Harry has been called home to Maine just days before his college graduation. His beloved father has died unexpectedly, and the police think it was suicide. Stunned and reeling, Harry returns to the small town in Maine where they moved shortly before he left for college, along with Harry's new wife, Alice. Although he's always felt an uncomfortable attraction to young, sexy Alice, Harry tries his best to ignore it...until Alice begins to come on to him, getting closer in their shared grief. Meanwhile, Harry spots a mysterious young woman named Grace at his father's funeral. When he talks to her later, Grace claims to be new to the area and looking for work at Harry's father's bookstore, but Harry suspects that's not the whole truth. As Harry digs deeper to find out how his father died, secrets and lies seem to pile up around him.
I read this novel in record time, staying up way too late each night, flipping virtual pages on my Kindle, promising myself just one more chapter. The narrative moves back and forth in time between "then," delving into Alice's history and background, and "now," as Harry tries to find the truth behind his father's death, until the two timelines converge. Suspense builds along with secrets in this little seaside town, with plenty of surprises along the way, prompting me at one point to yell out loud, "What?!" If you like psychological thrillers, you will enjoy this rollercoaster ride of suspense, murder, and strange domestic situations. I'm passing it on to my husband next!
304 page, William Morrow
P.S. The author, Peter Swanson, was very entertaining at Booktopia, sharing with us some of his many scribbled down ideas that didn't make it into his novels!
Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in
return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced
by my relationship with the publisher or author.
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Listen to a sample of the audio book here - I bet this one is great on audio! I enjoyed the sample.
You can order All the Beautiful Lies from the wonderful Northshire Bookstore, which hosted Booktiopia.
Or order All the Beautiful Lies from your own favorite or local indie bookseller:
Psychological thrillers don't usually sound "fun," but this one does. And it's set in Maine, I haven't read a book set in Maine in a long time.
ReplyDeleteIt was fun! Creepy, too. I love books set in Maine - one of my favorite places.
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