Let Them Lie

by Florence Gillan

There’s no such thing as a perfect family

Aoife O’Driscoll travels home to Sligo for a family gathering to mark the twentieth anniversary of her father’s death. While there, the discovery of a long-buried box and its disturbing contents sends her on a terrifying journey through her family’s past.

Chasing secrets, while trying to hold her life together, becomes increasingly difficult. Breaking up with her fiancé Connor at a point when she desperately needs support, she falls deeper into an obsession with finding the truth, knowing that her investigations threaten to shatter the lives of everyone she loves – her mother, her sister, her young niece and nephew.

And what of her older brother Sam? Has he been guarding the family secrets all these years?

She is left to face the question: how high a price is she willing to pay to protect her family and can she live with the consequences?

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Psychological Thriller, Crime

450 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2022

Reviews

[Tonya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family secrets and obsession come together to create a mystery that kept me engaged from start to finish. Aoife finds an intriguing buried box, hoping it is a lost treasure. Instead, she quickly learns that her discovery is disturbing and macabre. What secrets have been hidden away and who are they protecting? How well do you know those who are nearest and dearest? Thank you BookSirens for my ARC.

[Grace Convertino · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aoife O’Driscoll is getting ready to drive home to Sligo from Dublin for the annual dinner and Mass in remembrance of her father’s death, hosted every year by her mother for the immediate family. It has been twenty years since her father passed away, and Agnes O’Driscoll hasn’t been the same since she lost the love of her life. Aoife’s brother Sam took over the role as protector of the home and farm, working especially hard to take care of his mother, and in the earlier years, his sisters as well. When Sam’s dog Nellie dies unexpectedly on the anniversary date, Sam asks his hired hand to bury the dog on the farm. While digging, he discovered an old biscuit box, which Aoife immediately took, hoping for treasure. What she found was not a few euros, however; what she found in the contents of that tin was a horrifying secret that led her question her family’s past. Now plagued by keeping what she has discovered a secret, which is destroying her, she breaks up with the fiancé she loves just when she needs him most, and makes uncharacteristic mistakes at work, including missing an important interview for promotion. Unable to stop, she digs deeper and deeper to the point of becoming obsessed, and sharing what she knows can destroy not only her life, but the lives of her mother, Sam, her sister Kate, and her niece and nephew, Sandy and Colm. She suspects Sam knows and has been guarding the secret all these years, but what price is she willing to pay to protect her family, and can she actually bear to live with the results?

The quote on Amazon describing “Let Them Lie” is “A Dark and Gripping Family Mystery That You Won't Be Able to Put Down” and I would not have been able to phrase it any better than that. It was indeed a harrowing thrill ride, incredibly dark and a page-turner. I flipped through pages quickly, anxious to read what came next. The secret Aoife carried really was destroying her from the inside out, and despite heavily drinking and anything else she did to block it, it was always rearing its ugly head. She was possessed by what she found and all of the research she did that led her down a rabbit hole. The writing consisted of beautiful prose and well-rounded characters, and I found it pulse-pounding while devouring it. However, there were other themes to be aware of that might be triggers for some, such as the severe depression of her brother-in-law and childhood abuse suffered by her father in addition to some intense details revealed by finding the tin. There were some superfluent things as well, such as Aoife’s relationship with a neighbor in Sligo. I was completely absorbed by the plot, however, and could forgive a little detour. The ending was a bit abrupt, but at the same time final, fitting, as bleak as and in keeping with the tale itself. I would recommend this work to lovers of dark novels, thrillers, and crime.

I’d like to thank BookSirens, Florence Gillan, and Crimson/Poolbeg Press, LTD for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.

[Michelle Duffy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved the idea behind this book but I really didn’t like the ending. I thought the story was padded out with unnecessary things, like Kate’s husband suffering with depression or Aoife going to the birthday party of the twin of the missing sister. With the secret already being buried for twenty years I thought the story could have focused on the fall out of such news. The brother Sam said it’d be a hard secret to keep and yet they all seemed to manage it easily. A potentially great story that for me took a turn in the wrong direction.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Builds and builds to have everything resolved in one dissatisfying chapter

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book kept me up 'till 2am, I just couldn't put it down. What began as a slow burn, had me gripped a couple of chapters in. An excellent debut.

[Meabh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastically written book that had me gripped and kept guessing from the beginning. Captured the relationships within an Irish household perfectly. Thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend to anyone looking for a captivating mystery!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars because it was a great story with a flat ending.

[Anne Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good thriller with a great idea and an interesting cast of characters. I particularly liked the main character Aoife and her horrific voyage of discovery concerning her father. That said, it's very slow, with a lot of description, and there seemed to me to be a lot of repetition about Aoife's dilemma. There needed to be a faster pace and more confrontations with the other members of the family. The ending was interesting but satisfying.

[Wendy Del Toro · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story was boring and very very repetitive. Once I got to the diary part the rest of the story plays out exactly as expected. There are no red herrings, no misdirection and no twists or surprises. The characters are boring also. The mam who seems to do nothing but cook and seems to be from an entirely different generation and the main daughter Aioffe who drinks and wrestles with her conscience ad nauseum. It was a chore to finish this boring story

[MaryBeth Shapiro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our book club read this book and it brought about great discussions about loyalty and family. The mystery is unraveled in a suspenseful way with lots of complexities .

