Readers Guide for Count My Lies

So Sloane/Caitlin is offered a job babysitting Harper, which she eagerly accepts.

But she’s a little nervous when Violet tells her Harper has a heart condition and that “Caitlin’s” medical background is one reason they want to hire her.

But Sloane is terrified when a client freaks out after coming into the salon. Apparently they have some bad history!

Sloane tries to juggle her time with the Lockhart’s with her nail salon job, but the salon fires her. She’s thrilled when Violet takes her jogging and shares makeup tips.

She’s delighted to discover that she and Violet are the same age, born on the same day. Doesn’t THAT sound a lot like this popular suspense novel? But that’s not one of the books that people are saying this is similar to. Just a funny coincidence…

When Sloane is visited by a police officer, we learn that the spooked client, Allison McIntyre, has a restraining order against her. But she and Violet bond over being Swifties and Violet confides in “Caitlin” about her first boyfriend, Danny.

Sloane’s lies catch up to her again when she learns that Harper goes to the same school as Allison’s daughter. But she’s delighted to be invited on a sailing trip with the Lockhart family for her shared birthday with Violet.

One day, Sloane snoops in Violet’s closet, where she finds a burner phone with messages to “DS.” Has Violet rekindled her relationship with Danny?

She also finds a box of hair dye, and buys the same shade to color her own hair. Single White Female, much?

What did you think was happening at this point in Count My Lies?

I wasn’t sure, except when two characters start to “twin” like this, it’s not a good sign for one of them! We also learn that the reason Allison has a restraining order on Sloane is that Sloane babysat for her, went through her closets, found naked pictures of her, and dressed up in her clothes.

When Violet sees “Caitlin’s” new hair, she doesn’t freak out. She rushes Caitlin to her hairdresser to fix it. Now they really do look alike…

Then we get our first major twist in Count My Lies:

A POV shift. This is where the plot and structure of Count My Lies does get similar to a few popular domestic suspense novels. I won’t name them here, in case you have not read them. I’ll do that at the bottom of the post.)

Violet is CLEARLY up to something. She offers Caitlin a bunch of her clothes.

We learn that Violet heard the story about Sloane dressing in Allison’s clothes from the moms at school.

But clearly this gave Violet an idea. She started stalking Sloane’s social media and following her. She suggests that Jay take Harper to the park that Sloane takes breaks in from her job at the salon.

In the present, Violet invites “Caitlin” on a trip to Block Island, which is where Violet met Danny. She asks Caitlin for her driver’s license so she can add her to the rental car reservation, which she can see fills Caitlin with panic. But Caitlin brings it and says she goes by a nickname.

Things get considerably weirder when Violet asks Caitlin if she can name her as Harper’s guardian. Just in case anything happens to Violet.

I know what I suspected at this point! What did you?

I thought that Sloane wasn’t the only one up to something. But who’s playing whom?

Violet takes Sloane’s license to the DMV and asks for a new picture and to change her address. (Trust me, the New York DMV does not let you do these things without multiple other pieces of ID, but we will suspend disbelief. And be glad this can’t easily happen to us.)

The three of them set off, with Violet taking tons of pictures. On the island, she sends Jay and Caitlin out on a sightseeing expedition. Then stashes a gun, her burner phone, and her legal papers in the home safe.

The next morning, Violet takes Harper to the beach and introduces herself to them as Caitlin, Harper’s nanny. Yes, just as we suspected!

Also, Jay is apparently a cheater. Who is very interested in a morning run with the attractive new neighbor, Anne Marie. Violet also watches him make a move on Caitlin.

That night, Violet pretends to be sick and sends Caitlin, Jay and Harper out for dinner.

Then she calls Danny, who is helping with her plan. When Caitlin and Jay return from dinner, Violet sees them kissing.

Violet, pretending to be Caitlin, tells Anne Marie that Jay got a little handsy with her. She also arranges a sleepover for Harper at the neighbors’ house.

Violet then tells Jay she saw him kiss Caitlin and kicks Jay out of the beach house.

When Caitlin returns from dropping Harper at the sleepover, Violet pulls the gun on her.

Violet tells Caitlin that she’s shooting Caitlin but also herself (i.e. everyone will think the Violet is dead.) Violet’s plan is to leave the divorce papers and an insurance policy that “Jay” took out on “Violet” out, frame Jay for the murder of Violet, and take custody of Harper as Sloan. You with me??

But then the book switches to Jay’s POV. He’s over at Anne Marie’s when they see police cars at the beach house. The officers arrest Jay for his wife’s murder.

Jay’s lawyer advises that he pleads guilty. He says a witness, Sloane Caraway, saw the whole thing. Jay is incredulous that “Caitlin” is Sloane. And that Sloane has custody of Harper.

Jay figures out what Violet did, but his lawyer thinks he’s making it all up. Also, “Violet’s” body has been cremated.

Jay insists on a trial so he can prove that “Sloane” is actually his wife Violet. But who walks into the courtroom? Sloane.

Count My Lies: The Ending Explained

Back in Sloan’s POV, we learn what happened:

• When Violet shot Sloane, she lost her nerve and missed
• Sloane ran over to Anne Marie’s and saw her kissing Jay
• Then Sloane went back to the house. Violet told Sloane how horrible Jay was, from cheating to fat shaming Harper
• Sloane and Violet made a new plan:
• First, Sloane would shoot Violet in the leg
• Danny, an EMT, arrived and took Violet in the ambulance
• Then Danny told his collegue Violet was dead, and to take her to the morgue.
• Finally, he switched Violet’s file with another body ready for cremation.
• Sloane asked one of her wealthy clients to help her get custody of Harper.
• Danny brought Violet back to Block Island after ten days.
• Violet had to hide out as she’s supposed to be dead.
• But the three of them will move to California

Other Books Count My Lies is Similar To?

WARNING: this section spoils two other books you may or may not have read.

If you want to skip the spoilers, here is a list of some of my favorite Domestic Suspense books that feature gaslighting, lying, and domestic danger!

First came The Last Mrs. Parrish, about a young woman who schemes her way into the life of a wealthy New England couple. But … surprise! The wife actually wants to get away from her abusive husband. There’s a POV switch where we realize there’s a whole other side to the story.

After The Housemaid came out, many readers on Reddit complained that the plot of The Housemaid was very similar to that of The Last Mrs. Parrish (I discuss that in my review of The Housemaid).

In the housemaid, Millie is hired by wealthy Nina Winchester as a maid and nanny. Millie finds Nina to be erratic and feels sorry for Nina’s husband, Andrew. Andrew and Millie have an affair, and … surprise! Nina was faking it all to get Andrew to dump her (and Millie to fall for Andrew) so she can escape her abusive marriage. (Millie is able to escape too.)

So, YES, all these three books have similarities:

• Household help for a rich family who falls for the husband
• POV switch to shock the reader: the husband is a dud and the wife was trying to get rid of him
• I also think that Count My Lies has another plot element similar to a different Freida McFadden book that featured a paramedic character who comes in very handy… If you remember the book, tell me in comments.

BUT I’d also argue that most domestic suspense has cheating husbands and wives who need and want to outwit them. It’s the sort of female empowerment narrative combined with a “how well do you really know your spouse” that makes domestic suspense so irresistible.. And many domestic suspense novels of the late 2010s also used a POV switch that reveals that we have only heard one part of the story.