With a mediocre title and lackluster cover, Lies He Told Me could’ve been another one of James Patterson’s less than stellar novels. There’s even been some talk that Patterson has the books ghost-written but only does a polish as the actual writers are the lesser known ones who share the below the title credit.
And with some of his previous publications, you can see the sloppiness front and center. Patterson made a fortune with his Alex Cross novels and then branched out with other series with the help of other writers even though it’s not known who wrote how much. This has created controversy as some people have called him a hack, including Stephen King, was also called a hack.
But at 77, Patterson seems to be laughing all the way to the bank. Not every novel has to be 500-600 pages of writer describing a barren land for three pages. It’s the journey not the destination. And a book like Lies takes you on a crazy journey of twists and turns. It may seem like a Lifetime movie thriller but it’s actually a decent enough thriller to keep the naysayers away.
Marcie Bowers is a family law attorney in the small fictional Illinois town of Hemingway’s Grove where she has a husband, David, and two kids. She used to work in the city for a big firm before giving that up for the more simple life. But one day, David, who also owns a local pub, jumps into the Cotton River to save a drowning person and becomes a celebrity.
Now, David is in the spotlight. And that puts him on the radar of some unsavory characters. He also has some questionable relationship with a woman, Camille Striker, who is also pregnant. At the same time, Marcie is still the object of desire of an old flame, Kyle, who is now a police officer and very skeptical of the events happening around town. The Bowers report strange events such as their family dog being missing but returning as well as whether someone broke into their house or not.
I can’t give too much away because a book like this is the type of story that jerks you around with twists. Then, it leads you on thinking you know where the twist is going but it feels too obvious, before it changes. I’ll admit there are a lot of characters to keep track of and you might be wondering where it’s all going. But the beauty of the writing of Patterson and David Ellis is how the colorful the characters are.
Sometimes you don’t need a Scott Turow or John Grisham major legal page turner. The events that happen in the book may seem ludicrous but I feel there’s some truth to the story of Lies He Told Me.
What do you think? Please comment.
Zane Says 