"Truth Truth Lie" by Claire McGowan

 

"Truth Truth Lie" by Claire McGowan centers around a group of university friends who go to a Scottish private island to celebrate the fortieth birthdays of two of their friends, the twins Vicky and Jonathan. I love the vacation-gone-wrong trope, so the premise caught my eye. The book had me poring over the pages from start to finish.

Amira and her husband Paddy are invited to the party along with their friends, more accurately, Paddy's friends. Amira always felt like an outsider and wasn't really accepted by the group. Among the group are Vicky, her husband Daniel, and their five-year-old twins, Fiona (Vicky's best friend and Jonathan's ex), 15-year-old Darcy (their daughter), Jonathan's new girlfriend Rachel, a media influencer, and last but not least, Louise.

On the island, they decide to play the game ‘Two Truths and a Lie’. Each has to anonymously post three statements, two truths and one false, and they need to discern which is the lie and who wrote the note. The plot thickens when an extra note appears, stating: "Everyone here has killed someone. There is no way off this island. You will all either kill or be killed here." An innocent parlor game then turns deadly when secrets are revealed, and one of them turns up dead. It is just the beginning. With no Wi-Fi reception or a reliable boat, they are trapped on the island until the end of the weekend and have to figure out what's going on fast.

The book is written in the third person, each chapter focusing on a different character. The chapters alternate between the main characters and some other characters. The book has strong vibes of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None," a book that I loved. The premise isn't original; this trope has been done many times, but I enjoyed it.

Each one of the group has some dark secret in his past and a motive to kill. The characters were well-etched, but I didn't like any of them. I didn't figure out who the guilty party was. They did sound self-righteous. I thought they were hypocrites, as they weren't faultless either. It was interesting to note how quickly the group turned on each other once things got out of hand.

I loved the setting, the atmosphere, and the simmering tension in the air. The end of the story was intense, and I liked how the author wrapped up all the loose ends. As the secrets are revealed, the reader is left wondering who will make it out alive. I did feel it was a bit too much that each of the characters had some ties, directly or indirectly, to death.

Good plotting, judiciously dropped clues, and twists make this a thrilling and suspenseful novel that will keep you on the edge of your seat. As the book did spark my interest, I rate the book 4 out of 5 stars and recommend it to those who enjoy the locked room trope or just a good book with a distinctive setting.

* Thank you NetGalley and (publisher) for the opportunity to read this arc.  All opinions are my own. 

* For more info about the book: "Truth Truth Lie" by Claire McGowan