In this gripping psychological thriller, a spinoff to Right Across the Bay, the discovery of unimaginable family secrets leads to chilling signs of a serial killer�
After failing to solve the most complex homicides of her career, Detective Josephine Kelly retreats to her hometown in Iowa to tend to her ailing father. However, upon her arrival, she soon discovers that her childhood was even less idyllic than she remembers. In fact, her past was riddled with unthinkable violence, and someone seems intent on erasing it.
As Josephine becomes more immersed in her old memories and familiar faces, she will realize not everything she knew as a little girl was as it seemed. Murder and mayhem defined her in a way she’ll struggle to understand. Desperate for answers, she confides in her adolescent crush, and together they attempt to make sense of the puzzling facts.
Despite the risks, Josephine is determined to uncover the truth. With time, she'll slowly unravel the dangerously twisted secrets everyone she trusted attempted to bury. By the time she grasps the profound truth, it may be too late to save herself.
With nearly 50 captivating titles spanning various genres, Quinn Avery honed her talent for crafting intricate puzzles through her smart and quirky Bexley Squires mystery series. Her contemporary suspense thrillers, often set in her beloved locales such as Mankato and Lake Shetek, are nothing short of addictive, leaving readers spellbound with their mind-spinning twists. When Quinn and her husband aren't off on adventures (often with their adult children), they enjoy the tranquility of their Minnesota acreage and lake home.
Quinn also writes romantic suspense as Jennifer Ann and children's picture books as Jennifer Naumann.
This story is a fast-paced, gripping thrill of a read that hooks you from the prologue. Josephine is a character you’ll find yourself rooting for. The plot is both intriguing and suspenseful, keeping you guessing the entire way through.
Feeling stuck in her job after failing to solve a complex homicide, Josephine returns to her hometown to care for her ailing father. But what awaits her there is a past that doesn’t align with her own memories of her childhood. Now she has another mystery to solve. But will the two intersect somehow?
This story is told in alternating timelines. The main character for the present is mostly Josephine, but also Marianna. The before is a mix of characters Rocco, Marianna, Josephine, Carolyn, and Diane.
While the chapters were a little longer than I like, I enjoyed this book. There’s a few twists and turns and of course the mother of all secrets is about to be discovered. The story keeps you on edge.
The writing is clear and memorable, making it a book you won’t want to put down. Sometimes, coming home isn’t exactly the relaxing and joyous time you thought it’d be.
This was a non stop suspenseful read, filled with twists & turns throughout, leaving Jo, the main character confronting the traumas of her past connected to years of family secrets. It was quite crazy, you never know what secrets or lies may be within. Rocco was a solid support throughout to Jo and provided a hint of romance in the story between him and Jo to lighten the read at moments.
Y’all I was not prepared for this wild story. I was immediately hooked and then couldn’t put it down. The way I was immediately suspicious had me invested. But the way that the other characters were too, and just couldn’t prove anything had me hooked. The characters weren’t overlooking the red flags, they just couldn’t connect the dots with the red string because they didn’t have all the dots. That was a big metaphor, but y’all get what I’m saying, right? lol.
Jo is back in the hometown she couldn’t wait to leave behind. She made a mistake as a detective and needed to take some time off. Her dad had a a really bad reaction during a procedure and she might as well go check on him. Only she is given a Polaroid with a message from her dad on the back saying I’m sorry. When she starts digging, she realizes that she might have been kidnapped when she was little. But that wasn’t the worst that had happened.
Thank you to Love Books Tours for the copy, all thoughts are my own.
Oh my gosh wow. What a rollercoaster of a book! This is listed as a spin off of Right Across The Bay, which I read and reviewed right back in February, and, being totally honest, if I hadn't I read the blurb for that and realised they both feature Detective Josephine Kelly, I wouldn't have known they were linked. That's not a bad thing by any means, it just shows that these books can be read as standalones, or a series.
As I started reading, I was getting strong "My Sweet Audrina" vibes, so I thought I knew what was happening, which totally threw me for a while as the story is not the same! I did get slightly confused about who was who, and who was married to/sleeping with who at times, but all became clear in the end.
This was a twisty and gripping thriller that I just could not put down. My idea of who the killer was flip-flopped constantly, but I never once suspected the actual perpetrator.
