One More Lie

I’m delighted to tell you about a new book that comes out today by a new-to-me author. Internationally bestselling author Amy Lloyd’s newest novel is ONE MORE LIE (Hanover Square Press Trade Paperback Original; May 28).

This is a harrowing tale that begins with 10-year-old Charlotte and Sean—her best friend from the wrong side of the tracks—are found guilty of a violent crime so heinous that they are tried as adults.   

          Charlotte wants to start fresh. She wants to forget her past, forget prison, and, most of all, forget Sean. But old habits die hard. Despite the ankle monitor she must wear as part of her parole agreement and frequent visits to her therapist, she soon finds herself sliding back towards the type of behavior that sent her to prison in the first place. The further down that path she goes, however, the closer she gets to the crime that put her in prison all those years ago. And that’s the one memory she can’t face. Until, one day, Sean tracks her down.

         

As the story builds, the author teases and hints with glimpses of Charlotte’s troubled past, culminating in a shocking conclusion that will leave readers chilled to the bone. For fans of Sometimes I Lie and Behind Her Eyes, Amy flexes her muscles with a crime fiction novel of unyielding suspense, creeping paranoia, and dark temptation that peers into the horrors that lurk in the human mind.

For those who aren’t familiar with Amy, here’s an introduction from her.

Author Amy Lloyd

I am the author of two novels: the first is The Innocent Wife, which became a top 10 bestseller and a Richard and Judy Book Club pick in 2018. The second is my new novel One More Lie, which is available in hardback.

Both my books are inspired by true crime. By crimes themselves but also, and perhaps more importantly, by our reactions to crime. In The Innocent Wife I wanted to explore our interest in true crime itself, such as our obsession with podcasts like Serial and blockbuster Netflix series like Making a Murderer. My second novel, One More Lie, is about a woman named Charlotte who has just been released from a secure institution for a crime she committed when she was a child. These cases seem to fascinate and horrify society in a way no other crime does. What is it about the idea of a child being capable of something so awful that stirs up such levels of emotion? And can a child really understand the gravity of such an act as murder?

Writing this book was an attempt to understand how something like this could happen and what it might be like to live with the burden of being infamous, branded as evil and not knowing whether you are a bad person or simply a person who did a bad thing.

It isn't based on a particular example of a true crime and all the characters and situations are entirely fictional but people will naturally draw comparisons with some of the infamous cases involving children who hurt or killed other children because these stories remain so vivid in our memories. Instead, I wanted to evoke the atmosphere those crimes created and the stain they left on our collective consciousness.

While writing the book, I tried hard to empathize with my characters who have done things which aren't easy to empathize with. I hoped that readers would be able to do the same and so I wrote them as vividly as I could imagine, in all their good and their bad. I wanted them to be human, believable and flawed.

I hope that One More Lie will offer a different perspective on a subject which has been much explored and that people will enjoy it the way they enjoyed The Innocent Wife.

For more on Amy and her writing, follow her on Twitter @AmyLloydWrites
and connect on Facebook.

Thanks for stopping by today. With my background in newspaper reporting, I can’t help but be drawn to true crime stories. Do you find yourself drawn to stories of true crime or about true crime?