The Five Year Lie by Sarina Bowen Published by Harper Paperbacks on May 14, 2024
Pages: 434
Format: ARC
Genres: Mystery, Thriller
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She thought it was love. Then he vanished.
On an ordinary Monday morning, Ariel Cafferty's phone buzzes with a disturbing text message. Something’s happened. I need to see you. Meet me under the candelabra tree ASAP. The words would be jarring from anyone, but the sender is the only man she ever loved. And it's been several years since she learned he died.
Seeing Drew’s name pop up is heart-stopping. Ariel’s gut says it can’t be real. But she goes to the tree anyway. She has to.
Nobody shows. But the text upends everything she thought she knew about the day he left her. The more questions she asks, the more sinister the answers get. Only two things are clear: everything she was told five years ago is wrong, and someone is still lying to her.
The truth has to be out there somewhere. To safeguard herself—and her son—she’ll have to find it before it finds her. And with it, the answer to what became of Drew.
With a heart-stopping romance that only Sarina Bowen can execute, The Five Year Lie is a page-turning, spine-tingling thriller that will have you guessing until the very end.
Sarina Bowen has covered almost every square inch of the romance genre, and now she has branched out into the world of mysteries with The Five Year Lie. As a first effort, it’s pretty good.
The premise is so original. Ariel receives an ominous text message from her boyfriend. Not so unusual except he died five years ago. What follows is Ariel’s search for answers amid corporate espionage, dirty cops, and cyber crimes.
My favorite parts of the book are the times Ariel spends with her son. The author does a great job conveying Ariel’s determination to be a good mom as well as her desperation to keep him safe when things finally come to a head. However, I like a little thrill with my mysteries, and at no point was I truly worried that Ariel was in danger. Perhaps if I hadn’t read so many suspense novels the plot would have seemed a little less predictable, and I would have felt more on the edge of my seat.
The character development is strong, and as always I love Sarina Bowen’s writing. I would definitely be willing to read another of her mysteries.
Recommended for fans of:
Mysteries
Single parents
Ring cameras
I received an early copy. This does not affect my opinion.
About Sarina Bowen
Sarina Bowen is the award-winning author of more than thirty contemporary novels. She has hit the USA Today bestseller’s list nineteen times and counting. Formerly a derivatives trader on Wall Street, Sarina holds a BA in economics from Yale University.
Sarina is a New Englander whose Vermont ancestors cut timber and farmed the north country since the 1760s. Sarina is grateful for the invention of indoor plumbing and wi-fi during the intervening 250 years. She lives with her family on a few wooded acres in New Hampshire.
Sarina’s books are published in over a dozen languages on five continents.
Plot and concept sound interesting. Great review!