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Summary | Excerpt | Reading Guide | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
A Novel
by Lisa Unger
Book Reviewed by:Ridley Jones sets out on a quest to unlock the secrets of her murky past after the faded picture of a man, woman, and baby girl is delivered to her door with a note asking "Are you my daughter?".
If Ridley
Jones had slept ten minutes later or had taken the subway instead of
waiting for a cab, she would still be living the beautiful lie she used
to call her life. She would still be the privileged daughter of a doting
father and a loving mother. Her life would still be perfect — with only
the tiny cracks of an angry junkie for a brother and a charming drunk
with shady underworld connections for an uncle to mar the otherwise
flawless whole.
But that’s not what happened. Instead, those inconsequential decisions
lead her to perform a good deed that puts her in the right place at the
right time to unleash a chain of events that brings a mysterious package
to her door — a package which informs her that her entire world is a lie.
Suddenly forced to question everything she knows about herself and her
family, Ridley wanders into dark territory she never knew existed, where
everyone in her life seems like a stranger. She has no idea who’s on her
side and who has something to hide—even, and maybe especially, her new
lover, Jake, who appears to have secrets of his own.
Sexy and fast-paced, Beautiful Lies is a true literary thriller
with one of the freshest voices and heroines to arrive in years. Lisa
Unger takes us on a breathtaking ride in which every choice Ridley makes
creates a whirlwind of consequences that are impossible to imagine . . .
.
Full Review
(216 words)
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(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).
Lisa Unger says that for a long time she didn't believe it was possible to make
a living as a writer, "mainly because that's what people always told me", so she
went into the profession that brought her closest to her dream - publishing.
A few years later she met her future husband in Key West and after a
whirlwind romance they sold their homes, quit their corporate jobs and moved to
Florida. She says that only once
she had some distance from New York, could she start appreciating the city and it naturally became the setting for Beautiful Lies.
When asked what elements of the story come from her own experience she
answers, "For me and for most fiction writers, I think, it is true to say that
...
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If you liked Beautiful Lies, try these:
by Dirk Wittenborn
Published 2021
The Stone Girl is a riveting tale of deception, vengeance, and power set against the haunting beauty of the Adirondack wilderness.
by Julie Clark
Published 2021
For fans of Lisa Jewell and Liv Constantine, The Last Flight is the story of two women - both alone, both scared - and one agonizing decision that will change the trajectory of both of their lives.
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Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought.
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
John Connolly, author of The Black Angel
A tense exploration of what lies beneath the white picket fence of ordinary life. Harlan Coben has a new rival for his thriller crown.
