Title: Let Her Lie by Bryan Reardon
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery, Suspense
Length: 288 pages
Book Rating: B
Complimentary Review Copy Provided by Publisher Through NetGalley
Summary:
In New York Times bestselling author Bryan Reardon’s captivating thriller, a dejected filmmaker lets his curiosity get the best of him and plunges into a web of depravity and danger from which there might be no escape.
Theo Snyder is at the end of his rope. One minute he was on top of the world, his documentary film The Basement a massive critical and commercial hit, the next crestfallen when his latest film was canceled after an embarrassingly public misstep. As his desperation grows, he makes a bold decision: to pursue the story of the notorious “Halo Killer,” Jasper Ross-Johnson. But delving into the life and mind of a serial killer could prove more deadly than Theo ever could have imagined.
At first, things are looking up. Jasper is willing to talk, the footage of the jailhouse meetings is spectacular, and famed investigator Zora Neale Monroe joins him on the project. Theo is sure he’s getting close to something no one else has discovered: the truth about why Jasper was captured before he could kill his final victim. Someone else was on the beach that day, someone who knows a lot more than they’re telling and just might know how it all happened. The truth could lead to more killing–unless Theo can uncover the real ending to the story of the Halo Killer first.
Review:
Let Her Lie by Bryan Reardon is a riveting mystery about a documentary film maker’s latest project.
Theo Snyder quickly fell from grace following the huge success of his first true crime documentary. While working on his second project, he made a terrible mistake that makes him persona non grata for most people in the industry. Hoping a change of scenery will help repair his reputation, Theo relocates to New York where he cannot resist beginning a new documentary about serial killer Jasper Ross-Johnson. He is pleasantly surprised when investigator Zora Monroe agrees to work with him. Jasper is fully co-operative so Theo begins his latest film by interviewing the convicted killer in prison. Theo soon has many questions but will he find the answers he is searching for?
Theo is obsessive and single-minded as he goes back to Jasper’s first victim in hopes of learning new information. He is soon not sleeping as he desperately goes back over notes and comes up with various theories. Theo then uncovers stunning new information about Jasper’s childhood. Did these events set the stage for him to turn into a serial killer?
As the situation becomes unexpectedly dangerous, Theo dreams up wild theories that Zora does not agree with. No matter who tries to get him to back off and stop inserting himself in the story, he frantically veers from place to place in hopes of uncovering the truth about Jasper, his victims and an abandoned baby who is now an adult. His actions culminate in an absolutely stunning confrontation with an ending even Theo could not predict. He initially believes he has all the details he needs to finish his documentary, but Theo cannot quiet his nagging doubts there is more to the story. Will he uncover the proof to support his newest supposition?
Let Her Lie is a mesmerizing mystery with a clever storyline. Theo is an interesting character who becomes increasingly unreliable. The plot is gripping and takes many unanticipated twists and turns. With stunning plot twists, Bryan Reardon brings this mystery to an ambiguous conclusion. An overall enjoyable read, but the ending is somewhat frustrating.
