Hey!

This week I read Where her Secrets Lie by Katie Tallo.

And no one in it turns out to be who they seem.

Characters who are hiding who they really are is one of my favorite things in a thriller.

Here are the ones that did it best.

No One Is Who They Seem Thrillers

Unmissing by Minka Kent

After nine years held captive, a woman finally escapes, only to come home and find her husband has built a whole new family with someone else. In Unmissing by Minka Kent, we follow her as she tries to reclaim a life that has moved on without her, and it slowly becomes clear that not everyone's story adds up.

The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Millie takes a live-in job with the wealthy Winchester family, grateful for a fresh start and the little room in their attic. In The Housemaid by Freida McFadden, we follow Millie as it becomes clear that neither she nor the woman she works for is anywhere close to who they first appear.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

Alicia Berenson shoots her husband five times in the face and then never speaks another word. In The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, we follow the psychotherapist determined to make her talk, convinced the truth of that night is nothing like it appears.

And the newest addition to the list:

Where Her Secrets Lie by Katie Tallo

Eleanor "Lenny" Bird is a reclusive, hard-drinking, kickboxing grandmother in her seventies. Not the sort of woman anyone expects to go to war. But when a ruthless local crime boss puts her family in the crosshairs, Lenny has to confront the darkest parts of her own past to protect the people she loves.

Where Her Secrets Lie by Katie Tallo is a psychological thriller with a heavy streak of organized-crime drama, set in the underbelly of Ottawa.

The cover and the title had me expecting a domestic thriller, and this really isn't one. The story centers around a local kingpin and his family ties. I adjusted my expectations and went along for the ride.

Tallo's writing is invisible and natural.

We follow Lenny in the present, with a second, unnamed point of view unspooling in a past timeline. The two run in parallel and slowly move toward each other. It's a slow burn and the story takes its time layering the past and the present before things ramp up. It leans more thriller than mystery, though there's a mystery thread running through the past timeline that’s not resolved until the end.

Lenny is a proactive lead. A seventy-something, kickboxing, hard-drinking grandmother who goes looking for trouble rather than waiting for it, which makes her a lot of fun to follow. And underneath the crime plot, the story is really about family, second chances, and the fact that no one here is quite who they appear to be.
 
There is no real romance and no spice. There is a lot of swearing, though. But there is no graphic violence. The tone sits somewhere in the middle: not light, not bleak.

So, what about the ending? (No spoilers, obviously)

I enjoyed the ending. The two timelines come together and the payoff lands. The denouement was long, putting the mystery fully to rest and giving plenty of time with the characters after everything settles.
 
Where Her Secrets Lie by Katie Tallo is a slow-burn thriller with a genuinely fun lead. If you go in wanting organized-crime intrigue and a grandmother you would not want to cross you'll enjoy the ride.

Latest Updates

• You Know Why by J.T. Ellison came out August 25. A domestic thriller about identity, revenge, and buried secrets: a husband vanishes, and a stranger turns up who knows exactly why.

That’s all for this week. See you next time.

— D.E. Dunne

P.S. Let me know how I did today by replying to this email.

P.P.S. I would love to hear your recommendations for thrillers you loved. Reply to this email, and I’ll add them to my TBR list. Thanks!