done, fast-paced and executed well
Words that came to mind while reading:
* Dark
* Grim
* Greed
* Revenge
* Big Business
* Government
* Black Ops
* Torture
* Child Abduction
* Torture
* Terrorists
* Evil
* Religion
* Radicals
* Terrorists
What I did not like:
* What happened to Faraj
* The manipulation of grieving parents
* Bullying that began the book
* Not being able to invest enough to read every word
Did I like this book? Not as much as I had hoped to from the description
Would I read more in this series? I might give one more book a try
Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the ARC – This is my honest review.
Star Rating
* 4 for writing
* 2 for topic
* 3 overall
February 13, 2020
I always enjoy a new series and Tell Me Lies was no different. I quickly became engaged in the plot and wanted to know what had happened to the children.
In Tell Me Lies we are introduced to Max Carter. Although the details of the case he was investigating seemed to be more prevalent than details about his character, I could see that he is a family man who cares deeply for his wife and daughter and this influences his actions on this case. There is definitely more to come from him and I look forward to seeing how the character develops.
James has engineered a complex plot in this novel and I was interested to see how it would all come together. There are sections of the novel that are set a few years previously and at first I found it difficult to see how this was related to the plot in the present However, when everything is revealed, I found myself hooked in an investigation which is very relevant to events in the news at the moment and gave me lots of food for thought.
Jared Hendrickson narrates the audio version and whilst it took me some time to get used to his accent, I did find the narration easy to listen to whilst still conveying the tension in the novel.
In Tell Me Lies we are introduced to Max Carter. Although the details of the case he was investigating seemed to be more prevalent than details about his character, I could see that he is a family man who cares deeply for his wife and daughter and this influences his actions on this case. There is definitely more to come from him and I look forward to seeing how the character develops.
James has engineered a complex plot in this novel and I was interested to see how it would all come together. There are sections of the novel that are set a few years previously and at first I found it difficult to see how this was related to the plot in the present However, when everything is revealed, I found myself hooked in an investigation which is very relevant to events in the news at the moment and gave me lots of food for thought.
Jared Hendrickson narrates the audio version and whilst it took me some time to get used to his accent, I did find the narration easy to listen to whilst still conveying the tension in the novel.
December 28, 2019
Megan has everything she ever wanted; married to Senator Chris Holliday, with two young children, she loves her life. Then she is attacked on her own doorstep and when she regains consciousness her children are missing, her husband isn't answering his phone, and her world is spinning out of control.
Special Agent Max Carter is leading the investigation for the Seattle FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Response Team, knowing time is always against him in high profile cases but determined to do everything in his power to return the two youngsters to their parents.
Ed James is one of my favourite authors whose books so far have always been first class so I was excited to find out he had a new series beginning with this title. I was a little concerned however, that this was a step away from his other work, which concentrates on the point of view of one main character for the most part and are set in the UK. I needn't have worried, this is brilliant from start to finish and I loved it.
Max Carter is a great protagonist, obviously with a difficult past, as the most successful main characters always do, which is slotted into the main storyline effortlessly. The story was fast paced, believable and with so many twists it kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime! The only thing I would have liked, which made no difference to the actual story to be fair, was an idea of how much time was passing.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Ed James novels or fast moving stories which keep the tension way up. This book knocks it out of the park on every level and I can't wait for the next one.
Special Agent Max Carter is leading the investigation for the Seattle FBI's Child Abduction Rapid Response Team, knowing time is always against him in high profile cases but determined to do everything in his power to return the two youngsters to their parents.
Ed James is one of my favourite authors whose books so far have always been first class so I was excited to find out he had a new series beginning with this title. I was a little concerned however, that this was a step away from his other work, which concentrates on the point of view of one main character for the most part and are set in the UK. I needn't have worried, this is brilliant from start to finish and I loved it.
Max Carter is a great protagonist, obviously with a difficult past, as the most successful main characters always do, which is slotted into the main storyline effortlessly. The story was fast paced, believable and with so many twists it kept me turning the pages way past my bedtime! The only thing I would have liked, which made no difference to the actual story to be fair, was an idea of how much time was passing.
I was able to read an advanced copy of this thanks to NetGalley and the publishers in exchange for an unbiased review and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys Ed James novels or fast moving stories which keep the tension way up. This book knocks it out of the park on every level and I can't wait for the next one.
