Thanks to Netgalley,  the publisher and the author for providing the Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review; all opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Michelle Cruz is a new voice in the mystery-thriller genre making her debut with “Even When You Lie.” The story focuses predominantly on the relationship between Reagan Reyes and her boss, criminal defence attorney Cade McCarrick. A former intelligence officer, she is hired by Cade to be the in-house investigator at the firm he works in.

Reagan’s chance encounter with a strange woman at the office, and her death thereafter, changes the course of both her’s and Cade’s lives. As they try to unearth the truth behind her death and other matters pertaining to it, they both also have to understand their feelings towards each other. In a very fast and thrilling narrative, Cruz tells a tale of perseverance, courage, love and bravery.

This is a very decent debut and is definitely worth reading, The author has a brisk and crisp style of writing with perfect pacing. The story never slows down; it starts off at full speed and never lets up. The author has tried to make the book a romantic thriller, but the story just doesn’t contain great value in terms of its mystery elements. I also felt the romantic angle of the book requires more finesse and depth.

Overall, this is a decent attempt by the author and a good mystery thriller.

This book gets 4 out of 5 stars.