I have read a couple of Quinn Avery's books and each one has been good reads and this one was no different! It was quite an adventure following Josephine on her journey for the truth! You can't help but be suspicious of everything and everyone and you can't help but read as fast as you can to see what will happen next and how everything will finally come together! Definitely a good read for the spooky season! Thank you Love Book Tours and Quinn Avery for sharing this book with me!
Their Little Lies by Quinn Avery. I really did enjoy this book. I did like the cover and blurb of this book. This is the second book by this author I've read. I did like Jo and Rocco. This was a gripping and twisty read. I couldn't put it down. I thought my theory was right about what happened, but boy, was I wrong. Twist after twist. I did like the ending. I would definitely recommend this book.
Here is my review for Their Little Lies by Quinn Avery
This is quite an intriguing read with Detective Josephine Kelly trying to uncover what happened in her past as a child. She enlists the help of her teenage crush Rocco, who lived next door to them and spent a lot of time with her. Her father left her a polaroid photo of two young girls, one with blonde hair and one with brunette hair but Josephine knew she didn’t have a birthmark when she grew up. Who was that girl? Rocco offers to help her as much as she wants him to. Then when she is visiting her father, he receives a telephone call that is supposedly from his father, making the guy in his nineties. She takes his address and asks if she can visit him to get more information about her early years as she doesn’t think her dad can tell her anything. This is a great story with some terrific twists and turns in it. It is told in diary format and goes back and forth in time. Both features I like. It makes for easy reading and it makes this book a quick read. It has been well thought out beforehand and the story is extremely well written. I like the main characters as they work well together to try and piece together Josephine’’s early life which isn’t that easy. Their teenage crush is still strong between them, have they ever stopped loving each other? I haven’t read this author before but after this book I will read more of their work.
Blurb :
In this gripping psychological thriller, a spinoff to Right Across the Bay, the discovery of unimaginable family secrets leads to chilling signs of a serial killer�
After failing to solve the most complex homicides of her career, Detective Josephine Kelly retreats to her hometown in Iowa to tend to her ailing father. However, upon her arrival, she soon discovers that her childhood was even less idyllic than she remembers. In fact, her past was riddled with unthinkable violence, and someone seems intent on erasing it. As Josephine becomes more immersed in her old memories and familiar faces, she will realize not everything she knew as a little girl was as it seemed. Murder and mayhem defined her in a way she’ll struggle to understand. Desperate for answers, she confides in her adolescent crush, and together they attempt to make sense of the puzzling facts. Despite the risks, Josephine is determined to uncover the truth. With time, she'll slowly unravel the dangerously twisted secrets everyone she trusted attempted to bury. By the time she grasps the profound truth, it may be too late to save herself.
I usually let the quotes I pick out from a book speak for themselves. It's almost always hard - sometimes because there are way too many I loved, and sometimes because while the book was amazing, the words didn't necessarily stand out to me. This time, as I was looking back, I had to go back and make sure I read the genre right. I was pretty sure the book was a thriller. It certainly *felt* like a thriller when I was reading it. It was action-packed from start to finish, though it might have slowed down a little in some of the flashbacks. But even then, it slowed down in that distinctly ominous way that thriller and horror movies do, where you know that it's just telling you something that's going to turn out to be really creepy or sinister later.
But, if you look at the quotes I picked out, they read like romance. And, maybe the reason I like thrillers so much is that, like cozies, they frequently have a romance tucked within the pages. The grizzled detective is learning to love again or starting to see they ARE worth loving, actually. As far as I could find, this is the first novel with Det. Josephine Kelley and I really enjoyed it. It's listed on the author's website as a standalone, and it is written in a way that it very well could remain one. But it does leave itself open for future books. And I enjoyed Jo and her charming leading man and would love to see them again.
This first case was deeply personal for Jo and her new/old beau Rocco, and it was full of surprising turns that I did not expect.
If you love a good thriller, especially with domestic leanings, you will love this one. However, this features several major triggers, especially surrounding the harm to children. So, be sure to check in with yourself before reading. If you can handle those, this is a great, fast-paced read with some surprising twists and turns.
