Review: What Lies Below

5/24/2018

WHAT LIES BELOW
by Barbara Taylor Sissel

Genre: Contemporary Mystery / Literary Suspense
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Date of Publication: May 15, 2018
Number of Pages: 334

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Gilly O’Connell’s nightmares aren’t just bad dreams; they’re glimpses of terrifying realities to come. Gilly has spent her entire life trying to suppress the foreboding visions. So when a dismissed premonition leads to her husband’s murder, she buries the guilt and pain of the unsolved crime in the only way she knows how—she runs from it.

Three years later, after overcoming a battle with addiction and starting over in a small Texas town, Gilly dares to believe the worst is over. That is, until another crime rips her heart open: the abduction of a three-year-old girl. Gilly knows more about it than anyone…

She’s dreaming again.

Gilly is convinced that if she tells the police she dreamed of the kidnapping before it happened, there’s no way they’ll believe her. But when she finally gets the courage to come forward with what she saw, people don’t see her as crazy—they see her as a suspect.

Now, in order to help a desperate single father save his child, Gilly must first clear her own name. But as the nightmares of the past catch up to her, Gilly’s only chance for salvation might be the dreams she’s spent so long trying to ignore.

PRAISE FOR WHAT LIES BELOW:
“Infused with heart-stopping suspense, emotional resonance, and startling imagery, What Lies Below swept me along a river of urgency and dread. Barbara Taylor Sissel effortlessly weaves together prescience, regret, grief, love, and revenge—all wrapped in the mystery of a young girl’s abduction. Beneath the breathless immediacy of the story lie deeper questions: How do we forgive ourselves—and others—for remembered transgressions, and can we ever break free of the past?” —A. J. Banner, #1 Amazon and USA Today bestselling author of The Good Neighbor and The Twilight Wife

“Barbara Taylor Sissel’s What Lies Below is suspense at its finest—heartrending, compelling, and beautifully written. If you’re looking for your next up-all-night read, look no further.” —Jessica Strawser, author of Almost Missed You and Not That I Could Tell

“I cannot emphasize this enough: you must read What Lies Below. Barbara Taylor Sissel manages to combine an unreliable narrator, twisting plot, and well imagined characters to create a world where nothing is as it seems and secrets abound. I had intended to savor the novel’s lovely prose but wound up devouring the book in a day. Simply fantastic.” —Karen McQuestion, bestselling author of Hello Love

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I jumped at the chance to review this mystery, What Lies Below, by Barbara Taylor Sissel. I am a huge fan of mysteries and the synopsis for this one totally grabbed my attention. Let me tell you, I was not disappointed. From the first few pages, the book held onto my attention, and I could not put it down.

Gilly is a waitress with a curious past, and Jake an Zoe are the father and daughter who are her regular customers. Jake was absolutely lovely as the loving and doting father to Zoe, a precocious darling. The reader gets the feeling from the very beginning, however, that Gilly isn't your average waitress, and her connection to this small and loving family is not merely a coincidence.

Sissel did a wonderful job in creating an atmosphere with this novel that made me feel a bit fearful once the sun went down. I was invested in each of the characters and their well-being. Not one character was what they seemed. This was done in such a fantastic way though because it did not deter me from caring about them. Reading about them, as individuals and in connection to each other, was like slowly peeling back the layers to get to what we want to find underneath.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves a great mystery or to anyone who loves getting into the characterization and backgrounds of a story's characters. You will not be disappointed!

CHECK OUT THE BOOK TRAILER!

Barbara Taylor Sissel writes issue oriented, upmarket women's fiction that is threaded with elements of suspense and defined by its particular emphasis on how crime affects the family. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, she was raised in various locations across the US and once lived with her family on the grounds of a first offender prison facility. The experience, interacting with the inmates and staff, provided a unique insight into the inmate's lives, the circumstances behind the crimes they committed, and the impact on the families that were affected. The bestselling author of nine novels, her stories focus on the family at the heart of the crime. An avid gardener and the mother of two grown sons, Barbara lives in the Texas Hill Country. She’s represented by Barbara Poelle at the Irene Goodman Literary Agency.

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

1st PRIZE:
SIGNED COPY OF BOOK + BOOKMARK + $15 AMAZON GIFT CARD
2nd PRIZE:
SIGNED COPY OF BOOK + BOOKMARK
MAY 15-24, 2018
(US ONLY)