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The Deeper You Dig, The Darker The Truth
Two years ago, Hayley Stone lost everything. First, her parents died in a devastating fire. Then, her sister overdosed, leaving Hayley alone and hounded by a media circus that turned her family’s tragedy into tabloid fodder. When her new husband suggests a fresh start in the Adirondacks, the promise of anonymity in an isolated mountain town feels like salvation.
But the mountains hold darker secrets than she ever imagined. Her once-loving husband grows distant and volatile. The widow down the road keeps spewing vague accusations. Not even their new friends—a freespirited couple living on the property—can help Hayley shake the creeping sense that something is off.
As winter edges closer, Hayley discovers that her sanctuary is anything but safe. Trapped and isolated, she faces a terrifying truth: in trying to escape her past, she may have run straight into something far more dangerous.
PRAISE
“A palpable sense of fear, terrible secrets, and a horrific confrontation shatter Hayley’s already fragile world in this taut psychological thriller about grief, trauma, and survival.” —Booklist
“An original and masterfully crafted psychological thriller of a read from start to finish…” —Midwest Book Review
“[Kline’s and Burt’s] teamwork is evident, not to mention their shared talent for propulsive, cinematic writing. And they clearly had fun writing this one. Without giving too much away, there’s some clever commentary on the process of co-writing near the end of the novel.” — BookReporter
“[A] suspenseful and well-plotted tale. [Please Don’t Lie] takes readers on a heart-pounding journey that will have them rooting for heroine Hayley Pierce, who experienced tragedy when her wealthy parents died in a housefire. If you enjoy page-turners, you’ll love this one.” — Washington Independent Review of Books
“One of the best thrillers this year.” — Jean Lewis, Florida Weekly
“Getting away from it all has never looked more sinister or ill-advised than in this deliciously dark version of the small-town idyll.” — Ruth Ware
“Psychologically rich and bone-chilling, Christina Baker Kline and Anne Burt’s serpentine and timely thriller Please Don’t Lie will make you question everything you think you know about those closest to you, and make you wonder how vulnerable we all are—in our weakest moments—to deceit, manipulation, and a surrender of control.” — Megan Abbott
“Christina Baker Kline and Anne Burt take suspense to the next level with a creepy, small town setting, shady characters and an unpredictable, twisted web of deceit. Readers, lock the doors, grab a blanket and settle in; you won’t be able to put this one down anytime soon. PLEASE DON’T LIE is unsettling, atmospheric and propulsive.” — Mary Kubica
“I loved PLEASE DON’T LIE by Christina Baker Kline and Anne Burt! This twisty-turny tale spins the riveting story of Hayley Stone, a newlywed who leaves New York to move to the idyllic Adirondacks with her husband Brandon. But what happens there plunges her into a mystery underlying her new marriage as well as her own tragic past, and I couldn’t put this book down until its surprising ending!” — Lisa Scottoline
“PLEASE DON’T LIE ratchets up the tension, twist by twist, until the suspense is almost unbearable. It will make every woman ask herself: “Do I know who I really married?” — Tess Gerritsen
“A nail-biting, fast-paced thriller that had me on the edge of my seat from start to finish! Just when I thought I had it all figured out, another shocking twist caught me by surprise. I highly recommend.” — T.R. Ragan
“Please Don’t Lie is the perfect suspense novel for a mountain vacation.” — Chick Lit Central
ANNE’S BIO: Anne Burt’s debut novel, The Dig, was an American Booksellers Association Indie Next pick, the Strand Book Store’s mystery selection for spring 2023, and the IndieBound.org Indie Next list’s lead “Thrills & Chills” reading group title for summer 2024.
