I Have Something to Tell You

by Susan Lewis

High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case – and one client – will put all that at risk.

Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down – or a man who quietly watched television while his wife was murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case too knotted to unravel, Jay suspects he’s protecting someone…

Then she comes home one day and her husband utters the words no-one ever wants to hear. Sit down… because I've got something to tell you….

Now Jay must fight not only for the man she defends, but for the man she thought she trusted with her life – her husband.

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime, Book Club, Audiobook, Mystery Thriller

512 pages, Hardcover

First published September 16, 2021

About the author

Librarian Note:
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.


Susan Lewis is the bestselling author of over forty books across the genres of family drama, thriller, suspense and crime. She is also the author of Just One More Day and One Day at a Time, the moving memoirs of her childhood in Bristol during the 1960s. Following periods of living in Los Angeles and the South of France, she currently lives in Gloucestershire with her husband James, stepsons Michael and Luke, and mischievous dogs Coco and Lulu.

Reviews

[Irena BookDustMagic · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am sorry to say that I Have Something to Tell You was my first true disappointment in 2022.
I have previously read some of Susan Lewis' books and liked then, so I was excited to get into this one, more so because I read it along with my friends Ani and Amanda.
Sadly, they were disappointed too.

I can't help it but feel like I was scammed.
What I was promised was a crime/mystery, when in reality what this novel provided was a boring story about personal life of a lawyer who happens to have a client who has/hasn't killed his wife.

The story started good and it finished also okay, but with all the repetition and dullness in the middle, and also the parts that should have probably been heart wrenching and emotional, but were just frustrating and boring in reality, it wasn't a good book.
I had problems with characters and I also had problems with the way author portrayed most of them.

I appreciate the fact that the story is based on true people, so judging their story maybe isn't the best move.
In the end, as I see, the book does have high ratings so there are people who find it great, I am just not one of them and I can't recommend it to others.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars

You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.

This is a pretty good contemporary mystery/thriller. Jessica "Jay" Wells is a high-profile criminal defense attorney outside of London. She is married to Tom, a criminal barrister, and they have two college-aged children. When Edward Blake, a well-known architect and developer, is arrested for allegedly killing his wife, Jay is hired by the family to represent him. The family insists that there is no way that Ed killed his wife, and are desperate for Jay to free him.

Edward is not Jay's typical client. He does not seem cold, hard, cruel or manipulative. Her heart goes out to him and her gut tells her he's innocent. As Jay begins to investigate the murder and try to clear Edward from the crime, she gets the sense that the family is hiding something. Slowly Jay pierces the family's secrets, but is it enough to set Edward free? As Jay deals with Edward's case, she uncovers secrets in her own family as well, and like Edward's, it will never be the same again.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I did have issues with the uneven pacing. The book started off fairly well, but as it alternated between Jay's case and her family troubles, the momentum dragged. Without going into spoilers, the secrets of Jay's family was not unexpected or original, and took up far too much time of the book. I didn't need to know every inner thought that she had, and better editing to shrink down this part of the book would greatly help it. Clocking in at 512 pages, this book would be better served at around 400 pages instead.

The twists and turns of Edward's case were written better. While some of the twists were predictable, others were not. Where the author really lost me was in Jay's actions toward the last third of the book. They seemed so completely out of character and inconsistent with her behavior in the rest of the book, I just didn't buy it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley and HarperCollins. All opinions are my own.

[Louise Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

High-flying lawyer Jessica Wells has it all. A successful career, loving husband Tom and a family she adores. But one case - and one client - will put all that at risk. Edward Blake. An ordinary life turned upside down - or a man who quietly watched tv while his wife was being murdered upstairs? With more questions than answers and a case to knotted to unravel, Jessica suspects he's protecting someone.

Filled with twists and mixed emotions, we learn of the life of Jessica Wells , a successful lawyer with a loving husband and a family she adores. Jessica is called out to defend Edward Blake whose wife had been found naked, tied to the bed and murdered. Jessica (Jay) believes him to be innocent but the evidence is stacked against him.

