My first read from this Author and I loved it and will certainly be reading more of her books. Very creepy and sinister, but kept me guessing until the end So much going on and so many secrets and twists.

Lucy is a best-selling crime novelist with an imaginary friend (Eliza who stars in her books) and a controlling husband, Dan. Her brother, Teddy, disappeared in the woods behind her house when she was a child.
After finishing her latest book she finds out that her husband has bought a house without asking her and with her money, bordering on the same woods that her brother disappeared in 30 years before.
Reluctantly she moves in then Dan disappears.
I loved this book right up to the ending (which I found disappointing) and the way that it moves between the past and the present.
I have read a lot of Gilly Macmillan books and this doesn’t disappoint!

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the advance ebook copy..
As a lonely child Lucy had a vivid imagination and so always had her imaginary friend Eliza along side her doling out advice. Now an adult Lucy has become the author of a successful detective series featuring Eliza as the lead character, D.S. Grey. Upon the completion of her fifth novel her husband, literary agent and editors are all aghast to discover that Eliza has been written out very early on. Already deeply unsettled by a traumatic event when she was just nine years old that involved her younger brother from Lucy seems to be losing her grip on reality and her decision making very strange. When Lucy’s husband Dan goes missing she is unsure if she is responsible and Eliza now appears to be more real than ever.
Gilly Macmillan is an author new to me so I wasn’t quite sure what to expect but this book didn’t disappoint and kept me guessing until the end. An intriguing thriller that has enough tension and twists to satisfy any reader.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author and publisher for the arc copy of To Tell the Truth.
I found this book very intriguing and really wasnt sure where the story was going to end up.
Eliza is an imaginary friend who stays into adulthood. I wasnt sure ,and I'm still not,if she actually was an imaginary friend or whether Lucy was/is schizophrenic.
I did find the ending a little confusing but that's probably because it wasnt an ending I could guess or have imagined.

Another read that pulled me in straight away.

Lucy is a successful author but she hides a secret bigger than any plot she could dream up.

Her little brother went missing when she was only a child herself. When she was younger, her imaginary friend, Eliza was her confidant, now Eliza is main the character in her successful crime stories.

Eliza talks to her as much now as she did as a child.

Despite having a successful career as an author, Lucy's marriage to Dan is fractured, a wannabe writer himself he is jealous of Lucy's success. Then Dan goes missing... Is history repeating itself?

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book, this is my honest opinion.

Another masterfully written psychological thriller from this hugely talented author. Such easy to read, immersive prose and characters that leap out of the page at you. All the ingredients of a best seller.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. I have liked everything this author has written and this was no exception. It had me hooked from the beginning, great storyline, great characters and a great ending.

Lucy Harper is an author writing crime novels. Her husband Daniel is a failed author and is jealous of Lucy's success. The story starts with Lucy as a child coming out os Stoke woods, her parents are outside. Her 3 year old brother Teddy is missing. Lucy has an imaginary friend, Eliza who she writes about. The story goes back and forth to the night of the summer solstice when Teddy went missing.
Daniel buys a house next to Stoke woods which horrified Lucy. It seems he is playing mind games.
I was disappointed with the ending not what i was expecting. It started so well.
Thank you to Netgalley for the arc. The review is entirely my own honest opinion.

This book is cleverly written to keep you reading. It’s a definite page turner with short chapters veering from present to past.

Lucy Harper is a peculiar character. A successful crime writer, she is controlled by her main character, Eliza. Eliza was her imaginary friend as a child and is now the heroine of Lucy’s books. Eliza is also responsible for Lucy failing to tell everything she knew about the disappearance of her brother, Teddy, back when they were children.

In this book we get several intertwined mysteries and meet plenty of shady characters. I wasn’t a fan of the ending- I’d have liked some closure really. And perhaps for Lucy to get psychiatric help! I did enjoy this book though and raced through it with a feeling of unease from start to finish. Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for my copy of this book.

