Good but not entirely believable

Sabine Durrant is a good writer and I enjoyed her previous two novels. In this one she introduces us to Paul, a shifty arrogant man with a selective memory and a lifestyle that relies on preying on the goodwill of others. He is unlikeable but I did feel sympathy for the fact he is so delusional about his looks and popularity and that at the age of 42 he is forced to return home to live with his mother with only a few bin bags of possessions to show for his life. It was also a nice touch to make him an animal lover and so not entirely devoid of humanity.
The scenes set in Greece are tense and oppressive and the characters in this story all have an intriguingly sinister edge. You just know something is going to go horribly wrong and the suspense is maintained until the end. What lets this down for me is the preposterous nature of the plot. I felt it relied far too heavily on the victim of the story doing everything exactly to plan for the ultimate outcome to be a success. For me this over precise engineering was simply not believable but I admit it was an enjoyable ride and it would make a good TV show. I also think that it is entirely appropriate that one of the characters runs a shop called ‘Ripping Yarns’.
I thought Kirk Bage sounded about ten years older that Paul's character, but that is a minor grumble and overall he did a very good job.

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4 people found this helpful

Terrific slow burner

What did you like most about Lie with Me?

I enjoyed this story. It was dark and featured a truly reprehensible protagonist. The story was interesting even without the big reveal. The characters were well-drawn and compelling.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Paul Morris - deliciously hateful.

Which scene did you most enjoy?

Paul being caught out!

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Not really, but I was keen to get back to it.

Any additional comments?

The ending was a little underwhelming, I think it could have featured more drama, one final twist, but the story was engrossing enough to make up for it.

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2 people found this helpful

Mixed opinions

The reason I didn't like this book is because it made me feel slightly creeped out at the pervy-ness within the story line and I felt it was fairly slow moving.

But I did like that it kept me intrigued as to what happens next.

Overall I felt like this book was OK but not amazing like other books I've listened to!

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In a league of it's own.

The writing is so evocative, could just see and feel myself there. Great plot, believable characters. The narrator was excellent also.

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Clever, clever

A far better book then the blurb led me to believe. I’d had it in my ‘library ‘ for a while but it just wasn’t grabbing me. Then I started listening to it & was hooked. The narrator was perfect. He sounded just like I thought Paul would sound. He was mesmerising as the egotistical sponger. I had many ideas of who did what, what had happed to poor Jasmine, but have to say I did not see the end coming.
I highly recommend it

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kept me guessing throughout.

This book was better than I thought it would be. Kept me guessing and I certainly didn't guess the actual ending. Well worth reading .

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Love this narrator, makes a good story great.

Great story and outstanding narration which brings it to life. Loved it. More like this please.

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A Masterpiece

This is the best novel I have listened to in years, an absolute masterpiece. I have been a nightmare to live with for the past two days as it is such compulsive listening. Incredible writing, story and character. Sublime narration. I didn’t want it to end!

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Fabulous!!

Really really enjoyed this one! The details and premise where so believable. I loved the fact that you didn't find out what the twist was until the very end, and I didn't see it coming. I've just finished another of Sabine's books, "remember me this way" so if you like this, try that one too. Highly recommend this book, if you want an easy listen with great suspense and twists! Brilliant!

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3 people found this helpful

Fun holiday read

I absolutely loved this book! It was written really well. A fun holiday read with a bit of mystery and a nice study of the male gaze.

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