This is a story of murder, love, loyalty and betrayal. Jay is also struggling with her husband Tom's infidelity. The characters are well developed and intriguing but I did not like Tom for several reasons. I did like Edward and Jay. The pace was steady and the story was interesting until we got near the end, and the ending (for me) spoilt the whole book.

I would like to thank #NetGalley #HarperCollinsUK #HarperFiction and the author #SusanLewis for my ARC of #IHaveSomethingToTellYou in exchange for an honest review.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was given access to read this book for free through online book club The Pigeonhole. This is an honest and voluntary review.

The positives - I enjoyed the professional relationship between the main character - criminal solicitor Jay - and the lead detective Ken Bright. It was respectful, they shared information, but took their different roles seriously. I mean it didn’t create any sense of drama and seemed a bit too removed from reality, but it’s nice to see a story where there’s mutual ungrudging respect between the person investigating a murder and the person defending the main suspect.

Unfortunately, that’s the only positive I can find. Mostly I was getting frustrated about Jay’s relationship with her husband which was essentially lots of putting off have a discussion after he said ‘I have something to tell you’. That’s never a good conversation starter for a relationship, but when he says that he’s saying it’s a conversation that needs to happen at a time in the future, a time that keeps getting put off to go for dinners or drinks with friends instead.

It’s hard to express my frustrations with the story without spoiling the plot. Suffice it to say, if you prefer books where you’re not yelling at the main character for repeatedly either not actually taking action or for making stupid decisions then avoid this.

The plot drags - if Jay acted like she had some more agency in her life it could have lost all of the delaying tactics to drag out the personal drama and been about a third shorter.

While the plot involves a murder and a subplot of some investigation, it’s not a book for crime fans. It’s really a relationship drama using crime as a backdrop to talk about monogamy, trust and betrayal. But, for me it didn’t even do that well.

[Natalie M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite four stars, but rounded up.

High-flying lawyer Jessica (Jay) finds herself entangled in the web of murder, love, loyalty and betrayal. Jay is also struggling with her husband Tom's infidelity. The premise for the plot was well developed, but I really did not engage with the characters. Some of Jay's decisions didn't always ring true, but I did understand the need for them once the final plot twist was revealed. I have given points for plot progression and pace, but I was not a fan of some parts of the ending.

Not a bad read but not a brilliant one either.

[Bob · Rating 2 out of 5]

Annoying, frustrating, not credible, ridiculously soppy in places and ridiculously harsh in others. No empathy or sympathy for the main character as her behaviour is appalling throughout. The end was so obvious it was barely worth reading. But... I did keep reading so that's why it gets two stars. If you want a soppy love story told from the perspective of a spoiled, selfish professional woman then this is for you. If you want something that is even remotely believable then avoid it.

[Fay Flude · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started so well. An interesting scenario whereby high flying lawyer Jessica (Jay) Wells is representing a man (Edward Blake) accused of tying his wife to a bed and smothering her to death with a pillow.
For a greater part of the book there is tension and intrigue and an awful lot of questions that don't seem to have any answers. The author introduces us to a cast of likely suspects and there is real enjoyment in trying to puzzle out who did what and why, and which parts of the story are there to deliberately mislead the reader.
The only difficulty I have in recommending this book is that the whole book doesn't stay on course as a muder investigation cum legal drama but attempts to introduce a more personal, domestic drama which can be painful to read because it is so mushy and cringe-worthy. There is nothing wrong in adding layers to a thriller by creating interesting back stories and family/relationship crises but in this instance the depth is rather more the romantic slush type which lessens the impact and credibility of the plot overall.
Always fair (I try!) there are sections of great writing and I particularly liked the way in which the initial breakdown of the relationship between Jay and her husband Tom was portrayed. It was real, vivid, emotional, sensitive and thus it felt as if it was being written from the heart as opposed to some parts which seemed contrived and dredged up with effort to reach an agreed word count.
There was potential for a more intriguing twist although I suppose had I read the book in its entirety rather than day by day staves until reaching the end, it was an OK twist. I loved the last line of the book too!
Generally a book that could have been great but sadly lost its way.
No doubt it will be received well by die hard Susan Lewis fans, but as an on-the-fence reader of Ms Lewis this offering failed to impress.
Many thanks to Pigeonhole for the serialisation though and only you will be able to decide whether I Have Something To Tell You has a meaningful and entertaining message.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

