Vanessa Lillie | LITTLE VOICES

Plot (via Goodreads):

The voice in her head says he’s guilty. She knows he’s innocent.

Devon Burges is in the throes of a high-risk birth when she learns of her dear friend’s murder. The police quickly name another friend as the chief suspect, but Devon doesn’t buy it—and despite her difficult recovery, she decides to investigate.

Haunted by postpartum problems that manifest as a cruel voice in her head, Devon is barely getting by. Yet her instincts are still sharp, and she’s bent on proving her friend’s innocence.

But as Devon digs into the evidence, the voice in her head grows more insistent, the danger more intense. Each layer is darker, more disturbing, and she’s not sure she—or her baby—can survive what lies at the truth. 

Review:

Alright, let's get real here for a second. I love debut authors and we all know that I love thrillers, so when I read the synopsis of Little Voices by Vanessa Lillie, I was ready! Here is what I was prepared for - a thriller about a new mother who thinks her friends death is a little too suspicious and finds herself in danger. Here is what I got - a politically charged and tightly wound psychological thriller that drew me in with its haunting and unique prologue, kept me interested until page 50, and then made me feverish until its poignant and jaw-dropping ending.

Vanessa Lillie can write one hell of a book. Here is one thing I love about her; she does not throw too many characters at you all at once. I hate when I am reading a book and all of a sudden there's like twenty people I have to remember and I am all sorts of confused because I can't focus on the story. Lillie coddles her reader, gently introducing characters and giving them personalities before moving on with the story and it was so easy to keep track of who is who. Alright, and also her prose is like top notch. Not one detail goes unnoticed, not one page is wasted, and her writing is one that chills you and yet makes you eager to warm up under your sheets and devour the pages - I couldn't stop. I needed more and I even read this one in the bathtub and noticed the water growing cold before I told myself "Okay, Gare. One more chapter!" Don't even get me started on her ability to capture atmosphere. It was ferocious and stunning - I was truly admiring her ability to take me places so quickly that I had to read the prologue three times.

The character development in this one was really strong with Devon and I loved that Lillie focused on her as a character a lot. Between the actions and what Devon was saying to other characters and the contrast and similarities between her inside voice were not only haunting and sad at times, but kept me even more invested as the story progressed. The story was unique and unlike anything I've ever read combining a murder mystery with a very heavy politically charged aspect that would make John Grisham's head spin, Vanessa Lillie definitely exceeded my expectations. And then, the last chapter happened and I was completely blown away. The novel was really good until the ending and then it just became fantastic and really provided a sense that these characters have lives after the final page. I cannot wait to see what this author does next!

Special thanks to Amazon Publishing for this copy in exchange for my honest review.

Rating: 5/5