I reread The Lies That Bind in preparation for co-hosting the next Cocktail Hour podcast which will feature guest Susan Meagher. I read the book a year or so ago and remembered feeling a bit unfulfilled at the end but I couldn’t remember why. I finished it last night and now I remember. But, first, let me tell you a little bit about the book.
Our protagonists, Erin and Katie, meet in the tiny New Hampshire town of Essex, where Erin is the town doctor. Katie’s car is struck and Erin tends to her wounds and they seem to have a nice, playful rapport right from the start.
They speak a few times but become more involved in each others’ lives once Erin’s widowed mom begins dating Katie’s divorced dad. Dan, the dad, and Katie don’t get along and each have explosive tempers and seem to enjoy setting each other off. Erin and her mom, Gail, are as timid as can be.
Erin and Katie, eventually, begin dating and that’s when things really start to pick up.
All in all, I did enjoy the story. I liked the development of Erin and Katie’s relationship and the way their personalities and pasts unfold. The drama with the parents, I thought, was well done and made me want to shake – or slap – both Dan and Gail at various parts of the book. The sex was pretty damn hot, too. But that goes without saying when it comes to this author.
My only real issue with the book was the abrupt ending. I felt that some major issues were just left hanging. I’m not one of those readers who has to have everything tied up nicely at the end of a book but this just seemed to end a chapter or two too early.