THE GOOD LIE

Have you ever read a book, and then just began questioning everything and everyone? For people familiar with reading murder, thriller mysteries, you'll agree with me, that you like to think, that you have an idea of who the murderer or the villain is.

When I started reading ‘The Good Lie’, I honestly thought I had the mystery figured out. When Hardin Scott, the only boy who was mysteriously spared of a gruesome and cruel death made his way back to his home, compared to other six boys who had faced death worse than pain itself, I genuinely thought I had an inkling about who the killer on the loose was.

But what is a thriller, if it doesn't have a little suspense, and if it doesn't keep the readers rethinking and analyzing?
Which is why, when they caught the teacher at Beverly Hills, and declared him prime suspect, I didn't realize when I shouted, "No, he couldn’t be the one"!

It felt too easy and I just had to ask, didn't the author see how disappointing and easy this will be? I almost dropped the book.
What I however, did not prepare for was the terrific, twisty plot.

The shiver and thrill as I turned the pages of this book, each filled with pulse quickening suspense, to know what happens next is out of this world.
It is no wonder, that this book made the New York Times Bestseller list.

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‘A Good Lie’ tells the thrilling tale of a notorious killer who specializes in killing handsome high school boys in the most gruesome manner. He abducts them and subjects them to a series of torture, including raping and drugging them, before eventually killing them and disposing off their bodies.

His method of murder was by strangling and asphyxiation, carves shapes into their heart and disposes them with a souvenir of their male genitalia tossed around somewhere on the scene.

The killer manages to kill all six boys, including Robert Kavin's son, Gabe. It is however surprising to see that Scott Hardin, managed to escape the killer's clutches. Scott Hardin, one of the boys kidnapped comes back, a different version of himself, and identifies one of his teachers as his abductor. It doesn't help that evidence is found in the teacher's home, and he is quickly arrested.

But for addicts of murder mysteries and crime thrillers, I couldn't help the nagging feeling deep down that it was too soon and too easy to capture a killer who was known for being both too meticulous with his style of inflicting pains on his victims, and too cunny to escape the police all six times he murdered those boys.

Robert Kavin, must have had the same thought, because even though his son was among the boys who were killed, he quickly decided to stand in defense, as an attorney for the accused high school teacher, Randall Thompson. This of course, takes everyone by shock, as his son suffered the cruelest of fate amongst the six victims.

As opposed to wanting to see Randall Thompson killed in the same manner his son was killed, he employs the services of Gwen Moore to psych the profile of the killer. He intends to defend him in court as being innocent which leads us to believe, that Robert Kavin must be hiding something.

In murder mysteries, it is always the least suspected, that is the villain. The character who is never thought about. They appear normal and go on about their activities in the novel, you'll never have an inkling it is them, which leads everyone to ask, Is Robert Kavin the killer? and is he merely defending Randall Thompson, whom he believes is innocent, from suffering the punishments of his own crimes?

There's also Gwen Moore, a physiatrist who specializes in counselling potential killers. Her job is to ensure that thoughts remain thoughts in the minds of her clients, and that they do not act out on their violent and sadistic tendencies, which actually works well for a while until one of her clients, murders his wife, and commits suicide, or so we thought.

Could this ever smiling, warm physiatrist who creams at the thought of psyching a suspected murderer be the murderer herself?
Then there's also the question of Gwen's clients. The most notorious amongst them being John Abbott who has violent tendencies towards his wife. He schedules appointment with Gwen to talk about his unbridled jealousy and how his wife was supposedly sleeping with other people. It is not surprising that few days later, John and his wife, Brooke are both found dead in their home.

Coincidentally, the day they are found dead, is the day Scott Hardin escapes.
Could he be the one? Surely, for someone who spoke about death a lot, it wasn't totally wrong to think he was the one.
The twist and turns and suspense all leading to that final climax.

Like I earlier said, this book made me question every clue and everybody, and still, I didn't prepare for when the author revealed the killer.
Which is why, when I found out who the killer was, I was awestruck. It was totally unexpected and as much as I tried, I couldn't figure it out from the beginning.

Honestly, I enjoyed how A.R. Torre made me follow the breadcrumbs of each page till I eventually got to the main meal. It sure gave me the feeling of satisfaction gotten after a well-balanced diet.
The plot was clever, and the ending satisfying. A twisted but satisfying ending.
When I finished reading "The Good Lie", I began looking for every A.R Torre thriller I could lay my hands on.

If you want a book, that keeps you up at night, then "A Good Lie" is that book. But you must beware of the sinister thoughts that might run through your head.
If you can control those thoughts, then you're in for a pleasurable and gratifying read.

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