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To Tell You the Truth: A Novel Kindle Edition

4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,224 ratings

Named a New York Times Best Thriller of the Year and Best Book to Gift! 

"An unsettling and atmospheric thriller that’s almost impossible to put down . . . Will keep you guessing right up until its satisfying but unexpected conclusion." — Buzzfeed

"Riveting." — The New York Times Book Review

The acclaimed author of The Nanny and What She Knew—hailed by stalwarts including Ruth Ware, Liane Moriarty, Tess Gerritsen, and Shari Lapena—returns with another serpentine thriller that cleverly blends atmosphere, tarnished memories, mystery, and twisty secrets from the past into a potent, intense read that will leave you questioning everything you believe.

To tell you the truth . . . everybody lies.

Lucy Harper’s talent for writing bestselling novels has given her fame, fortune and millions of fans.  It’s also given her Dan, her needy, jealous husband whose own writing career has gone precisely nowhere.

Now Dan has vanished. But this isn’t the first time that someone has disappeared from Lucy’s life. Three decades ago, her little brother Teddy also went missing and was never found. Lucy, the only witness, helplessly spun fantasy after fantasy about Teddy’s disappearance, to the detectives’ fury and her parents’ despair. That was the start of her ability to tell a story—a talent she has profited from greatly. 

But now Lucy’s a grown woman who can’t hide behind fiction any longer. The world is watching, and her whole life is under intense scrutiny. A life full of stories, some more believable than others. Could she have hurt Teddy?  Did she kill Dan?  Finally, now, Lucy Harper’s going to tell the truth.

Cross her heart.

And hope to die.

"Spellbinding . . . Bold, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. This one will stay with me for a long time." — Samantha Downing, #1 internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife

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From the Publisher

To Tell You The Truth, Shari Lapena

To Tell You The Truth

To Tell You The Truth

The Nanny; Odd Child Out; I Know You Know; The Perfect Girl; What She Knew; Burnt Paper Sky
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To Tell You the Truth The Nanny I Know You Know Odd Child Out The Perfect Girl What She Knew
Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
1,224
4.2 out of 5 stars
5,670
4.0 out of 5 stars
1,061
4.2 out of 5 stars
3,252
4.2 out of 5 stars
3,252
4.1 out of 5 stars
30,033
Price $12.89 $13.72 $9.15 $15.99 $15.99 $9.50

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Riveting . . . Macmillan merrily leads us down many wrong paths, all the while examining the gap between fact and fiction and the relationship between author and subject. We cheerfully follow.” — New York Times Book Reviewon To Tell You the Truth

"This deliciously multilayered tale provides genuine, shocking surprises that culminate in a satisfying and unexpected conclusion. Macmillan is a master of misdirection." — Publishers Weekly (starred review) on To Tell You the Truth

"An atmospheric, fast-paced read with an unreliable narrator right at its center." — Popsugar on To Tell You the Truth

“Spellbinding . . . Bold, suspenseful, and impossible to put down. This one will stay with me for a long time.” — Samantha Downing, #1 internationally bestselling author of My Lovely Wife, on To Tell You the Truth

“One of the most unsettling—and unforgettable—heroines I’ve ever met.” Shari Lapena on To Tell You The Truth

"A dazzling thriller with a compelling and unreliable narrator, To Tell You the Truth is fresh, bold and ferociously smart ."  — Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell 

The Nanny kept me in white-knuckled suspense until the very last page. Gilly Macmillan’s breakout thriller is a dark and twisted version of “Downton Abbey” gone very, very wrong.” — Tess Gerritsen,  New York Times bestselling author of The Shape of Night, on The Nanny

"Fresh, bold and ferociously smart . . . To Tell You the Truth had me gripped to the end. Every twist felt fresh and unpredictable, every scene atmospheric and moody. I highly recommend this pacy and intriguing thriller." — Christina McDonald, USA Today bestselling author of Behind Every Lie and The Night Olivia Fell 


