City Of Lies
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"Tension is high, and the pace never flags" -- Victoria Moore Daily Mail "There's a riveting plot at the centre of this frustrating thriller" -- Kevin Sweeney Irish Times
Kevin Sweeney, Irish Times
"There's a riveting plot at the centre of this frustrating thriller"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is the third Ellory book I have read and although I found it a good read, I don't agree with the other reviewers decision to give it 5 stars.
It started well and was fast paced, then went very ordinary. 200 pages could have been taken out in the last third without spoiling the story at all (infact it may have improved it)!! If you haven't read any Ellory, I suggest 'A Quiet Vendetta' or ' A quiet Belief in Angels'. I am going to read Candlemoth and Ghostheart now. Fingers crossed I am not disappointed...
It started well and was fast paced, then went very ordinary. 200 pages could have been taken out in the last third without spoiling the story at all (infact it may have improved it)!! If you haven't read any Ellory, I suggest 'A Quiet Vendetta' or ' A quiet Belief in Angels'. I am going to read Candlemoth and Ghostheart now. Fingers crossed I am not disappointed...
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book was the one before A Quiet Belief of Angels, the book that catapulted Ellory to the top of crime book writing. It shows Ellory at his best with a cracking story, that equals his more famous successor.
Protagonist John Harper, suddenly finds out that his father, who he thought died thirty years earlier, is in fact alive, although badly wounded in a robbery he tried to prevent.
The first part of the book is a bit slow, and a little frustrating as it seemed nothing much is happening, and also no one seems to want to tell Harper anything about what happened to his father and mother. We get little hints, that his mother committed suicide, that his guardian's husband Garrett also killed himself. In fact there were so many mysteries to the story, like Duchaunak the policeman with a fixation for Marilyn Monroe, and then there is Walt, Ben Marcus, and Cathy Hollander, I just felt compelled to carry on reading. And I'm very glad I did. It was something of a slow burner.
As bit by bit, the story unfolds, it becomes more and more compelling, and in the end I found it on a par with his best books.
Some of the scene's were terrific towards the end. A scene where Harper is introduced to the gangsters at the meeting, with them thinking he's like his dad, when really he's just a newspaper reporter who has no idea what the world of gangsters is like, has fantastic tension. And then when the gangsters rob the four banks simultaneously, again I couldn't stop reading, and I could vividly imagine what was going on. Great pace and tension here too.
Cathy Hollander the love interest for Harper, is one of the gangsters, who has a soft spot for Harper. Her part in the story when revealed near the end, is so unexpected, it takes your breath away. The last fifty pages or so, where the truth is finally revealed are riveting, with so many twists and turns, it makes for a very satisfying read.
Protagonist John Harper, suddenly finds out that his father, who he thought died thirty years earlier, is in fact alive, although badly wounded in a robbery he tried to prevent.
The first part of the book is a bit slow, and a little frustrating as it seemed nothing much is happening, and also no one seems to want to tell Harper anything about what happened to his father and mother. We get little hints, that his mother committed suicide, that his guardian's husband Garrett also killed himself. In fact there were so many mysteries to the story, like Duchaunak the policeman with a fixation for Marilyn Monroe, and then there is Walt, Ben Marcus, and Cathy Hollander, I just felt compelled to carry on reading. And I'm very glad I did. It was something of a slow burner.
As bit by bit, the story unfolds, it becomes more and more compelling, and in the end I found it on a par with his best books.
Some of the scene's were terrific towards the end. A scene where Harper is introduced to the gangsters at the meeting, with them thinking he's like his dad, when really he's just a newspaper reporter who has no idea what the world of gangsters is like, has fantastic tension. And then when the gangsters rob the four banks simultaneously, again I couldn't stop reading, and I could vividly imagine what was going on. Great pace and tension here too.
Cathy Hollander the love interest for Harper, is one of the gangsters, who has a soft spot for Harper. Her part in the story when revealed near the end, is so unexpected, it takes your breath away. The last fifty pages or so, where the truth is finally revealed are riveting, with so many twists and turns, it makes for a very satisfying read.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
My review for this novel is well overdue, it is a truly fantastic read, and although this short comment may not do it justice, I felt it necessary to voice just how much I enjoyed this work.
For those of you that like this authors unique style, I think you might agree that he is a master at characterisation. That was what I loved about this book, what kept me hooked and thinking about the characters within it even when I wasn't reading. Characters like Walt Freiberg, Ben Marcus and Cathy Hollander, however shadowy bring the story to life and emphasise everything that is good and great in Ellory's writing.
John Harper, the protagonist, pulled along in the inexorable grip of fate finds he has a father after years of believing he was an orphan. That this father, is near death in a hospital in New York and unbeknown to him, he his moving into a 12 day period that feels like a lifetime and will fundamentally change who he is, if he survives it.
A great story, beautifully structured with a fitting denouement. Another great Ellory book, another work to be prized and complimented, another great journey.
For those of you that like this authors unique style, I think you might agree that he is a master at characterisation. That was what I loved about this book, what kept me hooked and thinking about the characters within it even when I wasn't reading. Characters like Walt Freiberg, Ben Marcus and Cathy Hollander, however shadowy bring the story to life and emphasise everything that is good and great in Ellory's writing.
John Harper, the protagonist, pulled along in the inexorable grip of fate finds he has a father after years of believing he was an orphan. That this father, is near death in a hospital in New York and unbeknown to him, he his moving into a 12 day period that feels like a lifetime and will fundamentally change who he is, if he survives it.
A great story, beautifully structured with a fitting denouement. Another great Ellory book, another work to be prized and complimented, another great journey.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
page filler
i am a big fan of ellory, but found this to be fatuous and bloated. The whining John harper should have been shot very early on. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Maxim L. Eaton
Disappointing
This book is not up to the standard of some of the other ones by Ellory that I have read - a bit disappointing really.
Published 7 months ago by redhead
Gripping read
I picked up RJ Ellory's first book Candlemoth in a 3for2 and it sat on my shelf for months before I eventually picked it up. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Sarah FOSTER
good but not great
Good but nothing on "Angels". The back story is pretty obvious but the protagonist just doesn't catch on despite all the evidence. Read more
Published on 19 Mar 2010 by D. Stephen Wilkinson
R.J. Ellory City of Lies
I have read three other R.J. Ellory books so far and in my opinion, this was the least interesting. I dragged myself to the end of it unlike the others that I have read. Read more
Published on 24 Feb 2010 by Mrs. J. Weatherald
Tense, clever, brilliant -
A deceptively clever, multi-layered thriller from the pen of 'A Quiet Belief In Angels' author, R.J. Ellory. Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2010 by Nicodemus Jones
A cinematic gem...
I am finally taking the time to review all of Ellory's books. I started with 'A Quiet Belief In Angels' as a result of the Richard & Judy promotion, and from there I went backwards... Read more
Published on 15 Feb 2010 by Jelly Bean
City of Lies
There is no doubt that this novel is right outside of my comfort zone,. However as with the three other novels I have read by this author, I was hooked right from the start, and... Read more
Published on 13 Dec 2009 by A. Hope
A great read
Intense, deep stories are the hallmark of R J Ellory's writing and City of Lies is no exception. Before you start reading, make sure you have enough free time to spare as you won't... Read more
Published on 29 Aug 2009 by Dick Fisher
Excellent Reading
I will be honest with you and tell you that I haven't completed it yet! I bought it with the intention of keeping this book for when I go into hospital, I made the mistake of... Read more
Published on 19 July 2009 by Mr. I. Jordan
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