Whenever we read a book, it seems we want to give it a specific category that it needs to fall under. Mystery, Suspense, Thriller – something. This newest novel from Jamie Mason doesn’t really fit into one category, but many. I love a good thriller and suspense novel so I was looking forward to checking out this new release.
Monday’s Lie by Jamie Mason
ISBN-13: 9781476774459
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publication date: 2/3/2015
From the acclaimed author of the “ripping good” (The New York Times) debut novel Three Graves Full comes a new thriller about a woman who digs into her unconventional past to confirm what she suspects: her husband isn’t what she thought he was.
Dee Aldrich rebelled against her off-center upbringing when she married the most conventional man she could imagine: Patrick, her college sweetheart. But now, years later, her marriage is falling apart and she’s starting to believe that her husband has his eye on a new life…a life without her, one way or another.
Haunted by memories of her late mother Annette, a former covert operations asset, Dee reaches back into her childhood to resurrect her mother’s lessons and the “spy games” they played together, in which Dee learned memory tricks and, most importantly, how and when to lie. But just as she begins determining the course of the future, she makes a discovery that will change her life: her mother left her a lot of money and her own husband seems to know more about it than Dee does. Now, before it’s too late, she must investigate her suspicions and untangle conspiracy from coincidence, using her mother’s advice to steer her through the blind spots. The trick, in the end, will be in deciding if a “normal life” is really what she wants at all.
My Thoughts: I have to admit, I am used to being able to fly through a book, digest it, and move on to the next. This book, however, is not one that you can do that with. From the very first page you are caught up in the prose and sentence structure that the author employs in the novel. Now the craft of sentence structure is not something I normally call out, but I have to say that it not only caught me off guard, it caused me to slow down greatly and read each word. And that is a good thing!
This story is intriguing, at the least. It starts off innocently enough with the background of a not-so-typical family. You get bits and pieces of flashback memories that finally all come together into the story and a plot a few chapters in. The beginning was tough to get through since you are at the authors mercy, just knowing that she is leading you down a winding road. That road is interesting because you are hanging on, wondering just what tale she is weaving.
About half way through the book it starts winding up. The main character, Dee, feels something is just not right in her marriage and given her upbringing, she is well versed in the “feelings”. But she as secrets, just like her husband and with their marriage on the rocks, things start to take twists and turns that keep the pages moving.
I loved the climax of the story but the ending left me wanting more – with more questions than I had going in. I am hoping this is because a sequel might be coming at some point. I think the author has a strong characters in Dee, her brother, their dead mother, and a few others in this unique storyline.
I went in with no expectations but came out with amazement at the writing talent the lies within – and I still cannot categorize this book! It is, however, one that you should check out!
Disclaimer: Chris has personally reviewed the product listed above. She has not received any monetary compensation for her review but did receive a free product to try out so she could evaluate and use it for her review. Her thoughts & opinions in this review are unbiased & honest and your opinions may differ.
I think I would like this book since I like stories that have plot twists. Seems like it is the kind of story that would keep one guessing at what comes next.
This book sounds very intriguing, but I would want to wait for a sequel before I rad the first book. I hate to be left hanging and to have a lot of unanswered questions.
Monday’s Lie by Jamie Mason sound very intriguing, definitely something that I would read. I really loved your review, it made me want to read this novel even more.
I can relate to marring someone and finding out they’re not really who you thought they were, despite years of dating, lol. I like thrillers and still catch the old Boris Karloff 60s “Thriller” series where anything goes and you don’t know what eerie/mysterious tale you’ll experience. This sounds like a good read.