The Lie by C L Taylor

A psychological thriller based on toxic friendship.  The story alternates between the present day and five years ago, but the timeline switching is easy to follow.  It is told from Jane’s point of view as she tries to erase her past and, in particular a life changing event that happened five years ago when she and a group of friends went on holiday to a commune in Nepal.  Their holiday of a lifetime quickly turned into a nightmare.  Since then, Jane has assumed a new identity and made a new life for herself in rural Wales working at an animal sanctuary.  She has recently embarked on a new relationship and life is looking good until she receives a letter with one sentence saying “I know your name’s not really Jane Hughes,” and it looks as if her past is about to catch up with her.   I was hooked from the first page.  The ending I found a bit predictable and the plot a little unbelievable at times.   C L Taylor has a real gift for creating unreliable characters.  An entertaining, easy to read page turner.   

The Accident by C L Taylor

I always enjoy a psychological thriller and this was no exception.  Sue Jackson’s fifteen year old daughter, Charlotte, is in a coma.  She has been knocked down by a bus.  Everyone believes it was an accident, except Sue who has read an entry in her daughter’s diary that makes her think otherwise.  Sue’s husband Brian is increasingly worried about his wife’s paranoia and tries to convince Sue that what happened to Charlotte was an accident.  Sue grows increasingly suspicious of those around her, including Brian and Charlotte’s friends.  In trying to find out what really happened to Charlotte Sue is forced to confront the secrets of her own past and the abusive relationship she was involved in twenty years ago.  The chapters alternate between the present day and Sue’s past, which is written in diary form.  It was a gripping read and I can’t wait to read the author’s next novel due out in April.