"Macmillan's latest is an unsettling and atmospheric thriller that’s almost impossible to put down. Told from the point of view of an unreliable narrator, it will keep you guessing right up until its satisfying but unexpected conclusion."
Buzzfeed on To Tell You the Truth

“Macmillan expertly crafts her novel about a novelist to craft a dazzling puzzle as readers try to piece together what happened to Dan and whether or not they can trust Lucy’s unreliable narrations. Readers won’t be able to put down the book as Lucy grows increasingly unraveled by the events surrounding her and teeters toward disaster.” — The Ridgefield Press on To Tell You the Truth

About the Author

Gilly Macmillan grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire, and studied history of art at Bristol University and then at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London. She worked at the Burlington Magazine and the Hayward Gallery before starting a family. Gilly lives in Bristol, England with her husband and three children and now writes full time.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B081FDHZYZ
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ William Morrow (September 22, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 22, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2303 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 370 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.0 4.0 out of 5 stars 1,224 ratings

About the author

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Gilly Macmillan
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Gilly Macmillan is the Sunday Times & New York Times bestselling author of THE NANNY (out 2019). Also WHAT SHE KNEW (previously published as BURNT PAPER SKY in some territories), THE PERFECT GIRL, ODD CHILD OUT & I KNOW YOU KNOW.

Gilly is Edgar Award nominated and an ITW award finalist. Her books have been translated into over 20 languages.

She grew up in Swindon, Wiltshire and also lived in Northern California. She studied History of Art at Bristol University and the Courtauld Institute of Art in London.

Gilly lives in Bristol, UK with her family and writes full time. She’s currently working on her sixth novel.

Author photo ©Céline Nieszawer/Leextra

Customer reviews

4 out of 5 stars
4 out of 5
1,224 global ratings
Another winner for Gilly!
4 Stars
Another winner for Gilly!
To Tell You the Truth is a book that’s been on my TBR for a while and I finally decided to pick it up! I absolutely loved the Nanny by @gillymacmillan and so I was delighted to read her newest!Lucy Harper is an author who writes a bestselling series of novels based on a Detective named Eliza. Her husband Dan, is a fledgling author, who is jealous of his wife’s success. When Dan goes missing, Lucy must face the facts that this isn’t the first time a loved one of her goes missing; when she was a child, her 3 yr old brother went missing and was never found. Lucy spoke with many detectives always telling different stories. This is the beginning of Lucy’s writing; she is always thinking of different ways to tell a story, which has helped her greatly in her career. But now she must tell the truth to everyone including herself.I liked that there are two crimes in one book. This book falls into the category of the unreliable narrator. This style was very popular and one I do enjoy. The difference here is that Lucy created her character Eliza from her childhood imaginary friend who she speaks with regularly. Eliza gives advice and encourages her to do things, both good and bad. I thought this was a fantastic plot point. We didn’t quite get what happened to her brother, but I kind of like that it’s still unclear.Overall, I enjoyed this book, but not as much as the Nanny. I would recommend checking out all of Gilly Macmillan’s writing. She always has such twisty and amazing stories!4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on February 16, 2024
Great story
Reviewed in the United States on July 13, 2022
Unique, with a particularly impressive twist. It rushes to an ending, though. The rubble pile is a problem for the major clue to the mystery, and the ending is unsatisfying vague. I do appreciate a story with an unusual, even unlikeable female narrator who the author makes relatable.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2022
'To Tell You the Truth' is a psychological tale (I wouldn't call it a thriller as it is too slow moving for that descriptor) spun by an unreliable narrator.

The blurb describes Lucy as someone with a talent for invention and as she's a best selling novelist that is useful. However, it is less a talent for invention and more a case of her not really knowing what is real and what is fantasy.

There are two main threads through the story: the current one when her husband goes missing, and one from Lucy's past when her baby brother went missing.

