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Lie Still
When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past—and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women—and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick—Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game.
It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.
It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.
384 pages, Paperback
First published July 2, 2013
332 people are currently reading
4384 people want to read
About the author
Julia Heaberlin
9 books2,543 followersJulia Heaberlin is the internationally bestselling writer of six thrillers, including WE ARE ALL THE SAME IN THE DARK, a #1 Audible bestseller and the winner of Best Novel by the Writers’ League of Texas. In her latest thriller, NIGHT WILL FIND YOU, an astrophysicist and reluctant psychic explores the controversial, conspiracy-laden case of a lost girl. Heaberlin first broke out with the psychologically dark BLACK-EYED SUSANS, which examines the Texas death penalty and the use of high-tech DNA to identify old bones. SUSANS was published in more than fifteen countries and a top five Times of London bestseller. Heaberlin followed that with the creepy Texas road trip, PAPER GHOSTS, a finalist for Best Hardcover Novel by the International Thriller Writers Awards that has also been optioned for television. Earlier in her career, Heaberlin was an award-winning editor at newspapers that include the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, The Detroit News, and The Dallas Morning News. She is currently at work on her seventh thriller and lives in Texas, where all her novels are set under its big (and sometimes creepy) sky.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 396 reviews
November 23, 2013
When I finished LIE STILL, I realized how absolutely ignorant I was about rape and women and the lingering effects of the horrific ordeal that no amount of washing or scrubbing or therapy or counseling or friends and familial support can ever hope to take away. And that for the rest of Emily Page’s life she will remember vivid details of the assault and Pierce Martin like he was the grim reaper sent down just for her: the empty Domino’s pizza box, the cloying odor of his shampoo, her final thought before he entered her—that he’s not going to marry her—the fingernail that raked her leg and the scar it left behind, and the sting of the alcohol, as she attempted to clean up the last remnants of him. And that when he entered her a part of her soul tore away, and that now her life is divided into two periods: before and after.
Even though Pierce is an asshole, a controlling, abusive, manipulative, done-this-sort-of-thing-before asshole, who had planned the violation for weeks and probably fantasized about it for even longer than that, Emily still thinks the rape, in this case date rape, was her fault. Her humiliation and guilt clings to her like a virus. Even though it wasn’t her fault, she feels culpable in the horrific ordeal, flashing her virginity around like it somehow made her better. This novel refers to date rape as “the last frontier of crime,” because the victims look and feel guilty, while the rapist feels pleased because he painted the whole picture himself. I had no idea rape victims were viewed this way, and it saddens me deeply to realize this is the case. I only hope our society can somehow figure out a way to right this horrible wrong.
This novel shows Texas like it was truly meant to be shown with fake mansions the size of convention centers, where fake women and fake breasts and fake tans loom larger than the Georgia sun. Where a middle-aged former beauty queen packs pistols and assault rifles in the back of her Lexus and shoots out the zero of interstate signs at 65 MPH. Where the twists and turns prove more complicated than Texas’s geographical landscape and interstate highways and where high school never seems to end. And where Caroline Warwick has more secrets and more enemies than one would like to admit.
I’d like to end with the “legitimate rape” legacy left behind by a US representative that Julia Heaberlin brings up in her Author’s Note. She takes the higher ground by not mentioning this particular bastard by name, but I believe he should be called out once again for his comment. Representative Todd Akin said, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” That shows ignorance on so many levels, and it scares the shit out of me that he was actually running our country for six terms. Akin didn’t get reelected in 2012, and rightfully so.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
Even though Pierce is an asshole, a controlling, abusive, manipulative, done-this-sort-of-thing-before asshole, who had planned the violation for weeks and probably fantasized about it for even longer than that, Emily still thinks the rape, in this case date rape, was her fault. Her humiliation and guilt clings to her like a virus. Even though it wasn’t her fault, she feels culpable in the horrific ordeal, flashing her virginity around like it somehow made her better. This novel refers to date rape as “the last frontier of crime,” because the victims look and feel guilty, while the rapist feels pleased because he painted the whole picture himself. I had no idea rape victims were viewed this way, and it saddens me deeply to realize this is the case. I only hope our society can somehow figure out a way to right this horrible wrong.
This novel shows Texas like it was truly meant to be shown with fake mansions the size of convention centers, where fake women and fake breasts and fake tans loom larger than the Georgia sun. Where a middle-aged former beauty queen packs pistols and assault rifles in the back of her Lexus and shoots out the zero of interstate signs at 65 MPH. Where the twists and turns prove more complicated than Texas’s geographical landscape and interstate highways and where high school never seems to end. And where Caroline Warwick has more secrets and more enemies than one would like to admit.
I’d like to end with the “legitimate rape” legacy left behind by a US representative that Julia Heaberlin brings up in her Author’s Note. She takes the higher ground by not mentioning this particular bastard by name, but I believe he should be called out once again for his comment. Representative Todd Akin said, "If it's a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” That shows ignorance on so many levels, and it scares the shit out of me that he was actually running our country for six terms. Akin didn’t get reelected in 2012, and rightfully so.
I received this book for free through NetGalley.
Cross-posted at Robert's Reads
January 16, 2015
2.5
LIE STILL started off strong, but the more I turned the pages, the more I felt it became kind of a hot mess. Most times when I say "this book has a little bit of everything" I mean it as a positive. In this case..not so much.
While I liked the central character, Emily Page, the secondary characters seemed right out of a reality TV show-if there was a TV show called "The Real Housewives of Texas" (maybe there is a show called that already, I try to keep them off my radar). The first chapter in LIE STILL seemed to set a serious tone, so that when all these crazy over the top characters started coming out of the woodwork I felt annoyed by them. To me these secondary characters belonged inside a cozy mystery, or maybe if they were more sophisticated, dark, over the top characters, they could be in a Carl Hiaasen novel.
