October 2025

I have known Christina Baker Kline's work for a while now. I am sure that many of you are familiar with her historical novel, ORPHAN TRAIN. So it was interesting to see that her latest book, PLEASE DON’T LIE, is a thriller that she wrote with Anne Burt. And what a thriller it is!

Two years ago, Hayley Stone lost her parents in a tragic fire. Then her sister, Jenna, overdosed and died, leaving her alone but very well-off financially. Her new husband, Brandon, sees what this is doing to her. So he recommends that they get away and begin a new life together.

They head to the Adirondacks for a fresh start. But there Brandon grows distant and difficult, and Hayley feels equally alienated by the setting and the coldness in her marriage. They allow a young couple to live in a building on their property, and suddenly things turn even stranger.

Pieces start clicking into place to show that not much that is happening is random. The big question is what Hayley should believe. Who is telling her what truth, and is there anything she has come to believe that is true?

I am looking forward to seeing what Christina and Anne write together next!