You Can Trust Me: A Novel

by Wendy Heard

In a “thriller with a sharp take on wealth and privilege” (People, Book of the Week), two best friends grift their way through the California elite—until one scam goes awry.

“A propulsive, sun-drenched adventure with smart, sharp commentary on wealth and power.”—Grace D. Li, New York Times bestselling author of Portrait of a Thief

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: PopSugar, Harper’s Bazaar, CrimeReads

Summer and Leo would do anything for each other. Inspired by the way each has had to carve her place in a hostile and unforgiving world, and united by the call of the open road, they travel around sunny California in Summer’s tricked-out Land Cruiser. It’s not a glamorous life, but it gives them the freedom they crave from the painful pasts they’ve left behind. But even free spirits have bills to pay. Luckily, Summer is a skilled pickpocket, a small-time thief, and a con artist—and Leo, determined to pay her own way, has learned a trick or two.

Eager for a big score, Leo catches in her crosshairs Michael Forrester, a self-made billionaire and philanthropist. When her charm wins him over, Leo is rewarded with an invitation to his private island off the California coastline for a night of fabulous excess. She eagerly anticipates returning with photos that can be sold to the paparazzi, jewelry that can be liquidated, and endless stories to share with Summer.

Instead, Leo disappears.

On her own for the first time in years, Summer decides to infiltrate Michael’s island and find out what really happened. But when she arrives, no one has seen Leo—she’s not on the island as far as they know. Plus, there was only one way on the island—and no way off—for the coming days. Trapped in a scheme she helped initiate, could Summer have met her match?

• ISBN10: 0593599314
• ISBN13: 9780593599310
• Publish Date: 13 June 2023
• Publish Status: Remaindered
• Out of Print: 4 September 2024
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Random House USA Inc
• Imprint: Random House Inc
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780593599310

Reviews

[Quirky Cat]

Book Summary:

What would you give up for the freedom you've always craved? What would you give up if it meant you could run away from your past? That is a question Summer, and Leo are all too happy to answer. They're traveling the open road, living out of nothing but a Land Cruiser. It's not perfect, but it's liberating.

Unfortunately, running from your past doesn't do all that much. Not if you can't change who you are. It isn't long before Leo finds himself in over his head. Then he goes missing. Now Summer has to find out what happened and why.

My Review:

If you're looking for a summer beach read with twisted threads and long cons, this book is for you! In truth, You Can Trust Me ended up not being the book I expected, but it worked out in my favor!

A good chunk of You Can Trust Me falls under the "slow burn" category. But like many thrillers, things fall into place once the ball gets rolling (or out of place, depending on how you want to look at it).

I wish more of the characters and their backstories were fleshed out. Not Summer and Leo – they had enough detail to feel real. But it made the rest of the world they interacted with feel just a touch shallow in comparison.

Highlights:
Mystery/Thriller
Slow Burn

Thanks to Bantam and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

You Can Also Find Me On:
Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks | Quirky Cat's Comics | The Book Review Crew | Monkeys Fighting Robots | Storygraph | Bookhype | Bookstagram | Twitter | Tumblr | Reedsy

[Jeff Sexton]

Hunter and Hunted - But Who Is Who? This is one of those books that seems like it wants to take on Big Ideas, but in its brevity... eh, those Big Ideas are more sacrificed to telling a more compelling and less potentially divisive story, while still hitting some of the high points of the Big Ideas. Ultimately, this is a book whose main characters are very finely drawn and nuanced... and whose lesser players are almost cardboard caricatures. Still, Heard here uses the main characters, their varying histories, and the island setting (through at least half the book) quite well indeed to craft a suspenseful tale that will keep you on the edge of your beach or pool lounger just enough to keep your feet in the water... without giving you a heart attack before you can finish the book and dive in. A couple of bits in particular are more mind-bending than others, though those are quickly moved on from and the more cat and mouse nature of the book again reasserts itself. Overall a solid, mildly pulse pounding book that will be quite enjoyable as a vacation read and one that should be able to be devoured almost no matter how little reading time one may have on a summer break or vacation. Very much recommended.