Leave at the First Lie
About this ebook
The most dangerous lies are the ones we want to believe.
At forty-three, Summer Morris is on the edge of a comeback. Her band, her art, a life that’s finally hers again.
Then Nikolai walks in, and he is everything she never let herself want. Immediate. Intense. Certain. He proposes before their first date is over, and she laughs, and she doesn’t say no.
She should have.
One lie at a time, he moves in—into her house, her career, her daughter’s silence, her own sense of what’s real. Everyone keeps telling her how lucky she is. Only Summer can feel the walls getting closer.
By the time she understands what he’s doing, the exits are gone.
A slow-burn psychological thriller about love, manipulation, and the lies we tell ourselves to keep believing. Because the first lie is never the one that destroys you.
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Perfect for readers who love:
• Slow-burn psychological suspense where the danger hides in plain sight
• Complex women reclaiming their lives and their voices
• Domestic thrillers about charm, control, and the lies we tell ourselves
For fans of Behind Closed Doors, The Silent Patient, and Verity.
Leave at the First Lie is a standalone psychological thriller.
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About the author
Aime Austin writes suspense about power, deception, and the hidden dynamics of relationships. Her fiction explores coercive control, emotional manipulation, and the moment ordinary relationships become dangerous. A graduate of Smith College and Cornell Law School, she practiced law before becoming a full-time novelist. She is the recipient of the 2025 Mystery Writers of America Barbara Neely Scholarship. She divides her time between Los Angeles and Budapest, where she’s usually writing, wandering city streets with a camera, or hosting the podcast A Time to Thrill.
