Title: A Perfect Lie
Author:  Lisa Renee Jones
Publisher/Year:  Julie Patra Publishing 5/14/19
Length:  250 Pages

Overview

Secrets. Lies. A man. There’s always a man.  And there’s always a truth to be told. 

I’m Hailey Anne Monroe. I’m twenty-eight years old. An artist, who found her muse on the canvas because I wasn’t allowed to have friends or even keep a journal. And yes, if you haven’t guessed by now, I’m that Hailey Anne Monroe, daughter to Thomas Frank Monroe, the man who was a half-percentage point from becoming President of the United States. If you were able to ask him, he’d probably tell you that I was the half point. But you can’t ask him, and he can’t tell you. He’s dead. They’re all dead and now I can speak.

My Thoughts

i’m a huge fan of our author – Ms Lisa Renee Jones, and what we have here is a story unlike all the others that we’ve read. Completely detached from the other series and characters that we’ve spent time with over the years. And a style and plot that’s new and fresh. It’s a murder mystery of sorts – but also a story about relationships and trust.

Our main character Hailey is a girl who’s, shall we say, messed up? She’s been raised in a political family with her father setting his sights on being President. That meant that Hailey always had to be the perfect daughter and that comes at a price. One she learns in High School when she goes to a party she shouldn’t have, with a girl (Danielle) that maybe she shouldn’t be friends with, drank something she shouldn’t have, blacked out and woke up somewhere strange, all resulting in a car accident and her mother’s death.

That set the tone for her relationship with her father from then on, and it was not a good one. She was the one he blamed for the death – had she not gone to the party and been out, her mother never would have gone to pick her up and never would have died. So Hailey is cast aside for the new stepfamily, but paraded out when press needs to see the full family.

That takes us to present day when her father is running for office, and her friend Danielle again tries to remind her that she’s a young woman who’s allowed to let loose. So again, this time with her boyfriend, she goes to an exclusive bar that she shouldn’t have, with people she shouldn’t have, and has a drink she shouldn’t have at the nudge of a new man that gives her sparks (which she shouldn’t feel) and guess what? She blacks out and someone else dies.

No one knows who the killer is (or do they) and no one knows the circumstances (or do they) and there’s a rush to get Hailey out of the line of fire since there’s concern that she’s the direction the finger will be pointed.

The way that this story is written is through Hailey’s eyes. Past, Present and Really Present. It’s interesting because i suppose parts are supposed to make us think more about things. Think more about what happened, who said what, what the motivations were, but at times it’s just distracting.

After this second death, Hailey’s father sends her to Denver to get off grid, and this is where things continue to get interesting. She’s given a new ID so that she can live her life, be the person that she wanted to be, however she quickly acknowledges that her father is watching her via FBI and others. and that everything is a lie or set up.

Colorado is where we meet Logan, an attorney (GASP) that becomes either a friend, foe or love interest. You need to read each chapter to determine what role he fills at what point. We also meet Michelle who’s a business owner and the woman who gives Hailey a job as an art instructor so that she can feed her passion. Michelle seems to be above board, but is anyone really? There’s also Jake, an FBI agent that Hailey met when she went back to the bar where Danielle died and tried to get intel. We can’t get a read on him, and i think that’s deliberate. I can’t wait to see which side he’s on, who’s paying him and what that means for Hailey and the story itself.

There are also several supporting characters that play key roles. Megan and Ashley who work at the coffee house / art / bookstore owned by Michelle where Hailey works. There’s also the FBI agent that Hailey’s father hired to ‘guard’ Hailey and while he’s on payroll, you want to still believe he’s a nice guy.

Suffice it to say, it’s a murder mystery for sure but still a story about trust and love. Many more people will die, and more blackouts will occur and we’re left to wonder who’s behind it all. Who is safe in this story and who will be standing at the end. And will they be standing behind bars. I think the way this story ended was partially how i expected but partially not. That’s a good story then right? Enjoy!