What Lies Below: A Novel

Written by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Narrated by Donna Postel

Everyone has nightmares. One woman is living hers…

Gilly O’Connell’s nightmares aren’t just bad dreams; they’re glimpses of terrifying realities to come. Gilly has spent her entire life trying to suppress the foreboding visions. So when a dismissed premonition leads to her husband’s murder, she buries the guilt and pain of the unsolved crime in the only way she knows how—she runs from it.

Three years later, after overcoming a battle with addiction and starting over in a small Texas town, Gilly dares to believe the worst is over. That is, until another crime rips her heart open: the abduction of a three-year-old girl. Gilly knows more about it than anyone…

She’s dreaming again.

Gilly is convinced that if she tells the police she dreamed of the kidnapping before it happened, there’s no way they’ll believe her. But when she finally gets the courage to come forward with what she saw, people don’t see her as crazy—they see her as a suspect.

Now, in order to help a desperate single father save his child, Gilly must first clear her own name. But as the nightmares of the past catch up to her, Gilly’s only chance for salvation might be the dreams she’s spent so long trying to ignore.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: May 15, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543674804

Barbara Taylor Sissel

Barbara Taylor Sissel is the author of five novels, including Evidence of Life and Safe Keeping. With heartfelt emotion and page-turning suspense, her stories focus on ordinary families and what happens when they are abruptly confronted with extraordinary circumstances. In addition to writing, Barbara is an avid gardener and the mother of two sons. She lives and writes in a small garden cottage on a farm located in the beautiful Texas Hill Country.

Reviews for What Lies Below

[lorikboyd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From the first sentence, you are led on a tense ride. This is a fast read, because you won’t be able to put it down. It follows a search for a missing child from a small town. All are suspects, even Gilly, who unwittingly shows her ‘gift’ early. I loved the characters; the good, the bad, the ugly. The are flawed, but own it. Thoroughly enjoy this author’s writing style. I enjoyed the ending, I liked how after you thought it was done, it continued.

I received an ARC, all opinions are my own.

[veronica.sparrow · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gilly O'Connell is trying to forget her past and find a new life after the unthinkable happens which shatters the life she had. Little does she know that her past will come back to haunt her and force her to face not only the day her life changed forever but also the current crisis of a little girl who desperately needs her help. Three years after her husband was murdered and the culprit managed to get away, Gilly is trying to rebuild her life working as a waitress in a small Texas town hoping that the murderer will never find her since she was the only witness to the crime. The thing about Gilly is that she sometimes has premonitions or dreams that occasionally come true as with the murder of her husband. A little girl who comes often to the restaurant where Gilly now works is abducted and her father is desperate to find her at any cost. It just so happens that Gilly had a vision of this happening but also cannot account for time lost while having the vision. She becomes a suspect and is desperate not only to clear her name but also find the little girl she has become so fond of. I enjoyed this book for so many reasons. I felt a connection with the characters of Gilly, and especially the father because of the way Barbara Taylor Sissel developed them. They had such a complex and developed past and it was easy to see why the characters acted and thought as they did. I found the book very hard to put down and stayed up late to finish it.I received a copy of What Lies Below from Lake Union Publishing via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

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

A fast-paced, well-written mystery that won’t disappoint!Gilly has dreams that have a tendency to come true. She dreamt that her husband was murdered and it happened causing her to lose control. Now that she’s sober, Gilly has moved to a small town to start over again as a waitress. Everything is going fine until she dreams of little Zoe’s kidnapping the night before it happens. Gilly eventually tells the police of her dreams and instead of thinking she’s crazy, the police now view her as a possible suspect. Now to clear her name and to help find the little girl, Gilly must try to dream again even though all her life she’s been taught to ignore them.Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

