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Sunday 28 June 2020

I Never Lie by Jody Sabral

This is quite an intense psychological thriller. Gripping and compelling.

I'm not sure quite what I felt about Alex, TV journalist: she's supposed to be a 'functioning alcoholic'. Seems to be a bit of an oxymoron to me. If you drink a bottle of vodka for breakfast, I wouldn't say you're functioning. If you blackout three times in a week, minimum, and can't remember what you did, you're not functioning.

Sympathy  for her isn't at the top of my list. I'll be honest, I'm not sure I like her very much. She cuts rather a pathetic figure. Oh but, she's not an alcoholic, of course, she can control her drinking, and she can stop when she needs to. After a near career-ending drunken rant on air, she tries to rebuild her future. She's in a good place, doing well, with a growing Twitter audience. She's doesn't have a problem with alcohol. Certainly not. 

Three murders, local to where she lives is the news story she's banking on to get her back on the ladder: it's her neck of the woods, she's the ideal person to take the lead on the reporting. But while she's trying to be the best, she's still fighting the battle with her notion that alcohol is not a problem. Even vital gaping chasms in her memory aren't spelling it out for her. It's all getting a bit messy. Especially when this huge story is edging into her life, past and present.

Alex is brilliantly drawn. The plot is well constructed and it's very well-written. No points for present-tense narrative, though…just not my thing…never works in my view. But that's just a by the by. It's a good, tense thriller that keeps your attention right to the end.




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