There was waaaaaaay too much going on in this book. Too many mysteries, too many secrets, too many genres, and too many attempts at humour, where humour just didn't belong.
LIE STILL started off strong, but the more I turned the pages, the more I felt it became kind of a hot mess. Most times when I say "this book has a little bit of everything" I mean it as a positive. In this case..not so much.
While I liked the central character, Emily Page, the secondary characters seemed right out of a reality TV show-if there was a TV show called "The Real Housewives of Texas" (maybe there is a show called that already, I try to keep them off my radar). The first chapter in LIE STILL seemed to set a serious tone, so that when all these crazy over the top characters started coming out of the woodwork I felt annoyed by them. To me these secondary characters belonged inside a cozy mystery, or maybe if they were more sophisticated, dark, over the top characters, they could be in a Carl Hiaasen novel.
There was waaaaaaay too much going on in this book. Too many mysteries, too many secrets, too many genres, and too many attempts at humour, where humour just didn't belong.
November 26, 2019
I’ve been reading this book for my backlist challenge.
The premise of this sounded to me pretty good.
Alas, the more I read the more disgruntled I became.
If someone had numerous miscarriages and difficulties with that side of things, would you, yes....would you take unnecessary risks? For me, the stupid things she did was beyond my comprehension it became aggravating to me.
I finished it. But not with a smile on my face, more of a.....how silly was that!
Plus these other women, so stereotype beyond me not sighing with “how many more pages until the end.”
I think it’s safe to say, I didn’t connect to this book.
The premise of this sounded to me pretty good.
Alas, the more I read the more disgruntled I became.
If someone had numerous miscarriages and difficulties with that side of things, would you, yes....would you take unnecessary risks? For me, the stupid things she did was beyond my comprehension it became aggravating to me.
I finished it. But not with a smile on my face, more of a.....how silly was that!
Plus these other women, so stereotype beyond me not sighing with “how many more pages until the end.”
I think it’s safe to say, I didn’t connect to this book.
January 21, 2015
I read Julia Heaberlin's book Playing Dead and really enjoyed it so I was really excited to read this book. Unfortunately, it didn't do much for me. I thought it started out good and it captured my interest and I thought I was going to be glued to the book but it didn't take long for me to lose interest. Although there was a wide variety of characters and personalities, I didn't care for any of them. I found myself wondering what the purpose of the story was many times and I truly didn't care what was going to happen.
The story itself just seemed a bit odd to me. I felt as though you took 2 different books and pieced them together to try and make 1 story and it just didn't work. There was just too many things going on in this book and they just didn't seem to mesh well.
I don't think the writing was bad, I just think the story was less than interesting. It was forgettable and odd. I can't say that this is a book that I'd recommend.
The story itself just seemed a bit odd to me. I felt as though you took 2 different books and pieced them together to try and make 1 story and it just didn't work. There was just too many things going on in this book and they just didn't seem to mesh well.
I don't think the writing was bad, I just think the story was less than interesting. It was forgettable and odd. I can't say that this is a book that I'd recommend.
September 20, 2016
Lie Still was not what I was expecting. What did I expect? Maybe a predictable mystery and an attempt at suspense that wouldn’t effect me. This was not Lie Still. Instead – I was presented with a complex set of issues including gender, rape and social status. I was not rolling my eyes at lack of surprise but rather I was begging my husband to come upstairs and come to bed because I was afraid to be in my bedroom alone in the dark. I thought I had this novel figured out five or six times – but nope. I was wrong at every turn. And all of these add up to a great suspense novel.
The main character of Lie Still is Emily. The story is told from the first person point of view of Emily. I had an intense connection with Emily. Readers learn her history, her present and her dreams. She is pregnant and for me this made her experiences so much more tangible. When a woman is pregnant she feels it all the time, it never leaves her – it is constant awareness. Many authors miss this when writing pregnant characters but Emily was captured perfectly. Emily is the focus of this story and she is a great main character. She is intensely written and fun to read.
It is hard to imagine two starkly different worlds – the elite art world of New York City and small town Texas. Emily and her husband move from NYC to the author made up town of Clairmont Texas. As you can imagine stereotypes and funny cultures clash abound but not in an offensive way to either side. We see small town Texas through Emily’s eyes and not surprising she at first judgmental. At first ….
The memory and aftermath of rape are key themes in this story. It isn’t glamorized and it is not sexualized. (Thank goodness). But instead the author shows that this event in a person’s life is not easy to move beyond. The memory of rape shapes Emily’s life, her marriage and her nightmares. It affects how she sees men and how she thinks men see her. I think I forget about the little assaults that happen on a daily basis from certain men (I hesitate to use both the words little and assault but for the lack of better words …) – I can brush them away and forget about them. Emily cannot – each of the visual dress downs and lingering touches affects her and the author does a great job at showing the reality of this.
The story isn’t perfect. But because it was so fun to read, so nail buying good that I was able to forgive one flaw that would normally drive me batty – lack of communication. Emily and her husband constantly fail to communicate key points if info that are life altering. The author sets this up in the beginning to show this is problem in their marriage but it was still frustrating. But this book is about secrets and the marriage of the main characters is no exception.
If you don’t want to focus on the heavier issues of rape or social status you don’t have to. This novel is well written, the spine tingles are strong (and abundant) that readers who just want to read a suspense novel will find what they want in this book.
