Celebrating her 45th birthday at her local pub, podcaster Alix Summer crosses paths with an unassuming woman called Josie Fair. Josie is also celebrating her 45th.
A few days later, they bump into each other again, this time outside Alix's children's school. Josie says she thinks she would be an interesting subject for Alix's podcast. She is, she tells Alix, on the cusp of great changes in her life.
Alix agrees to a trial interview and indeed, Josie's life appears to be strange and complicated. Aix finds her unsettling but can't quite resist the temptation to keep digging.
Slowly Alix starts to realise that Josie has been hiding some very dark secrets, and before she knows it Josie has cajoled her way into Alix's life - and into her home.
Soon Alix begins to wonder who is Josie Fair really? And what has she done?
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Stumbling from the cool of the air-conditioned hotel foyer into the steamy white heat of the night does nothing to sober him up. (PROLOGUE)
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(Penguin, 18 October 2023, e-book, 310 pages, borrowed from North Ayrshire Libraries via Borrowbox, Popsugar Reading Challenge, A Book With A Title That's A Complete Sentence)
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I'm a fan of the author and really enjoyed None of This Is True. I read a lot of thrillers and this is the type of twisty thriller I love full of misdirection, twists, turns and unreliable narration. I liked the way the book is structured with extracts from Alix's podcast gradually weaving through the book. This made me keep flicking the pages to find out what was happening. Is Josie the victim she appears to be or is something more sinister going on? I'd no idea what the truth was which delighted me. I like it when an author surprises me. I'd recommend this.
