Would I Lie to You? - by Nicole Blades

Book Synopsis

Would I Lie to You? is a thrilling spy-next-door story that may have you cheering for all the wrong people, perfect for fans of Finlay Donovan and Killers of a Certain Age.

What if a covert, high-stakes cat burglar is given one last job before she can retire, but the gig is to steal the classified code to an innovative genetic editing tool her unaware husband is developing?

Ask anyone about Lucille "Lu" Barlow and they'll tell you that she's a loving wife and mom, fire-body Pilates studio owner, and kind neighbor. But none of them know the true Lu. Because Lu is a liar and a thief--albeit reluctantly lately. She's been part of a dangerous, deeply covert crime syndicate for the last thirty years, with a string of incredible, international heists under her belt and a shoebox full of fake passports, weapons, cash stacks, and skeletons.

But when her unsuspecting husband, Harry, accepts a lucrative job at the nation's leading biotech company, it means moving the family from her familiar Brooklyn base to the well-heeled New England town of Partridge Hollow. Lu sees it as her shot to finally retire from crime life, something she's wanted since her son's birth eight years ago. But Partridge Hollow isn't what it seems either. Lu quickly discovers that her new Stepford Wives-esque neighbors each have their own secrets hidden inside their mansions, into which she occasionally creeps.

She also uncovers the most scandalous truth of all: that this move for her husband's career was orchestrated by her illicit employer. Worse, she's tasked with stealing the highly classified code for an innovative gene-editing tool that Harry is developing.

Fans of Finlay Donovan Is Killing It, Counterfeit, and Killers of a Certain Age will devour this book!

Review Quotes

Praise for Would I Lie to You?
"With Would I Lie to You? Nicole Blades has pulled off that rarest of feats: A high stakes,
suspense-drenched spy thriller with a tender core, featuring a magnetically compelling heroine
you won't soon forget."
--Elizabeth McCullough Keenan & Greg Wands, International bestselling authors of Trust Issues

"Grab a comfy chair, a good drink and get ready for the newest, most captivating voice in thriller-town. Nicole Blades's immensely satisfying new thriller crackles with compelling characters, rapid-fire dialogue, and the cool, electric world of The Atlas--a shadowy crime syndicate which is increasingly turning cat burglar Lu Barlow's life into an impossible catch-22. I raced through this book to it's perfect, turn-the-tables ending wishing I could get the next installment of Lu's high-stakes adventures. Gimme more."
--Emily Carpenter, author of Gothictown

About the Author

Nicole Blades is a novelist and journalist with nearly two decades of experience in the media industry. Her cover stories and features have been published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Runner's World, Women's Health, and more. An active member of the International Thriller Writers organization, her novels often focus on the façade and filters people put on to face the world. Would I Lie to You? is her latest and will be published in Spring 2026! The domestic thriller joins Nicole's previous novels, Have You Met Nora?, The Thunder Beneath Us, and Earth's Waters. A proud Caribbean-Canadian, Nicole currently lives in New England with her husband and their son.