Superb First Novel | Beautiful Lies: A Novel

Beautiful Lies. | Beautiful Lies: A Novel | Lisa Unger

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	• Beautiful Lies: A Novel Lisa Unger Three Rivers Press, 2006 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 76 reviews view larger image
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Taking Chances

Many children, particularly the more introspective ones, consider at one time or another the possibility that they were adopted as babies and that their real parents are somewhere out there in the world, unlikely ever to be found. Usually, and thankfully, most get over it so quickly that the experience is soon completely forgotten or, at most, looked back upon as some silly piece of romantic thinking that now embarrasses them.

Others are so secure, happy, or maybe just so oblivious of life's possibilities that such a thought never crosses their minds.

Ridley Jones was one of those.

She was one of those, that is, until life played one of those little tricks on her that come along when one least expects them. Ridley makes the "mistake" one morning of performing a heroic act for the first time in her life, something so brave and unusual that it catches the attention of a newspaper photographer who just happens to be near the street corner where Ridley makes her move. The resulting newspaper photo turns Ridley into an instant celebrity, even in a city like New York, and for a day or two she is all over the news.

And that's when Ridley's world begins to fall apart. First arrives a letter and an old photo from someone who saw her picture in the paper, along with the intriguing question, "Are you my daughter?" Despite the assumed absurdity of the question, Ridley is intrigued by the faded photo of a woman holding a toddler, a woman who looks very much like Ridley herself.

Beautiful Lies considers the impact that seemingly trivial decisions can have on the lives of those who make them and those to whom they are closest. The decision to have that extra cup of coffee or to delay leaving home until a favorite song finishes playing on the radio, for instance, can be the difference between being involved in a fatal accident or arriving at an intersection a few seconds after the accident has occurred. In that same fashion, Ridley Jones comes to realize that the photo taken to document her heroic act, an act resulting from a spur-of-the-moment decision on her part, killed the person she believed herself to be and gave birth to a new one she did not recognize.

Encouraged by the new neighbor to whom she is strongly attracted, Ridley finds the courage to search for the truth about herself and the woman in the old photograph. Along the way she will question every relationship she has ever experienced, including the ones with her parents, her drug-addicted brother, her fiancé and his mother, her beloved uncle, and her newly acquired lover. She will be chased and threatened by mobsters, barely escape sudden death, and forced to make fateful decisions that might very well imprison some of the people she loves most in the world.

Beautiful Lies is one heck of a ride but its sometimes comic tone and predictable, though farfetched, ending makes it difficult for the reader to believe that its main characters are ever really in danger of being eliminated from the book's plot. Consequently, the tension level felt by most readers is unlikely to equal the concern for the characters that one would expect from the events being described. That said, Beautiful Lies is filled with snappy dialogue and the kind of plot that will have readers considering moral issues and the impact of chance on their own lives. Some readers will likely be put off by Unger's conversational writing style, a style through which she maintains an ongoing dialogue with the reader throughout the course of the entire book; others will love that quirk.

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Superb First Novel

I must admit I started reading this book when it first came out and after about 70 pages it didn't do much for me so I stopped reading it. I just finished reading Lisa Unger's third novel BLACK OUT - a stand alone novel not about Ridley Jones like her first two. It was one of the best books I have ever read so I had to revisit this book and am I ever so glad I did.

I did find the beginning 70 pages again to be slow but after that Lisa Unger truly comes into her own and provides a subperb edge of your seat thriller with nail biting suspense. Her novels have a level of depth and the story is a highly entertaining journey that results with a very plausible and satisfying conclusion. Her characters are very believable and she does an excellent job of revealing their true personalities slowly so that many appear mysterious and end up not being what they first appeared at all. She is also an expert at dropping the red herrings - realistic plot developments with twists and turns that will shock you and keep the pages quickly turning. Even if you thing you know what is going on you will be shocked at how she masterfully brings all the pieces together.

The novel begings with Ridley Jones jumping in front of a car to save a little boy and the media attention of her actions brings her face to the attention of many people. She receives a picture of a little girl with two adults and she looks like the woman. The picture asks ARE YOU MY DAUGHTER? Thus begins the mezmerizing journey. Ridley turns to those closest to her and slowly all the comforts of the life she thought she was living slowly disolve. Those she trust suddenly seem to have ulterior motives and secrets seem to be running rampant. She meets a new man Jake who seems to bring much needed intimacy and trust to her life but then she wonders if she can even trust him. She suddenly doesn't know who anybody really is.

The plot builds with amazing suspense as it tells a very believable story. The title BEAUTIFUL LIES means something very important in this book. But are beautiful lies a good or bad thing? Lisa Unger is now one of my favorite authors. She writes with intelligence and provides no holds barred thrillers with never ending suspense. If you have not read her yet give this book a shot. You will be very glad you did. This very talented author will probably become a favorite of yours too.

Excellent debut.

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Beautiful Lies.

One of the best books I've ever read. Very suspenseful. I loved this book so much I also purchased the next in this series Sliver of Truth. Also a very good book.

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Couldn't put this one down.

I loved this book. It was captivating and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Worth the read, very entertaining.

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 . . . .

AN INTERNATIONAL BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH SELECTION

A featured alternate selection of the Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, Book-of-the-Month Club, Mystery Guild, and Rhapsody Book Club.

Also available as a Random House AudioBook, a Large Print edition, and an eBook.

From the Hardcover edition.

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