Secrets are what Lie Still turns on. But the social net running between the characters help keep the secrets hidden and the reader guessing. If you are looking for a psychological novel that will surprise you then Lie Still is what you are looking for.
The main character of Lie Still is Emily. The story is told from the first person point of view of Emily. I had an intense connection with Emily. Readers learn her history, her present and her dreams. She is pregnant and for me this made her experiences so much more tangible. When a woman is pregnant she feels it all the time, it never leaves her – it is constant awareness. Many authors miss this when writing pregnant characters but Emily was captured perfectly. Emily is the focus of this story and she is a great main character. She is intensely written and fun to read.
It is hard to imagine two starkly different worlds – the elite art world of New York City and small town Texas. Emily and her husband move from NYC to the author made up town of Clairmont Texas. As you can imagine stereotypes and funny cultures clash abound but not in an offensive way to either side. We see small town Texas through Emily’s eyes and not surprising she at first judgmental. At first ….
The memory and aftermath of rape are key themes in this story. It isn’t glamorized and it is not sexualized. (Thank goodness). But instead the author shows that this event in a person’s life is not easy to move beyond. The memory of rape shapes Emily’s life, her marriage and her nightmares. It affects how she sees men and how she thinks men see her. I think I forget about the little assaults that happen on a daily basis from certain men (I hesitate to use both the words little and assault but for the lack of better words …) – I can brush them away and forget about them. Emily cannot – each of the visual dress downs and lingering touches affects her and the author does a great job at showing the reality of this.
The story isn’t perfect. But because it was so fun to read, so nail buying good that I was able to forgive one flaw that would normally drive me batty – lack of communication. Emily and her husband constantly fail to communicate key points if info that are life altering. The author sets this up in the beginning to show this is problem in their marriage but it was still frustrating. But this book is about secrets and the marriage of the main characters is no exception.
If you don’t want to focus on the heavier issues of rape or social status you don’t have to. This novel is well written, the spine tingles are strong (and abundant) that readers who just want to read a suspense novel will find what they want in this book.
Secrets are what Lie Still turns on. But the social net running between the characters help keep the secrets hidden and the reader guessing. If you are looking for a psychological novel that will surprise you then Lie Still is what you are looking for.
June 23, 2013
Lie Still by Julia Heaberlin is set for an early July release and is a Bantam publication.
Emily and her husband Mike move from New York to Clairmont, Texas. Mike has taken the job of police chief here. Emily is expecting their first child and is constantly on guard because of several previous miscarriages.
Her home is still a mess, with boxes unpacked when she is pushed a bit by her husband to accept an invitation to a party by one of the town's wealthiest residents.
Emily reluctantly attends and finds herself in a surreal situation. The women attending this gathering are all very well off, dressed to the nines and catty. But, the hostess, Caroline, seems to be all powerful. She holds something over each woman and knows their deepest darkest secrets.
As it turns out, Emily has a few of those deep dark secrets and somehow Caroline has found out about them. These are things that even Mike isn't aware of.
When Caroline goes missing, there are an abundance of suspects. However, Caroline's disappearance could somehow or other be connected to Emily's past.
Caroline, the keeper of others secrets, may have had a few whoppers of her own.
For Emily this means opening up a chapter of her life she would rather forget.
Emily and her unborn child are at risk from a stalker and maybe even a murderer. As Mike investigates the disappearance of Caroline, Emily begins to look into her past to discover who may have killed the man that raped her and several other girls and to find who is stalking her. She doesn't not know if the past and present are about to collide.
This is a taut, dark, edgy mystery suspense novel. I could not put this book down. Once I read the first chapter I was hooked. The story moves fast with one revelation after another until you don't know who can be trusted. Everyone seems to have a sinister quality about them. This town is just plain spooky with some really off the wall characters. The wealthy group of women desperate to be a part of Caroline's club, the Mayor, the other policemen, the people in Emily's past, all have secrets, all have motives, all are not what they appear to be.
Emily was a person that was easy to relate to. I felt empathy for her, and admired her courage. I also liked her husband, even at times when he was mad at her or preoccupied with his job. He was blindsided a few times and handled the big reveals from Emily better than I would have.
I found myself feeling upbeat about the way things all turned out for Emily. I think that even though this experience was painful, she and Mike are stronger and Emily may now find the peace and closure she badly needed.
I'm very impressed with this author and I highly recommend this book. A+ Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this digital review copy!
Emily and her husband Mike move from New York to Clairmont, Texas. Mike has taken the job of police chief here. Emily is expecting their first child and is constantly on guard because of several previous miscarriages.
Her home is still a mess, with boxes unpacked when she is pushed a bit by her husband to accept an invitation to a party by one of the town's wealthiest residents.
Emily reluctantly attends and finds herself in a surreal situation. The women attending this gathering are all very well off, dressed to the nines and catty. But, the hostess, Caroline, seems to be all powerful. She holds something over each woman and knows their deepest darkest secrets.
As it turns out, Emily has a few of those deep dark secrets and somehow Caroline has found out about them. These are things that even Mike isn't aware of.
When Caroline goes missing, there are an abundance of suspects. However, Caroline's disappearance could somehow or other be connected to Emily's past.
Caroline, the keeper of others secrets, may have had a few whoppers of her own.
For Emily this means opening up a chapter of her life she would rather forget.
Emily and her unborn child are at risk from a stalker and maybe even a murderer. As Mike investigates the disappearance of Caroline, Emily begins to look into her past to discover who may have killed the man that raped her and several other girls and to find who is stalking her. She doesn't not know if the past and present are about to collide.
