Book Club,  Thriller

BOOK REVIEW: Trust Me by @HankPRyan @MacmillanUSA #bookbestiestrustme #trustmereadit

As engrossing as it is shocking, Trust Me, you won’t want to miss this book!

There’s a complete ripped-from-the-headlines feel to Trust Me, and for good reason! The case that sparks the book is similar to many popular true crime cases of our generation, the most popular being Casey Anthony and Susan Smith. Those cases don’t quite hold a candle, though, to reading about the case of Ashlyn Bryant through the eyes of journalist Mercer Hennessy.Readers will go through all of the emotions and doubt along with Mercer, in this expertly woven tale of crime and justice!

About the Book

“We bargain. Negotiate. Make deals with the universe.Eventually, certainly, inevitably, we’ll get what we want. Then the universe laughs. And we are left to bargain with ourselves.”

Mercer Hennessy lost her daughter and husband in a tragic accident over a year ago, and she hasn’t been the same since. In the broken moments of her life, she took a break from journalism. Self-punishing.Bargaining her way back to her family, only to be disappointed time and again.And then one day she gets an opportunity to put herself back into life. To do something for her career and to make a difference.

“Will I ever be normal again?”

The case is no ordinary case, though. Mercer is being asked to write a book about the ongoing trial of Ashlyn Bryant, a young woman accused of murdering her own daughter Tasha Nicole and dumping her body in the Boston harbor. Mercer wonders if covering this case can be her salvation—getting justice for another little girl—or whether it will be the thing that breaks her.

“It’s my job now to create the monster’s story.”

As the trial continues, Mercer finds herself pulled in deeper to the courtroom drama unfolding before her eyes. And when a change to the direction of the book is given to her by her editor Katherine, Mercer finds herself as the only person who may be able to uncover the truth. Did Ashlyn murder her daughter? Mercer will stop at nothing to get justice for Tasha Nicole, but that may mean being honest with herself first…

Reflection

I completely was engrossed in this book by Hank Philippi Ryan. The writing is so clever and intricate. Ryan has a unique voice in fiction,and this book felt different than anything I’d read before. Mercer is a stand-out narrator. Her pain shows through, but so does the dogged determination and grit it takes to be an investigative journalist. She drinks to the extent that her wine stains mar the cover of this book, but she also is caring and resolute. Mercer is all hard angles and soft lines—a blend of broken and resilient. She’s the perfect narrator for this case.

I loved how Ryan plays with the idea of bias here. Mercer may be a journalist, trained in objectivity. But let’s be clear that the pursuit of the truth doesn’t mean someone is unbiased. Of course someone has bias. We have opinions, feelings, prior experiences that shape our view. And Mercer is the epitome of this. In a way, Mercer’s bias is what fuels her. She needs to know the truth because the case means so much to her. Justice for Tasha means so much to her. And that is what fuels her to dig deeper and deeper until she discovers the shocking truth.

Ashlyn is also a masterful character. She’s a character you’ll definitely hate. She’s evasive, manipulative, and talks in circles. But keep in mind, reader, that none of those qualities make someone guilty of murder. The fun thing about this book is that Ashlyn is both unlikeable and potentially innocent. I found it intriguing that Ryan didn’t take the easy route with Ashlyn—making her obviously guilty or obviously innocent. This was a page-turner as I tried to uncover the truth along with Mercer. And what an ending!!

Trust me. Read it.

Book Besties

I read this with some of my book besties! We were blessed to have autographed copies from Hank, and it’s a book I’ll treasure. Check out the reviews of the other besties here:

Berit at Audio Killed the Bookmark

Holly at Dressed to Read

Jennifer at Tarheel Reader

Kendall on Goodreads

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