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On her way to Upstate Washington to teach high school English, Katrina Burton decides to pick up a hitchhiker who’s traveling in the dark on a rainy night. As soon as he closes the door, he takes on a creepy vibe, so Katrina tells a little white lie about where she’s really going. Then she demands that he get out of the car.
All his life, Zach Marshall has suffered from agoraphobia and panic attacks. He uses alcohol to control it, but that causes him a whole set of other problems. He doesn’t have many friends, so he becomes fixated on the new English teacher. He tries to force her to admit that she told a lie, but she stands firm, which only angers him further.
When Jack Reeves enters the picture, things spiral way out of control, and a small lie leads to a disastrous turn of events. Katrina can only watch in horror as her life starts crumbling around her. With each new lie she tells, things get worse until she’s not sure which way to turn.
White Lies grabbed me right from the start and held me firmly in its grip. The plot begins with a chilling tone before swinging into a bit of morbid humor. Then things get really horrifying. After reading this thriller, you’ll think twice about telling a white lie—no matter how justified you might find it.
Some might think that a woman who picks up a hitchhiker in the middle of nowhere—especially at night—is “too stupid to live.” But how many times have you passed a hitchhiker on a rainy day and felt a twinge of guilt because you didn’t help a weary soul with a ride? Granted, I would never pick up a hitchhiker, no matter the weather—God will just have to understand that sometimes I’d rather be a smart person than a good person. But, in asking “What if…?” the author sets up a chilling story.
As you read White Lies, what you think you know and what’s true will constantly twist back and forth, always keeping you on edge. Bates writes in such a way that you’ll feel as though something very bad is about to happen, but you’ll never know from which direction it’ll hit. Palpable anticipation will trap your breath in your lungs right up to the explosive end.
This is what suspense is all about, folks! I can’t wait for Jeremy Bates’ next book.