On paper this book is a crime thriller but it feels like so much more than a page turning crime thriller that takes a couple of hours to read.
Firstly this book has far more interesting and well developed characters than your average ‘whodunnit.’ Our main protagonist Jay, is a lawyer in her 40s with older children and the book explores her personal and family life as much as it does the crime and how that unfolds.
The book is quite long and detailed but doesn’t out stay it’s welcome or get boring in anyway.
The narrative is well written and paints our protagonists in vivid colour.
I would recommend this book, I don’t think I’ve ever read anything comparable.
The only thing preventing a full 5* is the characters get slightly less realistic in the final few chapters.

[Pgchuis · Rating 2 out of 5]

I received a copy of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley.

1.5* rounded up. This reminded me of a tawdry soap opera: there was a lot of overwrought emotion and the plot read as if the author had been asked to stretch it out for a couple of episodes. Jay, the solicitor-protagonist, was immature and unlikeable: noting how much various characters weighed as an indication of their personality, and behaving entirely irrationally and then later both unprofessionally and foolishly.

Disappointing, although I see I am in a minority.

[Sophie Acton · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was all so good until the end 🙄😭

[Jon Von · Rating 1 out of 5]

It’s bad, but at least it’s long. When whether or not your partner is cheating on you (or will find out you are cheating on them) takes up 100% of your mental energy. For people with no personalities who one day decide they love each other despite having nothing in common, and do nothing but act petty and jealous. The mystery is bad, the plot makes no sense, the protagonist is loathsome, and it is philosophically opposed to literary merit. A very rare one-star.

[Cc]

I like the Mill House, and I have a feeling from just reading the reviews that this one is going to have a cheating husband, but it sounds like the ending is poopy, so............hmmm.

[Leanne Hardy · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am getting SO very fed up of books like this, for once the author has the main suspect actually be guilty & yet it comes out in such a feeble way right at the end it just felt as anticlimatic as if he was innocent, very annoying.

The story with the lawyer and her cheating husband was just boring so black & white could have done without for me.

[Christine · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was disappointing. It was repetitive and dull and way longer than it needed to be for the content.

[Leah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mid-life crises…

Edward Blake drops his wife Vanessa at the station in the morning, as she is off to visit a friend in London. That evening he returns from work to his empty house, watches some TV and goes to bed. Next morning he discovers his wife’s body in the guest room, murdered. Not surprisingly the police find this story hard to believe, especially when the London friend denies all knowledge of a planned visit, and Edward is arrested. Enter Jessica “Jay” Wells, criminal defence solicitor, who will gradually discover that Vanessa had many secrets, one of which may have got her killed…

An interesting premise and the first 150 pages or so are very good as we gradually discover more about Edward and Vanessa’s marriage, and the possible suspect list grows as some of Vanessa’s secrets are revealed. The writing is good, and while all the characters are terribly middle-class in a trendy liberal sort of way, they’re reasonably well drawn.

And then Jay’s husband says those fateful words – “I have something to tell you” – and suddenly we’re thrust into a marriage teetering on the brink of breakdown, full of guilt and reproaches and tears and shouting and, from me, yawning. It is a truth universally acknowledged that a contemporary heroine in want of a good husband must instead be landed with an unfaithful jerk, and furthermore that her response will almost inevitably be to respond in kind. Ask me how interested I am in middle-aged people having sex – no, on second thoughts, guess. This tedious storyline takes up more space than the murder, overwhelming the entire second half of the book.

(To be fair, the book is in no way graphic and we are rarely taken inside any of the well-used bedrooms, but, oh boy, even when Jay’s not actually doing sex, she spends an awful lot of time thinking about it. Can we please have some professional female characters who are ruled by their heads, not their hormones? Is that too much to ask? If even women writers show women as unable to perform professional roles professionally, what hope is there for us?)

With so much adulterous hanky-panky going on throughout, it is somewhat ironic that the ending should turn out to be quite such an anti-climax – the earth barely trembled for this reader. The enormous length also gives plenty of time for even the least competent armchair ‘tec (i.e., me) to work out the “twist”. I did see that coming!