[Laura Butler · Rating 3 out of 5]

The mystery at the heart of the story is intriguing at first but as it becomes clearer I found it an effort to read on. I thoroughly disliked the main character and struggled to relate to her. Some passages seemed to add nothing to the story, such as the transcripts of old letters that could have been left out. Most of the characters did not seem very substantial or believable and the behaviour of the main character was quite repellent. Her brother’s extreme reaction to her uncovering the family secrets wasn’t entirely understandable in the light of his own disturbing experience so that aspect of the story didn’t ring true for me. Whilst there was a brooding atmosphere, and the subject was dark with a moral dilemma at the core, I found the ending dissatisfying. A determination to complete it after having purchased it kept me reading to the conclusion, rather than any enjoyment. I gave it 3 stars as it did have a brooding element of suspense for some of the story but unfortunately a disappointing finish.

[Suzanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Awarding 2 stars was tempting but I raised it to 3 because the book kept my interest (in a bizarre sort of way) until the end. I started out appreciating the main character. I could even understand her being frustrated with a fiance who used his love of poetry/writing as well as disdain for his (employed) family to be a forever student. Then I realized the broken engagement as well as everything else she did defined the "all about me" character of the main character. Her response to turmoil in her life was to feed her darker self. The book dragged as there was little choice but to focus on a main character because other characters all stood in the shadows.
While I understood the decision made at the end of the book, it wouldn't have been mine.

[Róisin (somethingarosie) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has an interesting premise. I was suitably intrigued. However, I found it dragged on a little longer than it needed to and the romance subplot was a distraction from the mystery and said subplot was not given a defined conclusion. My main critique lies in how the dialogue and writing made me cringe at points. It was as though the author was writing how she believed a thirty-something year old speaks, but it's not an accurate attempt. The mystery and horrors were interesting, however it was not the main event of the book (because romance) and thus, it only scratches the surface, never truly ruminating on the castrophic events that have been uncovered. All that being said, my attention was captured throughout, I was eager to see where the story was going to go.

[Kristen Bello · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was hard to put down. I found myself staying up late because I was hooked. This story is a good tale and a little unusual which is a good thing. I was not very fond of the protagonist. She wasn't the world's greatest person in a lot of ways. But, she was real. And she definitely had some redeeming qualities. I could relate to her feelings about the issues she was presented with in a very personal way. I didn't know until the last few pages how the main issue would be resolved. A really well written first novel.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 4 stars because the author isn't afraid to step outside the box, so to speak. I loved the conclusion.
Having said that, the book did drag and was endlessly repetitive. I finished because I wanted to see exactly who was involved with the murders, who knew what and how it would ultimately end.
Gillan obviously has talent so I hope if I read more books by her I will see that she develops more interesting storylines, character histories and lives, etc.

[Trena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Didn't Like The Ending

The whole book until the ending was about what was going to be done about a bad situation. I didn't like how it was resolved. I know not everything is happy endings but I was hoping for the right thing to be done. I felt instead like there was selfishness and injustice in the decision that was made. I was disappointed and wouldn't read again or recommend reading it.

[Arezou · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book has a captivating plot that feels incredibly genuine and relatable, thanks to the authentically portrayed characters who are akin to the people we encounter in our everyday lives. I found myself engrossed in the story, making it incredibly tough to put down each time I picked it up. The unexpected twists and turns kept me on the edge of my seat. Overall, I recommend this book.

[Eirlys · Rating 5 out of 5]

An incredible story

Although it poses some moral dilemmas, this book is a dark and thrilling story. Murders cast a long shadow, but are they real, or are they only the outpouring of a troubled mind ? Fantastic characters make the book impossible to put down , and it kept me glued to the pages until the last pagd.

[Cynthia A · Rating 3 out of 5]

The burden of keeping a secret

Aoife, a teacher, discovers that her father was a serial killer. Sam, her brother, had protected the family by never selling the farm where bodies were buried. He also carefully held another secret inside. What do you do? The story made you sad and feel really bad for the families of the victims.

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow

If I could give this 10 stars I would.A fantastic captivating story that is very believable and the characters are just like everyday people that you could know. Cannot wait to read more from this author.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 The book starts out fairly well written. The mystery is very similar to other books out there. The main character is not particularly likable—in my opinion. Why did I keep reading? I wondered if the author would end it the way I suspected she would, but I did start skimming.

the book has a very amateurish feeling about it—the dialogue, thoughts, and actions. I don’t recommend it.

[Nian Yii · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

Writing wasn't always the best (quite tell rather than show) and things dragged out more than it needed to be with not much new revelations being uncovered. Still an interesting read nonetheless but the ending did feel anticlimactic.

[sharon Hayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book begs the question what would you do? It’s a different kind of story definitely on my recommend to friends list

[Kirstie Ibrahim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well this was different in a good way. There were parts that were a bit flat but overall it was a good story that will leave you thinking about what you would do in the same situation.

[Pamela Frank · Rating 5 out of 5]

a great mystery

I would definitely recommend this family mystery to anyone who enjoys the thrill of waiting for the truth and reason to be revealed. One of the best.

[Jackie Simons]

Read 9/23

[ballysharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I’ve read in a very long time. I love the way the author wrote the story, and the story was also very unique and engaging.

[Lynne Abbatiello · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read

Good story and I could imagine this happening. Torn by decisions and moral justice for the future peace of generations to come

[Kayeb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Compelling

I found this book to be engaging and thoughtful. I love the style of writing, s and it initiated reflection of family dynamics.

[Michael Veletsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting reading

It was interesting reading and a page-turner with a deep examination of what creates a serial killer. Better than usual in this genre.