Lie by the Pool by Susan Walter #bookreview #audiobook

I purchased this book and audiobook for my own personal collection.

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing / Brilliance Audio

Published: September 12, 2023

 

Summary:

A desperate woman. An irresistible invitation. An escalating nightmare of secrets, lies, and murder.

Bree’s new home is luxurious and private, with a fancy Beverly Hills address. What a shame it’s not hers. Widowed, penniless, living in her car, and out of options, she’s climbed the fence and crashed in the pool house. All she wants is a good night’s sleep. But when Sophie, the absentee owner, finds her, she gets a whole lot more.

Sophie invites Bree back for a party. When it winds down, Bree can’t resist sneaking upstairs to sleep in a real bed. But the next morning, she wakes to find Sophie’s dead body floating in the pool. As the resident vagabond, she’s both the only witness and the prime murder suspect.

Bree knows she shouldn’t run, but her husband’s death was mysterious, too. If she’s going to clear her name, she’s going to have to work fast. Because the killer is still out there, and she’s next.

 

My thoughts:

Susan Walter is a new-t0-me author and I’m not sure why that is. This is her third book and after reading this one, I know I need to read her others because this one was just so fun and thrilling – exactly how I like my thrillers to be!

This is such a deliciously-fun, fast-paced, twisty thriller and I finished it in a matter of hours. I found myself drawn to both Bree and Sophie and was glad that the story was told from both their perspectives, as well as two other perspectives. I really wanted everyone to be ok in the end and found myself holding my breath many times throughout the book. I also loved that the story was told using a dual time frame -this allowed for us to really get a better understanding of what had happened and what was going on now.

With many of the chapters ending with mini-cliffhangers and expertly plotted twists, this book is one that you do not want to put down once you start. And with a background in screenwriting, this reads so much like a movie, which I loved. It was so easy to visualize what was happening.

I cannot recommend this book enough. It’s such an entertaining, binge-worthy thriller that can easily be consumed in an afternoon. As I mentioned, this is the first book I’ve read by this author and I cannot wait to read her other two!

 

Audio thoughts:

I loved that this had a full-cast narration. It really pulls you in and keeps you engaged. All the narrators – Jess Nahikian, Selah Victor, Aaron Shedlock and Michael Crouch – did a fantastic job bringing this story to life.