Description:

A serial killer on death row challenges a forensic linguist to solve his final puzzle in a novel of breathtaking mind games by the Wall Street Journal bestselling author of The Lies You Wrote.

Forensic psychologist Callum Kilkenny lost his wife, Shay, to the very serial killer he’d hunted for five years. When Nathaniel Conrad—known as the Alphabet Man, for his love of tattooing codes onto his victims’ bodies—was condemned to death row, Callum thought the game of cat and mouse was over. But just before execution, Nathaniel drops a bombshell: he’s not the one who murdered Shay.

After analyzing the killer’s taunting, coded letters to authorities—one for each victim—FBI forensic linguist Raisa Susanto believes him. The discrepancies bear it out. So, was it a copycat? A partner in crime? Or something more sinister? If Nathaniel knows the answer, Raisa fears he’ll be taking that closely guarded secret to his grave.

As Raisa and Callum are pulled into an investigation to solve Shay’s murder, it reopens old traumas that cut deeper than they could imagine. Before someone else dies, Raisa must decipher the unbelievable truth in an ever-twisting case built on a foundation of lies.

Adele’s Review:

The Truth You Told is a well-crafted police procedural and second in the Raisa Susanto series. The story is told in two perspectives and timelines–before and after a murder. This reviewer hadn’t read book one in the series, but the author includes enough backstory in the early chapters of book two to make the plotlines clear. The forensic linguist specialty of Raisa, the central protagonist, is an interesting angle and one this reviewer hasn’t read before. The investigators, Raisa and Callum, also have a deep personal connection to one of the murder victims, which adds conflict that propels the plotline forward throughout the book. Brianna Labuskes is a well-established, prolific writer whose storytelling ability makes The Truth You Told a compelling read.

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6664234805

Amazon Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BTJ3CJRV/