A.R. Torre | The Good Lie

good lie a r torre

The Book: 

The Good Lie by A.R. Torre
Published July 20th 2021 by Thomas & Mercer
Date read: July 4, 2021

The Characters: 

Psychiatrist Gwen Moore
Robert Kavin, defense attorney

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

Buy it on Bookshop.org | Amazon


The Plot (from Goodreads):

Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers. She’s spent a decade treating California’s most depraved predators and unlocking their motives—predators much like the notorious Bloody Heart serial killer, whose latest teenage victim escaped and then identified local high school teacher Randall Thompson as his captor. The case against Thompson as the Bloody Heart Killer is damning—and closed, as far as Gwen and the media are concerned. If not for one new development…

Defense attorney Robert Kavin is a still-traumatized father whose own son fell prey to the BH Killer. Convinced of Thompson’s innocence, he steps in to represent him. Now Robert wants Gwen to interview the accused, create a psych profile of the killer and his victims, and help clear his client’s name.

As Gwen and Robert grow closer and she dives deeper into the investigation, grave questions arise. So does Gwen’s suspicion that Robert is hiding something—and that he might not be the only one with a secret.

Click here for book spoilers for The Good Lie
Book spoilers ahead–if you haven’t yet read The Good Lie, I suggest you turn back now.

In the beginning of the book, Gwen is treating a patient named John Abbott, who had violent fantasies of murdering his wife Brooke. The couple was then found dead in their home, Brooke of a heart attack and John of an apparently self-inflicted stab wound. The police suspect John killed Brooke, as he was a pharmacist and had access to her heart medication.

Scott accuses Randall of being the Bloody Heart Killer, but Robert (the father of another of the murdered boys) doesn’t believe him. 

The Twist:

John and Brooke were the Bloody Heart Killer(s). Brooke let Scott go, John killed her, and then Robert killed John. He had figured out what John did because Gabe was diabetic and someone else was still picking up his insulin prescriptions.

The Ending:

Robert comes to Gwen’s house to kill her, confesses, and doesn’t end up killing her and she doesn’t turn him in. He thought she knew it was John all along.

The Review: 

I really enjoyed this quick psychological thriller. The pacing was excellent: interesting hook, quick chapters with a compelling plot, and a neatly wrapped up ending. I read the majority of it in one afternoon.

The story is told through the POV of Gwen, Robert, and the mother of the escaped boy. It was an interesting way to come at the story from different angles, especially when it came to Scott’s POV. His mother knew he wasn’t telling the whole truth, which added another layer of suspense to the story. I loved Gwen’s character and her internal moral dilemmas–I thought she was very realistic and relatable. Some of her choices were questionable, but also seemed like the decision that a real person would make. I’m a big fan of morally grey characters, so she was perfect.

The Good Lie had a kind of Criminal Minds vibe, very different from that of the other books I’ve read by this author. Crime fiction fans should definitely add this to their summer TBRs! I love Alessandra’s work–I’m going to try out some of her romances next.

I was lucky enough to get to interview Alessandra on Instagram Live–check it out if you’ve read some of her books! She gives some interesting insight into where she gets her ideas. Please excuse the beginning of the Live–no one was on yet, and I didn’t realize I wouldn’t be able to trim it before posting. We had some technical issues getting Alessandra connected, but once we get into it, it was a really fun interview.

good lie a r torre

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