Thank you, NetGalley, Rachel Howzell Hall, and Thomas & Mercer for the opportunity to read this book! This book will release on July 12th, 2022.

We Lie Here is the third book that I have read by Rachel Howzell Hall. I have come to really appreciate her writing and I will never forget listening to her at a thriller panel at the LA Times Festival of Books! One of the things that I appreciate is that she often writes about Southern California, which is where I live. It really hits differently when you know all the locations that the author is discussing. And let me tell you, Rachel Howzell Hall nails it. This book takes place in Palmdale. Yara doesn’t really want to come home but she is planning a huge party for her parent’s anniversary. Her mom, dad, and sister, can be… a lot. Her physical and mental health always decline when she is home. She is a TV writer, dating a US Marshal but going home makes her feel small. However, one afternoon a woman approaches her and claims to be her cousin, Felicia. She doesn’t seem stable but is insisting that she has information that concerns Yara. The next day, Felicia is dead. Then the messages start arriving and someone has been in her room…is it all in her head or are there deep family secrets that should stay buried?

So if you happen to wander over to Goodreads, then you will see that the reviews aren’t raving about this book. I can see where they are coming from. There are a few parts that can use some polishing up. However, the story and the characters are on point. At first, Hall leads readers to believe that all of the issues that are occurring are from some petty fights from years ago. –No, she manages to entwine a deeper more sinister plotline.

It also goes to show how important it is to deal with toxic family members. I can see why Yara just wanted to appease her mom, but it started to get to the point where she took the gaslighting to a whole new level. But as I kept reading, I realized there is a reason for Yara to subject herself to that toxicity. This is probably where the polishing up would come in handy.

However, there were moments that were extremely unnerving and gave me the chills! Overall, I think this is a great thriller!