[debkrenzer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gilly sometimes has dreams. She was in the third grade when she dreamed that her best friend's brother was going to be shot in a hunting accident. She spoke up, told her best friend. It didn't happen. She lost her best friend.She dreamed later on in life that her husband, Brian, was going to be shot in robbery. He was.Now trying to move on, she has moved to a new town, lost her architectural business and is now working as a waitress in a small town cafe. One of her customers is a four year old little girl, Zoe, that Gilly adores. She makes her animal pancakes every Wednesday. One day Gilly dreams that Zoe is taken by a woman in a metallic blue sedan. Her legs go dead beneath her the next day when it actually happens.The disappearance of Zoe brings everyone, good and bad, out of the woodwork when that dream is revealed on TV. What follows is a suspenseful plot twisted story that brings Gilly's past front and center.An excellent read that I just sped through and could not put down. Thanks to Lake Union Publishing and Net Galley for providing me with a free e-galley in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

[bonnie.franks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I requested and received this book from NetGalley. I liked this book from the first page in and it was a joy to read. I couldn't put it down. I sometimes only had time to pick it up and read a few sentences, and I would do that. I loved the lovable characters and really disliked the unlovable characters. I related most to Gilly, as I have had dreams such as hers. I know that no one really believes you and I can only imagine how difficult that was for her in her circumstances. I was frightened for Zoe, I was frightened for Gilly, I even thought I had the answer as to who did it. I love that I was wrong. I enjoyed the book from beginning to end, and am so pleased to have found a new author to read.I would highly recommend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, a little romance, and has a heart.You will enjoy it!

[kathl33n-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

DNF@ 43%. I can't believe I'm not going to finish this book that has almost nothing but 4 and 5 star ratings. There is just something about the writing that isn't pulling me in. I think it's lacking some suspense and feels too light. So much so that initially I thought it might be Romance/Suspense genre. But it's labeled a Mystery/Suspense/Thriller and I'm just not feeling it. Thanks very much to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy and allowing me to give me honest opinion.

[susan0316 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Today my Saturday plans got totally changed. This morning I decided to start What Lies Below and just read a couple of chapters. Here it is in the early evening and I have just finished the book after spending the entire day reading - cooking and cleaning can wait for another day! WOW - what a fantastic book. I was so invested in Gilly's life that I just couldn't stop reading.From the first page, the reader falls in love with Gilly. She has had terrible things happen to her - the loss of her husband and baby and the use of drugs and alcohol to help her cope. She has moved to a small town and joined AA to help her live her life but every day is a struggle. In the past, she has had dreams that came true and when her current dream of a child being abducted comes true, she has to face the skepticism of the police and her own desire not to become involved to help find the little girl. I can't say much about the plot without giving away a possible spoiler but I will tell you that the twists and turns keep coming and just when you think you have some answers, you find out that you were totally wrong.This is a fantastic book that keeps the reader turning pages to find out more about Gilly and to find out if the abducted little girl is found. I absolutely loved it and think that this fast paced thriller needs to be on everyone's tbr list. It's a MUST READ!Thanks to the publisher for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.

[jenniferlynn-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I loved the book and it's my favorite book by Barbara Taylor Sissel. I recognized some names of characters from some of the author's previous books. The book was fast paced and there were some unexpected twists. I enjoyed the story-line, characters and writing style.Gilly finds herself waitressing in a small Texas town after fleeing Houston. She is struggling with sobriety and the death of her husband. Gilly also has premonitions/dreams but doesn't want to be called a psychic. Her story gets intertwined with Jake's when his three year old daughter is abducted and Gilly happened to dream it. I was pretty sure who was involved in the kidnapping. I didn't know why they were involve, who their true identity was or how they were connected to Jake.Gilly always found her gift of visions as curse, especially since her parents told her to stop having them because they disturbed people. Her dad even called her a freak. Gilly even blamed herself for her father leaving. I couldn't believe when Gilly found out that her visions were passed on to her through her mom and that she could of had someone to help her instead of criticize her.I definitely recommend the book and look forward to reading more by the author.Thanks to NetGalley, Lake Union Publishing and the author, Barbara Taylor Sissel, for a free electronic ARC of this novel.