#Review #NetGalley #TruthTruthLie

Everyone here has killed someone.

There is no way off this island.

You will all either kill or be killed here.

One of these statements is a lie. But which one?

Amira’s less than thrilled to be spending the weekend with her husband’s university friends. Two of them are hosting a joint fortieth on a private Scottish island, with vintage champagne, expensive gifts, and soaks in the wood-fired hot tub. Despite the luxury, Amira knows she’s going to feel left out, not to mention freezing cold and cut off.

When they decide to play ‘two truths and a lie’, anonymously posting three statements about themselves into a box, years of resentment start bubbling to the surface. And then an extra slip of paper emerges, scrawled with three chilling threats. Who wrote it? And are two of the statements really true—have they all been responsible for someone’s death?

With no phone reception and no way off the island, the group are trapped here until the end of the weekend. And as tension rises and secrets are spilled, they can’t shake the feeling that they’re not the only ones here. Is someone watching them? Someone who wants them dead? Or is it one of them who has murder in mind?

Buy It Here!

My Review

Shamefully my first book by this author, despite her having written so many! A group of family and friends head off to a remote Scottish island for a weekend break. When playing an evening game of Truth, Truth, Lie where three anonymous statements are written by each person and the others have to guess who wrote it and which is the lie, they find an extra slip of paper in amongst the others with three chilling statements on it – 1) Everyone here has killed someone, 2) There is no way off this island and 3) You will either kill or be killed here. The guests have no idea who wrote it and which one of the statements is a truth or a lie.

This was a great read which gripped my attention from the beginning. The group of people who are on the island are all family and friends who have known each other for years. Whilst there aren’t too many characters to deal with, it did take me a little time to remember who was who and who was with who! For me, none of the characters were particularly likeable, but I don’t think we were necessarily meant to like them. They all had their own secrets and the three statements written made them all start to look at themselves and their friends differently. I loved how their secrets slowly began to tumble out and by human nature, they all began to look out for number one and nobody seemed to trust each other!

It’s a dark, thrilling read and the atmosphere of the lonely cold island certainly gave me chills down my spine as I read. I didn’t have a clue who was behind it all and, like the characters in the book, I began to question every single person! The story is told from the perspectives of only a couple of the main characters and the local detective who has come onto the island after the weekend to investigate what has happened. You do get a few little snippets along the way from an unknown person, but all becomes clear who this is as the story moves on.

It was a really enjoyable read with a taste of a classic whodunnit theme. There are plenty of twists, turns and surprises to keep you hooked on the storyline throughout. Would definitely recommend!

The Author

Born in Northern Ireland, Claire published her first novel in 2012, and has followed it up with many others in the crime fiction genre and also in women’s fiction (writing as Eva Woods). Writing thrillers for Thomas & Mercer, she has sold over a million books and has had several number-one bestsellers. She ran the UK’s first MA in crime writing for five years, and regularly teaches and talks about writing. Her first non-fiction project, the true crime book The Vanishing Triangle, was released in 2021. She also writes scripts and has several original projects in development for TV, as well as having four radio dramas broadcast. Several of her novels are in development as television series. She lives in London and would love to hear from readers via her website (www.clairemcgowan.co.uk) or on Twitter (@inkstainsclaire), Instagram (@clairemcgowanwriter) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/ClaireMcGowanAuthor).