I sooooo wanted to love this book, I really like Gilly MacMillan but I just didn't enjoy it as much as I wanted to.
Please don't let my opinion put you off reading though as I've read loads of people really did love it, and I can see why... This book has Suspence, Mystery and as always, written very well... Its just, for me I didn't gel with Lucy.And none of the characters had any redeeming quality's in them at all, and where in some books this could still work, I felt this one needed you to be rooting for someone and unfortunately for me there was no one. Lucy wasn't a relatable or likeable character and I didn't particularly understand the imaginary friend she had in childhood who she's willingly taken into adulthood and even brought the character to life in her novels, therefor leaving me feeling unappreciating of the whole concept really... Where I was not really too bothered about what had happened to Dan, the Husband because he was Horrible and hadn't brought much to the table in the first place, I WAS bothered about what happened to little Teddy, Lucy's brother all those years ago... And without trying to give away any spoilers I was left feeling UNSURE about how I felt on the conclusion... I was hoping by the end to have a definate happy ending with Teddy, but I didn't get it.

Like i said, please don't let my opinion put you off, everyone likes different things and even I could see why someone else would love it, just didn't work that way for me. Definitely still one of my favourite authors and won't stop me reading all of her novels infact I think I'm going to start THE PERFECT GIRL next...

Have read others from the same author and enjoyed those too. Enjoyed this one but with reservations that would give spoilers. Still looking forward to more from the author. Thank you netgalley.

I received an advanced reader's copy in exchange for an honest review

Not my favorite from this author- definitely not her best. Hope the next one is up to snuff

This is a story of Lucy Harper, a world renowned fictional crime writer and her husband Dan, also a "wanna be writer". Lucy has secrets! Dan takes care of Lucy's administration and financial aspect regarding of her business. Dan has secrets. Lucy's fictional main character, in her four novels, is Detective Sergeant Eliza Grey. Eliza is also her childhood imaginary friend. Eliza "talks" to Lucy and Lucy has conversations with Eliza. Her brother, Teddy, aged three, disappeared when Lucy was nine years old and she carries this episode into adulthood. Lucy desperately wants to find Teddy. I found Lucy a fractured character. Throughout the book we find Lucy doesn't have many friends. During events throughout chapters, I found myself shouting at Lucy, "don't do it" many times. Could I be warming to GILLY MACMILLAN's story?

I am convinced this novel will be enjoyed by many readers. I found the chapters in italics referring to Teddy and Lucy episode that night irritating but they are relevant to the overall story. There are twists and turns throughout and the ending was a surprise! This is my genre reading material but I found the book too long, jagged, twisty, odd and confusing. I found the book well written and curiosity kept me reading to the end!


I WOULD LIKE TO THANK NEGALLEY FOR THE OPPORTUNITY OF READING AN ADVANCED COPY OF THIS BOOK

Gilly Macmillan is really a newly discovered author to me. The first book I'd read was "The Nanny" which I was lucky enough to receive an ARC from the publishers. I fell in love with her writing from that book. I was so happy and excited to download this new book and I couldn't wait to get stuck in. There are not enough words to express how much I loved it. The main character Lucy Harper is a best selling, successful author who has a deep dark secret she's kept hidden since her little brother vanished when she was nine years old. Her husband Dan starts to act weird and ominous and he buys a house secretly with Lucy's money, near to where she used to live when she was a child. When Lucy sees the house, it brings back memories she'd rather forget. Lucy doesn't know who to trust anymore, apart from one person she's known since her childhood, Eliza who is the heroine of Lucy's novels.
If you like a touch of mystery, a bite of psychological drama and a jealous husband thrown into the mix, you will love this book. It's outstanding, with in depth characters, a brilliant clever plot, police procedural plus a bit of domestic noir. It will keep you reading through the night because trust me it's impossible to put down.

Before I start I would like to say that my true rating for this book would be between 4.5 to 4.75 stars. I couldn’t quite give it a 5 because I thought the ending could have been better.

The story is about best selling author Lucy Harper who has a crime series featuring DS Eliza Grey. She is married to Dan an aspiring author who tries to act supportive but is obviously jealous of her success. Lucy is still traumatised by her brother Teddy going missing when she was 9 and he was 3. One night after a neighbourhood party Dan vanishes. Lucy thinks that he is punishing her like he has done before, With people now digging into her past the mysteries from both her past and present start to merge together.