Content Warnings: Child Abuse and Neglect, Child and Parent Death, Serial Unaliving, Attempted Self-Unaliving, Domestic Abuse, S3xual Assault/Abuse, PTSD, S3xual Shaming, Betrayal, Adult Situations and Language
✨✨✨✨✨✨ This book was one I couldn’t put down until I finished! There was so much suspense and needing to know the answers. The amount of lies and twists through out this book definitely had my mind working and just speechless at points. Josephine lived a childhood of trauma and with a Polaroid and journal all the family secrets are about to be revealed. My heart felt for her. This book definitely made me question all characters and making me feel like everyone was guilty. Overall I really enjoyed this one and definitely recommend!
📚📚📚 If you like to read: - Not what you expect - The truth always comes out - Thrillers - Quick read - Suspense � You should definitely check this out
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Thank you so much for sending me a copy for an honest review in my own words. #AD
This book takes place shortly after Right Across the Bay, which did have a very interesting twist, where Detective Josephine Kelly returns to her hometown to handle her sick dad's affairs. When she returns, she bumps into her old boyfriend Rocco, who is more than willing to get back together with Josephine. She just wants to get done with what she needs to do and return back to her new home at Lake Shetek. But life loves to throw her curveballs. Josephine never had a good relationship with her parents. Her mom died a long time ago and her dad is not getting better, but growing up, they never really made her feel wanted. Her dad left her a picture of her and another girl with the words "I'm Sorry" written on the back. Why was he sorry, and who was the other girl? She wants answers, but there is no way to get anything from her dad who is catatonic at this point. While visiting her dad, she takes an unexpected phone call from the grandpa she never knew she had (why were her parents keeping the world away from her), and is determined to meet her grandpa to get some answers. With Rocco in tow, she travels to find out what her past means. She was not expecting the answers she got, and how it's connected to possible murder and so much more. This was a book I could not stop reading. So many interesting twists and turns, with a few shocks. If this is going to be a series about Josephine, I can't wait to see what comes out next.
Wow! This was a twisty story full of family secrets and I really enjoyed it! Told in past and present timelines from multiple points of view this book kept me on my toes. As each character revealed what happened the more twisted the story became. Josephine is back in the town she grew up in because of her father’s illness. What she doesn’t expect is the boy next door, Rocco, to be back and to give her an envelope from her father. The information in the envelope has her questioning everything in her life and being around Rocco sparks feelings she thought she was over. Josephine with the help of Rocco set out to solve the mystery from the envelope but with every question they ask the more dangerous it becomes. Will they figure it out before it is too late? The characters and the story wee engaging and made the book a quick and enjoyable read. Quinn Avery has been added to my list of must read authors. I recommend this for thriller readers.
Detective Josephine Kelly returns to her hometown of Ames, Iowa. Her reasons for leaving Ames are both numerous and ominous. When she gets there her former neighbor and boyfriend Rocco appears out of nowhere. After decades of being apart, Josephine finds Rocco a place of calm and familiarity if a time of trouble. Josephines childhood was shrouded in dark secrets and unsolved mysteries. She will not stop until she uncovers her truth. This domestic thriller has romance perfectly tucked into the pages. This is one of the few times when I am reading a thriller that I was getting emotional cheering on side love story! This is a quick read told between dual timelines and multiple POV’s. Don’t worry, its easy to keep up with and totally builds the kind of story that you do not want to stop reading. This psychological thriller is available on KU now. Add it! I would have highly recommended this even before I finished
Their Little Lies is an engaging psychological thriller. It is well written and very easy to read. The story pulled me in immediately and I wanted to keep reading to see how the story would unfold.
I sometimes find books in this genre to be repetitive but this one did a good job of foreshadowing the story without saying the same thing over and over.
I liked both main characters and definitely found myself rooting for their success. There was a little romance thrown in as well but it was not over pouring.
I do wish the author had delved a little more into the relationship the main character had with her parents and why that might have been. There is lots of rich material for discussion in this story.
Overall, I truly enjoyed this story and look forward to reading additional books by this author.
Their Little Lies is a psychological thriller that had me hooked from the first page. I read it in just three sittings, and I could have easily binged it in a day if not for other responsibilities!
This is a quick, engaging read with believable, multi-layered characters. Its fast-paced, immersive setting makes it easy to get lost in the story. The multiple POVs and dual timelines add layers of suspense and character depth, keeping you on edge the whole time. I loved the FMC, Jo, and the personal development she goes through in the book. I was initially worried about finishing it in time, but it turned out to be the perfect October read.
Their Little Lies was a suspenseful and twisty ride, and I can't wait to recommend it to my friends who love thrillers—especially those in their 'thriller era' like me!
