The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark

 

Investigative journalist Kat is surprised when Meg Williams returns to town after ten years. Kat is convinced that Meg is a con artist and the person responsible for a shocking event in her past, an event that has affected the rest of her life. Kat is now determined to get close to Meg so that she can find out what she is up to and reveal to the world who she is.

The opening chapter, set in current times, gives an air of mystery. Who is Meg Williams? Why has she returned to her childhood home? What is she planning to do? The story then jumps back ten years. At this point in the novel I was a little sceptical that the story was going to hold my interest. I'm so glad I persevered as I was totally gripped by the end.

Initially Meg is the more interesting of the two main characters. As a result of circumstance she becomes a con artist, it's a means of surviving. As the story progresses you then start to wonder if the "cons" are for survival, greed or a means of seeking revenge. Kat comes across as simply somone trying to do her job as a journalist. She's desperate to make her mark and tries to strike out on her own, this has horrifying consequences.

As the story then moves to our current time frame Kat tries to befriend Meg. Kat blames Meg for what happened to her and wants to uncover the truth so that she can finally publish the big exclusive story she feels she deserves. In trying to get closer to Meg Kat has to develop her own "con" and it's at this point you realise that con artist and journalist are the same - deceiving people to get what they want. You begin to question if Kat's methods are entirely ethical, particularly as you discover more about Meg and her reasoning.

Social media and the internet play a big role in the con. Living our lives online, sharing details of our day to day existence and those silly quizzes that ask for your "drag queen" name (your first pet's name and the street you lived on as a child). This story explains terrifyingly well how someone could trawl through all that information and use it very effectively to get closer to you.

As the conclusion draws near you feel Kat's rising sense of panic, she doesn't know who she can trust, and you begin to root for Meg as she points out that lies can be useful in "tipping karma in the right direction". I was actually sad when I finished the book. Whilst Kat's story reached a natural conclusion I feel sure Meg has lots more to offer.

The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark will be published in hardback, ebook and audio format on 2nd June 2022. My thanks to NetGally and Hodder & Stoughton for a review copy.