Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.”
-Sir Walter Scott
In searching for the next mystery audiobook to take me on my daily walks, I was surprised to find so many books with the same—or nearly the same title—those with “liar” in the title being the first to catch my eye. Again, I’m always searching for an author new to me, but on finding some with which I was familiar, I was then curious as to how they compared with the less familiar. Here’s a sample of my findings—all of which I can recommend:
· K. J. Larsen: LIAR LIAR (2012), The Cat DeLuca Mysteries, Book 1. An enjoyable read, reminiscent of Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum, or Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone. Mysteries with a touch of humor.
· James Patterson and Candace Fox: LIAR LIAR (2019), Harriet Blue, Book 3. Fast paced story of a former police investigator, now on the run to find a criminal who can clear her brother’s name. Set in Australia. A style I would attribute to Fox who has a lengthy list of mysteries in her own name.
· K. L. Slater: LIAR (2017). A difficult to put down story of a single father, involved with a new love who is competing with the man’s mother for his attention. A decidedly twisted ending.
· Lisa Jackson: LIAR, LIAR (2019). Was the woman on the ledge the same troubled Las Vegas entertainer who disappeared some twenty years ago? The daughter left behind has never stopped searching and with the unexpected help of a friend from the past, some questions surrounding her mother are put to rest. Engaging.
· Ayelet Gundar-Goshen: THE LIAR (2019). What happens to a young girl who lies without thinking, to the boy who witnessed the lie, and to the victim of the lie? A timely tale in this day of MeToo.
· Tanen Jones: THE BETTER LIAR (2020). This is a debut novel reminiscent of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. It’s the story of a woman who hides the death of her sister in order to inherit from their father’s estate which has the stipulation that both daughters must come together in order to collect. The how and why and what happens kept me guessing until the end.