The thing is there’s a good story in here and, as I said before, the writing is fine. Had the book been cut by about 150-200 pages to remove most of the relationship nonsense it could have been excellent and, without getting into spoiler territory, it would have meant the solution could have been presented in a much more tense and surprising way. As it is, it’s a flabby 500 pages that began to lose my interest about a third of the way in and eventually had me skimming through all the descriptions of Jay’s feelings of betrayal, romantic longings and lust love. I kept going because I was interested enough to see how it played out but sadly in the end felt it hadn’t really been worth the time invested.

NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, HarperCollins.

www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com

[Tea Leaves and Reads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to read and get into for several reasons:

Lots of chopping and changing between referring to people by their surname or first name, confusing on who is who and who is being referred to. This isn't marketed as a crime thriller and that technique only really works in established crime thriller series when the characters are quite well known.

Body image - overweight person is referred to as a slob - No other characteristics that seem to indicate that, just that they are overweight. Judgemental, and feels like the Authors bias is creeping in rather than a character construct.

Quite often had to remind myself that the main character is not a police officer - she regularly oversteps the boundaries, does a whole host of above and beyond investigating herself and holds on to crucial evidence.

The storyline - Jay could and should be a strong female lead in this book. Instead, extremely early on she is already basically imagining her client naked. Her character build up is weak, professionally, individually and as a Mum.

Used to really enjoy and love Susan's books but there's been a definite shift that's just not as carefully thought out or as gripping as it could be.

[Miss J · Rating 1 out of 5]

sorry but only one star from me, however I awarded myself 5 stars for having the perseverance to keep going to the end.

[Helen Stead · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn't put this book down, despite other reviews, I really enjoyed it. No spoilers, read it for yourselves.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let's start this review by saying that "I Have Something to Tell You" manages to string out telling me anything for what felt like about a billion pages, before telling me exactly what I expected in the first place.

Susan Lewis's latest release (and my first read of her work - potentially also my last), tells the story of Edward Blake's legal headache of discovering his wife strapped to a bed, dead, and his being almost immediately cast as prime suspect. But all is not lost, as he has Jay on his side, with her experience as a defence lawyer matched only in importance by her beautiful hair, "come-to-bed eyes" and her failing marriage. Stir in a cast of (mostly privileged) clichés, season with a soupcon of dated writing and drizzle with a watered down jus of the thinnest of weak plot lines before serving with a side of "what the hell is this Mills and Boon plotline doing in this murder investigation?"

There's little that can be said without risking spoiling what passes for the plot in this book. What I will say is that there were occasional passages of writing which were sensitive, compassionate and very well judged, which gave me a feeling by the end of there being the bones of a decent idea buried under all the cheesy/bodice ripping padding. Perhaps, with a decent editor, this might translate OK to a TV serialisation. Sadly overall there was just far too little to justify a higher star rating for me.

I feel that I'm being exceptionally generous in rounding this up to 2 stars as I nearly gave up on it at the 20% mark, and frankly, I'd have been happier with it if I had. See, I've already got to the point far quicker than this read ever managed!

[Rachel the Page-Turner · Rating 4 out of 5]

There isn’t a lot that can be revealed about this book beyond the synopsis, and that means it has a lot of secrets - always a good thing! This was a slower read, but also one that you don’t mind luxuriating in because the journey is that good.

Jessica (Jay) is a lawyer who has been tasked with defending Edward Blake, a man accused of killing his wife. Right away, she gets the feeling that he is innocent, so she’s quite invested in the case. His charm and good looks certainly don’t hurt either…

It’s good she’s so invested in working, because she has a lot going on in her personal life and she can use the distraction. When your spouse sits you down one day and says “I have something to tell you”, it’s not usually good news, and her husband’s news throws her entire world upside down. Now, she’s dealing with her husband’s sins, trying to save her adult children from the truth, all while working to save her client from being convicted of murder.

