Characters Never Lie Freida McFadden

EJ (Edward Jamison) Character Analysis: The Blackmailer Who Met His End

Overview

Edward Jamison, known as EJ, serves as the primary antagonist in Freida McFadden’s psychological thriller Never Lie. A patient of Dr. Adrienne Hale, EJ is diagnosed with narcissistic personality disorder and uses a secretly recorded video to blackmail his therapist. His relentless manipulation and lack of empathy set off a chain of events that lead to his own gruesome death—drugged, bound, and suffocated inside a hidden floor compartment in Dr. Hale’s office. This analysis examines EJ’s role, personality, relationships, and the thematic weight he carries in the novel.

Plot Role

EJ first appears as a difficult patient whom Dr. Hale reluctantly treats. After she terminates their sessions, he retaliates by following her and filming her slashing a tire. He uses this video to force her to resume therapy against her will. The blackmail escalates when Dr. Hale enlists her boyfriend Luke and later her patient Patricia to help neutralize EJ. Ultimately, Dr. Hale drugs EJ, locks him in a crawlspace, and tapes the panel shut, killing him. His body is later buried in the garden by Tricia and Ethan after they take over the house. EJ’s blackmail is the catalyst for Dr. Hale’s moral collapse and the book’s central conflict.

Motivations and Personality Traits

Explicit facts from the text: Dr. Hale diagnoses EJ with narcissistic personality disorder within one session. Traits of this diagnosis include exaggerated self-importance, craving for admiration, and impaired empathy. EJ demonstrates these through his dismissal of potential employers as “stupid,” his obsession with his own appearance (photos of himself shirtless or naked), and his complete lack of remorse when blackmailing Dr. Hale. He tells her, “All I want is to start our sessions again,” but his tell—a muscle twitch under his right eye—betrays his lie. EJ’s motivation is not recovery but control. He enjoys the power he holds over Dr. Hale, as seen when he texts her “You bitch. You broke into my house” followed by “I’m going to kill you.” These messages are bluffs, intended to terrorize rather than act.

Interpretation: EJ’s actions suggest a deep need for dominance. He responds to rejection (termination of therapy) not with reflection but with aggression. His blackmail is a tool to reassert control over the one person who saw through his facade. His inability to form genuine connections—he has no friends, no job, and only casual relationships—leaves him isolated, which paradoxically makes his blackmail more dangerous because he has nothing to lose.

Chronological Arc

  • First appearance: Susan, EJ’s mother, asks Dr. Hale to see her son. After one session, Dr. Hale diagnoses narcissistic personality disorder. She considers dropping him but continues briefly.
  • Blackmail begins: Months after termination, EJ follows Dr. Hale to a strip mall, films her slashing a tire, and uses the video to force her to resume weekly sessions.
  • Escalation: Dr. Hale drugs EJ during a session, unlocks his phone, and deletes the video. Luke breaks into EJ’s house to wipe any backups. EJ retaliates with threatening texts.
  • Final confrontation: Dr. Hale enlists Patricia (Tricia) to lure EJ from a casino. Patricia drugs him, duct-tapes his hands and feet, and drives him to Dr. Hale’s house.
  • Death: Dr. Hale drags him into her office, removes the bag and tape, taunts him, then rolls him into a hidden compartment under the floor. She tapes the panel shut, suffocating him.
  • Aftermath: Two years later, Tricia and Ethan bury EJ’s body in the garden alongside Luke Strauss. The grass grows over the grave.

Relationships

  • Dr. Adrienne Hale: EJ is her patient and later her tormentor. She despises him from the start, calling him “trouble.” Their relationship is one of predator and prey, though the roles reverse in the end. Dr. Hale’s hatred for EJ costs her the relationship with Luke and pushes her to murder.
  • Luke Strauss: EJ indirectly destroys Dr. Hale’s relationship with Luke. Luke refuses to help kill EJ, and Dr. Hale’s willingness to do so alienates him. Luke eventually becomes a victim himself, killed by Tricia and Ethan.
  • Patricia (Tricia): EJ is lured by Patricia, who plays on his vanity. She physically restrains him and delivers him to Dr. Hale. EJ does not interact meaningfully with Patricia; she is a tool in his downfall.
  • Susan (his mother): Mentioned only briefly. She paid for his therapy until she stopped. Her absence suggests a lack of family support.

Key Decisions and Consequences

  1. Recording the video: EJ decides to film Dr. Hale vandalizing a car. This gives him leverage but also seals his fate. Dr. Hale cannot allow the blackmail to continue.
  2. Threatening Dr. Hale: After she deletes the video, EJ sends threatening texts. This eliminates any chance of reconciliation and hardens Dr. Hale’s resolve to kill him.
  3. Accepting the drink from Patricia: EJ’s narcissism makes him vulnerable to Patricia’s seduction. He drinks the drugged wine without suspicion, putting himself in a helpless state.
  4. Dr. Hale’s choice to suffocate him: By taping the panel, she cuts off oxygen. This is a deliberate act of murder, not accidental death. The decision reflects her transformation from healer to killer.

Interpretation: EJ’s arrogance blinds him to the danger he is in. He underestimates Dr. Hale’s ruthlessness. His belief that he is in control leads him to push too hard.

Themes and Symbols

  • Lies and Deception: EJ embodies the book’s opening line, “Everybody lies.” His blackmail is built on a lie (that he wants therapy) and a secret recording. The video is a literal symbol of captured deception.
  • Manipulation and Power: EJ wields power through blackmail. His need for dominance mirrors Dr. Hale’s own desire for control. The struggle between them is a battle of wills.
  • Blackmail: The video is the ultimate blackmail tool. EJ uses it to force Dr. Hale’s compliance. The theme recurs when Tricia later blackmails Ethan.
  • Guilt and Complicity: Dr. Hale is guilty of the act she tries to hide (vandalism). EJ’s blackmail forces her into deeper complicity. Her guilt over her own actions drives her to murder.
  • Marriage and Trust: EJ’s actions destroy Dr. Hale’s chance at a trusting relationship with Luke. Ironically, Tricia and Ethan bond over their shared guilt and bury EJ together.

Symbolic: The hidden floor compartment represents buried secrets. EJ is literally sealed away, symbolizing how lies can trap a person until they suffocate.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why does EJ blackmail Dr. Hale?
He is angry that she terminated their sessions. His narcissistic personality makes him unable to accept rejection. The video gives him a way to force her attention and assert dominance.

2. How does Dr. Hale kill EJ?
She drugs him with Ativan, then Patricia duct-tapes him. Dr. Hale rolls him into a hidden floor compartment and tapes the panel edges shut, cutting off his oxygen. He suffocates.

3. Was EJ involved in any other crimes?
The text shows only the blackmail. He stalks Dr. Hale and records her without consent. His past behavior includes many short relationships, but no evidence of other violent crimes.

4. Does EJ show any remorse?
No. Even when trapped, his muffled “I’m sorry” is ambiguous—possibly feigned. Dr. Hale notes he would likely say “go to hell.” He never admits wrongdoing.

5. Why does Tricia and Ethan bury EJ after the epilogue?
They buy Dr. Hale’s house to prevent discovery of the hidden compartment and the graves. Burying EJ in the garden hides the evidence of murder and allows them to live free of suspicion.