Tuesday, May 2, 2023

The Good Lie

The Good Lie 
By A.R. Torre 
Thomas & Mercer, 2021. 244 pages. Fiction

Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers. She treats California’s most depraved predators like that of the notorious Bloody Heart Killer whose latest victim escaped and identified teacher, Randall Thompson, as his captor. The case against Thompson as the Bloody Heart Killer is strong...and closed, as far as Gwen and the media are concerned. However, defense attorney Robert Kavin, and the father of one of the BH Killer’s victims, is convinced of Thompson’s innocence. Robert steps up to represent the accused teacher and enlists Gwen’s help in creating a psych profile to clear his client’s name. As Gwen and Robert grow closer and she dives deeper into the investigation, grave questions arise along with Gwen’s suspicion that Robert is hiding something and that he might not be the only one with a secret. 

The Good Lie gripped me from the very first page as we dived into Gwen’s profession of a psychiatrist who treats those with violent urges. I found the book’s focus on the behavioral profiling of the convicted BH Killer interesting and gave us insight not only into the crimes, but Gwen’s career and how it guides her choices in and out of work. The story is told through multiple points of view, and I believe Torre's choice of narrator brings so much to the mystery and is where Torre truly shines as an author of suspense. From Gwen to an escaped BH Killer victim to his mother and finally Robert, the defense attorney who is both the convicted killer’s defense attorney and whose son was a victim. The Good Lie was a quick and enjoyable thriller that I would recommend to anyone who wants a page turning mystery. 

If you like The Good Lie, you might also like:

By Mary Kubica 
Park Row Books, 2021. 350 pages. Fiction

Shelby Tebow is the first to go missing. Not long after, Meredith Dickey and her six-year-old daughter, Delilah, vanish just blocks away from where Shelby was last seen, striking fear into their once-peaceful community. Are these incidents connected? After an elusive search that yields more questions than answers, the case eventually goes cold. Now, 11 years later, Delilah shockingly returns. Everyone wants to know what happened to her, but no one is prepared for what they'll find. 

By Heather Gudenkauf 
Park Row Books, 2022. 332 pages. Fiction 

True crime writer Wylie Lark, snowed in at an isolated farmhouse where she's retreated to write her new book, finds a small child in the snow outside and, bringing him inside for warmth and safety, learns that the farmhouse isn't as isolated as she thought.





BW

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