The Weight of Lies: A Novel Paperback – June 6, 2017

Frances Ashley has written the story of a girl named “Kitten” who murdered her childhood best friend. It’s a smash hit, inspires a cult following, and on the fortieth anniversary of it’s release, has her daughter, Meg Ashley, thinking about the effect it has had on her childhood and on her strained relationship with her mother. Presented with the opportunity to write a (maybe vindictive) tell-all by her mother’s new literary agent, Meg decides to seize her freedom and cut ties with Frances once and for all. But not without a bit of investigation. She returns to the island that inspired “Kitten” to meet with the woman who, in the court of public opinion, is Kitten, herself. The murderous girl who let the victim’s mother take the fall for her crime.“The Weight of Lies” is wholly original, which is a pleasant surprise for someone like me who probably reads too much in one genre. This one is a standout. Emily Carpenter seamlessly weaves both the fictional “Kitten” and the “factual” investigation in alternating chapters, pulling off writing two books at once. It takes some amount of skill to pull that off and Emily does so deftly.She tells the history of the island, both from its fictionalized version and its “real-life” one, in a way that each chapter, whether written from the persona of Frances Ashley or from the author’s, moves the plot forward. Pacing is excellent, and every time I put the book down, I wanted to pick it right back up again. I loved Meg and Koa, the creepy atmosphere of the island, the Native American history that is the backbone of “Kitten’s” story, and the undercurrent of possible lies and betrayal. At no point did I know who to trust. The surprises, and there were several, are well thought out and linear. The book gives just enough without giving too much. It’s a page-turning read that I recommend highly.

✍️”We needed each other-possibly even loved each other in some strange, flawed way- but it didn’t matter. We were doomed to destroy each other.”✍️Megan Ashley is the daughter of famous novelist Frances Ashley who wrote an horror novel that was a bestseller in the 1970s. Frances' novel, called Kitten, is set on Bonny Island, off the coast of Georgia, and it is based on the murder of a young girl that happened while Frances was there on holiday. Megan's childhood was difficult and she and Frances have a very complicated relationship. When Megan is asked to write a tell-all book about Frances and the truth behind her cult novel, Megan sees it as her chance to finally break free from her mother. On Bonny Island, Megan finds out not only the truth about her mother's past and the murder and the people that inspired her novel, but also the truth about herself.This is dark and twisty and oh-so-fun. It makes you wonder just what the truth is. I had no clue. At times I thought I did but Emily Carpenter has a way of taking you down dark alleyways and wondering just where you are exactly. I loved Meg. She saw through more than she thought she could. Of course, there are things we might now really want to see. And the cast of characters were equally fleshed out. The side story with the horse and foal was really a good touch into how nature versus nurture works as well. Very good read.

The Weight of Lies had a great premise, a novel within a novel, but it seemed to have some difficulty getting off the ground. When Megan Ashley, daughter of novelist Frances Ashley, is commissioned to write a tell-all novel of her mother, she goes to Bonny Island, where her mother's famous novel was set. Meg was determined to solve a decades-old murder, even if it meant finding out Frances Ashley killed little Kimmy. This is a satisfying beach read, and does have some twists and turns throughout.

4.5 stars from me (bumped up to 5 stars)I love Emily Carpenter! Oh my word, her books...I purchased this one after reading Burying the Honeysuckle Girls (loved) and Every Single Secret (didn't love as much, but still love her writing).What I loved: I loved Megan Ashley! She was a fun character that I instantly sympathized for and wanted to know what happened to her. The writing was superb. I especially liked the chapters added in from Kitten. I felt like it really ramped up the suspense and also really had my head hopping all around for the mystery portion. Great, great use of flipping back and forth here... I've never seen it done like this and it was excellent for the pacing of the book.What I didn't love: Not much, to be honest. This was an excellent read. There were some parts that were slow and too much was written about the surroundings at time, which would make me tired, and I'm not sure how relevant to the story it was, but that's just a nit-picking view, I think.Great read! Super pleased with this book purchase!

A nicely constructed mystery/thriller. The story centers around Meg, the estranged daughter of a famous horror writer, as she decides to get the other side of the story to the true life events that inspired the novel that vaulted her mother to fame (Kitten, set in a hotel on an island off of Georgia). The author does a nice job of increasing the tension and creepiness by interspersing Meg's investigation on the island (where the now-closed hotel is managed by Doro, who was the eponymous Kitten of the original novel) with excerpts from her mother's book. That book, which purported to be mostly fiction, centers around an 8-year-old Kitten and the mysterious deaths that occur on the island -- with the child as prime suspect with supernatural overtones. Nothing is as it seems and there are lies told by all participants. The story kept me hooked, though the "poor little rich girl" line got a little old (though the author cleverly had the characters in the book point this out) and the climax strained credulity. That said, worth the time and entertaining.

Engrossing Exciting good strong characters and one hell of a story I just loved this. Can't wait to read another Emily Carpenter novel. Highly recommend

Fantastic story, sharply told. Loved the story within the story and the obvious parallels. This kept me on my toes; I love he said/she said/she said plots where I have to decipher which character is telling the truth. The pacing was pitch perfect and I thought the story was very clever and innovative. I never saw the 'big reveal' coming, never would have guessed.

Easy to read with a plot that keeps the reader immersed in the book. Very well written and highly recommended.

One murder.Two women.Can Meg uncover the ghosts of her mother's past and learn the truth about what happened many years ago?Meg Ashley has never known a "normal" life. Her detached mother, Frances,  has spent more time with publicists, fans and a revolving door of husbands than with her own daughter. Her first novel, Kitten, while mediocre at best, is a cult-favourite due to the inspiration behind the story- the tragic murder of a little girl. Frances' novel would have many believe that Dorothy "Doro" Kitchens was behind the young girl's death, despite Doro being a child herself at the time. Her fans, dubbed the "Kitty Cultists," have stalked, terrorized and threatened Doro for decades, eventually causing her to shut down her father's hotel, made famous by the novel. Meg is compelled to stay on the island and uncover the mysterious circumstances regarding the 40-year-old murder case, Doro, the Island and her mother. She soon realizes that danger is still very much alive on Bonny Island- and someone, or something- wants Meg to feel isolated, alone and questioning who to trust...I have to admit that in the beginning chapters of this book, I found myself thinking, "where is this going? Where's the suspense?" but I pushed through anyway because I LOVED Every Single Secret by Emily Carpenter and had faith that I would get into The Weight of Lies if I held on a bit longer. I'm glad I did, because I LOVED this book! After the first 60 pages I struggled to put the book down and scrambled for my kindle every chance I got. I loved that it kept me on my toes, unsure which characters could be trusted and noticing the potential dangers that lied ahead for Meg. Nothing was as I'd expected and I highly recommend Emily Carpenter to anyone who loves a slow-burn, twisted thriller!

It's all over the place, implausible and just as cheesy as the book within it. Maybe that's as intended, but didn't stop me from skim reading the last 100 pages.