"Trust No One" by Paul Cleave

Remember this blog post about waiting for a really amazing ARC I read? It was back in July when I posted. Well this is the book! It was released on August 4, 2015. Today is August 12, 2015. This "be-a-mom" business of having kids home for the summer and back to school (already!) shopping got me distracted. But it's better to review it a little bit late than never! Great books are meant to be shared!

I purposely made myself relax and go slow while reading this book. I wanted to suck up all the goodness and enjoy the read. Because it's that good! What I really wanted to do was devour the entire thing in one sitting. But I have self control. Sometimes. 

Here is the premise:

Jerry Grey is known to most of the world by his crime writing pseudonym, Henry Cutter-a name that has been keeping readers at the edge of their seats for more than a decade. Recently diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's at the age of forty-nine, Jerry's crime writing days are coming to an end. His twelve books tell stories of brutal murders committed by bad men, of a world out of balance, of victims finding the darkest forms of justice. As his dementia begins to break down the wall between his life and the lives of the characters he has created, Jerry confesses his worst secret: The stories are real. He knows this because he committed the crimes. Those close to him, including the nurses at the care home where he now lives, insist that it is all in his head, that his memory is being toyed with and manipulated by his unfortunate disease. But if that were true, then why are so many bad things happening? Why are people dying?

Seriously. Paul Cleave's "Trust No One" is a genius plot. A best selling crime writer who gets Alzheimer's and then confesses that the murders he wrote about are actually real. This book combines a psychological thriller, murder mystery, mental sickness and even humor then gift wraps it in a big red bow for the reader. 

The book is told from first person point of view and flip flops between present-day Alzheimer's patient Jerry and past (via journal entries) clear headed Jerry . Because he can't be sure that what he remembers is true memories or if it is his fiction writing that is causing memories of murder, the reader gets little bits and pieces via journal entries here and there. Little nuggets of info that leave you trusting absolutely no one, including Jerry himself.

 The reader goes through all the feelings Jerry does. Disbelief and sadness of being diagnosed with Alzheimer's. Shock and horror associated with the "memories" of the brutal murders. Confused and helpless as he realizes he isn't sure what is fact or fiction. Complete frustration when no one around him believes a word he says. Such a clever author Paul Cleave is. 

This was my first Paul Cleave novel but this will definitely not be my last. I look forward to reading more books by him. 5 stars for Trust No One! 

Thank you to Netgalley and Atria Books for allowing me the egalley to read and review. 

Happy Reading!