I’m giving this a 4.5, rounded down because it was quite wordy and a bit slow in places. The actual story is fantastic, and I really found myself rooting for Jay. I thought I had gotten to the ending, and I liked it, but then there was ANOTHER ending that took this from a 4 to 4.5 for me. It’s a nice, cozy mystery/psychological thriller, and one I’d recommend if you don’t mind a drawn-out book.

(Thank you to HarperCollins, Susan Lewis and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my review.)

[Bridget · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have long been a fan of Susan Lewis and I grabbed the chance to read her latest novel with great enthusiasm and eagerness.

I Have Something to Tell You explores a variety of topics… murder, infidelity, love and trust to name a few. This is a remarkable tangled web of a story and I was thoroughly engrossed from the opening chapters. I loved being the fly on the wall in the successful lawyer, Jessica (Jay) Wells's family and watching their dramas and dynamics impacting Jay's professional life.

I just knew I would treasure this marvellous tale as Susan Lewis's writing style is wondrous. The story flows beautifully, the characters are colourful, well crafted and easy to root for and Jay's is one of many viewpoints here. Awash with secrets and untruths I Have Something to Tell You is a mightly enjoyable, extremely intriguing tale from start to finish. I'm looking forward to my next outing with this author.

I read I Have Something to Tell You in staves with other Pigeonholers as part of a group. A special thank you to HarperCollins UK, Susan Lewis, NetGalley and The Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

[Catherine Ellcock · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overwritten. Sensationalist. Nonsense

[Beth Ashcroft · Rating 2 out of 5]

do not read this unless you like a plot being developed well then the last 25% is rushed bullshit. also why did the dog have to die???? avoid

[Sally Tyrer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow Susan had done it again!! A magnificent captivating read that will linger in your mind long after reading it!
Murder, grief, love, desperation and fear so many human emotions laid bare, with twists and turns that keep you enthralled right until the end! Brilliant portrayal of the gauntlet of emotions that can be experienced, illustrated so empathetically, so realistic and true to life!
Jay has it all or so it seems, great career as a lawyer,married to a high flyer living in a beautiful home, two children, and a wonderful group of friends but appearances can be deceptive! A husbands deception, followed by a bombshell several years later combined with a new client and it all starts unravelling in a startling manner with everything now in jeopardy and life is changed irrevocably!
A great suspenseful read that I would highly recommend!
Thank you netgalley for this early read.

[Victoria · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, this was a big ball of disappointment. It’s been a long time since I’ve been frustrated with a book, and yet here we are. My face throughout reading it spoke 1000 words, as witnessed by those who saw me pulling them while reading it on the train.

A bunch of dislikable characters, who make some seriously poor decisions, and a relatively predictable plot I can’t find much to praise with this book. It just fell flat for me, even when there were moments of intrigue or sudden twists. Too much internal monologue, and the book could’ve easily concluded 100 pages sooner than it did.

I can appreciate the plot and what the author was trying to do, but it was poorly executed and not the thriller the description promised.

Overall, I’d give this 2/5 stars.

[Staceywh_17 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I've read by this author. It was very well written & had some strong defined characters. I found the book to be a bit of a slow burner which changed it, from my perspective, from a crime thriller to a family drama which seemed more fitting.

Covering so many emotions, with twists & turns, with an ending I didn't see coming, overall this was a great read, which I would recommend.

It was an enjoyable read & I will be looking to read more of Susan's works.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

[Hannah McAlister-Colacio · Rating 1 out of 5]

im putting that ive read this because i wasted so much time on it that i feel worthy to put it in my 2024 reading challenge. what the hell was this..
i dnf'ed because this is a crime, mystery/thriller. surely its supposed to keep me on my toes right? it has been over 200 pages of the same scene copy and pasted over and over and... oh my god. im just so fed up. also its like shes telling us what is happening, but not actually showing, not offering any in depth description of the character's feelings or actual actions. the most in depth we get is in the god damn interrogation...
anyways sorry im yapping but im just so annoyed at this

[Louise Bartrip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jay is a lawyer and gets the case of Ed who is accused of killing his wife Vanessa. Not everything is as black and white as it seems though and Vanessa has some hidden secrets.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Full of secrets, indiscretions and infidelity. The pages kept turning and was quite fast paced but I did guess the ending.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant book with a great twist