ONE LITTLE LIE

A woman returning to her hometown finds herself embroiled in a mystery that jeopardizes her life in Greyson’s novel.

Kate Gardner has had a rough time of it lately. After a visit to her hometown that dredges up memories of her long-dead sister, her husband, Scott, has an affair with his high school sweetheart and abandons Kate and their two kids. Having put her own promising career in marketing on hold to help Scott pursue a law career, Kate finds herself adrift and anxious, with a peculiar feeling that someone is following her. Her paranoia seems justified when she sees a video that reveals that a mysterious stranger was stalking her at her son’s soccer game. From there, Greyson’s pacing picks up and events escalate; a random man shows up unannounced to Kate’s home and then claims that he just knocked on the wrong door, and later, someone carves a sexist expletive on the side of her minivan. Soon, the stalking becomes more brazen, including lewd messages on her phone. Aided by Ryan Daley, a police detective to whom she quickly finds herself attracted, Kate tries hard to maintain her composure; she finds herself forgetting appointments and family activities, leading another cop to suspect that her stories of her pursuer are unreliable. Over the course of this tightly plotted tale, Greyson consistently keeps readers on their toes with false leads and surprises. All the while, Greyson paints Kate as a deeply sympathetic character dealing with anxiety and depression as she works temp jobs to provide for her children; meanwhile, her ex-husband and his vindictive new girlfriend attempt to cast greater doubt on her stability. Along the way, the author also works to highlight the moralizing behavior of Kate’s suburban small town. It all leads to an unexpected finale that feels earned.

A stirring mystery anchored by a realistic and compelling protagonist.