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The Liar's Lullaby
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Review
‘Gardiner depicts an America corrupted by the cult of celebrity, deranged mass media and a toxic blogosphere. Zesty, smart.’ THE SUNDAY TIMES
‘Jo Beckett may remind readers of Nancy Drew in her prime.’ WASHINGTON POST
‘Breathless suspense, slick plotting and a cast of compelling characters make this a solid addition to Edgar-winner Gardiner’s dossier of superlative thrillers with appeal both for pure suspense fans and those who favour well-delineated characters.’ BOOKLIST
Praise for THE MEMORY COLLECTOR:
‘The next suspense superstar.’ STEPHEN KING
‘Meg Gardiner is an astonishing writer.’ TESS GERRITSEN
‘Riveting…a book you just can’t put down…The Memory Collector is a first-class thriller with non-stop action.’ CHICAGO SUN-TIMES
Product Description
When you have to take on the White House there's only one woman to call – Jo Beckett.
When a rock singer is killed onstage during a concert, Jo Beckett is called in to perform a psychological autopsy. But Tasia McFarland's death causes Jo all kinds of problems, because Tasia is the ex-wife of the President of the United States.
The White House pressures Jo to declare Tasia's death an accident rather than a suicide. The media and conspiracy nuts rant that Tasia was knocked off to silence her, for unknown reasons. Fringe extremists seethe about taking direct action to "save America" from the president and his administration.
Jo learns that an obsessed fan was apparently stalking Tasia. The stalker may have killed her and escaped in the panic at the concert.
As the media and conspiracy frenzy grows, the White House leans harder on Jo to close the case. When she won't, Gabe Quintana finds his military orders suddenly changed, and he's called up to active duty in Afghanistan… in 72 hours.
Jo discovers the identity of the stalker. It’s someone who's obsessed with Tasia's new boyfriend, a famous country singer. Jo calls the police but she's too late. The stalker stabs the singer to death.
The police kill the stalker. The case seems to have come to a spectacular conclusion. But Jo doesn't think the stalker murdered Tasia; the facts don't add up. She fears that Tasia was killed for other reasons. And she's nervous, because the President is coming to San Francisco to attend Tasia's memorial service…
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12 reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Plot twists and mounting suspense get people to race from the start of a book to the end
28 Jun 2010
Format:Hardcover
Tasia McFarland might be just another pretty country star on the verge of being over the hill, but she's also the ex-wife of the President of the United States. So when she dies by a gunshot to the throat during a spectacularly ill-conceived stunt on her latest concert tour, the investigation into her death is anything but simple. For one thing, no one is quite sure whether the singer, previously diagnosed with bipolar disorder, committed suicide or was murdered. And then there's the cryptic song lyrics Tasia left behind, words that seem to hint at an assassination threat not only to her but also to her ex-husband.
It's convenient that forensic psychologist Jo Beckett happens to be in the audience for Tasia's final, fatal concert, because she's about to be brought into the investigation by her friend Amy Tang, a San Francisco Police Department homicide detective. Jo's job is to analyze the dead woman's psyche, to look into her medical and behavioral history, her legacy of written work, and her relationships with friends and family, to determine what might have led to the singer's death.
As Jo delves into Tasia's life, she finds it's full of contradictions; Tasia was the ex-wife of a liberal president but has since been a regular poster on anti-government conspiracy-theorist websites. She adores her fans but hides the fact that she's being stalked via email. Jo has plenty of people to talk to --- Tasia's sister, her biographer, her lover and bandmate --- but when the picture they paint is far from clear, she's not sure where to go. And when Tasia's friends start showing up dead, Jo and Tang begin to suspect that Tasia might not have been the ultimate target. Meanwhile, when everyone involved in the case begins to run into trouble with the Feds, Jo wonders if the President himself is trying to derail the case or he has something to hide.
Meg Gardiner, who achieved fame in the United Kingdom long before she won an Edgar Award in this country, proves herself wickedly adept with plot twists and turns in THE LIAR'S LULLABY. Playing with readers' expectations without ever seeming manipulative, her plot shifts will have readers flipping backward --- and relentlessly reading onward --- to figure out what they might have missed and to propel themselves forward to find out what happens next.
Of course, plot twists and red herrings by themselves do not a great suspense novel make; in her third Jo Beckett book, however, Gardiner also demonstrates her facility at engaging readers' sympathy for her characters. In particular, the prickly but vulnerable Amy Tang is a fascinating supporting character who continues to be developed over time. In addition, Jo's developing relationship with Gabe Quintana --- two damaged souls who are finding healing in each other --- continues to grow in depth and complexity.
Plot twists and mounting suspense get people to race from the start of a book to the end, and complex characterizations and dynamic situations keep them coming back. Thanks to Meg Gardiner's skill at both, her readers will be anxiously waiting, eager to devour whatever this talented writer comes up with next.
It's convenient that forensic psychologist Jo Beckett happens to be in the audience for Tasia's final, fatal concert, because she's about to be brought into the investigation by her friend Amy Tang, a San Francisco Police Department homicide detective. Jo's job is to analyze the dead woman's psyche, to look into her medical and behavioral history, her legacy of written work, and her relationships with friends and family, to determine what might have led to the singer's death.
