For the Best

Written by Vanessa Lillie

Narrated by Teri Schnaubelt

Suspected of a murder she can’t remember, a troubled woman takes an unusual approach to proving her innocence in this gripping thriller from the bestselling author of Little Voices.

When Jules Worthington-Smith’s wallet is found next to a dead man, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. After struggling for years to build the perfect family and career, she’s dangerously close to losing everything.

Sure of her innocence, Jules is desperate to clear her name. But there’s one big problem: she was blackout drunk when the murder took place and can’t remember what happened.

Unsatisfied with the police’s handling of the case, Jules embarks on her own gin-fueled murder investigation. As she uncovers fresh clues, she starts a true-crime vlog that becomes a viral sensation, pushing her into the public eye. It’s not long before the ordeal forces Jules to confront her demons, including her turbulent childhood and excessive drinking.

The deeper Jules digs, the more dirt she uncovers about the murder and herself. Unexpected truths pile up until she’s buried so deep even finding the killer might not be enough to set her free.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Brilliance Audio
• Release date: Sep 8, 2020
• ISBN: 9781799750796

Vanessa Lillie

Vanessa Lillie is originally from Miami, Oklahoma, where she spent a lot of her childhood investigating local ghost stories at the public library. After college, she worked in Washington, DC, and later moved to Providence, Rhode Island, which she, her husband, and her dinosaur-aficionado son call home. Smitten with the smallest state, she enjoys organizing book events and literary happenings around town.

Reviews for For the Best

[al9g · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lillie's first book, "Little Voices" received wide acclaim and loads of accolades and deservedly so in my opinion and I added my voice to that throng after I read it. This book is her second and frankly, not taking anything away from the first, I liked this one better. Jules Worthington-Smith was hard for me to like. She is driven, obsessive and ambitious. But her wallet is found next the body of Dr. Terence Castle, a collaborator and a person dearly loved by all, Jules becomes the only person of interest in his murder. But the catch: Jules is an alcoholic and was blackout drunk the night it happened and doesn't remember much of anything. And while she remains convinced of her own innocence, she remains the prime suspect in the eyes of the police and has been convicted in the media. As I said, I had a hard time liking this character, but as she works to prove her innocence and protect her family, it is hard not to begin to build sympathy for her and to hope she can solve the crime. The book has some real plot twists and is both gripping and intricate in the develpment of the narrative. I liked the way Lillie built sympathy for Jules and developed her character as she searches for the truth. But sometimes the truth is not what we would like it to be. I also enjoyed the vlog format as Jules creates the vlog to take her case to the public. Another plus for me is the return of Phllip Hale, a great character who appeared in the first book and adds some continuity to the narrative. I look forward to more from this author...

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

Juliette has (unfortunately) and woke up to find out that her colleague was murdered. And the police found her wallet with the body!

I loved the internal battle, almost a good vs evil... the person she wants to be and the person she’s become. With a family to protect, she has to find out what happened and who the real murderer is.

The end departs from the typical, and I loved that!

The narrator’s voice was crisp and kept me attached to the story. She added flavor to the other characters, with accents and their own voices.

Thank you to @brilliancepublishing for this copy and allowing me to give my honest opinion. I genuinely enjoyed everything about this book. I devoured it and had it done in 2 days!

@vanessalillie - I can’t wait to see what comes next!

[vanessa_menez-453497 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

When Jules Worthington-Smith’s wallet is found next to a dead man, she becomes the prime suspect in his murder. After struggling for years to build the perfect family and career, she’s dangerously close to losing everything.

Jules is desperate to prove her innocence and clear her name. But there’s one big problem: she was blackout drunk when the murder took place and can’t remember what happened.

She embarks on her own murder investigation. As she uncovers fresh clues, she starts a true-crime vlog pushing her into the public eye. But, as she digs deeper, the more dirt she uncovers about the murder and herself.

This was a complex book that was filled with twists and secrets. While the book itself was well written, I could not sympathize with the main character, Jules, at all. I found her her annoying, she was a drunk and a flirt, as well as disregarded the feelings and privacy of others just to prove her innocence.

I kept reading just to find out whether Jules was actually innocent as she claimed despite her many faults.I enjoyed that the story was fast paced and plot line got more interesting as the story progressed. The ending was a bit surprising since it was kind of hard to believe.

Thank You to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for this ARC!!

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

I really wanted to like this book because it has been recommended by so many authors I like, but the dependency of the main character on alcohol really bothered me. Of course, alcohol and not taking responsibility is a major part of the story. Juliet Worthington-Smith can’t remember the night before, and when it is discovered that her friend Dr. Terrance Castle is found dead, she is the main suspect. She spends her time trying to prove her innocence. A long-held secret is the key to unlocking a lifetime of guilt. I did like how the story was resolved in the end, but I felt like it took forever to get there.