This is a taut, dark, edgy mystery suspense novel. I could not put this book down. Once I read the first chapter I was hooked. The story moves fast with one revelation after another until you don't know who can be trusted. Everyone seems to have a sinister quality about them. This town is just plain spooky with some really off the wall characters. The wealthy group of women desperate to be a part of Caroline's club, the Mayor, the other policemen, the people in Emily's past, all have secrets, all have motives, all are not what they appear to be.
Emily was a person that was easy to relate to. I felt empathy for her, and admired her courage. I also liked her husband, even at times when he was mad at her or preoccupied with his job. He was blindsided a few times and handled the big reveals from Emily better than I would have.
I found myself feeling upbeat about the way things all turned out for Emily. I think that even though this experience was painful, she and Mike are stronger and Emily may now find the peace and closure she badly needed.
I'm very impressed with this author and I highly recommend this book. A+ Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for this digital review copy!
September 10, 2013
I really wanted to like this book. It started off good but ultimately went downhill in a hurry. The story line veered off into the most unbelievable and rushed story that had to tie all the loose ends together. I cannot believe the author makes such a huge deal about how the main character, Emily, is finally carrying a pregnancy this far after so many miscarriages and even says that her husband had been so careful to not let her scoop kitty litter or be near anything that could harm the baby AND YET she drinks a glass of wine all the time. I know that wine these days is "safe" and all that but that just seemed like such an unnecessary and offensive detail. I just found the main character obnoxious; but that's not to say that I don't feel sorry for what she was put through and how incredibly horrible her past was. I'm still
Incredibly confused by the ending and just all around annoyed that the author whipped characters out of thin air to tie everything together. At the end of the book the author talks about how she never knew that the first words out of Emily's would lead her to tell a story about rape. Well maybe as an author you should plan things out a little better so your story doesn't end up like this.
Incredibly confused by the ending and just all around annoyed that the author whipped characters out of thin air to tie everything together. At the end of the book the author talks about how she never knew that the first words out of Emily's would lead her to tell a story about rape. Well maybe as an author you should plan things out a little better so your story doesn't end up like this.
July 14, 2013
My emotions were all over the place while reading Lie Still. At times my pulse was racing and my heart was pounding. While others I was laughing and smiling at the oddities coming off the page. This is good... This is what makes for good reading. This is why I'm rating this book 4.5 stars because it was just a pleasure to read.
We meet Emily and the first thing we learn is she's been raped. That this event, this singular moment has changed, shaped and directed her life. That act of violence has never left her.
It's not surprising that Emily married a big bad protective ATF agent. Her life has felt safe and secure from that moment forward but as we dive more into Lie Still and each secret is revealed we find that there was so much more to that singular moment, that the rape was just the beginning.
In Lie Still Emily and Mike move to Clairmont, Texas (not a real town) which is near Fort Worth/Dallas area. They're going to have a baby and decide to leave New York for a life where Mike can be the new Chief of Police and Emily can take care of the baby. What we learn is this little town has some crazy Texas women in it and this is where things start to get interesting...
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This is where things get very interesting. These women are crazy, they lie, hold secrets and are part of this elite club where everyone stabs you in the back. It was hilarious to see these Texas women thru the eyes of Emily. I should say that I lived in Texas for 2 years and never once met a women like Caroline, Letty or Misty. I never once walked in the kind of circles that Emily did though.
Throughout the story that unfolds with each page the underlying reference to the rape is constant. I don't want to spoil anything but I also want to touch on the feelings that Emily would get around certain men. She understood what some men want, that they're not all like Mike. Protective and kind. That some men are predators. When Emily meets Letty's husband she sees in him what he is...
That right there... that is how Julia Heaberlin is able to write us right into the room, sitting right behind Letty watching this take place and it's why I enjoyed reading Lie Still. That's an uncomfortable moment, there are many in this book but this stands out to be because Emily understand that kind of man. Harry is able use his sexuality and not be called a slut. He's just a whoring husband with a wondering hand. The world would not look so kindly upon Emily if she was to do the same thing.
There there's Letty, I'll admit she was a character I didn't see her changing but she was so funny to read. I never knew what was going to come out of her mouth from moment to moment...
In conclusion, I enjoyed reading Lie Still. My heart broke for what Emily endured. My pulse raced as the mystery was unraveling and clues were being dropped right and left. I found myself unable to put this book down and had to find out what really happened to Caroline. Not to mention those funny hilarious moments that just took the edge off the heavy moments littered through out. This was my first book by Ms. Heaberlin but it wont be the last.
I'll leave you will a note from the author...
I received this ARC from Netgalley, via Random House Publishing Group for an honest review.
We meet Emily and the first thing we learn is she's been raped. That this event, this singular moment has changed, shaped and directed her life. That act of violence has never left her.
For me, the rape is a permanent fixture on the clock, like midnight. A point of reference. I was nineteen years and four days old.
It's not surprising that Emily married a big bad protective ATF agent. Her life has felt safe and secure from that moment forward but as we dive more into Lie Still and each secret is revealed we find that there was so much more to that singular moment, that the rape was just the beginning.
In Lie Still Emily and Mike move to Clairmont, Texas (not a real town) which is near Fort Worth/Dallas area. They're going to have a baby and decide to leave New York for a life where Mike can be the new Chief of Police and Emily can take care of the baby. What we learn is this little town has some crazy Texas women in it and this is where things start to get interesting...
I felt like I was living on the last place on earth, trapped in an Edvard Munch painting with the cast of Real Housewives.
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This is where things get very interesting. These women are crazy, they lie, hold secrets and are part of this elite club where everyone stabs you in the back. It was hilarious to see these Texas women thru the eyes of Emily. I should say that I lived in Texas for 2 years and never once met a women like Caroline, Letty or Misty. I never once walked in the kind of circles that Emily did though.
