Trust Me

June 11, 2018
Grief-stricken journalist Mercer Hennessey, the heroine of this intriguing standalone from Mary Higgins Clark Award–winner Ryan (Say No More and four other Jane Ryland novels), believes there are “no more good days” after her husband and three-year-old daughter die in a car crash, until she’s assigned to write a true crime book about the Baby Boston murder trial. She gains a renewed sense of purpose—to avenge two-year-old Tasha Nicole Bryant, whose body was dumped in Boston harbor. Tasha Nicole’s mother, Ashlyn Bryant, is accused of her daughter’s murder, and Mercer is sure she’s guilty. But when Ashlyn is found not guilty, Mercer must write a redemption story instead. After spending time with Ashlyn, Mercer begins to wonder whether Ashlyn is in fact innocent—and whether the book will be Ashlyn’s redemption story or her own. Despite some sluggish moments, this sinister tale twists to a satisfying conclusion. Ryan casts a revealing light on media sensationalism, ethics in journalism, and the nature of truth. Agent: Lisa Gallagher, DeFiore & Co.

July 1, 2018
Still reeling from her husband's and daughter's deaths in a car accident, journalist Mercer Hennessy accepts an assignment to write a book on the "Baby Boston" trial, but the line between guilt and innocence isn't as firm as she initially thought.It's been more than a year since Mercer's husband, Dex, and their 3-year-old daughter, Sophie, died--Mercer keeps track of the days on her post-shower foggy bathroom mirror. She's still deep in the throes of depression and hasn't worked since, but now her former editor Katherine Craft calls out of the blue with a proposal that's both cruel and perfect: Cover the hottest trial in town and turn it into a sure-to-be-bestselling true-crime book. The emotional punch is that Mercer will be reliving another mother's pain in losing her daughter, but in this case Ashyln Bryant is on trial for murder, accused of having killed 2-year-old Tasha Nicole, whose body washed up in a garbage bag in Boston Harbor. Katherine needles and goads Mercer until she agrees to the project. Ryan (Say No More, 2016, etc.) does little to disguise the parallels to the Casey Anthony case, and she makes it clear from the start where Mercer stands on Ashlyn: She's sure the woman is 100 percent guilty despite the lack of forensic evidence tying her to the crime. Mercer simply doesn't like Ashlyn, and readers, who may agree in theory, might find themselves repelled by the strength of Mercer's convictions. Then a surprise verdict forces Mercer to write a very different book, one with Ashlyn's own input. It's at this point that Ryan enters a quagmire of what ifs from which there is no return.There's a strong idea here, and the damaged heroine has potential, but the novel into which they're thrust doesn't do them justice.

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August 1, 2018

Ryan's ("Jane Ryland" and "Charlotte McNally" series) new stand-alone introduces journalist Mercer Hennessey, who lost her husband and young daughter in a car accident over a year ago. Each day since is still a struggle. When her former editor asks her to write a true-crime account of the case that's gripping the nation, she's hesitant at first. How can she delve into the life of Ashlyn Bryant, whom everyone knows is guilty of killing her small daughter and dumping her body in the Boston Harbor? But knowing that she'd give anything to have her own daughter back, how could Mercer not write about this murderous mother? Ashlyn has always maintained her innocence, but no one believes her. As she watches the courtroom feed, Mercer begins to ask questions, and the deeper she goes, the more her own convictions are challenged. VERDICT While the protagonist is not particularly realistically drawn (her actions serve the author's needs rather than grow organically out of her character), this slow-building thriller that examines "truth" and who gets to define it is bound to be a late-summer hit among readers looking for twisty stories with reverses and feints.--Jane Jorgenson, Madison P.L., WI

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2018
Every morning, in the fog on her bathroom mirror, Boston journalist Mercer Hennessey writes down the number of days since the car accident that killed her husband, Dex, and three-year-old daughter, Sophie?442, as the book opens. Then close friend, editor Katherine Crafts, offers Mercer a project to both distract her and provide income: write an instant book about the seemingly certain conviction of Ashlyn Bryant, a young woman standing trial for murdering her two-year-old daughter, Tasha. Plans go awry when Ashlyn is unexpectedly acquitted (a situation in which Mercer may have played a part), but Katherine rebounds with a different book in mind: the story of Ashlyn's redemption, as told to Mercer, which requires Ashlyn living at Mercer's house for several weeks until the book is finished. While Mercer probes for the truth about Tasha's death, Ashlyn changes her story repeatedly (she has bragged about being good at making stuff up) and insinuates herself into Mercer's life and the death of Sophie. This is the first stand-alone for Ryan, author of the Jane Ryland-Jake Brogan mystery series, and it's a knockout. Truth is elusive here, as the plot twists, driven by guilt and desperation, and tension grows. First-rate psychological suspense.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)