Disclosure: I received a copy of this book through a blog tour. Post contains affiliate links; if you make a purchase, I may earn commission. Opinions shared are mine.

When asked what I want for Christmas, the answer is easy.  I want a clean house and time to read.  At least one of those came true — I’ve read a book a day since we got out of school on Friday!   Yesterday’s book was Tell Her No Lies by Kelly Irvin.

Unlike Irvin’s Amish fiction, this is a suspenseful story.  The first few pages reveal a murder, so the excitement starts right away.  The author doesn’t keep many of the characters in shadow; instead, we get to see their true colors immediately upon introductions.

The main character and murder suspect, Nina, was irritating beyond belief.  To me, she came across as entitled and childish.  I imagined her stomping her foot, or saying, “I can do it myself!” like a toddler.  Two men vying for her attention couldn’t protect her from harm’s way, though. She was constantly putting herself in danger, or further enraging the police officer assigned to the murder case.

There was a strange family dynamic within Tell Her No Lies.  From the adoptive aunt/uncle to the absentee sister Jan to cousin Trevor…there were just way too many people to keep track of.  They weren’t particularly close, yet they have a deep history with each other.  It was kind of a lot to balance.

The Christian aspect of the novel was limited mostly to Aaron’s character, and sometimes Nina when she felt the need to pray.  Other than that, it wasn’t faith-driven.

One fun detail — the book’s setting was in San Antonio, Texas!  My husband and I visited there many years ago and loved it.  The characters mentioned a restaurant we enjoyed (Mi Tierra) so that made me smile.

I stayed up late reading this book.  Not sure if I’d do that again, especially on a school night!  I’ll probably stick with Kelly Irvin’s Amish fiction in the future.