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by Emily Carpenter
In this gripping, atmospheric family drama, a young woman investigates the forty-year-old murder that inspired her mother's bestselling novel, and uncovers devastating truths - and dangerous lies.
Reformed party girl Meg Ashley leads a life of privilege, thanks to a bestselling horror novel her mother wrote decades ago. But Meg knows that the glow of their very public life hides a darker reality of lies, manipulation, and the heartbreak of her own solitary childhood. Desperate to break free of her mother, Meg accepts a proposal to write a scandalous, tell-all memoir.
Digging into the past - and her mother's cult classic - draws Meg to Bonny Island, Georgia, and an unusual woman said to be the inspiration for the book. At first island life seems idyllic, but as Meg starts to ask tough questions, disturbing revelations come to light…including some about her mother.
Soon Meg's search leads her to question the facts of a decades-old murder. She's warned to leave it alone, but as the lies pile up, Meg knows she's getting close to finding a murderer. When her own life is threatened, Meg realizes the darkness found in her mother's book is nothing compared to the chilling truth that lurks off the page.
"Starred Review. Fascinating.…An unputdownable read." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. Twists aplenty in this searing murder mystery should leave readers dizzy, in the best way possible." - Kirkus
The Weight of Lies is a hypnotic, suspenseful page-turner that examines the fraught relationship between a famous mother and her troubled daughter, culminating in spine-tingling twists and turns. Emily Carpenter is THE Southern Gothic QUEEN." - Kate Moretti, New York Times bestselling author of The Vanishing Year
"Filled with twists and turns and simply unputdownable, The Weight of Lies weaves deftly between past and present-day secrets. Carpenter's spellbinding tale, part mystery and part Southern Gothic thriller, will keep readers hooked until the final page." - Paula Treick DeBoard, author of The Drowning Girls
"The Weight of Lies is a creepy, atmospheric thriller that plunges its heroine into the mystery behind a cult classic horror novel. An intriguing tale of secrets and lies that will keep you guessing as you race to the end." - Laura McHugh, author of The Weight of Blood and Arrowood
This information about The Weight of Lies was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Emily Carpenter, a former actor, producer, screenwriter, and behind-the-scenes soap opera assistant, was born and raised in Alabama. After graduating from Auburn University, she moved to New York City and now lives in Georgia with her family. She is the author of Amazon bestseller Burying the Honeysuckle Girls.
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