Throughout the story that unfolds with each page the underlying reference to the rape is constant. I don't want to spoil anything but I also want to touch on the feelings that Emily would get around certain men. She understood what some men want, that they're not all like Mike. Protective and kind. That some men are predators. When Emily meets Letty's husband she sees in him what he is...
This was the archetype of the guy I didn’t do well around. The grown-up Pierces. Harry Dunn would have sex with me, pregnant and married, tonight, in the back of a car, hell, in the one-holer bathroom in the back of this restaurant. He’d said it with his eyes and with the hand he casually drifted up and down my back while his lips brushed my cheek. I hated myself for the primal physical response he elicited. Attraction and abhorrence at the same time.
That right there... that is how Julia Heaberlin is able to write us right into the room, sitting right behind Letty watching this take place and it's why I enjoyed reading Lie Still. That's an uncomfortable moment, there are many in this book but this stands out to be because Emily understand that kind of man. Harry is able use his sexuality and not be called a slut. He's just a whoring husband with a wondering hand. The world would not look so kindly upon Emily if she was to do the same thing.
There there's Letty, I'll admit she was a character I didn't see her changing but she was so funny to read. I never knew what was going to come out of her mouth from moment to moment...
“Lucky I dropped by. I decided it was as good a time as any to stick a personal reminder invitation to Caroline’s memorial service in your mailbox since you hadn’t been polite enough to RSVP. I go up to the mailbox, put my ear to the door, and ask myself, Why is Emily using power tools at midnight? My spidey sense was tingling. I got my Remington 700 ADC rifle out of my trunk, and here we are.”
In conclusion, I enjoyed reading Lie Still. My heart broke for what Emily endured. My pulse raced as the mystery was unraveling and clues were being dropped right and left. I found myself unable to put this book down and had to find out what really happened to Caroline. Not to mention those funny hilarious moments that just took the edge off the heavy moments littered through out. This was my first book by Ms. Heaberlin but it wont be the last.
I'll leave you will a note from the author...
Tell your girls. Tell them, tell them, tell them. Tell them to fight and scratch and yell his name. Tell them not to be ashamed. To break the necklace of women who’ve kept their rapist’s secret because they know him. Grandmothers and mothers, daughters and sisters, aunts and best friends. Century after century, decade after decade, year after year. Heartbeat after heartbeat.
I received this ARC from Netgalley, via Random House Publishing Group for an honest review.
January 17, 2021
After finishing Lie Still today, I have read all of Julia Heaberlin's books and I wonder, where is the hype for this amazing author?! With all the thrillers out there today that are full of gimmicks and cliches, Heaberlin is above and beyond. Her writing style draws you in, makes you believe her characters, drops nuggets of trivia, truth, and pop culture references, and brings you to an organic conclusion that you did not see coming. I have nothing but praise for all of her work. I especially enjoyed Lie Still and it's nuances. The Texas women and their creepy club was by far one of the stars of this book. Lie Still deals with the heavy topics of rape and child abduction.
July 13, 2013
While the story line and the mystery part of this novel was suspenseful, I just did not like those silly, silly women. They are just a typical stereotype of the pretentious and overbearing type of women I despise. It was almost a welcome relief when Letty went missing.
So this book had many pros and cons for me. Love her style of writing, it is clear, concise and very readable, but I didn't care for many of the characters. Loved the suspense, but some of the story was just plain silly. Will try her next book though simply because her writing is strong.
So this book had many pros and cons for me. Love her style of writing, it is clear, concise and very readable, but I didn't care for many of the characters. Loved the suspense, but some of the story was just plain silly. Will try her next book though simply because her writing is strong.
August 6, 2013
I honestly didn't think I'll like this book. I usually read only paranormal types of books but since I got approved for this book on Netgalley and I wanted to try something new, I decided to give this book a shot. At first I had a hard time getting into the book, I even put it down a couple of times. But about after 30% through it really started to get so much better. All of the new mysteries and secrets started to come on surface and it was hard not to finish this book, because you just have to know how its going to end.
I just liked the whole mystery of the book. The suspense of the story and how it builds up and up and when you try to guess, you always come out wrong. The plot was just really real to the point that it was scary at times, because you know this can happen in real life. I liked that the book setting was in the South but at the same time I was a little bit confused by some people there. I never been in the South so I wouldn't know if people there actually act this way, but it was interesting to read about it.
Emily is the only character that I really got to know in this book. Every other character is still a mystery to me, you know stuff about them, but you don't really know them, not even Emily's husband, Mike. I honestly liked Emily, Mike and Misty, but all of the other characters...I never met anyone like them in my life, especially the portraying of Taxes woman... I never really got used to their behavior. I liked Letty too, she was a funny character to read about. Emily was a strong character and narrator, I really liked seeing things through her eyes. I felt like I was with her, I just loved the way she portrayed things.
This book was different and I really enjoyed reading it. Towards the end this book just blew my mind, I loved the twists and all of the craziness in this book. If you love mystery, I would definitely recommend to read it!
I just liked the whole mystery of the book. The suspense of the story and how it builds up and up and when you try to guess, you always come out wrong. The plot was just really real to the point that it was scary at times, because you know this can happen in real life. I liked that the book setting was in the South but at the same time I was a little bit confused by some people there. I never been in the South so I wouldn't know if people there actually act this way, but it was interesting to read about it.
