“A taut, well-written thriller…The pace is crisp, the surprises keep coming, and there are two big ones that readers are unlikely to see coming.” – Associated Press A seemingly perfect marriage is threatened by the deadly secrets husband and wife keep from each other. Susannah, a young widow and single mother, has remarried well: to Max, a charismatic artist and popular speaker whose career … and popular speaker whose career took her and her fifteen-year-old son out of New York City and to a quiet Vermont university town. Strong-willed and attractive, Susannah expects that her life is perfectly in place again. Then one quiet morning she finds a note on her door: I KNOW WHO YOU ARE.
Max dismisses the note as a prank. But days after a neighborhood couple comes to dinner, the husband mysteriously dies in a tragic accident while on a run with Max. Soon thereafter, a second note appears on their door: DID YOU GET AWAY WITH IT?
Both Susannah and Max are keeping secrets from the world and from each other–secrets that could destroy their family and everything they have built. Thomas Christopher Greene’s The Perfect Liar is a thrilling novel told through the alternating perspectives of Susannah and Max with a shocking climax that no one will expect, from the bestselling author of The Headmaster’s Wife.
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Beautifully written and sharply insightful, The Perfect Liar is a captivating, stay-up-late thriller about dark secrets, dangerous passions, and the perilous pursuit of a picture-perfect life.
This was a very well done thriller. The notes, the notes are what ratcheted the suspense up a few notches.
The notes caused over the top reactions and most of the issues.
The notes. Where did they come from?
You have to read this because it’s unlike other similar books. The twist is not what I thought it would be and it was so good.
Thank you so very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for allowing me an ARC at my request. My thoughts on this novel are my own.
The first clue to the plot of “The Perfect Liar” by Thomas Christopher Greene is in the titles of the chapters. We begin with “The first note” and go on from there. Susannah finds that first note, written in block letters, on the door “I know who you are.”
Green gives readers lots of background on Max and Susannah, their meeting, courtship, just how they got to where they are in time. Deception permeates every minute of every day with both of them. Susannah had been married to Joseph for a long time. She deceived him about birth control, and their son, Freddy, was born.. Six years later Joseph died of a heart attack, making Susannah a widow at twenty-seven. Susannah met Max W (Max Westmoreland) when he crashed a party. When they planned to marry, Susannah’s friends wondered how well she knew Max, but in truth, her friends did not know Susannah very well either.
Max was born Phil Wilbur in the tiny western New York. He did not become a fraud, in his view, but emerged into the world that way, fully formed. He became Max Westmoreland and traveled as far south as Tallahassee, and as far north as Burlington, Vermont, where many years later Max and Susannah and Freddy would make their home.
Greene gives readers an idyllic picture of where all this nasty deception is happening.
Around them people walked by in the dark. The stars were overhead. To their left, cars went down the slope of Main Street to the restaurants and the clubs. And none of it mattered. Then normalcy descended as easily as after a thunderstorm. It was as if the weather just needed to break, shake off the humidity, and suddenly it was glorious, beautiful summer.
The story alternates between Susannah’s perspective and Max’s viewpoint, but neither Max nor Susannah is reliable, and no one is who he or she seems to be. Greene keeps readers wondering what is the truth and what is a lie. In the end, readers should question everything they read. The plot is disturbing but delightfully misleading. Lies pile up on one upon the other, leading to an unpredictable, startling and yet fulfilling ending.
I was given a copy of “The Perfect Liar” by Thomas Christopher Greene, St Martin’s Press, and NetGalley. Readers cannot help but wonder if Max and Susannah are perfect liars or just incredibly lucky to get away with it. And the last line tells it all.
I was excited to read The Perfect Liar. Everyone seemed to have a secret! Susannah is busy raising her son on her own after her husband and therapist passes away. She meets Max W. At a party. As the story evolves I am hooked by what the lies might be and how the story will resolve itself. This is when it falls apart for me, There does not seem to be a likable character. The plot begins to drag and I lost the feeling of wanting to love this story. Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for an ARC of this book.
Let me start by saying that I hated the ending of this book – absolutely hated it. So, why the four stars? Well, that lies in the storytelling. On the surface, The Perfect Liar isn’t much different from so many others out there – Unreliable narrators, a normal on the outside family unit, lots of secrets, and some crazy twists along the way. Nevertheless, there’s just something about this book. Whether it’s the writing style, which is terrific, the character development, or the moments of tension as things start to spiral out of control, or a combination of all of that, there’s just something thoroughly compelling about this story. Whatever the reason, I didn’t want to put this one down. When I wasn’t reading, I was thinking about it. The funny thing about that is I didn’t like either of the main characters here. Neither of them stirred any feelings of empathy in me but at the same time, Max’s charisma comes through loud and clear. Whether he’s playing the crowd or having an intimate conversation, it’s easy to see why people are drawn to him. Susanna doesn’t have that same draw, but there’s something there. Love her or hate her, I wanted to know her secrets. So, bad ending or not, I enjoyed the journey, and won’t soon forget this tale of greed, ambition, and obsession. Thomas Christopher Greene certainly has a way with words, and he’s made me stand up and take notice with this one.
