Reviewed by Sadonna
TITLE: The Truth in my Lies
AUTHOR: L.A. Witt
NARRATOR: Nick J. Russo & Michael Ferraiuolo
PUBLISHER: GallagherWitt Publishing LLC
LENGTH: 8 hours and 36 minutes
RELEASE DATE: February 5, 2025
BLURB:
It’s been months since Seth Byrne’s boyfriend ghosted him. Seth is still angry, but he’s worried too, because when Andrew Keller disappeared, he completely disappeared. Disconnected phone. Empty apartment. Abrupt departure from his job. Gone.
Until tonight.
Just as Seth is beginning to move on, Andrew shows up at his door with a story so wild it has to be fake… except he’s armed with a stack of evidence proving he’s telling the truth. And the truth is that everything Seth knew about Andrew is a lie.
Detective Brandon Gaines was supposed to be Andrew Keller for the rest of his life. After being marked for death by the white supremacist cops he tried to bring down, he was put into witness protection. When a chain of events returns him to his old identity, Brandon doesn’t know who he is anymore. Now he’s caught between two identities that don’t fit, and nothing in his world makes sense… except the way he feels about the man he left behind.
Is it even possible to rekindle their relationship when Seth knows nothing about Brandon? He understands why Brandon had to lie, but that doesn’t change the fact that the man in front of him is a stranger. Where do they even start?
But as they struggle to bridge the gap between them, they may have much bigger problems.
Because there are people who do know who Brandon is.
And they haven’t forgotten why they drove him into witness protection in the first place.
The Truth in My Lies is a standalone gay romantic suspense novel.
REVIEW:
Seth is a police officer who is not over the ghosting of his former boyfriend. His roommate Marcus keeps telling him he needs to move on. But Seth isn’t sure how to do that. He’d been with Andrew for nearly three years and he has no closure. Andrew literally disappeared overnight. Empty Apartment, disconnected phone, nothing. Then suddenly Andrew shows up one night with a pretty fantastic story. But he has the receipts.
Seth is flummoxed. He’s happy Andrew isn’t dead but it’s a lot to process. Should he hear Andrew out? I mean they were talking about a future. Andrew was part of his life. Now Andrew is a stranger to him and his name is Brandon. Can they start again? Can Seth trust someone who has lied to him for years??
Seth decides that they should try to get away and sort things out. The road to Seth’s dad’s cabin is strained. They are strangers who have been lovers. Both struggle with next steps. Brandon tells Seth whatever he decides, he’ll abide by that decision. He just couldn’t let things go without explaining that he never wanted to leave.
But then they get an unexpected call that sets off a chain of events that could impact a lot more than their relationship. Lives are on the line and they are in a bad spot. If they make it through to the other side, Brandon has no idea what Seth will decide.
Whew boy! This story was a doozy. I don’t want to be spoilery at all, but let me say I did figure out who the rat as almost immediately. The author did a great job of dropping the right clues and fleshing out Brandon’s past and the reason he left and also why he came back. Sad that this story seems like it could literally be snatched from the headlines these days. And yes, Indiana has always been a hotbed of Klan activity. Even in the governor’s mansion back in the day. Not farfetched at all in case anyone was wondering. Anyway, I thought Brandon’s approach with Seth was spot on and I really liked how they communicated as adults! What a concept! Lots of action and suspense and I loved all the tech thrown in too. It was a wild ride. Recommended.
Nick J Russo and Michael Farraiuolo split the narration duties here with Mr. Russo taking on Seth’s chapters and Mr. Farraiuolo taking on Andrew/Brandon’s POV chapters. I have to say I am a big fan of this approach. These narrators clearly understood the assignment and their teamwork is outstanding here. Both men are quite experiences in this genre and masters of their craft. Brandon/Andrew is extremely anxious – rightfully so – and I thought that came through very well in this story. He’s clearly got a LOT to be worried about. Seth is still dealing with feeling a bit betrayed and not knowing if he can trust himself anymore. The themes of trust and honesty are big in this one. There is a lot of action and these guys did a great job carrying us through all the chaos. Highly recommended.
RATING: 
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