None of This is True: The new addictive psychological thriller from the #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of The Family Upstairs

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It was actually a relatively late addition to the book, when I realized that the tension was building in an incredibly quiet and slow burn way and I realized my readers would need something to make them fear for the outcome, and I suddenly pictured Josie’s neighbor sitting on a chair in a TV studio talking about her impressions of Josie and Walter and realized that that was the way to do it. We were both flabbergasted when we made the discovery, it seemed extraordinary to us that we’d both come into the world on the same day and ended up doing the same job in the same very small orbit.

There’s lots of tension, some great twists, together with some very dark and complex characters, as Ms Jewell expertly peels back the layers with consummate skill to reveal an intricate and twisted tale that’s such a worthy read.The characterisation is excellent and I’m going to say little about either Alix or Josie as that is one of the joys of the book to discover for yourself! Instead of feeling threatened, Alix decides to feature Josie on a podcast about the lives of ordinary women. It’s like listening to a concerto slowly raises its tempo and as you reach the ending, you hear the crescendo: that’s moment the earth shattering revelation squeezes your heart, you barely breathe! Although one of the twists that comes later on is easy to work out, the rest of it lies largely in the realm of unpredictability. There are always clues being planted and red herrings craftily scattered throughout the narrative, giving it a kind of unreliability that is in keeping with the title.

The plot twists, turns and barrels it’s way at a fast pace to a good ending which isn’t neatly sewn up but which feels real as, let’s face it, life frequently isn’t tied up in a pretty bow. Alix is convinced by Josie to make her the subject and storyline of her next podcast which reaches out to thousands of women suffering domestic and psychological abuse, and women who enjoy hearing other life stories. Alix comes into her life at just the right time--a podcast host, she is the perfect woman to help Josie share her intriguing story.Before long, though, Josie divulges that beneath her modest middle-class home life lie instances of pedophilia, child abuse, and even murder. Revolving around a podcast about a seemingly ordinary woman, it becomes a dark insight into a character who is altogether more sinister, and leads to a mystery that keeps hanging on the edge with little idea of how it is going to end. The book’s unreliable narrator, dark twists and unending suspense will keep you on edge until the very last page.

The revelation sparks a tense and compelling journey into the depths of manipulation and control within the dynamics of their relationship. Alix herself has a pretty good life too - a smart ultra modern home in London, two beautiful children, a husband that she loves - you get the picture, life’s pretty good in the main, although her husband Nathan does have a tendency to go on benders from time to time, which Alix finds worrying. But Josie seems like more than telling her story, lurking around Alix’s house, trying to be part of her life, criticizing her marriage. The story provoked all my feelings, giving me shades of My Dark Vanessa and Greenwich Park, among other books.A few days later Josie approaches Alix as she’s waiting to pick her children up outside school, and says she’s been listening to her podcasts, and wants to know if Alix will feature her, not as a successful woman, but as a woman who has some dark secrets but is about to change her life completely.

After much debating, Alix thinks she would make an interesting subject so she decides to give it a go.If you are a sensitive reader, be aware there are trigger warnings galore, but know the events take place off the page. She lives in an innermost part of north London with her husband Jascha, an IT consultant, her daughters, Amelie and Evie and her silver tabbies, Jack and Milly. As breathtaking story is revealed within story, readers peel back the layers to find revenge, a meditation on the damage done by the past, and characters who could walk into the room and sit on your sofa. None of This is True by Lisa Jewell is a masterfully crafted work of psychological fiction- the kind of dark, edgy and suspenseful story that makes Lisa Jewell one of my favorite authors in this genre. This involvement escalates to stalking, stealing items from Alix's house, lurking around, critiquing her marriage, and manipulating her by portraying Alix's husband as worse than her own.