What a great book! Susannah has problems and secrets and meets Max who also has problems and secrets. Just when you think you have it figured out, things change and go in a different direction. This book has a lot of twists and turns and the ending really surprised me. I would say more, but I do not want to give away any of the many surprises. If you want a really good thriller, this is it. Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC of this fascinating book in exchange for an honest review.
Susannah is a young widow and single mother when Max W. crashes a very prestigious party in the art world. There is an instant attraction, where there should be red flags.
The two marry within months of meeting, and move their family to Vermont where Max W. has accepted a position at the University. To the outside world, the family is perfect. Susannah takes on the role dutiful housewife and mother to their teenage son, Freddy. The perfect life…
But things begin to unravel when Susannah finds the first note…I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. Who left the note, and who is the intended recipient? Max W. believes it is a jealous colleague, who perhaps knows more than he should about who he is…Max W. won’t let anyone destroy the facade he has created…
Deliciously intriguing with twists and turns from start to finish that leaves the reader hungry for more.
Other people seem to have rather really liked this one – which makes me feel like I read a different book… The characters were odious – stereotypes, tropes, and banalities galore rendered them utterly one dimensional to me. The writing was fine – neither outstanding nor problematic, good solid middle-of-the-road stuff – but the story itself (pacing, plot, “surprises” and all) went flat early on and never pulled me in. I couldn’t even finish it – just kept getting lost in the ridiculousness of the wife and her willingness to fall into just about every 1950s housewife stereotype imaginable as she followed this man she KNEW was lying and dangerous… Not for me!!
Thanks to NetGalley for my review copy.
Max and Susannah have the perfectly psychotic relationship. There is so many twists and turns and surprises to be had in this story. The author surely keeps the reader turning the pages. The multi-person perspective from which the story is told adds a unique take on the intrigue. The psychology of why people do the things they do is argued here but never quite answered. It is a fascinating dichotomy of right versus wrong.
Wow – this was intense! Max W. is the darling of the art world, not for his art work, but more for his performance art. He meets Susannah, who has a son, Freddy from her first marriage and falls in love. They have a seemingly idyllic marriage until Susannah finds a note on their door one day. Then suspicion and the truth begins to come to light.
This is a well crafted story based on lies that people tell and believe – and make you believe what they want you to believe. There are secrets the characters hold which define their lives, and which could cause their perfect world to collapse.
I liked the story, but I thought the ending, and the reaction of the confidant to be far-fetched. I don’t believe that is how it would happen in reality.
#ThePerfectLiar #ThomasChristopherGreene
I didn’t see the end coming. This is a surprisingly realistic book. A young woman manipulated by her psychologist (also first husband) ends the relationship in a dramatic way.. Her parents closing the door on her and her child when she trying to make amends leaves her even more venerable. A second husband that loves her but hides his problematic past from her and is the perfect liar. Thrown in the mix a moody teenage boy and you have the settings for real live drama. I highly recommend reading this book..
A seemingly perfect couple living a perfect life in a beautiful place. Well drawn characters with backstory and questionable backgrounds. The real question is who is The Perfect Liar? Two people, many, many secrets. Someone knows the truth, but who and about which one? Good suspenser with a few twists you don’t see coming. The swearing was awkward and unnecessary to the story.
The Perfect Liar… I’m really not 100% sure on how I feel about this book. I’d say it was ok… nothing too suspenseful or thrilling really but it was a good story. I was also surprised by the ending. However, I do feel like it was a bit bland even when revealing the surprises it felt very anti-climatic to me. The writing itself was fine. There were a couple editing mistakes but that is common occurrence and I can mostly overlook them.
With it being described as a “thrilling novel” with a “shocking climax that no one will expect…” well, I just expected more of that pulse-pounding feeling and I didn’t get that at all. I do love reading about the beautiful state I live in (Vermont) and authors close to me but this one missed the mark for me. Not horrible but I don’t really think I’d recommend it to people looking for suspense or thrills. I will say that I did finish it so if you’re looking for a book with a messed up family, you might enjoy this one.
I received an ARC of this book with the hope that I would leave an Unbiased Opinion. I was not required to leave a review, positive or otherwise, and my opinions are just that… my opinions.
Susannah and Max are considered the perfect couple. This is her second marriage (her first husband died) and brings son Freddy with her. They seem to have it all .. a beautiful home, a great job, plenty of money to live comfortably.
Susanna finds a hand-written note on her front door …. I KNOW WHO YOU ARE. She immediately calls her husband who dismisses it as a prank. A few days later they invite a couple to their house for dinner. Days later the man is killed in a tragic accident. The next note to show up …. DID YOU GET AWAY WITH IT.
And then the third note …. I SAW WHAT YOU DID.
Both Susannah and Max are keeping secrets from the world and from each other—secrets that could destroy their family and everything they have built.
So what did Max do? Why?
The story premise is exquisite …. highly suspenseful, full of secrets and lies, twists and turns. Step by step the reader learns what those secrets are..But it’s the ending that grabbed my attention. It’s riveting and so unexpected.
Many thanks to the author / St Martin’s Press / Netgalley for the advanced digit copy of this psychological thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.