Soon to be a major motion picture starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.“A superb thriller and a truly engrossing read.”—Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10When Roy meets a wealthy widow online, he can hardly believe his luck. Just like Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, Roy is a man who lives to deceive—and everything about Betty suggests … Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, Roy is a man who lives to deceive—and everything about Betty suggests she’s an easy mark. He’s confident that his scheme to swindle her will be a success. After all, he’s done this before.
Sure enough, Betty soon lets Roy move into her beautiful home, seemingly blind to the web of lies he’s woven around her. But who is Roy, really? Spanning almost a century, this stunning and suspenseful feat of storytelling interweaves the present with the past. As the clock turns back and the years fall away, long-hidden secrets are forced into the light. Some things can never be forgotten. Or forgiven.
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The Good Liar is Roy Courtnay, a practitioner of financial scams. At the start, octogenarian Roy is aiming for the last big payday of his life, having hooked up on an online dating site with Betty, a wealthy widow. The story alternates between the present as Roy plans to get his hands on Betty’s assets, and past accounts of key scenes from the lives of the trickster. Can you see through the layers of liars? Nicholas Searles’ debut novel sets a good pace. It’s a thriller mixed with a little historical fiction and also just a plain good story.
I read this book because of Helen Murien but the story line is totally unexpected. The flashbacks fill in the history. Excellent story.
Jumped around too much; hard to follow
Couldn’t finish it a waste of time
One of the best I’ve read this year.
This is an excellent book, very different and interesting.
I didn’t know where we were going when I started this one but I was delighted with where we ended up! Excellent writing, twisty and perfectly done.