Her Dark Lies

Written by J. T. Ellison

Narrated by Brittany Pressley

Fast-paced and brilliantly unpredictable, J.T. Ellison’s breathtaking new novel invites you to a wedding none will forget — and some won’t survive.

Jutting from sparkling turquoise waters off the Italian coast, Isle Isola is an idyllic setting for a wedding. In the majestic cliff-top villa owned by the wealthy Compton family, up-and-coming artist Claire Hunter will marry handsome, charming Jack Compton, surrounded by close family, intimate friends…and a host of dark secrets.

From the moment Claire sets foot on the island, something seems amiss. Skeletal remains have just been found. There are other, newer disturbances, too. Menacing texts. A ruined wedding dress. And one troubling shadow hanging over Claire’s otherwise blissful relationship — the strange mystery surrounding Jack’s first wife.

Then a raging storm descends, the power goes out — and the real terror begins…

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperAudio
• Release date: May 5, 2021
• ISBN: 9781867232483

J. T. Ellison

New York Times bestselling author J.T. Ellison writes dark psychological thrillers and pens the Brit in the FBI series with #1 New York Times bestselling author Catherine Coulter. With millions of books in print, her work has won critical acclaim, prestigious awards, and has been published in twenty-seven countries. She is also the Emmy Award–winning cohost of the premier literary television show A Word on Words. Ellison lives in Nashville with her husband and twin kittens. Visit JTEllison.com for more information, and follow her on Twitter and Instagram @ThrillerChick or Facebook.com/JTEllison14.

Reviews for Her Dark Lies

[Lara Pretorius · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

The narrator was great but I did not enjoy the story-it was long winded

[judygibson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not sure about this one. Full array of gothic tropes play out here, from And Then There Were None to Rebecca to Jane Eyre. Creepy enough to keep me from sleeping but I guessed early on what was happening. Anyway, there it is.

[jynell-71874 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I finished JT Ellison's newest book, Her Dark Lies, yesterday. I enjoyed the formatting of it, told from Claire's point of view with snippets of the villain's point of view throw in here and there.

The story is told about the wedding weekend of Claire to Jack, but everything is going wrong. It starts with a home invasion before they even leave town and ends in a blood bath.

If I had to complain about one thing, it was that so many people died. At the end, it seemed like everyone was dying. And the end felt a bit anti-climatic for me. So I guess that's two things.

In the grand scheme of things, I really enjoyed the book - the story and the writing. I really enjoyed the characters, each with their own part to play.

I listened to the audiobook for most of it, and really enjoyed the narrator.

[carole888fort · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Her Dark Lies by J.T. Ellison takes place in Italy. A talented artist, Claire Hunter, has arrived at Isle Isola at the invitation of the wealthy Compton family. She is to be married to one of the Compton sons, Jack. Their families and friends will be joining them for the private affair. But plans begin to change, due to a fierce storm. Claire begins to realize that she may not know Jack as much as she thought. Then an unidentified body turns up and there is a power failure on the island and other disasters occur. The possibility of having a wedding on the estate seems to be less and less doable. This book felt familiar and I then realized it reminded me of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. It has the same gothic feel and the plot and characters are quite comparable. But Her Dark Lies lacks the dark suspense and the story at times seems to drag. Also, maybe the book is longer than necessary. If you enjoy reading about the lifestyle of the wealthy, you will love this book. If you are looking for a thriller, this may not be it. This is my opinion only and I am sure many will love this book. Thank you to Harlequin-Mira, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[carol420 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A secluded island in Italy is the perfect backdrop for the perfect wedding...but of course everything is far from perfect. Artist Claire Hunter has met the man of her dreams... Jack Compton. Jack is hugely wealthy...handsome...charming...and the director of his family’s prominent charitable organization. Jack is drawn to Claire for her free spirit... her sparkling personality...and her impressionable talent as an artist. Together, the two seem to have it all… but everyone has secrets it seems and Jack and Claire’s secrets are about to catch up to them. As Jack and Claire depart Nashville, Tennessee for their wedding in Italy, they are unknowingly placing themselves on a collision course with danger. J.T. Ellison invites you to pack your bags and follow Claire and Jack to beautiful Isle Isola. This is one wedding you won’t soon forget.

