Kate Walker flees from the courtroom as her ex-husband, Darren, now a convicted felon is dragged off to prison promising to get even with her. His crime wasn’t immediately disclosed, but authorities wasted no time relocating Kate and her young son, Joe.
A determined woman and dedicated mother, Kate works hard to build a new life. A small Scottish pub not only brings Kate employment and a place to live, but its owner, Jack Bruce, becomes a surrogate father and grandfather to her and Joe.
Kate proves herself a savvy businesswoman and asset to Jack, and she goes from employee to partner. She looks forward to the future and the life she’s always wanted for her and Joe until she gives a stranger a ride on a rainy night.
The stranger turns out to be Ryan Albright, the man Kate had an affair with, a former close friend of Darren’s, and bad news.
While Kate’s first reaction to seeing him is anger and she knows she should avoid Ryan at all costs, she falls for his fake sincerity and lets him back into her life, clueless he’s playing her and the price she will pay for it.
I didn’t find Ryan to be charming or irresistible and was annoyed with how easily Kate dropped her guard. She went from a confident woman to soggy, wet dishrag when he showed up, weighing down the story’s pace… and my interest.
A troublemaker since his youth, Ryan Albright was not a criminal mastermind, or even clever. He took plans for crimes more as guidelines and always took the easy way which benefited him more. Even his family knew he couldn’t be trusted. And Jack’s growing unease around Ryan drives a wedge between him and Kate, who seems like a freshly lobotomized teenager as she defends Ryan.
The truth comes out when Ryan carries out his plan, but justice can’t be served until Kate admits to the lie she told which set everything in motion and brought her to her current situation.
For me, the story never rose to the thriller level. I felt more fear and hysteria from Kate in the opening when she rushed from the courtroom than when her child was missing. I also didn’t sense ruthlessness from Ryan, despite his crimes. Callousness, yes, but he never seemed dangerous to me.
But The Lie She Told is well written with a good plot and strong supporting characters like Jack Bruce and Fiona, Kate’s sister, who helped move the story forward to a satisfying ending.
Enjoy!
All Kate wanted was a peaceful life.
All Ryan wanted to do was destroy it.
Living in the remote Scottish Highlands under Witness Protection, life is finally happy for Kate Ward and her young son Joe, until someone from Kate’s past appears. Ryan Albright is the only person that knows all of Kate’s secrets, and what she had to do to escape her previous abusive relationship. Ryan is determined to complete the mission set for him by Kate’s ex-husband. Systematically and violently, he pulls Kate’s new world apart with devastating consequences for everyone around him, including Kate who must face up to the lie she told.
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