January 16, 2021
Pff realmente lo disfruté.
Empecé a leer este libro por equivocación, confundí este libro con otro y por eso fue que llegué a él, pero apenas lo empecé me intrigó la historia y quería entender que era lo que estaba pasando, me atrapó por completo y cuando me di cuenta que no era el libro correcto ya estaba enganchada y quería seguir.
Es mi primer libro de este autor y realmente me gustó. Un punto que logré apreciar mucho de la historia es que estamos desde la perspectiva de Max, que es el detective y el protagonista de la serie, del papá de la víctima y del secuestrador. Tener todos esos puntos te hace vivir el secuestro de una forma diferente, tienes la parte policial, la desesperación y la angustia por parte del padre y la historia del secuestrador.
También me gustaron las maquinaciones políticas, el vistazo a la corrupción y a como funciona el sistema, lo injusto que muchas veces puede ser, especialmente con las personas con menos poder y menos recursos.
Otro aspecto positivo es que te da tiempo de conocer a Max, a pesar de que el enfoque es en la familia y en el secuestro, se toma su tiempo para ir construyendo al personaje y presentarlo como un ser humano, con sus aspectos positivos y negativos, con sus relaciones y con su vida, lo suficiente como para que quieras seguir leyendo su historia en esta saga.
El final es devastador en muchos aspectos, no hay ganadores, la verdad es difícil y bastante triste, pero se siente real, el ritmo es bueno y los personajes son muy tridimensionales, lo que te hace conectar con ellos rápidamente.
Definitivamente continuaré con la saga.
Empecé a leer este libro por equivocación, confundí este libro con otro y por eso fue que llegué a él, pero apenas lo empecé me intrigó la historia y quería entender que era lo que estaba pasando, me atrapó por completo y cuando me di cuenta que no era el libro correcto ya estaba enganchada y quería seguir.
Es mi primer libro de este autor y realmente me gustó. Un punto que logré apreciar mucho de la historia es que estamos desde la perspectiva de Max, que es el detective y el protagonista de la serie, del papá de la víctima y del secuestrador. Tener todos esos puntos te hace vivir el secuestro de una forma diferente, tienes la parte policial, la desesperación y la angustia por parte del padre y la historia del secuestrador.
También me gustaron las maquinaciones políticas, el vistazo a la corrupción y a como funciona el sistema, lo injusto que muchas veces puede ser, especialmente con las personas con menos poder y menos recursos.
Otro aspecto positivo es que te da tiempo de conocer a Max, a pesar de que el enfoque es en la familia y en el secuestro, se toma su tiempo para ir construyendo al personaje y presentarlo como un ser humano, con sus aspectos positivos y negativos, con sus relaciones y con su vida, lo suficiente como para que quieras seguir leyendo su historia en esta saga.
El final es devastador en muchos aspectos, no hay ganadores, la verdad es difícil y bastante triste, pero se siente real, el ritmo es bueno y los personajes son muy tridimensionales, lo que te hace conectar con ellos rápidamente.
Definitivamente continuaré con la saga.
February 22, 2020
I’m new to both Ed James and Jared Hendrickson so I had no preconceived expectations for this audio book but I ended up really enjoying myself.
As far as the plot is concerned, some of it might be a little predictable, a new invention of the genre it is not, but it’s a good start to a new series and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for Max Carter.
What kept me hooked all the way through was the lovely voice and narration of Jared Hendrickson. His Western seaboard twang felt like a warm hug to me, reminding me of traveling on the US west coast - so much so that this is one of the few audio books I have listened to without speeding it up. I will definitely seek out more of his narrations.
As far as the plot is concerned, some of it might be a little predictable, a new invention of the genre it is not, but it’s a good start to a new series and I’m looking forward to seeing what’s next for Max Carter.
What kept me hooked all the way through was the lovely voice and narration of Jared Hendrickson. His Western seaboard twang felt like a warm hug to me, reminding me of traveling on the US west coast - so much so that this is one of the few audio books I have listened to without speeding it up. I will definitely seek out more of his narrations.
January 25, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and author for this ARC.