[fredreeca · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Claire is a struggling artist till she meets Jack Compton. Jack is from an extremely wealthy family and he pours his heart and soul into Claire. When they decide to get married they do so in a big way. They are headed to Jack’s family villa on the coast of Italy for a wedding weekend blow out! But, it becomes a nightmare and a moment of truth.J.T Ellison always creates the best, flawed characters. And this novel has two of the bests! Claire has secrets from her past. And Jack has not told her the truth about many things. So, their relationship is not on even ground by any means. When all the strange things start to occur before the wedding, the cracks in their relationship starts to show.This story kept me up late reading! I was so caught up in what could possibly happen next. And the setting of the ancient villa on a remote island during a massive storm…I mean…what could go wrong there! This book had me…hook, line and sinker!Need a quick, fast paced thriller….oh boy! This is it! Grab your copy today!I received this novel from the publisher for a honest review.

[rmarcin-630843 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I was looking forward to reading this book after all the hype, but this book just didn’t do it for me. Claire Hunter is set to mary Jack Compton, the wealthy son and heir to the Compton fortune, when a series of awful things happen to thwart the wedding plans. Jack’s first wife, Morgan, died shortly after their marriage, 10 years earlier. Claire has never been concerned about the circumstances of Morgan’s death. She should have been!!Claire is an artist, Jack is a philanthropist, his family is in computers. They have a motive for bringing Claire in the family.On the island in Italy, where the wedding is to take place, bodies start piling up. The scenery is beautiful, the wedding is a great story, but the mystery of this fell apart for me with the unlikely explanation and the plot line.

[virginia51-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a wonderful psychological thriller. I did not like most of the characters. They were all a bit privileged. This made me not want to put it down because I needed to know who was causing all the problems. I loved the descriptions of the island and the home. This book was like a roller coaster ride. I received a copy of this book from Harlequin for a fair and honest opinion that I gave of my own free will.

[bookchickdi · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

In J.T. Ellison's newest thriller, Her Dark Lies, Eliza, an emerging artist from Nashville is about to marry Jack Compton, the scion of a wealthy industrialist family. From the beginning of the festivities, things go wrong.When Jack takes Eliza home from their engagement party the night before they leave Nashville to go to his family's remote private Italian island for the wedding, they are attacked by a masked intruder. Eliza shoots the intruder dead, but Jack convinces her to lie to the police and say that Jack's bodyguard killed the man.Eliza hopes that once they get to the island, everything will be fine. She is bowled over by the beauty of the island and can't wait to paint there, her future home with her beloved. After her beautiful wedding gown is discovered defaced with the word "whore" written in blood on it, Eliza begins to wonder if her wedding is jinxed.There is a lot going on this story, and people are hiding secrets and lies. Jack and his family's successful computer business is not exactly what it seems. And what is the true story behind the death of Jack's first wife on their honeymoon? Jack's parents have a strange reaction whenever her name is brought up.Eliza is no Cinderella either, plucked from obscurity by the handsome prince. She was involved with some bad people in her younger days, and her sister blames Eliza for a car accident that killed their father.As Eliza's family and other guests arrive for the week-long wedding celebration, the bodies begin to pile up. It has become clear that someone desperately wants to stop this wedding, and there are so many suspects and motives. Ellison puts lots of red herrings in the story that will test even the most clever sleuth to figure out exactly who is behind this and why.Her Dark Lies has a mysterious island, power outages at the wrong time, a grandfather with dementia who yells out cryptic accusations of murder, family dysfunction, and a brunch filled with such delicious descriptions of food it would make Downton Abbey jealous. If Rebecca and the 1980's TV show Dynasty had a baby, it would be Her Dark Lies. Thriller fans will enjoy trying to figure it all out.Thanks to Harlequin Books for putting me on J.T. Ellison's tour.

[mrsmommybooknerd7 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book was fantastic. I loved it so much! It was perfectly paced and the characters wonderfully drawn out for the reader. I loved the mystery, suspense and thrills in this novel. I was burning through the pages and was fully entertained and engaged. I love these types of books that grab you and allow to to escape your world and hop into the pages of the book! A MUST read for thriller and mystery lovers!