Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and … away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.
Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?
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Brilliantly written, Catherine McKenzie’s “The Good Liar” explores the intricacies of the human mind after a terrible tragedy. Well-researched, as always, and set in Chicago, a place I frequently visited during my childhood, the characters and their stories will haunt you for a long time after you turn the last page.
Run (or type) as fast as you can and get this book! Be prepared for a long night for the un-put-downable masterpiece!
I have enjoyed all of Catherine McKenzie’s books, and this one is no exception. Once I picked it up, I had a hard time putting it down. Why are there always so many other things to be done when I’d rather be reading? Somehow, Ms. McKenzie manages a day job as a lawyer and continues to produce all these wonderful books. I can’t imagine what’s wrong with me…
From the title (a 3-word title instead of the 1-word titles we’ve become accustomed to), we know that someone is lying, so of course I spent the whole book wondering who the title is referring to. The book is about three different women in the aftermath of a tragedy in Chicago. In the words of the author – a woman running away from a tragedy, a woman running toward the same tragedy, and one stuck in the middle of it. As the book progresses, we find out that each one has her secrets, and Ms. McKenzie is really good at leaving breadcrumbs for us to follow, taking us exactly where she wants us to be. Just don’t get too comfortable – you’ll figure it out, be vindicated when your guesses are confirmed, and then everything gets turned topsy-turvy as new information comes to light.
Thanks to Lake Union Publishing for the ARC. The Good Liar is a great read!
Catherine McKenzie leaves you with a big fat question at the end of this book: who is the “good” liar?
Is it Cecily, who was supposed to meet her husband in a Chicago building at the time it exploded, killing him and 500 other people? She’s certainly concealing some important information that could affect people viewing her as the “poster child” of survivors.
Is it Kate, who ran away to Canada and struggles with a sort of amalgamation of survivors’ guilt and relief? Her life is a lie, but does that mean she’s not a reliable narrator of her story?
And then there is Franny, whom you immediately distrust, with her claims of being the biological daughter of a woman who perished in the explosion. Franny’s desperation to find a connection feels unstable at best. But does that make her a liar?
Catherine McKenzie builds this story to some plot twists, at least one of which you will suspect before she reveals it. Others, though, unsettle you. They make you look at the three women a bit more critically, a bit more suspiciously. Are they telling the truth?
Throughout the book, McKenzie examines the different types of lies we tell. There are lies of omission, intended to protect ourselves or others from the pains those lies would cause. There are lies of convenience, things you say in the moment because they serve your immediate purpose. There are the lies of purpose, those you tell because you intend them.
And then there are the lies of necessity, the obfuscations you say because you feel you have no other choice. If you don’t tell that lie, you risk everything.
The ending of this book bears discussion, making this a perfect book for book clubs. I fired off a message to Catherine McKenzie, begging for answers. I’m desperate to talk about this book, so please read it. Then come back and hit up the comments to let me know your thoughts.
This story pulls you in and holds you to the end, and even then, you need the epilogue to complete, and all the while you are thinking of 9 11 instead of 10 10, a real page turner.
No one is who they appear, and when the bomb shells drop you are left flabbergasted and they just kept coming. The author has created characters that you will care for and feel like you are walking in their shoes, but would you do what these women did? A story that will make you think, and can we find out what is important to these people, for some it is family, but for others?
This is one you don’t want to miss, and it will keep you thinking about it long after the last page is turned, and the last twist is dropped!
I received this book through Net Galley and Lake Union Publishing, and was not required to give a positive review.
Favorite Quotes:
I avoid eye contact. Teo’s far too handsome for my current level of self-esteem.
I learned a while ago that when you woke up in the morning, there was no accounting for how long the day would take, because not all days are created equal. The day I got Tom’s texts, that day started out normally but then slowed down until it took up the space of a week.
My heart cracks. She’s never called me “Mother” before. I feel an urgent need to call my own mother and apologize for every time I did that as a teenager.
Disappointing? That’s all you’ve got to say? I find out my life is actually some Lifetime movie plot and that’s ‘disappointing’?
I don’t like it, but it’s going to be effective, I think, kill another two birds, or three in this case. It’s just sad that there are so many birds that need killing in the first place.
I don’t know the future. I only curate the past.
My Review:
The Good Liar was one of those slowly evolving, sneaky, and cleverly plotted books that I didn’t fully appreciate the ingeniousness of until I reached the conclusion. The premise was unique and engaging and while the characters were not likable, they intrigued me and held my interest. The writing was easy to follow yet multi-leveled and complex; this cunning author kept me guessing as she was busy hiding lots of undercurrents in the subtext. This was my first experience reading Ms. McKenzie and I found her to be an insightful and thoughtfully observant writer as her book was well-crafted, maddeningly paced, well-textured, and had an ingeniously twisted ending that I never saw coming. I love when that happens.
Catherine McKenzie always comes up with unique and interesting premises that hook me in instantaneously and The Good Liar may be my favorite one to date. Three women, all connected by one terrible tragedy, and I had no idea who was being truthful or if any of them even were actually being truthful, the title of this one is SO fitting!