As Jo delves into Tasia's life, she finds it's full of contradictions; Tasia was the ex-wife of a liberal president but has since been a regular poster on anti-government conspiracy-theorist websites. She adores her fans but hides the fact that she's being stalked via email. Jo has plenty of people to talk to --- Tasia's sister, her biographer, her lover and bandmate --- but when the picture they paint is far from clear, she's not sure where to go. And when Tasia's friends start showing up dead, Jo and Tang begin to suspect that Tasia might not have been the ultimate target. Meanwhile, when everyone involved in the case begins to run into trouble with the Feds, Jo wonders if the President himself is trying to derail the case or he has something to hide.
Meg Gardiner, who achieved fame in the United Kingdom long before she won an Edgar Award in this country, proves herself wickedly adept with plot twists and turns in THE LIAR'S LULLABY. Playing with readers' expectations without ever seeming manipulative, her plot shifts will have readers flipping backward --- and relentlessly reading onward --- to figure out what they might have missed and to propel themselves forward to find out what happens next.
Of course, plot twists and red herrings by themselves do not a great suspense novel make; in her third Jo Beckett book, however, Gardiner also demonstrates her facility at engaging readers' sympathy for her characters. In particular, the prickly but vulnerable Amy Tang is a fascinating supporting character who continues to be developed over time. In addition, Jo's developing relationship with Gabe Quintana --- two damaged souls who are finding healing in each other --- continues to grow in depth and complexity.
Plot twists and mounting suspense get people to race from the start of a book to the end, and complex characterizations and dynamic situations keep them coming back. Thanks to Meg Gardiner's skill at both, her readers will be anxiously waiting, eager to devour whatever this talented writer comes up with next.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Fast Paced Thriller
18 July 2010
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I'm a huge Meg Gardiner fan - both her Evan Delaney series and her Jo Beckett series. This is the latest installment in the latter and it does not disappoint!
Being a forensic psychologist has it's caveats. It can make you a target for grieving family and psychopaths, and in a high profile case such as this, stalkers, conspiracy nuts, killers, and government intimidation. Jo must investigate this case quickly and thoroughly as she is feeling pressure from all sides to wrap things up (and everyone's pushing for a different outcome) but records are missing, interviewees are uncooperative, or unavailable, and things just aren't adding up.
Gardiner's books are fast paced and detailed. Did I figure out the whodunit before Beckett? Yes, but that's because the reader is supplied with far more information than poor Jo. The fascinating part was having more pieces of the puzzle than Jo, and being able to get a hazy picture of the situation, but not being able to put all the pieces together. We need Jo's investigation to do that for us. And even with all of that, there were still twists and turns that surprised me. Gardiner, as always, also finds a way to alleviate some of the the intensity in the book by inserting levity in the form of wit, sarcasm, and in this case, revenge on a prying media hound.
Though her books are parts of a series, Gardiner also makes them stand-alone accessible -especially the Beckett series- but with most series, they're more enjoyable in order. Relationships and non-plot related conflicts are left open, leading the reader into the next book.(The first book in the Evan Delaney series is China Lake. The first book in the Jo Beckett series is The Dirty Secrets Club.)
Gardiner's one of the few thriller authors whose books I can never put down. I suggest you pick her up.
[..]
Being a forensic psychologist has it's caveats. It can make you a target for grieving family and psychopaths, and in a high profile case such as this, stalkers, conspiracy nuts, killers, and government intimidation. Jo must investigate this case quickly and thoroughly as she is feeling pressure from all sides to wrap things up (and everyone's pushing for a different outcome) but records are missing, interviewees are uncooperative, or unavailable, and things just aren't adding up.
Gardiner's books are fast paced and detailed. Did I figure out the whodunit before Beckett? Yes, but that's because the reader is supplied with far more information than poor Jo. The fascinating part was having more pieces of the puzzle than Jo, and being able to get a hazy picture of the situation, but not being able to put all the pieces together. We need Jo's investigation to do that for us. And even with all of that, there were still twists and turns that surprised me. Gardiner, as always, also finds a way to alleviate some of the the intensity in the book by inserting levity in the form of wit, sarcasm, and in this case, revenge on a prying media hound.
Though her books are parts of a series, Gardiner also makes them stand-alone accessible -especially the Beckett series- but with most series, they're more enjoyable in order. Relationships and non-plot related conflicts are left open, leading the reader into the next book.(The first book in the Evan Delaney series is China Lake. The first book in the Jo Beckett series is The Dirty Secrets Club.)
Gardiner's one of the few thriller authors whose books I can never put down. I suggest you pick her up.
[..]
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Tasteless, drippy American cheese
9 Mar 2011
Format:MP3 CD
I picked up the audio version of this on a road trip but never made it past the first disk. The author's snobbery and condescension as she describes the country music concert that is the backdrop for her interminable opening scene made it impossible to take the book seriously. From her made-up country lyrics to the sneer evident in her description of the concert-goers, it is clear the author considers herself far above the average Americans she is attempting to depict. Throw in wooden dialog and an implausible beginning to the police investigation and you have a pretty tough sell. But it was when the author started inserting her political views and displaying her narrow-minded intolerance for anyone who dares to think otherwise that I punched the Eject button on this thoroughly unpleasant book.
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