Hank Phillippi Ryan | TRUST ME

Plot (via Goodreads):

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.

Review:

The minute I read the synopsis to this novel, I knew that it was going to be something that haunted me for a while to come. This one is complex, gripping, and features writing that really gives these pages a pulse. What I enjoyed about this one was that it was told in three different parts that really play off the saying on the cover that states there are three sides to every story; yours, mind, and the truth. And that my friends is exactly what happens with this novel.

Neither Hank Phillippi Ryan nor myself really stray from admitting that the plot to this novel is eerily similar to the Casey Anthony case - in fact, Ryan actually references it a few times as if to say to the reader "slow down, this is similar but so different...I know what I'm doing." and does she ever! Hank Phillippi Ryan just completely entrapped me with this novel. I was being held hostage in the best way possible and just completely gave in to this story where I didn't know who to trust...which is quite interesting when you're reading a novel called Trust Me.

First of all, the book within a book aspect of this novel just really sold me. Ryan does a phenomenal job of building her characters through giving readers a true identity with her main character Mercer. We get to watch this character build the contrast between her everyday life as well as her career, which is fantastic as Ryan wastes no time even introducing flaws in Mercer's personality. As someone who has always been a huge fan of courtroom dramas, documentaries, etc., it was so thrilling for me to read how Mercer was writing this novel about this court case and I found it fascinating the detail that Ryan provided into how this process would really work.

Part two with this novel took a wild turn and I was a little hesitant. Where do we go from here? What will happen next? Will Mercer find out the truth? Will I? Having Ashlyn introduced "in-person" this far in the novel was like meeting a celebrity. You think you know who they are, how they will act, what kind of person they are and sure enough, there is just so much more that you don't know. I thought I had an idea as to who Ashlyn would be through what I read about from the courtroom documents and Mercer's book, but I was dead wrong. I hated her, I loved her, I felt bad for her, I blamed her. She was easily one of the most complex characters I've ever read.

Part three came along and blew my mind. What a beautiful and wonderful way to wrap this novel up. This section of the novel really kicked up the suspense and the pages were flying by even faster than before (and trust me, I didn't think that would be possible), but I just had to find out what happened! The ending to this one was realistic, believable, and kind of leaves some pieces for the reader to pick up and ultimately let this story really be yours with what you think actually happened.

I don't know what hit me when this novel fell on my lap, but I loved it. This novel is fantastically written, brutally honest, and completely immersive. I cannot wait for my next Hank Phillippi Ryan novel.

Special thanks to Hank Phillippi Ryan for providing me with this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 4/5