This is told from Cecily, Kate and Franny’s point of view. Cecily and Kate’s chapters are pretty standard as far as the structure but Franny’s story unfolds via an interview transcript which brought a fresh edginess to the plot, it almost moved things along at an even faster pace, and this was already a page turner. As I said before, none of them were altogether trustworthy or very likable, but McKenzie’s characterization is top notch making this a solid and engaging read.
This was a read that snuck up on me a little bit, as much as I was enjoying it, I did guess one of the plot points before it was revealed so I was slightly anxious that it would be easy for me to puzzle the rest out. WRONG! That tiny little piece I fit together was honestly not even the tip of the iceberg, this was more twisted than a pretzel which kept the plot moving forward at a rapid pace. The epilogue was amazing, you guys know an ending can make or break a book for me and this one just made the book that much better for me!
The Good Liar in three words: Unexpected, Tight, and Riveting.
After a building explodes, the lives of three women (Cecily, Kate, and Franny) are forever changed. A year later, a memorial is held to honor the victims. Have the three women been able to move on with their lives? Or, will the memorial cause old feelings, secrets and lies to rise to the surface in an emotional explosion?
When a gas leak caused a building to explode in downtown Chicago, 513 were killed and more than 2,000 were injured. In order to provide funds to the families of the “Triple Ten” victims, a Compensation Initiative was started. The story is told alternately by three women:
(1) Cecily, whose husband, Tom, was killed in the explosion. She has a 15 year old daughter, Cassie, and a 13 yo son, Henry. She was also the reluctant “poster child” of the Triple Ten tragedy and Co-chair of the Compensation Committee for the Victim’s Fund.
(2) Franny, a young woman who lost her birth mother in the explosion. She is the second Co-chair of the Compensation Committee.
(3) Kate, who lives in Montreal, Canada and is a nanny to Andrea and Rick’s 3 year old twins, Willie and Steven.
As the story progresses, many secrets and lies are revealed, but who is the biggest liar of them all? If you love fast-paced stories with unreliable narrators, then don’t miss this one. In my opinion, Catherine McKenzie’s books keep getting better and better!
Thank you to the author, the publisher for a free advance copy of this book! All opinions are my own.
Wow! This book had so many fun twists and turns, I can honestly say I didn’t see the end coming. Who is the “Good Liar?” Connected by tragedy, all three of the main characters have something to hide, but what? Every time I thought I knew what was going to happen, a twist came, and I was stunned.
McKenzie creates three strong and complex characters whose lives are forever changed after the tragedy and the path each life takes with every decision made weave a compelling story.
This was my first story by Catherine McKenzie, and that is a situation I will have to change, as soon as possible.
The Good Liar is a story that has more twists, turns, and loops than a roller coaster, I recommend you buckle in and take this ride.
#NetGalley #TheGoodLiar
An explosion destroys a Chicago building at 10:00 a.m. on October 10th killing more than 513 people and forever changing many more lives. The story begins as the one-year commemoration of that tragedy is set. Cecily lost her husband and the father of their two children, Tom, that day. Because she was en route to the building and her reaction captured by Teo, a photographer in the vicinity, she has become the unwitting poster child for loss and its aftermath. She also lost Kaitlyn, her best friend and a mother of two. Franny, age 23, claims to have also sustained a terrible loss that day. Meanwhile, Kate has recently relocated to Montreal where she is working as a live-in nanny to two little boys. All three women are keeping destructive secrets which author Catherine McKenzie reveals at expertly-timed moments via three different narratives: a first-person account from Cecily, a third-person recitation describing the elusive Kate’s actions and thought-processes, and the transcript of an interview conducted with Franny by Teo, who is making a documentary. The three women’s lives are intertwined and enmeshed — in ways they discover along with McKenzie’s readers. If the truth is revealed, the far-reaching consequences could devastate those left behind. Cecily and Kate are forced to face the reality of what their lives were like on that fateful morning and the ways in which that reality is at issue with the public’s perception of and ongoing fascination with the victims and their families. Questions swirl about the validity of Franny’s claim, her murky past, and her current machinations. At a steady, unrelenting pace, McKenzie keeps her readers guessing about the truth and the lengths to which each woman will go to guard her secrets until the very end when she delivers gut-punching revelations. The Good Liar proves again that McKenzie’s writing gets better and better with each subsequent book.
(Thanks to NetGalley for the Advance Reader’s Copy of the book!)
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Like a tantalizing gourmet meal, Catherine McKenzie blends the ingredients of her story, The Good Liar, into a delectable treat! The book centers on two storylines revolving around a catastrophic event that occurred one year ago. Each character’s story is divinely woven until they masterfully collide with a pop of flavor! Readers will enjoy distinguishing between which of the main characters plays best at the role of “the good liar.”
