Lies Never Die (The Lies #2) by Mark Hurst
Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense
Read: 1st May 2024
Published: 2nd December 2023
★★★★ 4 stars
DESCRIPTION:
In the sequel to ‘The Lies’, Samantha and Blade continue playing the game of truth versus lie, reality against perception.
Dame Samantha Walsh, now a world icon, a person of respect, wealth and charity, flawless and untouchable in equal measure, continues to grow her empire on her terms. Her enormous wealth and reach bring about power and control never before contemplated, opening up new interests and outcomes for her, both inside and outside legal and moral boundaries.
Blade, recently released from prison, needing to re-integrate with society, has his path to follow to find the truth. He needs work, he needs income, and what better way to fund finding the truth than by taking paid work doing what he is good at, what he was trained to do?
The race is on to find out the truth of what happened to their loved ones. Who will find out first, who will win?
Fast paced and gripping, ‘Lies Never Die’ is the sequel to the bestselling debut book ‘The Lies’ from crime and psychological thriller author Mark Hurst.
MY THOUGHTS:
Truth versus lie...reality versus perception...
Having thoroughly enjoyed "The Lies" I was eager to dive into this sequel although it is a little more far fetched. It's still enjoyable and fast paced But I felt it lacked something the first one had...though I can't quite put my finger on it. Having said that, I did devour this book in one sitting and the climax was explosive!
Samantha is just as unlikeable as ever but this time round we follow a new predator in Blade as he seeks the truth about what happened to his friend David. As usual, this tale sweeps around the globe at lightning speed following Samantha and her various engagements. She has since been given the title of "Dame" but she is as manipulative and as brutal as ever. Nothing gets past her though I wish for once it would.
We spend a good deal of time in Australia once again, journeying from Cairns in far north Queensland to Darwin in the Northern Territory before jetsetting back to the UK once again.
There isn't a lot I can say about the plot without giving anything away and I think it is best experienced first hand. And while it suffices as a standalone I do recommend reading "The Lies" first to fully appreciate what is at play here.
My favourite scene would have to be the stand-off at Stirling Castle, as the players left standing wonder who to trust. And while the ending is a little loosely tied up, I think it wrapped things up nicely albeit ambiguously, though it is still clear who ended up with the upper hand. Nicely played and I think is best left there.
An enjoyable fast paced psychological thriller by newcomer Mark Hurst, father to prolific psychological thriller writer Daniel. But don't be fooled into thinking "like father, like son". Their writing styles are completely different.
MEET THE AUTHOR:
He entered construction at the age of 18 and has been involved with hundreds of large civil engineering projects for the last 40 years as a Civil Engineer and Surveyor, Estimator and Commercial Director, working in various far flung locations such as Hong Kong, Scandinavia and Wigan.
Mark has a passion for reading legal, crime and psychological thrillers; he often claims he can predict the end to a story … and when he gets it wrong, he’s pleasantly surprised. He also enjoys first hand accounts of military and espionage events and when he’s not reading and writing, he can be found watching the History Channel.
Married with two grown children and four grandchildren, his son Daniel convinced him it was time to start committing some of his own stories to print … and there are a few. Drawing on his own life experiences, Mark weaves them into his stories but with a twist … it all could have happened.
Why Wooded Hill Books?
The origin of the surname Hurst – ancient Anglo-Saxon topographic name for someone who lived near a wooded hill or thicket.
Social media links:
No comments:
Post a Comment