Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison (Harlequin)
Harlequin Trade Publishing Blog Tour: Mystery & Suspense
January 6, 2020
Dear Mr. Hemingway,
What does a prestigious all-girls boarding school with a dead student hanging from the front gates make you think of??? My first thought would be that the cast from Gossip Girl invaded Rory Gilmore’s Chilton High School (not a boarding school, but same idea) and something BIG “goes down”. Well, if you think that makes an interesting combo, you must check out J.T. Ellison’s new book, Good Girls Lie. Pull down the shades for a darker backdrop and add a dollop of creepy. A very juicy treat is on the menu. Suspense and thrill-seekers will gobble this story up. Let’s go to High School where scandal is the norm, lying is a past time and secrets can actually kill.
Ash Carr is about to start her sophomore year of high school at The Goode School, an all girl boarding school for the elite in Marchburg Virginia. Ash, originally from England, was recently orphaned. With her extraordinary smarts and extenuating circumstances, the Dean accepts Ash into the exclusive school for the Ivy bound student. Ash is immediately propelled into a world filled with backstabbing mean girls and secret societies with hazing at its finest. Shortly after her arrival, a well known student is found dead. The mysterious death ruffles the feathers of just about everyone at the school. Piecing together evidence of this death is not as easy as it appears. Secrets are abundant and lying comes easily to those with money to blow, attention to seek and the Ivy League at stake. With the school’s tarnished past resurfacing and skeletons from Ash’s closet making a surprise appearance, solving this case gets tricky. Will the Dean be able to get to the bottom of this tragedy while protecting the reputation of the school?
Even with a death lingering in the background, the students press on with their rigorous academics. Secret societies do their part bullying and brainwashing the next in line for their illustrious underground club, but at what expense? Anyone who attends Goode learns quickly that alliances and friendships have no roots and waver with the blink of an eye. Because the story is told from the point of view of both Ash and the Dean of the school, readers get a taste (not always very reliable) of what is going on from all angles. Ellison’s characters all play a role in this pulse pounding and provocative read. Suicide or murder??? Everyone was a suspect in my opinion. There was no shortage of peculiar behaviors and flawed personalities. “The Truth” was always questionable and at the end of the day, it was every man for himself.
Ellison’s description of The Goode School was spot on. Dark wooden staircases lined with dusty carpet, creaky doors, and a gothic flare added to the allure of this tale. Twists and turns with every flip of the page made this read suspenseful to the very end. Throw in a surprise ending that will leave your mouth wide open, and you’ve got yourself a solid read. Enjoy this my dear readers. It is a good one!
Until next time Mr. H.
Your Biggest Fan,
Kelly
P.S. Thank you to Harlequin and Netgalley for the digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing for inviting Dear Mr. Hemingway on their Mystery & Suspense Blog Tour with Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison. It has been an absolute pleasure!
Below are some links to purchase Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison
Harlequin
Indiebound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Books-A-Million
Target
iBooks
Kobo
TRIGGER WARNINGS
*Though the storyline follows high school students, the content in this book contains strong adult content.
*Suicide
*Murder
*Mental Health
*Sexual exploration
*Sexual content
*Hazing/bullying
*Drugs and alcohol
*Pregnancy
*abuse
