Review: Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey

Where the Truth Lies by Anna Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was provided an ARC of this book via Edelweiss+, all opinions are my own.  This book was published back in August of 2021, and I'm not sure why it took me so long to get to it.  I'm glad I finally read it, as it was really enjoyable for a mystery/thriller.  It kept me on my toes and while I had some of the plot figured out well before the end, there were enough misleading elements to keep you guessing up until the end when you find out the truth.

I'd consider this a genre hybrid of sorts.  While at it's heart this book is a thriller, this book has more to offer, it has a ton family drama, social commentary, some romance, and an element of coming of age.  Each chapter reveals a piece of the story and while the center of the story is the disappearance of Abbigail Blake, we learn that there are so many more secrets being kept.  This book is like putting a 1000 piece puzzle together, it slowly takes shape as the pieces come together.  We follow the Blake family in the aftermath of Abi's disappearance.  The more we learn about the Blake's we learn there is so much going on behind their closed doors.  As they try to come to terms with what may have happened to her, her best friend Emma is dealing with her guilt of leaving Abi at the party where she was last seen before she disappeared.  Emma turns to alcohol to number her feelings, but she is determined to find out what happened.  As she digs for clues in the woods and around town, she is continually threatened to keep her nose out of places it doesn't belong.  There are so many players that might have hurt Abi or helped her run away, we really aren't sure what happened as each chapter unfolds a piece of critical information is revealed and leads you down one path or another wondering "was it him?" or "did that guy do it?" or "maybe she just ran away from her crazy, dysfunctional family?".  The more we learn from Emma, the Blakes, and the other players involved the story becomes more clear.  The ending felt a little bit like one of those true crime dramas you watch on TV where they never really solve the crime.  The author leaves it a little bit open for interpretation for you to decide the final outcome.  Some people really like that while others want a concrete ending to a book.  I thought that the open style ending really worked well here and while I'm not usually a fan of open endings, it really fit the story.

This book is fairly character driven, and that really works here.  The author did a really great job with the characters.  They are quite a few characters involved in the story and I felt they were all well described, and you aren't going to like them all.  Many of them are very unlikeable by design.  There is quite a bit of bigotry and religious zealotry in the book, which plays well into the plot.  If you aren't a fan of those things in books, this might not be a good one for you.  The people of this town are very small minded and use religion as an excuse to do terrible things to gain the Lord's forgiveness.  Not everyone will be a fan of that, even if it is based on the author's own real live experience in a conservative small town.  

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