Review: Trust Me by Hank Phillippi Ryan

Title: Trust Me

Author: Hank Phillippi Ryan

Published: August 2018, Forge Books

Format: ARC Paperback, 400 pages

Source: Publisher

Summary:

An accused killer insists she’s innocent of a heinous murder.

A grieving journalist surfaces from the wreckage of her shattered life.

Their unlikely alliance leads to a dangerous cat and mouse game that will leave you breathless.

Who can you trust when you can’t trust yourself?

Trust Me
is the chilling standalone novel of psychological suspense and
manipulation that award-winning author and renowned investigative
reporter Hank Phillippi Ryan was born to write.

My thoughts: This is Hank Phillippi Ryan’s first standalone novel and she absolutely has a winner on her hands. I was riveted from start to finish, and every time I thought I knew where it was headed, she would change things up – the twists and turns really keep things moving. I was all over the place with this book, and loved every second of it…it really plays with your mind, wondering if what you are being told is the truth or some version of it. Who can you trust?

This book is so cleverly written – it truly is a master game of cat and mouse. How do we know when someone is truly telling us the truth? Is it because people tell us they are telling the truth? Is it because the facts prove it? What happens when those facts have been manipulated? What happens when you are not totally objective to the subject matter? Does this affect how you see the “truth” as it is told to you? These are the questions that Hank Phillippi Ryan sets out to explore in this novel and let me tell you, it is quite a ride!

I loved the fast pace of this book and how it never really lets up. It’s easy to be drawn in by Mercer and Ashlyn and their stories, but can we trust everything they say? This is really what this book boils down to – what and who can you trust? And ironically, a common phrase said repeatedly by multiple characters was, “Trust me.” After hearing that said over and over again, you start to wonder just who you can trust and who is manipulating the truth.

The two main characters – Mercer and Ashlyn – are well developed and quite complex. Mercer’s grief is raw and palpable. Her daily routine of writing on the mirror each day was a painful reminder of how she lives on without her family, yet it felt real…she was struggling, yet she was doing something. Ashlyn is the kind of character you love to hate. She is manipulative and became more unlikeable, at least to me, as the story progressed.

This book is brilliantly plotted  and intense, and really keeps you guessing all the way until the end. It is without a doubt one of the best psychological thrillers I’ve read and I definitely suggest picking it up – Trust Me…you don’t want to miss this one!