Emily is the only character that I really got to know in this book. Every other character is still a mystery to me, you know stuff about them, but you don't really know them, not even Emily's husband, Mike. I honestly liked Emily, Mike and Misty, but all of the other characters...I never met anyone like them in my life, especially the portraying of Taxes woman... I never really got used to their behavior. I liked Letty too, she was a funny character to read about. Emily was a strong character and narrator, I really liked seeing things through her eyes. I felt like I was with her, I just loved the way she portrayed things.
This book was different and I really enjoyed reading it. Towards the end this book just blew my mind, I loved the twists and all of the craziness in this book. If you love mystery, I would definitely recommend to read it!
August 12, 2013
This is a thriller of the made-for-TV movie variety. Newcomers to a small town, a plethora of strange and crazy residents with secrets dripping out of the woodwork, a malevolent stalker or two. Creepy is a prerequisite, and in that way, the book delivers. However, there was a bit too much going on for it to really come together nicely—it's easy to lose track of which local nut-job did what and thus too many viable suspects. That was a little bit over the top, but it did make for some entertaining farce. If you're looking for an easy beach read, go for it.
Read
August 11, 2015Tried to read this after being blown away by Black Eyed Susans by Heaberlin. Not in the same league for me. Started off promising but descended into a Texas version of Desperate Housewives. Not a problem in its self as I loved the TV series. It just wasn't what I expected after my previous knock out experience with the author.
December 27, 2018
Loved this one. I loved the cast of uniquely quirky women and the story kept me hooked. Both are a bit OTT but what else would you expect in Texas but larger than life characters with huge personalities and lives that play out like a soap opera. It was fun and just bit disturbing to read, and while it may not stick with me forever, I did love it while reading it, enough to check out more from this author.
August 13, 2013
“I felt like I was living on the last place on earth, trapped in an Edvard Munch painting with the cast of Real Housewives.”
This really is a WOW read, one which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is quite deceptive at first, when Emily and husband Mike move to Texas so that he can take up his new job as Chief of Police; Emily is invited to attend a lunch at the home of Caroline Warwick, where she is introduced to the local ladies. We are introduced to a whole host of characters, Texan ladies who like to lunch and have botox injections on the way to pick up the kids from school, try every diet going and have guns in the boots of their cars, all with larger than life personalities.
The story though does turn very dark as it becomes clear that one of the ladies is collecting the darkest secrets of all the others – but for what purpose? And when the leader of the ladies - Caroline - goes missing – everyone wants to know what happened to her.
I loved the character of Emily, who was very human and believable and who has her own dark secrets which she has never revealed to anyone, not even to Mike. I loved the way her thoughts were right there on the page so we felt every emotion she went through, even the funny little one liners. Mike himself is a very complex character. A man of the law, dedicated to his job – he sometimes comes across as a little distant but that is only due to the pressures of his work. In reality he loves his wife 110% and would do ANYTHING for her.
What transpires makes for a very gripping read, full of tension and danger. It is a story where you feel that nobody Emily comes into contact with can be trusted. The story twists and turns right until the very end, which does come as a complete surprise.
This really is a WOW read, one which I thoroughly enjoyed. It is quite deceptive at first, when Emily and husband Mike move to Texas so that he can take up his new job as Chief of Police; Emily is invited to attend a lunch at the home of Caroline Warwick, where she is introduced to the local ladies. We are introduced to a whole host of characters, Texan ladies who like to lunch and have botox injections on the way to pick up the kids from school, try every diet going and have guns in the boots of their cars, all with larger than life personalities.
The story though does turn very dark as it becomes clear that one of the ladies is collecting the darkest secrets of all the others – but for what purpose? And when the leader of the ladies - Caroline - goes missing – everyone wants to know what happened to her.
I loved the character of Emily, who was very human and believable and who has her own dark secrets which she has never revealed to anyone, not even to Mike. I loved the way her thoughts were right there on the page so we felt every emotion she went through, even the funny little one liners. Mike himself is a very complex character. A man of the law, dedicated to his job – he sometimes comes across as a little distant but that is only due to the pressures of his work. In reality he loves his wife 110% and would do ANYTHING for her.
What transpires makes for a very gripping read, full of tension and danger. It is a story where you feel that nobody Emily comes into contact with can be trusted. The story twists and turns right until the very end, which does come as a complete surprise.
December 10, 2017
Wow! This is my second good thriller this month. The last one was by Karin slaughter and this one was another such amazing thriller. I need to confess that this book disrupted my day, kept me up all night. This one was so close to being a 5 star one that I feel a little sad I could not give because towards the end it became messy. Oh the characters are amazing and three dimensional. Caroline was not easy to disepher and there were many little mysteries.
The premise:
When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past—and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women—and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick—Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game.
It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.
I loved Mike's character,he's so cute and adorable but rough and tough.I would suggest everyone to pick this thriller.
Good read.
The premise:
When Emily Page and her husband move from Manhattan to the wealthy enclave of Clairmont, Texas, she hopes she can finally escape her haunted past—and outrun the nameless stalker who has been taunting her for years. Pregnant with her first child, Emily just wants to start over. But as she is drawn into a nest of secretive Texas women—and into the unnerving company of their queen, Caroline Warwick—Emily finds that acceptance is a very dangerous game.
It isn’t long before Caroline mysteriously disappears and Emily is facing a rash of anonymous threats. Are they linked to the missing Caroline? Or to Emily’s terrifying encounter in college, years earlier? As the dark truth about Caroline emerges, Emily realizes that some secrets are impossible to hide—and that whoever came for Caroline is now coming for her.
I loved Mike's character,he's so cute and adorable but rough and tough.I would suggest everyone to pick this thriller.
Good read.
