Last One to Lie by J.M. Winchester

Moving to a new city was supposed to be a fresh start for her family. Now it’s a nightmare.

Her little girl was supposed to be at day care when Kelsey arrived to pick her up. But they have no record of her daughter ever being there. And to make matters worse, her husband is missing too—he won’t pick up his phone, and the school he supposedly works at says he never accepted their job offer.

Detective Paul Ryan knows something’s up with Kelsey’s story. Kelsey’s husband might be involved in their daughter’s disappearance, but the deeper the detective digs, the more inconsistencies he finds.

As Detective Ryan tries to uncover the truth, what he finds are more deeply buried secrets that someone clearly never wanted found.

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Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Veronica – ☆☆☆☆
The story begins with Kelsey leaving yoga class and going to daycare to pick up her daughter she'd dropped off that morning. But when she gets there, nobody has any idea who she is or who her daughter is. As a mother, I can only image the horror Kelsey is going through but it became clear fairly quickly that something was not right with Kelsey and the whole situation.

Detective Paul Ryan is tasked with finding Kelsey's missing daughter and it turns out missing husband too. We learn early on Paul is haunted by the disappearance of his sister when they were teenagers and that she wasn't the only one that went missing. He doesn't trust Kelsey, but he is drawn to her.

This was one of those books I didn't want to put down once I started reading. The mystery of the missing child was so compelling. But emotionally I felt removed from the characters. There is a coldness to the story. I never connected with Kelsey. Her behavior is not what you would expect for someone in her position and Detective Ryan wasn't much better. This isn't book with the kind of characters that you fall in love with, but they are still interesting characters and they had me turning the pages.

I thoroughly enjoyed Last One to Lie and all its twists and turns. It was a great ride and I loved the ending. Even when the story was finished, I was still mulling it over in my head and I even dreamed about it. Last One to Lie gets a solid 4 stars from me.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
I haven't read a lot of psychological thrillers recently, but change is good every now and again. This certainly worked as its title suggests – leaving the reader questioning just who did lie the most, when, and was anything we read not a lie!

We are misdirected from the very beginning, and it only gets crazier, as it mixes a current day missing child with a slew of related cold cases of teenage girls. One in particular hits home, as it is the sister of Paul, the current investigating officer. It is difficult to put into words how on edge this book leaves you – and yet, at the same time there really aren't many characters for one to associate with, or care about; which is odd given the topic. I think probably only Faith came over as normal!

If you want a book which pulls you away from real life, and gives you respite from your own crazy, then this will definitely fulfil the brief!


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars
M/F Mystery
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Twisted and Dark. That's how I would describe this story. At times, I found that the voice of who was thinking or talking was sometimes jumbled and hard to discern. But as psychological thrillers go, this one has it all.

Murder, intrigue, family issues, and a train wreck that you simply can't look away from. It's like when you're on the road, see a horrible accident and slow down to see if there are casualties.

I thought that Detective Ryan was the most relatable character. He is trying to figure this mystery out. Kelsey and Holly are both hot messes. But once the dust settles, you'll still be scratching your head a little – is this what it truly comes down to?

I enjoyed watching this come to a head, but it was predictable. Nonetheless, I found the story fascinating.

J.M. Winchester is the dark alter ego of an author who usually writes Happily Ever Afters. Her fascination with the workings of an evil mind compelled her to start writing psychological thrillers and All the Lovely Pieces is her debut novel in this genre. Originally from the east coast of Canada, she now lives in Alberta with her husband and son. She is a member of Romance Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and FAVA.

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of Last One to Lie by J.M. Winchester to read and review.