“Some secrets should never be kept…

Andy Boyd thinks he is the luckiest man alive. Widowed with a young child, after his wife dies in childbirth, he is certain that he will never again experience true love. Then he meets Anna. Feisty, fun and beautiful, she’s his perfect match … and she loves his son like he is her own. When Andy ends up in the hospital on his wedding night, he receives his first clue that Anna is not all that she seems. Desperate for that happy-ever-after, he ignores it. A dangerous mistake that could cost him everything. A brave, deeply moving, page-turning psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie marks a stunning departure for one of Scotland’s finest crime writers, exploring the lengths people will go to hide their deepest secrets, even if it kills them…”

Stop everything!  This is an incredible book and I suggest you click on this link now and just buy yourself a copy.  It upsets me to think that there are people out there who won’t experience the wonder that is A Suitable Lie.  Don’t be one of them.  If you want to read a psychological thriller that takes you through every emotion (and I mean EVERY emotion) then you have no choice, get yourself a copy of A Suitable Lie.  Absolutely sublime!

Andy Boyd is a widower with a young son.  He’s not that interested in meeting someone else as he knows no one will ever replace Patricia in his heart.  That is until he meets beautiful charismatic Anna.  It’s an instant attraction and before long the wedding invitations have been sent to friends and family.  But on their wedding night something terrible happens and Andy ends up in the local A&E department.  It’s OK, they’ll laugh about it in the future – one of those ‘do you remember when…’ moments.  But that’s not the end of Andy’s accidents, oh no.  It’s only the beginning of the pain, hurt and humiliation coming his way.  Can Andy escape the reign of terror forced upon him by the woman he loves?  For him?  For his son…?

Now that I’ve managed to calm down a little I can welcome you to my stop on the A Suitable Lie blog tour.  Categorically my favourite book of the year.  Full stop.  I’m not going to add ‘so far’ because it would take one heck of novel to knock A Suitable Lie off of the top spot.  I finished reading a couple of days ago and all I’ve thought about for the last two days is this book!  I finally understand the term ‘book hangover’.

This is one seriously dark and addictive tale.  There were moments where I was completely torn; I felt I had to pull myself away from the story (even just for a few gulps of fresh clean air) but there was no way I was going to stop reading.  There were moments where my tummy did a queasy flip, but I wasn’t going to stop reading.  Oh my gosh it was phenomenal!  This is my book of the year, without doubt (and we still have three months to go!).

Andy Boyd is a wonderful character (don’t tell my husband but I may be a little in love with Andy).  I am totally ashamed to admit that I wanted to dislike him a little for showing signs of weakness but the writing is so that you just feel bucketfuls of empathy and admiration instead.  He’s a decent, honest man doing the best he can for his son…and he truly loves Anna.

The other characters were brilliantly written; I loved Andy’s brother, Jim and their mum.  But oh my, I adored the children in this book.  Both Pat and Ryan are so beautifully written that they felt very real to me.  It may just be because I have a five year old and a two year old myself (roughly Pat and Ryan’s ages) that I felt real angst and fear for the boys.  Particularly towards the end.  If I could have sat behind the sofa whilst reading, I would have!

Would I recommend this book?  I ADORE this book.  I don’t tend to re-read books but this one I could easily break that rule for.  Look out family members who enjoy psychological thrillers, this is the book you’re getting for Christmas!  I want to tell everyone I meet about this book, whether they want to listen or not! Absolutely wonderful; a haunting tale of love and terror mixed together to perfection to create the must-read book of the year.  BUY THIS BOOK!!

Six stars out of five (I’m joking but I would if I could, five out of five stars!).

Many thanks to Liz and Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for providing me with a copy of A Suitable Lie in exchange for an honest review.

A Suitable Lie by Michael J Malone was published in the UK by Orenda Books on 15th September 2016 and is available in paperback and eBook formats | amazon.co.uk | amazon.com | Waterstones | Goodreads | Orenda Books |

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country, just a stone’s throw from the great man’s cottage in Ayr. Well, a stone thrown by a catapult. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. His career as a poet has also included a (very) brief stint as the Poet-In-Residence for an adult gift shop.Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize (judge: Alex Gray) from the Scottish Association of Writers.

Other published work includes: Carnegie’s Call (a non-fiction work about successful modern-day Scots); A Taste for Malice; The Guillotine Choice; and Beyond the Rage. His poetry includes: In The Raw, Running Threadsand Lip Synch. Michael is a regular reviewer for the hugely popular crime fiction website www.crimesquad.com. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber & Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller.

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