Blog Tour: This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf

Welcome to our stop on the blog tour for This Is How I Lied by Heather Gudenkauf I am excited to share our reviews with you all.

Book Summary:

With the eccentricity of Fargo and the intensity of Sadie, THIS IS HOW I LIED by Heather Gudenkauf (Park Row Books; May 12, 2020; $17.99) is a timely and gripping thriller about careless violence we can inflict on those we love, and the lengths we will go to make it right, even 25 years later.

Tough as nails and seven months pregnant, Detective Maggie Kennedy-O’Keefe of Grotto PD, is dreading going on desk duty before having the baby her and her husband so badly want. But when new evidence is found in the 25-year-old cold case of her best friend’s murder that requires the work of a desk jockey, Maggie jumps at the opportunity to be the one who finally puts Eve Knox’s case to rest.

Maggie has her work cut out for her. Everyone close to Eve is a suspect. There’s Nola, Eve’s little sister who’s always been a little… off; Nick, Eve’s ex-boyfriend with a vicious temper; a Schwinn riding drifter who blew in and out of Grotto; even Maggie’s husband Sean, who may have known more about Eve’s last day than he’s letting on. As Maggie continues to investigate, the case comes closer and closer to home, forcing her to confront her own demons before she can find justice for Eve. 

Brenda’s review

This Is How I Lied has a little something different here with the creep level to the story and Heather Gudenkauf had me a little worried as she created a sense of dread for me like I haven’t felt before while reading. I enjoyed that feeling of not knowing what to expect with that sense of dread. I put my trust in her and was rewarded with a chilling, dark and twisty entertaining read.

For me, this one was all about Nola. She is one odd, dark character with an interesting creepy side to her. She has an exciting, mysterious side to her that created some great tension and suspense to the story that had me turning those pages as fast as I could. She brought something a little different to the story and she was a character we wanted to talk about.

The crime here centers around the murder of Eve, Nola’s sister and her best friend, Maggie. Well, things didn’t really add up the way I would have liked them to, I loved the dynamics between Nola and Maggie. Maggie also brings something a little different here with the tension in the story with her pregnancy and I feared the danger she might be in. I enjoyed how things came together with Nola and Maggie and thought it all wrapped well with them. I recommend it!

Norma’s review

Gripping, absorbing, and an irresistible page turner!

THIS IS HOW I LIED by HEATHER GUDENKAUF is a cleverly layered, compelling, dark, and suspenseful psychological thriller that meanders and holds you tight in its grasp without you even realizing it. This definitely sets the tone for an immersive and unputdownable read.

What I absolutely love about HEATHER GUDENKAUF’S storytelling is that she hooks you in almost immediately and then the story makes its way under your skin as the story progresses. I find this so intriguing and keeps the suspense high for me. Then when you hit the ending it is so unexpected that it leaves you feeling exhilarated in the end.

There is a character in this book that is so creepy and disturbing but definitely ups the creep factor to the storyline.

There is a reason why I love this author so much….she keeps knocking out fabulous psychological thrillers that have a natural ability to get right under your skin, that’s why! Read this book!!

Lindsay’s review

Maggie is seven months pregnant and easing off her heavy workload as one of the two detectives in her small town. She reluctantly takes on desk duty and is assigned the cold case of a local young girls’ murder that devastated the town over twenty years ago. This case is close to Maggie as the victim, Eve, was her fifteen year old best friend and neighbour. Digging into the past brings up old memories while new clues surface.

This was entertaining and fast paced, each chapter leaving a little cliff hanger of curiosity. The characters and mystery were interesting and unique. I loved the small town atmosphere.

Even though this was a quick and action filled journey, I never felt fully invested or engaged. There were several questionable plot points and too much drama for my liking. Though there was an air of suspense created in the prologue, it didn’t carry forward or pull me deep into the story. I enjoyed this for being an entertaining, quick, surface level story that was an easy read during quarantine.

Author Bio: Heather Gudenkauf is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of many books, including The Weight of Silence and These Things Hidden. Heather graduated from the University of Iowa with a degree in elementary education, has spent her career working with students of all ages. She lives in Iowa with her husband, three children, and a very spoiled German Shorthaired Pointer named Lolo. In her free time, Heather enjoys spending time with her family, reading, hiking, and running.

Publication Date: May 12, 2020

Publisher: Park Row Books

Buy Links:  Harlequin  Barnes & Noble Amazon Books-A-Million Powell’s

Social Links:

Author Website

Twitter: @hgudenkauf

Instagram: @heathergudenkauf

Facebook: @HeatherGudenkaufAuthor

Goodreads

Thank you to Park Row Books, for inviting us to be a part of this exciting Blog Tour and for our copies on NetGalley and EW.