None Of This Is True by Lisa Jewell

 

One their forty-fifth birthdays, two women both go out to eat with their families at a local restaurant.  The two meet and find out that they are birthday twins; born on the same day and year in the same hospital.  But they couldn't be more different.  Josie Fair is married to a much older man and her children are grown.  She lives in public housing and money is always an issue.  Alix Summer is married to a successful man and she has made her own success with a podcast about women and their lives.  Her children are still young and they live in a gorgeous house with everything perfectly arranged.

Josie suggests that Alix's next podcast focus be her and Alix reluctantly agrees.  She isn't sure she is comfortable with Josie, something about her seems a little forward.  But her first series is done and she is looking for a new focus and Josie's idea about women who are facing a change is interesting.  They agree to meet and start.  Josie comes to Alix's house and wants it all.  She starts to tell Alix more and more lurid tales about her life as time goes on.  She seems to be always there and things start to disappear from the house, little things that one could imagine they had just misplaced somehow.

Josie's marriage seems a disaster and Alix is having troubles in hers as well.  Her husband, Nathan, has been going on alcoholic benders where he goes out for a drink and doesn't return until the next day.  Once he starts drinking it seems he can't stop.  Josie finds out about this and tells Alix they would both be better off without their husbands.

Then the night comes.  Josie shows up on Alix's doorstep with a battered face and a story of domestic abuse.  Josie agrees to let her stay the night and soon Josie has worked herself into staying fulltime.  She continues to disparage Nathan and tries to worm her way into Alix's children's affections.  Will Josie succeed in taking over?

Lisa Jewell is a British author who started her successful career in 1999.  Since then she has written more than twenty novels, and this one is definitely one of my favorites.  In this one, the reader can see how Josie is slowly but surely manipulating everyone around her and how Alix has let her own problems blind her to the evil Josie is introducing into her life.  This book is recommended for mystery readers.