January 22, 2021
In this novel from 2013, Emily Page and her husband Mike have moved from Manhattan to Clairmont, Texas. Mike is a former ATF agent who got a new job as chief of police there. Emily is happy to move since she is pregnant and had a stalker in New York. She is convinced the stalker is the mother of the man who raped her in college. Unfortunately, she is still receiving hang up calls and packages. Mike encourages Emily to get out and meet the ladies in the community. There's a wealthy older lady, Caroline, who has her own version of a ladies social club. Caroline has a dossier on everyone, not just the ladies. Caroline goes missing and who isn't a suspect?
The book is set in Texas where the climate is usually hot, except for winter. I know this for a fact. The author has created some weird, plastic women in the club and secrets abound. I thought Letty was a hoot. I spent the entire book trying to guess who the stalker and murderer was. Frankly, I prefer books like this because I like to try and solve puzzles.
The book is set in Texas where the climate is usually hot, except for winter. I know this for a fact. The author has created some weird, plastic women in the club and secrets abound. I thought Letty was a hoot. I spent the entire book trying to guess who the stalker and murderer was. Frankly, I prefer books like this because I like to try and solve puzzles.
July 16, 2013
It was really nice to win this book from Goodreads and I was excited to read a new author. But this book moved backwards for me. At the beginning it didn't take any time for me to get caught up in the storyline- Emily Page and her husband relocate to Texas; Mike to start a new job and Emily to get away from someone who had been stalking her since a horrible incident happened while she was in college. Midway through I started losing interest, it felt like the author was throwing all kinds of things in with no real direction as to where she wanted the story to go. By the last third of the book I just wasn't interested anymore and started reading something else. But I made myself finish and by then I didn't even remember who most of the characters were or what their lives were about, as if I had just picked it up. It was not a good read to me.
June 10, 2018
Pregnant Emily and her police officer husband move to Texas from New York for his new job. Though she is in a new location, Emily’s secrets from her past seem to be following her. When she meets a group of local southern women, she is forced to confront some of her biggest fears and reveal to her husband some things from her past that she longs to forget.
Meanwhile, one of the women from her group mysteriously goes missing and much speculation evolves around what happened to her. Emily plays amateur sleuth as she interviews key suspects and many secrets unfold as the plot meanders along.
I love Julia Heaberlin’s writing but this was not one of my favorites. I found the characters, notably those southern women, to be ridiculously, stereotypically silly and the plot, especially in the middle, seemed forced at times. In addition, I listened to an audio version and I found the narrator’s voice when playing Emily to be a little too high-pitched, which also detracted for me. With that said, I did find the ending to be clever and unexpected and I still consider Heaberlin to be one of my favorite authors.
Meanwhile, one of the women from her group mysteriously goes missing and much speculation evolves around what happened to her. Emily plays amateur sleuth as she interviews key suspects and many secrets unfold as the plot meanders along.
I love Julia Heaberlin’s writing but this was not one of my favorites. I found the characters, notably those southern women, to be ridiculously, stereotypically silly and the plot, especially in the middle, seemed forced at times. In addition, I listened to an audio version and I found the narrator’s voice when playing Emily to be a little too high-pitched, which also detracted for me. With that said, I did find the ending to be clever and unexpected and I still consider Heaberlin to be one of my favorite authors.
October 9, 2017
Powerful book written with feminist undercurrents.
Read
October 12, 2022DNF - no rating.
May 12, 2024
I love this author. I am so sad I have read all of her book now. Can’t wait until she releases another one.
October 25, 2020
Loved it. Great,twisty read.
February 17, 2019
I enjoyed this one. I loved the familiarity of Texas women shenanigans backed by a few different interconnected mysteries. 😉
March 8, 2019
I loved this book. This is my second Julie Heaberlin book and I really enjoy her style of writing. She's great at creating flawed characters who add another dimension to the mystery. This one kept me guessing until the end and itching to grab another thriller!
June 13, 2013
A troubled heroine with a painful past, modern-day murder, and a group of genuinely crazy Texas women - Lie Still takes this odd mix of ingredients and whips it up into a rich reading experience that had me frantically turning the last pages.
Right from the beginning, Julia Heaberlin lets us know what we're in for, introducing us to her main character's worst experience, a date rape she suffered when she was in college. I was worried initially that it would be this experience that defined her character, but I was glad to be proven quite wrong - Emily Page is developed far beyond her rape and quickly becomes a full-bodied character with an admirable personality and remarkable drive. Pregnant and out of place, a recent transplant from a life in New York to a new house in Texas, we're thrown right into Emily's chaos and brought along for the ride as she meets character after character and tries to get to the heart of the many mysteries surrounding her.
And what characters - from refined, cultured Caroline to chatty pageant-queen Letty to mysterious Misty, each the women Emily meets is unique and has a story to tell. Some of the conversations Emily has with these characters had me laughing out loud, others frustrated beyond words - usually a finely-blended mix of both. The best thing about all these characters, from Emily herself to her police officer husband to the odd collection of women, is that none of them are what you might think when you first meet them. Some are better, others are worse - but mostly, they're just people.
Lie Still is a murder mystery and a character study and a well-crafted family drama, all wrapped up into one beautiful little package. It's suspenseful and solidly written, in an elegant, no-nonsense style. It's funny and tragic and harrowing - as Emily tries to figure what's going on, if a spectre from her past has come back to haunt her new life or if this is some unknown threat hovering over her, I was compelled to follow all the way to the end.
Call it a lesson in first impressions, and why they're so often wrong. This book, like the people in it, has much more to offer than its first pages might suggest.
