Lies She Told is another "twisty" tale with an unreliable narrator. For folks who found Gone Girl somewhat tiresome, if only because there was a substantial section of the book, right before the twist, that seemed a little static, this book might be a better choice. It's more simply told, it's very well-paced from the very beginning, and it's only 288 pages. I must admit that I'm a big fan of less than 300 pages.
There were certain aspects of this book that I found very engaging. It's a tale within a tale: chapters alternate between the story of Liza, a psychological suspense author who is trying to "stay in the game," and continue writing through a seeming slump in inspiration, sales, and visibility, and the Beth, the protagonist of the novel Liza is writing.
While Liza, the author, is writing her book, we see that she is suffering from anxiety that her publisher will drop her for low sales, and she is constantly anxious about continuing to write, finishing her chapters, meeting her deadlines, and negotiating her relationship with her editor - even when she is suffering from migraine headaches. She is anxious. She dreads attending a conference where she will attempt to promote her last published book, which did not sell well. This "day-in-the-life" snapshot of a midlist published author was clever and funny, and I enjoyed it. And underneath the plot, and the suffering of the characters (both the author, Liza, and her character, Beth, are married to men keeping secrets from their wives) I felt a kind of breathless exuberance.
I was surprised again that I picked up on some clues and foresaw some elements of the plot. That's not like me; I'm usually quite surprised to find out who the killer is.
Nevertheless, the closing chapters of the book are suspenseful and full of revelations that I did not see coming.
I think this book will entertain folks who love a twisty tale but found Gone Girl too long. The fast-paced narrative makes it a good choice for travel.
Lies She Told is author Holahan's third book; the first were Dark Turns (I love a book title that telegraphs the delights to be found inside) and The Widower's Wife.
There were certain aspects of this book that I found very engaging. It's a tale within a tale: chapters alternate between the story of Liza, a psychological suspense author who is trying to "stay in the game," and continue writing through a seeming slump in inspiration, sales, and visibility, and the Beth, the protagonist of the novel Liza is writing.
While Liza, the author, is writing her book, we see that she is suffering from anxiety that her publisher will drop her for low sales, and she is constantly anxious about continuing to write, finishing her chapters, meeting her deadlines, and negotiating her relationship with her editor - even when she is suffering from migraine headaches. She is anxious. She dreads attending a conference where she will attempt to promote her last published book, which did not sell well. This "day-in-the-life" snapshot of a midlist published author was clever and funny, and I enjoyed it. And underneath the plot, and the suffering of the characters (both the author, Liza, and her character, Beth, are married to men keeping secrets from their wives) I felt a kind of breathless exuberance.
I was surprised again that I picked up on some clues and foresaw some elements of the plot. That's not like me; I'm usually quite surprised to find out who the killer is.
Nevertheless, the closing chapters of the book are suspenseful and full of revelations that I did not see coming.
I think this book will entertain folks who love a twisty tale but found Gone Girl too long. The fast-paced narrative makes it a good choice for travel.
Lies She Told is author Holahan's third book; the first were Dark Turns (I love a book title that telegraphs the delights to be found inside) and The Widower's Wife.
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