Book Reviews of Beautiful Lies

Loved it! This book had me on the edge of my seat for days, I couldn't wait to get back to it. Let me see...it's not a lot of blood and gore mystery, it's not a scary bad guy that really creeps you out story or even that it's nicely romantic with them on the run. It's that the story is really well told. You open knowing that something horrible has shifted the sands of her life and then she backtracks you and it goes methodically along with small things happening here and there until all of a sudden, there is not one person she can trust and I really felt that. The story is not so hard to figure out, it's just that it's told well and you really don't want what she sees happening, to happen, I guess. It really was different...for me anyway. To me THAT is very scary...that your life can blow itself out of the water because of one or two steps that you make; you lose control. It reminded me of how I felt about 'Paranoia' by Joseph Finder, which I also really, really liked.

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 any 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 lfie seems like a stranger. She has no idea who's on her side and who has something to hide -- even, and may especially, her new lover, Jake, who appears to have secrets of his own.

Initially, it was pretty good - definitely a different style and voice for the narrator of a thriller, but it became a rather tired tale very quickly. The plot was predictable with a solution lacking a basis in solid facts. Overall, it read more like a romance novel than a thriller. It was hokey, unimpressive and used unoriginal characters and relationships. All in all, I was rather disappointed. The most interesting thing was that the adoption motif of _Brothers & Sisters_ carried through to this book.

i really enjoyed this first try by the author and will be reading the series. the main character is thrust into the public eye when she does a good deed that is widely publicized. she is then sent into a world not of her choosing. she is on the run from a killer and the law all the time wondering if her parents are her real parents. good read

I read this for the November "New York" theme in my online book club, The Reading Cove. Very disappointed. Although the plot was interesting, the suspense/thriller execution was weak, and the twists in the end seemed contrived and predictable.

And Ridley Jones's 1st person narration was overly detailed and very rambling. (Do we have to know what color and texture every single thing is in a scene?) I got annoyed with her and quickly lost interest in the storyline. I skimmed to the end to find out how the mystery played out, but was only mildly interested.

I am not reaching for the sequel, and would not be quick to read anymore by Lisa Unger. Did not like the writing style at all. I think other authors do suspense thrillers much better.

Couldn't put it down!

Excellent read couldn't put it down. Had to start the second book Sliver of Truth right away

Lisa Unger is a really good suspense writer. I will read more books by her because the story captures you and you can't put it down.

It took me about 100 pages to get into it, but once I was it hooked me.

Very good and involved
You need to read this one before Sliver of Truth
Both are excellent

This book was a really good book, Very suspencful and always keeps you on your toes.

great book - there are others after this one that use the same characters

Decent suspsense novel about a woman finding out what and who she believed she was all her life has been built on lies.

Amazing story keeps you interested from beginning to end. Definitely Recommended!!

Awesome

I loved this book. The narrative made me feel like I was right there. It kept my attention all the way through and was very well written.

First of the Ridley Schoot novels.

Sexy and fast paced literary thriller!

Good book. Kept your interest.

This book hooked me from the first page and never let go. I loved it!

Excellent read all around!

Good book. Interesting story.

Great book! New author to me.

First time reading this author. LOVED it!!! Lady does a good deed, winds up with publicity and then finds out everything she believes about her wonderful life is lies. The way it twists, turns and reveals will keep you reading.

I really enjoyed this book. The suspense kept going through to the end of the book. I just couldn't put it down. So many twists and turns. I can't wait for more by this author.

It was a book that kept you guessing until the end.

Good new author.

A riveting suspense novel filled with psychological insight and wisdom.

Fun book. Not quite up to the hype that it received in my opinion

gREAT BOOK--REALLY ENJOYED IT.

Loved this one! It's the first one I've read by Unger but it won't the last.

After an act of heroism garners instant fame for 30-something New York freelancer Ridley Jones, she receives a faded photo of a man, a familiar-looking woman and a little girl along with a note asking, "Are you my daughter?" Shaken, she confronts her parents, who affirm she is theirs by birth; that same day, however, hot new neighbor Jake enters her life, and he's less sure. With breathless speed, Unger is off on an action-packed journey of treachery and intrigue—and sex and romance. Jake turns out to have just as much at stake in discovering Ridley's past as she, but in the way are Ridley's controlling parents; her drug-addicted brother, Ace; her intrusive former boyfriend, pediatrician Zack; and the people protecting the legacy of her Uncle Max, a real estate mogul who used his influence to fund rescue houses for abused women and children. Following leads garnered from scrutinizing the operations of places Max's foundation supports, Ridley and Jake uncover a chilling scheme for taking infants and toddlers from violent homes; their relationship heats up, and Ridley's family gets very edgy. The premise—that there is a dark side to the safe haven law—is deep as well as clever, and Unger plays it out thrillingly.

softcover