I really enjoyed this book. It was really fast paced and definitely a page turner. It is full of twists and turns and nearly every character is a suspect including Lucy herself. The characters were well written. I have never hated a fictional character quite as much as I hated Lucy’s husband Dan. He was awful and I kept shouting at Lucy (in my mind obviously) to stand up to him and not let him get away with the way he was treating her. The only character I liked was Lucy herself and I feel that I should point out that she is an unreliable narrator as I know that some people aren’t keen on that.

For me, the ending let this book down a little bit. I didn’t like how one of the mysteries was wrapped up. I don’t want to say anymore as I may spoil something. I would definitely highly recommend this bOk. This is my first book by this author and I am now going to be reading everything she writes.

A very enjoyable book where you can't decide whether to like or loathe the main character. The twists keep rolling on with this one...

A complex,dark psychological thriller. A central character who we doubt from the start but who is telling the truth?

This pyschological thriller is set in the West Country and tells a tale about successful author, Lucy Harper. There are secrets she is hiding about her brother Teddy. People close to her, and unbeknown to her, plot to reveal this secret. A page turning read. Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me review this book.

“Fiction isn’t just what you find in books, it’s the lies we tell ourselves. [...] The only way to avoid creating your own fiction is not to think at all.”

Ever since she broke my heart with BURNT PAPER SKY, Gilly Macmilland has been on my list of favourite mystery writers. Whilst all her books are vastly different, they share the same sense of tension and urgency that makes for a compulsive all-night readathon. It’s funny how sometimes you just know within the first few pages that you’re going to be in for a treat – here it took only a couple of paragraphs to get me hooked.

Lucy Harper, a crime writer whose main character has taken on a life of her own, must be one of the most disturbing and yet compelling women I have ever encountered in a mystery. If you like an unreliable narrator, then rest assured that Macmillan has run with this theme and taken it to new heights. On one hand, Lucy is a woman whose past is still haunting her. She may have settled into a comfortable marriage, but her guilt and insecurities have always given Dan the upper hand in their marriage. How would you feel if your husband bought a house with your money without consulting you? Or, even worse, if the house was in the very neighbourhood of your worst childhood memories surrounding the disappearance of your baby brother, a fact that Dan is fully aware of?

So here is Lucy, a lonely woman, a bit frumpy, a bit insecure, tucked away in her studio working on a sequel to her famous Eliza Grey detective series. Her fictional character Eliza has been with Lucy since childhood. Starting off as her imaginary friend, Eliza has become a star in Lucy’s novels and a key to her success. On the shadow side of her fame, Eliza has taken on a life of her own, an almost flesh-and-blood quality who is with Lucy all the time. Unlike Lucy, she is strong, focused and capable. So can you blame Lucy if she lets Eliza take control sometimes when she needs her most?

When Dan disappears in the same mysterious way Lucy’s brother did all those years ago, the police come looking for answers. From here on, the book is a heck of a ride. Tense and atmospheric, with a backdrop of the sinister woods bordering Lucy and Dan’s property, the suspense and constant underlying thread of menace and danger had me reading late into the night. I could not put this book down! Could I trust Lucy? Supported by a rich support cast of characters who are all hiding something themselves, and the mysterious figure of Eliza always hovering in the periphery, the tension gradually mounted to its satisfying finale. I applaud the author for finding the perfect ending for this tale, which will keep the story in my mind for a long time to come.

All in all, TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH was a fantastic read. Taut, gripping, multi-layered and unbearably tense, it constantly challenged my perception of reality and the trustworthiness of each and every character. With the shadowy figure of Eliza, a fictional character, always hovering in the peripheries, the book took on a haunting quality that made me frantically turn the pages. And whilst some writers may have been tempted to insert that infamous “killer twist”, the ending here was like a breath of fresh air and satisfying in every way. Making TO TELL YOU THE TRUTH one of the best mysteries I have read this year, and cementing Gilly Macmillan firmly on my list of favourite mystery writers.

All the stars!

This is a story of Lucy, a crime fiction writer with her alter ego, Eliza. She makes Eliza as the main character in her novel, however as Eliza is kind of controlling her thought, she decided to end Eliza's character in her next novel. Lucy has a childhood past which caused her brother missing and never been found. The past haunted her more when her husband, Dan, decided to buy a house in her childhood neighbourhood, then the story continues with Dan also going missing.
It's a page turner and definitely keeps me reading to the end, though I am hoping of a much better ending. There seems to be not enough closure at the end.