Review: Believe Me by JP Delaney

Title: Believe Me by JP Delaney
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 352 pages
Book Rating: B+

Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley

Summary:

In this twisty psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before, an actress plays both sides of a murder investigation.

A struggling actor, a Brit in America without a green card, Claire needs work and money to survive. Then she gets both. But nothing like she expected.

Claire agrees to become a decoy for a firm of divorce lawyers. Hired to entrap straying husbands, she must catch them on tape with their seductive propositions.

The rules? Never hit on the mark directly. Make it clear you’re available, but he has to proposition you, not the other way around. The firm is after evidence, not coercion. The innocent have nothing to hide.

Then the game changes.

When the wife of one of Claire’s targets is violently murdered, the cops are sure the husband is to blame. Desperate to catch him before he kills again, they enlist Claire to lure him into a confession.

Claire can do this. She’s brilliant at assuming a voice and an identity. For a woman who’s mastered the art of manipulation, how difficult could it be to tempt a killer into a trap?

But who is the decoy . . . and who is the prey?

Review:

Believe Me by JP Delaney is a fast-paced, riveting murder mystery that is full of shocking twists and turns.

Claire Wright is a British citizen studying acting in the US but without a green card, her employment options are limited. Employed by a local lawyer, she works as bait to try to get evidence for wives who believe their husbands are cheating on them. Current client Stella Fogler is hoping Claire will find evidence against her husband, Patrick. Claire is rather intrigued by the college professor who is obsessed with poet Baudelaire, but to her dismay, he rebuffs her advances.  Claire eventually ends up the midst of a murder investigation when Detective Frank Durban and forensic psychologist Kathryn Latham use her immigration status against her. How far will Claire go to catch a sadistic murderer?

Claire is an exceptionally talented actress who brings plenty of baggage across the pond to study her craft in New York. Growing up in foster care, she craves love and acceptance and she tries to find it through her career and meaningless one night stands. Claire has a habit of viewing her life as a stage production and readers might have a bit of difficulty connecting with the story when this narration style is utilized.

Claire is fascinated by Detective Durban’s and Dr. Latham’s proposition to use her to catch a suspected serial killer. She completely immerses herself in her new “role” and she approaches the investigation with a no holds barred attitude. Claire wavers back and forth on whether the target is guilty or innocent of the crimes and she is willing to take whatever risks are needed to see the investigation through to the end.

Believe Me is an unusual yet creative mystery that is quite suspenseful.  Claire is a somewhat unreliable narrator who does not let scruples  prevent her from doing whatever necessary for her survival. The premise is intriguing but unrealistic and readers will have to suspend disbelief as the story continues to unfold. However, JP Delaney makes it worthwhile with the stunning plot twists and revelations that are revealed as this captivating mystery comes to a completely unanticipated conclusion.