Thriller mysteries are fantastic reads. The incredible feeling of the unknown and the shock that comes with it fills me with ecstasy. It creates the feeling of high-stakes adventure in your veins. I get so immersed in a thriller that I forget the world around me exists. I love how powerful this genre is. I particularly love reading Frieda McFadden’s books. I have read about 10 of her books, and though I have contradictory opinions about them, I can confidently say “Never Lie” is my favorite McFadden read.
“Never Lie” is a psychological thriller, my favorite kind of thriller, because it’s crazy. It’s about a newlywed couple who are trapped in a snowbound mansion with a dark, creepy, and very suspicious past. Tricia and Ethan search the mansion and find cassette tapes recorded by the famous psychiatrist and owner of the manor, Dr. Hale, who mysteriously disappeared. What I personally like about McFadden’s books is the multiple POV’s. In this case, the POV switches between past and present. It forces you to make connections. I felt like a detective with a broken magnifying glass. I didn’t crack the case; however, I tried. And that’s what I loved about it. I made assumptions, predictions, created scenarios and thought outside the box. I felt like a scientist and a playwright. All it did was keep me guessing. If you love to be mentally thrown around for entertainment, this book is for you.
Don’t worry about being bored; this is a page-turner. I mean, who does not like a good book about a missing psychiatrist? Take a guess: what happened to her? Consider her career, the people around her, where she works and how she works. Aren’t you curious? That’s how I felt reading this book. I felt like I had to rush to the end. I had a fix to finish a page, a chapter, the whole book. Curiosity is one of the main things a book needs to catch an audience and keep hold of them. Readers, how long does it take for you to put down a book? For me, if I can’t get past the first page, it’s back on the shelf. I’m picky like that. If this sounds like you, then this book is for you.
Let’s talk plot twist. If you’ve never read a Freida McFadden book, know that they all have a plot twist. Some are crazier than others, but this book shook me. It made me do the famous blank stare into the wall, wondering how we got here. She has a creative way to keep it from being obvious, and I appreciate that. I’m usually right when I guess what’s going to happen in a movie. I’m usually right when I guess what’s going to happen while watching a show. I guessed my surprise birthday party, and I’m usually right. I am hard to surprise. And I mean that in the most “I am not arrogant” way. But “Never Lie” was well written. It creates questions without giving answers. McFadden did a wonderful job misleading the audience into a completely different direction. If you are hard to surprise, this book is for you.
Overall, Freida McFadden has become my favorite thriller author, with “Never Lie” taking the top spot. It’s a guessing game, a question game, a psychological game and overall, a real shock. It is a great creative piece, and you will get stuck in it by the prologue. Read it a second time, and you will find connections you didn’t see before. It’s mysterious, and it will force you to trust no one. I will admit, the end feels like a random fire just started, but it’s a scorching heat worth enduring. It’s a one-sit read that will have you wishing you never finished. I recommend McFadden in general; however, for your next read, “Never Lie” is worth it.