This had an interesting premise as it follows a serial killer in a different way - by this I mean from the family secret element. This is something that has always interested me however I have been unable to find an author who can do this will. Now I have.
We follow Detective Josephine Kelly as she escapes back to her hometown after some disappointment in her career to become the carer for her father. However we soon learn alongside her that her life thus far has been not what she has thought. Quinn Avery has developed this character and the other in the novel with a sense of a tangled background which has been built up in other novels however I was able to grasp the character complexities from this book. I will definitely be looking into other works by this author and exploring them.
This is the next instalment of Quinn's amazing world!
First of all, the artwork is fantastic for the cover once again and is really atmospheric!
In this book, Detective Josephine Kelly is back where this time... she's solving the mystery of her past... and it's no plain sailing.
While part of the same 'universe', this is actually a spin-off, but you couldn't tell!
It was really great to see Josephine back and even more intriguing to learn more about her as we only saw her as the fantastic Dectective in Quinn's previous novel!
Quinn has a truly brilliant way of writing and keeps you on the edge of your seat from the moment you start reading!
Dark and very twisty, I loved this book, and I also Quinn is fast becoming one of my favourite psychological thriller authors!
When I found out this was a spinoff of Right Across the Bay by Quinn Avery, I jumped at the chance to review it as well. The cover is gorgeous & it’s no surprise that I was sucked right into the mystery. As a big fan of character driven stories, I feel Avery masterfully gives us a great example of one. Josephine is that strong FMC that faces her battles courageously and Rocco is the sweetest MMC that will be right by her side through it all. I just love that Jo and Roc get the second chance of “intertwining”� themselves to ultimately find out the truth. Overall, I really enjoyed this one and I’d recommend it to other psychological thriller lovers who enjoy stories told in multipovs and dual timelines.
Thank you @authorquinnavery @lovebookstoursfor my gifted copy for the tour.
Family secrets?! Hell yeah, I’m in. Such a great, twisted read. Josephine had a tumultuous childhood. Now the secrets are finally going to come out! The secrets absolutely didn’t go anywhere where I would have thought. It’s a great story that keeps you engaged and entertained the whole time. Always something you needed to keep reading to know what was next. Those pages just kept turning so easily. Nothing in this felt unnecessary or like it just didn’t belong. Avery does it again! I’m loving her books.
This is my second book by this author, and I think that it was better than the first. This was a quick read for me. I stayed up way to late because I needed to know what was going to happen next. This book was filled with twists and turns that I was not expecting. Jo is back in her hometown that she could not wait to leave. Jo discoverers family secrets that make her question everything about her childhood. This was a great psychology thriller full of thrills. Highly recommend!!
Quinn Avery’s latest book, Their Little Lies, is satisfying read. Josephine returns home to Ames, Iowa (great town!) to help her father and finds a photo her father left her with “I’m sorry� written on the back. This story unravels to revel secrets and makes Josephine question everything she knew about herself and her parents. It has flashbacks to when was a child which help add context to the story. I loved this secret filled story and did not see the end coming!
Avery does it again! This was such an intriguing thriller. The more that Josephine uncovered about her past the more fun it was to attempt to piece together the events that happened. The fact that her mom is dead and her dad is very sharply declining mentally definitely added another layer of things to do.
While it was cool to see how Rocco was by Jo's side from basically the moment they moved in next to him. I still didn't like their relationship dynamic, it felt kinda toxic to me.
From the very first page this book had me hooked. Such an explosive start. There are two timelines running along side each so its like you're getting two books in one. I noticed on my kindle progression bar that I was reading pretty quickly but at no point could I put it down. Absolutely incredible quick read that keeps you gripped with twists and turns, the perfect crime thriller.
Fast-paced and compelling, this mystery is perfect for those who like a mystery with a HEA. I actually wish it had been just a little longer to hold the suspense that extra bit.
Another 5⭐️book for Quinn Avery! So many twists and turns! I stayed up way to late to finish it! Quinn Avery is quickly becoming one of my favorite mystery/suspense authors!
This is the third book that I've read now by this author and I have to say that I am obsessed!
This is actually classed as a spin-off novel as we once again join Detective Josephine Kelly, who we met in Right Across The Bay, but in a slightly different environment. I do feel though that this storyline would work absolutely fine without having read the other book first.