Her husband was a totally unlikeable character and no great loss to the story, although obviously Lucy with her tenuous grip on reality becomes the main suspect. The other aspect to the story was the one that interested me more with Lucy slipping out of her childhood home one night and taking along her toddler brother who later goes missing when Lucy becomes enthralled with the bonfire and fireworks she's went out to see.

The author does a good job with the changing realities, but one of the main problems is that Lucy is such a weak and maleable main character. There were far too many occasions when she gave in to something she didn't want to do, even with people she didn't like or barely knew.

At 75% through the book I knew I was either going to forgive the author for those weak points if the ending was superb, or feel like I'd wasted my time.

The ending was not superb. The reason for the husband's disappearance turned out to be very weak and was not foreshadowed in any way, and as for the second thread (her young brother's disappearance) that was not concluded at all. There was a very woolly 'just imagine this lovely (impossible) thing might have happened!' Having taken us all through the disappearance of her brother this was an unforgiveable ending, along the lines of, and they woke up and it was all a dream.

This was an interesting premise that could have offered much more, the writing wasn't bad and for that reason I might try another of the author's books, but I'll be looking carefully at the reviews first.
12 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2023
Great condition for the low price. Very happy.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 17, 2022
After completing her new book and submitting it to her agent and editors, her husband surprises her with a new house. The house is a mansion near her childhood home. The home where on a solstice night she and her baby brother snuck out and only she returned.

Then her husband disappears and is found dead and her identity, changed twice since her brother’s disappearance, once on purpose and once by marriage, is revealed. Now she is suspect in two murders, her baby brother’s and her husband’s.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on January 23, 2024
Interesting title when there is a protagonist who doesn’t seem to have even a nodding acquaintance with the truth. I found this book to be full of a lot of mental meanderings. It was listening to the endless inner dialogue of someone on a never ceasing squirrel cage. Painful. Not a lot of character continuity either. You have someone who is a very successful writer. Writes intelligent interesting books, makes lots of money and yet doesn’t feed herself, leaves herself stranded in a wooded community without transportation while her husband drives a Jaguar. He chooses the house that they live in which is not a house that she likes and gives herself no say. ???? You have to follow through until the end for anything to make sense.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 23, 2021
Many times I thought the main character was going crazy. I loved the ending and hated her husband. I always enjoy when writers write about authors because it gives us insight into their own thinking and writing.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2020
Lucy Harper is a successful writer of detective stories with a powerful alter ego, who happens to be the star of those novels. When Lucy’s duplicitous husband moves her back to her childhood neighborhood, a place of horrible tragedy, Lucy’s tentative grip on reality frays. Great, fun read!

Top reviews from other countries

shirley mckenna
5.0 out of 5 stars Great
Reviewed in Canada on November 13, 2020
Xmas gift
One person found this helpful
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Bea
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic storyline!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 21, 2022
Great protagonist, great story twists, satisfying ending. I would have loved to know what happened to Teddy… do yourself a favour and read the book!
One person found this helpful
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AnneM
5.0 out of 5 stars Very good.
Reviewed in France on October 1, 2021
Rather unusual plot and main character quite unexpected. We don't know, until the end, what we are coing tontine out. Many twists. Quite unputdownable ! Read it if you are not afraid of insomnia...
Aliyah Gigliotti
4.0 out of 5 stars Great!
Reviewed in Canada on August 16, 2021
I genuinely liked this one, for a kindle unlimited read it really delivered. While it’s slow at the start and a little stereotypical of british thrillers- it does a good job of hooking you in. I never really knew what was going ti happen, or what would be resolved and I tried a lot of guessing which I enjoy.

The last few pages are a little rushed, as most endings in this genre are. But the overall style is quite nice. Felt like a thick read which is nice from all the light ones i’ve been doing.
One person found this helpful
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Marianne
4.0 out of 5 stars Who Is Eliza?
Reviewed in Canada on November 11, 2020
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. I was hooked until the final page. I’ll read more by Gilly Macmillan.
2 people found this helpful
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