ISBN: 978-1503950115
Publisher: Lake Union
Publication Date: 5/15/2018
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 4 Stars Everyone has nightmares. One woman is living hers… 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.
Review to follow. Enjoyed the audiobook narrated by Donna Postel.
Praise
“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
“What Lies Below is a fast-paced thriller with a touch of the paranormal and a broken, brave heroine who stole my heart. Struggling with sobriety, grief, and dark premonitions, Gilly seeks anonymity, but as she becomes entangled in a child abduction, lines blur between dreams and reality, secrets and memories, truth and lies. The result is a wild ride with an adrenaline-pumping plot twist. I could not put this book down!” —Barbara Claypole White, bestselling author of The Perfect Son and The Promise Between Us
“Take a deep breath and hold on! What Lies Below takes the reader from the opening paragraph to the last satisfying page at breakneck speed. With jaw-dropping reveals and unexpected twists, I found myself rapidly turning the pages, as desperate to learn the outcome as were Sissel’s characters. A fast-paced thriller—Sissel’s stories just keep getting better and better.” —Kerry Lonsdale, Amazon Charts and Wall Street Journal bestselling author
“A beautifully written story that kept me on the edge of my seat, What Lies Below explores the boundaries of grief, guilt, and forgiveness, along with its dark flip side, revenge.” —Colleen Thompson, author of The Off Season
“In What Lies Below, a little girl goes missing, but it’s the story—and the impending emotional unraveling—of the woman who’s having dreams about the kidnapping that is the beating heart of this compelling mystery. Readers will revel in the small-town Texas setting and root for Sissel’s damaged, yet sympathetic, characters as they race to learn how the puzzle pieces fit together in the most satisfying way.” —Emily Carpenter, author of Every Single Secret
“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
“In this story about a deeply broken woman forced to employ her psychic ability—a dark gift directly connected to the tragedy that destroyed her own life three years previously—in order to try to save an abducted child, Sissel creates a heart-wrenching page-turner full of unexpected revelations. Clear time from your schedule—you won't want to put this one down.” —Kerry Anne King, bestselling author of Closer Home
About the Author
Barbara Taylor Sissel writes issue-driven women’s fiction threaded with elements of suspense, which particularly explores how families respond to the tragedy of crime. She is the author of eight previous novels: The Last Innocent Hour, The Ninth Step, The Volunteer, Evidence of Life, Safekeeping, Crooked Little Lies, Faultlines, and The Truth We Bury. Born in Honolulu, Hawaii, Barbara was raised in various locations across the Midwest and once lived on the grounds of a first-offender prison facility, where she interacted with the inmates, their families, and the people who worked with them. The experience made a profound impression on her and provided her with a unique insight into the circumstances of the crimes that were committed and the often-surprising ways the justice system moved to deal with them. An avid gardener, Barbara has two sons and lives on a farm in the Texas Hill Country outside Austin. You can find her online at www.barbarataylorsissel.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/BarbaraTaylorSissel. Read More
