I love a good con artist tale and The Lies I Tell by Julie Clark (Sourcebooks Landmark, June 2022) hits the mark. This brand-new thriller is about a skilled grifter and the collateral damage of one her scams. Kat Roberts was an up-and-coming young journalist when she encountered Meg Williams for the first time. Because of a story lead that Meg planted as part of a sting, Kat lost her job and struggled for years to regain her footing both in her career and in her personal life.
Bent on
revenge, Kat began tracking Meg who is a chameleon. She changes her name and
her persona effortlessly as she travels around the country, becoming a
brand-new character to fit whatever con she is working. She’s a life coach to
the stars, she’s a well-known interior designer, she’s a naïve community
college student, and she’s a high-powered realtor.
Kat felt sure
that eventually Meg would return to Los Angeles, and after 10 years, she did.
Kat maneuvered her way into Meg’s orbit and tries to get Meg to give up her
secrets. Meg holds her at arm’s length while focusing on the real reason she
came back to Los Angeles. Their interplay creates the primary tension of the
story, which builds as Meg narrows in on her current target and Kat becomes
obsessed.
The story is told alternately in Meg’s voice and in Kat’s, revealing the motivations of each and their reactions to the other’s attempted manipulation. Along the way the reader gets an excellent tutorial in how to set up a mark and execute a scam. It’s a quick compelling read with a number of surprises and insights into human behavior. Highly recommended.
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ASIN: B09HLF9RCT
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Publisher: Sourcebooks
Landmark (June 21, 2022)
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Publication date: June 21, 2022
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Language: English
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File size: 2972 KB
Aubrey Nye Hamilton ©2022
Aubrey Hamilton is a former librarian who works on
Federal It projects by day and reads mysteries at night.
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