Having read Ed James Scott Cullen series I had high hopes with this book. . I loved the banter between characters in his previous books and this one is in a very different style of writing which took time to get used to. Max Carter is an FBI Agent who works on child abductions and when Megan Holliday wakes up on her doorstep to find her children have been taken Max is asked to investigate. Senator Holliday, Megan’s husband, appears to be working with the kidnappers and is very evasive with what he tells Agent Carter and his team. The book is about government conspiracies, deniable operations and lies by omission. You get to know a little about Max Carter, his background history and family life. The story is told by different characters, from their perspective. There were plenty of twists and turns in the plot, some I guessed, others I didn’t and the book raced to a finish with a couple of loose ends left open. I would read another book in this series to see how Max’s character progresses. Overall a good, fast paced read which held my attention throughout.
4 stars
Having read Ed James Scott Cullen series I had high hopes with this book. . I loved the banter between characters in his previous books and this one is in a very different style of writing which took time to get used to. Max Carter is an FBI Agent who works on child abductions and when Megan Holliday wakes up on her doorstep to find her children have been taken Max is asked to investigate. Senator Holliday, Megan’s husband, appears to be working with the kidnappers and is very evasive with what he tells Agent Carter and his team. The book is about government conspiracies, deniable operations and lies by omission. You get to know a little about Max Carter, his background history and family life. The story is told by different characters, from their perspective. There were plenty of twists and turns in the plot, some I guessed, others I didn’t and the book raced to a finish with a couple of loose ends left open. I would read another book in this series to see how Max’s character progresses. Overall a good, fast paced read which held my attention throughout.
4 stars
February 6, 2020
This is an exciting, high octane political thriller which is told from various POVs, including the kidnapper, but it is still easy to follow. Many of the characters have secrets, hence the title. I don’t feel that we learned a lot about Max Carter but it is still a brilliant start to new series, and I look forward to seeing how Max’s character progresses in future books.
February 20, 2020
I think this series has potential, but didnt quite get there for me yet. I think this book would have benefited from more than one narrator, at times I felt a little lost. By the end of the book I had sped up the narration. I would probably read book two rather than listen as it might be easier to follow.
February 9, 2020
Audiobook review
This book was non stop.
A kidnapping of a senators children, the reason at 1st unknown. Hard to decipher but Max Carter a FBI agents is brought into the case.
He dives in deep and as the case starts to unravel he sees from all sides.
Really good listen.
This book was non stop.
A kidnapping of a senators children, the reason at 1st unknown. Hard to decipher but Max Carter a FBI agents is brought into the case.
He dives in deep and as the case starts to unravel he sees from all sides.
Really good listen.
February 14, 2020
I listened to this book. Whilst the three main male carachter narrative confused me at first I really enjoyed the story. The reading was excellent and the story galloped along at a great pace. Thoroughly enjoyable
February 16, 2021
Very different from this author’s Scottish police procedurals, this book introduces Detective Max Carter, an FBI Child Abduction specialist in Seattle. So may twists and turns in the story made it so convoluted and it became bitty and lost the flow, so only 3 stars
December 15, 2019
Tell Me Lies opens with two kidnappings: The first, of a boy a couple of years in the past; the second of 2 children in the present. Their mom immediately calls the police. Their dad, U.S. senator Holliday, ignores the FBI's calls to come to talk to them. Instead, he goes off on his own to meet the kidnapper. What does he have to hide?
The novel alternates between several points of view: the senator, the FBI agent, and the kidnapper. What does the kidnapper want? What is the senator hiding? And can Max Carter figure it all out in time to save the senator's kids?
I liked the characters and the story, though I wish that there had been more focus on Carter. I found the rapid flipping of points of view disruptive to the narrative. Had the story not been so compelling, I would have stopped. I hope that the next Max Carter book (which "Book 1" presumes) focuses more on Max and dispells with the multiple POVs. Because Ed James writes well and tells a great story.
*I received an advance review copy.
The novel alternates between several points of view: the senator, the FBI agent, and the kidnapper. What does the kidnapper want? What is the senator hiding? And can Max Carter figure it all out in time to save the senator's kids?
I liked the characters and the story, though I wish that there had been more focus on Carter. I found the rapid flipping of points of view disruptive to the narrative. Had the story not been so compelling, I would have stopped. I hope that the next Max Carter book (which "Book 1" presumes) focuses more on Max and dispells with the multiple POVs. Because Ed James writes well and tells a great story.
*I received an advance review copy.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 83 reviews