All the Beautiful Lies
Fiction
William Morrow
April 3, 2018
Hardcover
304
Free from publisher
Harry Ackerson has always considered his stepmother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an "otherworldly" way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years. Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, Harry returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help each other pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father. Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way. Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth.
My review:
Without giving away any spoilers, I can definitely say that this one gave you the "something is just off here" vibes from the get-go. What a masterful job Swanson does of stringing the reader along, as they try to figure out exactly what is going on. Of course, as in most thrillers if they are well written, just when you think you have it figured out (sort of?)......BAM.......you are thrown a curve ball! I was initially worried that the sexual conduct of Alice and Harry would turn me off from the book, but my fears were, for the most part, unfounded. It's there, but not as prevalent as the blurb makes it seem I thought the writing and pacing of this one were totally on point, and I was turning pages as fast as I could to figure out just what Alice, and to a lesser extent Grace, were up to. This book not only focuses on the present day death of Harry's father, but we are taken back into the worlds of Alice and Jake, two creepier characters than you thought possible. The back and forth in time eventually combine to form the explosive ending. . My first book by Swanson, and now I need to go back and read his backlist.
This one is dark and creepy (but not in the freak you out in the night creepy), but I was glued to the pages to figure this one out! Definitely add it to your list if you want a good psychological thriller!
I plan on reading this one soon! It sounds fantastic!
It sounds intriguing. Were there any like-able characters? I struggle with books with not even one character I'm attached to..
Yes, the son was a good kid even though he did some typical college age stuff.