Never Lie

Mystery and thriller

Print length: 320 pagesPoisoned Pen Press, 2023

Description

Newlyweds Tricia and Ethan travel to a remote manor, only to be trapped there when a winter storm blocks their way out. The house once belonged to psychiatrist Dr. Adrienne Hale, whose unexplained disappearance four years earlier still hangs over the property. Looking for something to occupy the confinement, Tricia discovers a hidden room filled with recordings of Hale’s patient interviews. As she listens, private testimony begins to outline a frightening sequence of events and expose contradictions in the psychiatrist’s carefully constructed life. Meanwhile, isolation inside the unfamiliar house makes every discovery harder to dismiss. The thriller uses recorded sessions, a vanished owner, and a snowbound setting to build a puzzle about professional secrets, marital trust, and the danger of believing a practiced liar.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.