The good liar

Format:

Book

Title:

The good liar

Author:

McKenzie, Catherine author

ISBN:

9781503951631

9781542047098

Edition:

First edition.

Publication:

Seattle : Lake Union Publishing, [2018]

Physical Description:

370 pages ; 22 cm

General Note:

Includes book club questions and author interview.

Summary:

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

An explosion rips apart a Chicago building. A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day; she watched it come down with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, is hoping that her past won't catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building. As the anniversary of the explosion dominates the media, their memories become dangerous triggers. All three have secrets; how far will they go to keep them?

Subject(s):

Explosions -- Fiction.

Widows -- Fiction.

Secrecy -- Fiction.

Life change events -- Fiction.

Chicago (Ill.) -- Fiction.

Geographic Term:

Chicago (Ill.) -- Fiction.

Illinois -- Chicago.

Genre:

Book clubs (Discussion groups)

Thrillers (Fiction)

Fiction.

Psychological fiction.

Suspense fiction.

Holds:

Available:*

Library	Call Number	Status
Searching... Stayton Public Library	McKENZIE Catherine	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Salem Main Library	McKenzie, C.	Searching... Unknown
Searching... Silver Falls Library	FIC MCKENZIE	Searching... Unknown

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won't catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.

Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

Reviews (3)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Cecily Grayson, the heroine of this complex, thought-provoking psychological thriller from McKenzie (Fractured), is rushing to meet her husband one morning when a building explodes in downtown Chicago, killing 513 people and injuring many more. Catatonic with shock, Cecily becomes the iconic symbol of the tragedy after someone snaps her picture at the scene. Flash forward a year; Cecily's story intertwines with those of Kate Lynch, who survived the explosion, and Franny Maycombe, who has become an activist for the compensation rights of the survivors. The revelations that emerge as these vivid and relatable characters come to terms with their guilt-and reflect on the cost of the lies they tell themselves and others-make for a constant realigning of allegiances for readers as well as for the characters themselves. Who the good liar may be, and what that phrase might actually mean, are questions that will resonate long after the book is finished. Many will devour this book in one sitting. Agent: Abigail Koons, Park Literary Group. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.

Booklist Review

Cecily Grayson's perpetual lateness saved her life. She was supposed to meet her husband in downtown Chicago when his building exploded, killing hundreds. A random photograph taken at the scene makes her the face of the victims of Triple Ten, so called because the gas-main leak erupted at 10 a.m. on October 10th. Her public persona as a grieving widow, however, is unwelcome because she and Tom were secretly divorcing. She has an uneasy friendship with Franny Maycombe, who had just reunited with her birth mother, Kaitlyn, before Kaitlyn, too, was killed. Meanwhile, in Montreal, a woman who used Triple Ten to make a clean break from her stifling life tortures herself by working as a nanny to young boys who remind her of the children she left behind. McKenzie (Smoke, 2015) juggles many pieces, but her storytelling is so engaging that readers will be eager to keep up. Though the ending may frustrate those looking for clear answers, give this to fans of seemingly benign characters with dark inner lives like those in Liane Moriarty's Big Little Lies (2014).--Maguire, Susan Copyright 2018 Booklist

Library Journal Review

A year after an explosion rips through an office building, killing hundreds of people, a documentary is being produced about the incident. On the day of the explosion, -Cecily narrowly escaped death, arriving uncharacteristically late to meet her husband, Tom, who worked in the building. He died. Cecily remains strong for her children and participates in the documentary, but she can't help but dwell on what she had discovered about her husband. Cecily's best friend Katelyn, thought to have been killed in the explosion as well, takes advantage of the situation by crossing the border into Canada and working as a nanny. Yet after seeing a TV report about a young woman whose mother had died that day, she realizes the young woman is someone she recognizes-someone Katelyn will have to deal with once and for all. Unfortunately, she'll need help from best friend Cecily, who doesn't know she's alive. Narrators Teri Clark Linden, Kate Rudd, Whitney Dykhouse, and JD Jackson are perfect for their characters and instantly recognizable in their scenes. VERDICT This well-written, perfectly paced story features twists and turns that are delightfully unexpected. Recommend to fans of character-driven suspense. ["The author builds suspense in steady, page-turning steps all while drawing the reader into the lives of her characters": LJ Xpress Reviews 3/23/18 review of the Lake Union hc.]-Laura Brosie, Wentzville, MO © Copyright 2018. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.