After the events back in Minnesota, we see Keely return to her hometown in Iowa to care for her sick father and as she relives her childhood, she soon becomes aware that her memories of her youth, are hugely different to the reality of life back then.
I think Avery has such a way of creating a wonderful atmosphere and the perfect characters to completely immersed us right from the start. Having already connected with Kelly in the previous read, it was easy to jump back in and enjoy learning more about the character and their background.
Told in a diary form meant that the dual timeline was really easy to follow through and also helped me to organise the many characters. This format also always makes me race through the pages as I'm always chasing that extra chapter to find out what happened next.
I loved the relationship that Kelly had with Rocco. It was nice to see this different side to Kelly and I was holding out hope that they would work through the past and connect again.
This storyline was intriguing and there were some great twists along the way. Such a fast-paced read again that I just couldn't put down.
I love the writing style which so far has got me more involved than some of the standard thrillers I've read. I don't know whether it's just the great characters, but there just seems to be something on top of the great storylines that make these a more emotional read for me.
Another brilliant read and I will be adding more from this author to my wishlist and tbr soon!
This book had me hooked from the beginning. I liked our main character Josephine, I don’t however think she was expecting what happened when she returned home after hearing her dad was close to passing away. She had planned for a very quick visit and then back to her life.
Instead what she got was so much different! From that Polaroid picture with that apology on things got very different, very quickly. As she was reading the journal that she had found thanks to Rocco’s Nona a picture was being formed that wasn’t a pretty one.
Josephine was questioning everything, her parents, Rocco, her extended family, even her name! It was brilliantly written and had me gripped right up to the end as it really wasn’t clear who was responsible for what until it was all revealed. I loved the writing style and I seemed to fly through the book.
Thank you to my partner, Love Books Tours, and the author for the gifted paperback! This is my third read by Quinn, and I have loved every one! I am leaving this review voluntarily.
1. 𝐒𝐨 𝐌𝐚𝐧𝐲 𝐋𝐢𝐞𝐬 - I cannot even begin to imagine learning as an adult that everything you thought knew was a lie. Your whole childhood and every detail about it. How often does this happen?
2. 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐎𝐮𝐭 - So many hidden truths within these pages. As Josephine begins wading through the years of lies, it becomes more and more astonishing how much had truly happened throughout her life. And just when you think it’s all clear, think again!
3. 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 - What isn’t there to love about Josephine and Rocco and their obvious love for one another! The question of whether or not it will stick this time remains for the entirety of the story. I know what side I was on!
4. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐲 𝐈𝐬 𝐈𝐭? - This really begs the question of how easy is it to commit crimes out in the world? As traveling employees or being out in the middle of nowhere, it sure seems like it could be easier than one would think.
5. 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 - Honestly, the saving grace in Josephine’s life is the found family that comes to her rescue after they move to Ames. Thank goodness for good people in the world!
This was my first book by Quinn Avery but it definitely will not be my last! I absolutely devoured this book, reading it over the span of probably 3-4 hours only because I had things I had to get done. However, this book had me absolutely hanging onto every word. I simply did not want to put it down. I was in a reading slump when I picked up this book and it has cured it. If you like a psychological thriller with twists and turns that you don't see coming until they are already being revealed, then you will love this book. As a former detective I really enjoyed watching Jo, the FMC (also a detective) work through the mysteries of her past and uncover the secrets of her family, putting her career skills to work. This story was so very well done and the writing was absolutely captivating. I highly, HIGHLY recommend this book!
Their Little Lies is an excellent psychological thriller that dives into family secrets and chosen family. The story is centered around Josephine, who is a detective, called home to care for her father at end of life. While home, she starts to uncover information about her childhood. Quinn Avery kept me invested until the very end, with plenty of twists and turns throughout the story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨� some of the twists at the end confused me. The outcome was worth the brief confusion!
This was my first book by Quinn Avery and I was not disappointed. I was hooked on this book and could not put it down. I don't read thriller often but I was so into the story that I need more. The story follows Josephine a dectective when she returns home her childhood sweetheart hands her a letter from her father. Which was very ominous. Josephine starts digging into her past to the find out truth. I was not prepared for the things we found out and how the story unfolded. So many twist occurred that has you wanting more. Hands down such a great read and now I need more thriller in my life.
Thank you Quinn & love book tours for sending me a physical copy.