Wow, wow, wow!! This is a stunning read and will keep you turning page after page. You will want answers to your questions. My favorite quote was: “Some things are better as secrets. People can be hurt by the truth.” Now isn’t that the truth. Lies are told sometimes to protect us and sometimes to protect others. There are little white lies, lies of omission and outright, big, fat lies. Lies can hurt. They can hurt us and they can hurt others. This is a book about lies. Some are huge and some are small. This book is told in the voices of Cecily, Kate and Franny. This quite simply works. We follow their lives after a terrible tragedy in Chicago, where many lives were lost and others were irrevocably changed forever. The characters are richly woven and complex. This book flows well and the transition between voices is smooth. The characters are believable and true to life. I mean, haven’t we all lied at some point in our lives. The dialogue is rich with honesty. There is betrayal and there is loss. This book at times made me cry and got me angry at other times. What was the biggest lie of all? Well you must read this book to find out. I never wanted it to end, but I did get all my answers with the explosive ending. Explosive is the only word I can think of to describe it. I highly recommend that you all get this book. You will not be disappointed. It will keep you guessing until the end and I love that in a book. Sometimes a lie is just a lie and sometimes it comes with devastating results. No spoilers here. You just have to read the book.
A building in explodes in Chicago, killing hundreds of people and altering the lives of three women forever. Secrets and lies are exposed as we find out which one is the Good Liar, page by page. The Good Liar was a hard to put down, stay up all night, mindblowing book! Lots of twists and turns that had me guessing to the end!
Wow – just when I thought I had things figured out the story would unveil another deception! I loved that this was NOT a predictable story – it was filled with so many lies, betrayals, and secrets. The book is told from the perspective of the 3 main characters – Cecily, Kate, and Franny – after the “Triple Ten” explosion that destroyed a large building, killing hundreds of people. It highlighted small, life-changing events that could have meant a very different outcome (a text that wasn’t intended for the recipient…running behind schedule…choosing to leave the building seconds before the explosion). This fast-paced book got my attention from the beginning and kept it throughout. I highly recommend this book! I was provided with an ARC from the author via NetGalley.
Oh my goodness what a wild ride! This book hooked me from the beginning and didn’t let go until the end. And that ending? WOWZA! This is a story about three different women after a massive tragedy. I love how the chapters alternated between the women and you could see how they were affected from the building explosion. I loved the differences in the women but Cicily was my favorite. I read this book so quickly as I could not put it down. A fantastic read that I thoroughly enjoyed! I received an advance review copy of this book from the Great Thought’s Ninja Review Team. All opinions are my own.
There are all kinds of lies – that small lie of omission, that little white lie, and then there are major lies that affect not only you but the people around you. This is a book about 3 women with lies that they are keeping from others. It’s a page-turner of a book as the lies are exposed and their secrets are reveled. In my opinion, it’s Catherine McKenzie’s best book yet.
The novel starts a year after a huge explosion in Chicago killed over 500 people and follows the lives of three women whose lives were affected: Cecily, mother of two whose husband died in the explosion and who is the poster child of the survivors because of a photo that was taken right after; Kate, who ran away from the explosion and her family and has moved to Canada to keep her identity hidden and Franny who is looking for her birth mother when the building goes down – with her mother in it. These three women are all hiding something from the world – will they be able to keep their lies hidden or will the real stores come to light in the glare of the publicity and the documentary that’s being made? It’s a roller coaster of a book and will keep the reader’s attention until the very last page.
A wonderful ten star novel with elements of mystery, suspense, love, and betrayal.
It is the story of two women who survive a 911 type explosion in a Chicago office building. The impact is strong, as it deeply affects both the women and their families.
The story has many threads beautifully balanced by skilled writing leading to an unexpected conclusion. There are lies and liars on every level of this story, not just the obvious. A perfect book and title!
What a read! Oh the secrets!!! Action packed mystery of who done it. All the way through the book I was trying to figure out who did what. Great read. I recommend it highly.
The Good Liar by author Catherine McKenzie hooks your interest from the start! It begins with Cecily Grayson giving her account of trying to reach the building for a meeting with her husband, Tom. What she sees is horrible, and then an explosion, her husband Tom is in that building!
Then the book skips forward a year and Cecily is meeting with the Teo Jackson, a film producer who is making a documentary about three families impacted by the October tenth explosion and the drastic changes in the lives of these particular survivors.
As you read further, you meet the Rings, a family who lost a wife and mother, Kaitlyn. The Rings are friends of the Graysons. Kaitlyn worked for Tom Grayson’s company and was in the building during the explosion.
The third person the documentary focuses on is Frannie Maycombe, a young woman who comes forward and petitions to be involved with the Compensation Initiative for the families who are to be recompensed for their financial loss due to the untimely death of a spouse, mother, or father. Frannie shocks everyone at Kaitlyn’s funeral reception by announcing she is a daughter Kaitlyn had as a teenager and was given up for adoption. She was to have met and been reunited with her biological mother before the explosion happened.
I won’t post spoilers because nothing is exactly as it seems. You must read the first person accounts and memories of what has happened prior to the October tenth explosion in each of these families!
The author has written an intricate story of events and choices which have interlaced these lives forever. It is a mystery which rises to a suspenseful ending. Just remember, each person has a reason to lie!
Thank you, NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this book.
I didn’t see that ending coming up at all!
Whoa — I didn’t see THAT coming! If you love complex characters, unreliable narrators, and surprises, this is the book for you.