Review - Lies To Forever by Marlene M Bell #marlenembell #liestoforever #Ewephoric

MY REVIEW

Lies To Forever by Marlene M Bell is dark and dangerous for April Manning. Marlene writes some fabulous mysteries, but she has upped her game with this convoluted thriller, filled with obsession and betrayal.

April’s life is moving along and she’s feeling good about herself and her situation…until she’s finds her savings has been siphoned from her bank account. Her generous nature leads to her downfall when she is served an eviction notice and the landlord of her dream home is missing. Her boss at the architecture firm she works for comes up dead. Everything revolves around April, but she has no clue why she is in someone’s crosshairs.

She is being stalked and set up to take the fall. Mysterious packages appear on her doorstep, wind chimes appear out of nowhere, bringing her past to mind, a past she thought she had left behind.

She’s lucky that her exboyfriend, Hunter, willingly steps up to the plate to help her out. It made me very suspicious. Her friend and coworker, Kelly, offers her some money and a place to stay. There are plenty of suspects as the investigation develops. Do they want her dead?

My spidey senses were tingling and my suspicions grew as the story moved along at a steady clip. The book has short chapters that make for easy reading. As the suspense grew, my need to know the answers increased. I love that there are those ‘don’t go in the basement’ moments.

My thanks go out to Marlene M Bell and Ewephoric for the opportunity to review Lies To Forever.

GOODREADS BLURB

First they stole her trust. Now they want her life.

April Manning’s generous nature has always been a gift, and her greatest weakness. After being scammed out of her life savings by a trusted friend, April is left with an eviction notice and one last hope: reclaiming her position as an interior designer at her old architectural firm, even if it means a showdown with head architect Hunter Ellis, her cheating ex.

But that’s not the only hitch. When the owner of the firm turns up dead, the last thing April expects to find is the bloody murder weapon on her doorstep.

Now the killer sets a plan for April and suspicion flares at every turn…from the mysterious new handyman, to an estranged family member she’s tried to forget. Chased from her dream home and cornered like prey, April is hemmed by the wintry forests of Tennessee with few options. As chilling memories of childhood abandonment haunt her, it seems everyone has a hidden agenda to take April down.

Only one thing is certain. A monster is stalking Smoky Creek, and April must unmask them before they land the fatal blow.

Genre: Fiction, Kidnapping, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 31, 2026 by Ewephoric

ABOUT MARLENE M BELL

Marlene M. Bell has never met a sheep she didn’t like. As a personal touch for her readers, they often find these wooly creatures visiting her international romantic mysteries and children’s books as characters or subject matter. Marlene is an accomplished artist and photographer who takes pride in entertaining fans on multiple levels of her creativity.

Marlene’s award-winning Annalisse series boasts Best Mystery honors for all installments including these: IP Best Regional Australia/New Zealand, Global Award Best Mystery, and Chanticleer’s International Mystery and Mayhem shortlist for Copper Waters, the fourth mystery in the series.

She offers her children’s picture book, Mia and Nattie: One Great Team! written primarily for younger kids based on true events from the Bell’s East Texas sheep ranch. The simple text and illustrations are a touching tribute of belonging and unconditional love between a little girl and her lamb.