Everything I Tell You is a Lie (a novella) [Kindle Edition]

This 30,000 word novella is a convincing, well executed story that held my attention from the start.

It's narrated from the viewpoint of a young man undergoing his final therapy sessions before his release from prison. He is serving a 5½ year sentence for a violent killing and his psychologist, Dr Lewis, gently probes for details of the prisoner's relationships and family life leading up to the crime.

Throughout the tale readers are kept guessing who the prisoner has actually killed and this is only disclosed as the story draws to a conclusion.

This is a very cleverly written, absorbing story.

The author's biography tells us he is a criminal defence lawyer and I had to remind myself of this a few times as the story just felt so credible, I found myself suspecting it was more factual rather than fiction! However, is everything he tells us a lie?

The dexterous writing skill provided an intriguing, yet concise, insight into some complex relationships and I became entirely engrossed. Believe it or not, I ended up so captivated by the writing style, I even read the copyright blurb at the end, which includes a witty final line!

Also included are the opening chapters of other work by this author. I will certainly look out for his legal thrillers as I found this novella a good enticement to seek more of his work.

The author is called Fingers Murphy. For some reason this gave me the idea that his work would be less than serious. I expected some sort of tongue-in-cheek crime caper with cartoonish characters and an outlandish plot. Couldn't have been more wrong. Everything I Tell You is a Lie is a novella with sorrow in its soul. A work of noir drenched in melancholia. And I lived it.

Everything I Tell You is a Lie rings so damn true, it broke my heart just a little.

Buy this novella.

This novella was a fantastic change of pace. I mean, I love hardboiled noir drama as much as the next guy, but Everything I Tell You... is something different. To start with it's one of the most intelligent things I've read recently. I don't mean other stuff around is dumb, or that the book is high-brow or pretentious. The protagonist is anything but, but this is the first thing I've read by Fingers and one of my first thoughts was: this writer is a smart guy. Not wanky, not showing off, just smart.

Second is the pace. It feels slow, as if the story is feeling its way. And I don't mean slow reading. One page rips to the next, and it's very hard to put down, but the story - presented as an interview with a prison psychologist and a series of reminiscences - takes its own time. There are no plot twists and turns purely for the sake of action, but everything happens naturally. The whole is beautifully constructed with a superb balance of surprise and that familiar noir feeling of inevitability. An aura of menace inhabits the whole.

One of the most original and interesting noirs I've read recently, and it certainly won't be the last Fingers Murphy book I read. And the writing... oh the words. At times, you can't help but feel that special shiver you get when a paragraph is EXACTLY right. I mean perfect. It's not showy writing, it just feels right.

In short: really, really, effing good noir. Highly recommended. Whatever you need: If you're a noir fan you should read this book.