The Book:
Her Dark Lies by JT Ellison, 2021
The Characters:
Claire and her husband Jack
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The Plot (from Goodreads):
Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends…and a host of dark secrets.
From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire’s otherwise blissful relationship—the strange mystery surrounding Jack’s first wife.
Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out—and the real terror begins.
The Twist:
Morgan isn’t dead. She’s the one sabotaging Claire’s wedding, moving around the villa through the servant’s passages. Jack had pushed her off the cliff ten years ago, but she survived the fall. The family assumed she died. Instead, she’s back to get her revenge. She was posing as Ami Eister and living on the island undetected since her fall.
She killed Katie, Hannah, Ana, and Fatima.
Claire killed Shane in the scuffle in her house. Malcolm was working for Morgan and Claire killed him too, and finally killed Morgan to survive. She had also killed her father as a girl.
Lots of dead people!
The Ending:
Jack survives and is in the hospital at the end of the book.
The Review:
The setting of this book couldn’t be beat. Who wouldn’t want to get married on a beautiful private Italian island? And the storm added so much atmosphere to the climax, I loved it. I’m a big fan of these semi-locked-room books, and I’ve read a few lately that take place within a giant island or villa but with limited access to the outside world. (If you enjoy these as well, try Death in the Family or The Fiance). This book is also very similar to The Guest List by Lucy Foley. Honestly, I liked that one a little more.
There are so many characters for such a small island. The whole family and the staff all have rolls, and it was definitely a lot to keep track of.
I loved the first half of Her Dark Lies, but towards the end I lost interest. Things felt rushed, overcomplicated just for shock value, and not fully fleshed out. I won’t say more because I don’t want to spoil the ending, but this one was just okay for me.
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