Right from the beginning, Julia Heaberlin lets us know what we're in for, introducing us to her main character's worst experience, a date rape she suffered when she was in college. I was worried initially that it would be this experience that defined her character, but I was glad to be proven quite wrong - Emily Page is developed far beyond her rape and quickly becomes a full-bodied character with an admirable personality and remarkable drive. Pregnant and out of place, a recent transplant from a life in New York to a new house in Texas, we're thrown right into Emily's chaos and brought along for the ride as she meets character after character and tries to get to the heart of the many mysteries surrounding her.
And what characters - from refined, cultured Caroline to chatty pageant-queen Letty to mysterious Misty, each the women Emily meets is unique and has a story to tell. Some of the conversations Emily has with these characters had me laughing out loud, others frustrated beyond words - usually a finely-blended mix of both. The best thing about all these characters, from Emily herself to her police officer husband to the odd collection of women, is that none of them are what you might think when you first meet them. Some are better, others are worse - but mostly, they're just people.
Lie Still is a murder mystery and a character study and a well-crafted family drama, all wrapped up into one beautiful little package. It's suspenseful and solidly written, in an elegant, no-nonsense style. It's funny and tragic and harrowing - as Emily tries to figure what's going on, if a spectre from her past has come back to haunt her new life or if this is some unknown threat hovering over her, I was compelled to follow all the way to the end.
Call it a lesson in first impressions, and why they're so often wrong. This book, like the people in it, has much more to offer than its first pages might suggest.
January 16, 2019
This book was extremely gripping and Heaberlin has a great way with imagery and writing style, and a great talent for capturing a POV character living with PTSD. All that made this a book I sped through.
However! She also has a really clunky way of plotting that involves introducing lots of new, previously unseeded information out of the blue, which don't register as "twists" so much as they are unexpected jolts as we careen down a bumpy plot road. The big "twist" of the ending, for example, doesn't register as a twist at all because it involves characters who've only been introduced to us very shortly before the end of the book, who were nowhere in the picture before this; meanwhile, the key mysteries that have occupied us / the MC throughout the entire book are essentially handwaved away (one tiniest of unresolved mysteries: wtf was under the ?%@#$ bed?! WHOSE BED?????) or else resolved in a single anticlimactic scene.
It all made for a pretty disconcerting and largely unsatisfying ending at the end of an otherwise solid read. Also, I'm going to make a goodreads tag for fiction that depict groups of women as petty, passive-aggressive, cutthroat, power-hungry, and prone to gossip and catfighting over shallow conversation laced with micro-aggressions. And then I'll never be able to tag a book without it, because apparently this is the only way writers ever know how to write groups of women. 😂
However! She also has a really clunky way of plotting that involves introducing lots of new, previously unseeded information out of the blue, which don't register as "twists" so much as they are unexpected jolts as we careen down a bumpy plot road. The big "twist" of the ending, for example, doesn't register as a twist at all because it involves characters who've only been introduced to us very shortly before the end of the book, who were nowhere in the picture before this; meanwhile, the key mysteries that have occupied us / the MC throughout the entire book are essentially handwaved away (one tiniest of unresolved mysteries: wtf was under the ?%@#$ bed?! WHOSE BED?????) or else resolved in a single anticlimactic scene.
It all made for a pretty disconcerting and largely unsatisfying ending at the end of an otherwise solid read. Also, I'm going to make a goodreads tag for fiction that depict groups of women as petty, passive-aggressive, cutthroat, power-hungry, and prone to gossip and catfighting over shallow conversation laced with micro-aggressions. And then I'll never be able to tag a book without it, because apparently this is the only way writers ever know how to write groups of women. 😂
August 30, 2015
I loved this author's other thriller but the main character in this one revolted me with her constant slut shaming and fat shaming. I understand that not all characters are likable, nor do I normally require them to be, but I felt like I was being asked to be sympathetic to this character but found it difficult when she was such a nasty individual. My feelings about this character have probably colored my overall impression of the story but I felt that the writing in Lie Still was no where near as strong as in Black Eyed Susans. I felt that all of the characters were too cliche and none of them likable. I found it impossible to connect with the story or the characters. On a positive note, The audio narration was excellent.
July 16, 2013
Read my full review: http://bit.ly/13g5EQQ
My opinion: I have some serious ambivalence regarding this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Heaberlin's first novel, Playing Dead. I found it to be a rich, fast-paced mystery with deep characters surrounded by quality writing.
Although Ms. Heaberlin's quality writing was present in Lie Still, I could never warm up to the storyline that came off much more as a "chick light" mystery with pretentious characters and the "cliche" southern belle personalities.
My opinion: I have some serious ambivalence regarding this book. I thoroughly enjoyed Ms. Heaberlin's first novel, Playing Dead. I found it to be a rich, fast-paced mystery with deep characters surrounded by quality writing.
Although Ms. Heaberlin's quality writing was present in Lie Still, I could never warm up to the storyline that came off much more as a "chick light" mystery with pretentious characters and the "cliche" southern belle personalities.
June 20, 2023
This book was a hugely pleasant surprise. I expected undeveloped and immature characters, flat prose, and a predictable plot that might overall prove interesting only if I were the type of reader who enjoys a mesh of Sparks and Patterson welded together with too much fluff.
However, I found instead that there is a lot of grit in this novel. Nothing heavy, and not particularly jaw-dropping by way of thrillers, but still a well-executed story that really held together thanks to the wittiness and keen observations of the narrator and protagonist, Emily. A quick and enjoyable light read.
However, I found instead that there is a lot of grit in this novel. Nothing heavy, and not particularly jaw-dropping by way of thrillers, but still a well-executed story that really held together thanks to the wittiness and keen observations of the narrator and protagonist, Emily. A quick and enjoyable light read.
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