The Good Liar

Description

This is a life told back to front. This is a man who has lied all his life. Roy is a conman living in a small English town, about to pull off his final con. He is going to meet and woo a beautiful woman. He will swiftly move in with her and together they will live the seemingly calm life of a retired couple - evenings in front of the television, a little holiday in Berlin. Then he will slip away with her life savings. But who is the man behind the con and what has he had to do to survive this life of lies? And why is this beautiful woman so willing to be his next victim?

Reviews

An assured thriller debut in the footsteps of le Carre, Highsmith and Rendell...The Good Liar makes you want to experience Nicholas Searle's next trick Guardian This is set to be one of the books of the year that will get everyone talking...If you go in with absolutely no preconceptions, you will have your socks knocked, nay, blown off Stylist A part-thriller, part-human condition novel that packs a tremendous punch Financial Times As the tension mounts, the reader is kept guessing: is Roy going to be rumbled? Is Betty as guileless as she seems? The final denouement is a real cracker, and this reader at any rate was led through the nose to the very end. Added to the fiendishly clever plot, Searle's writing is both drily amusing and elegantly crafted. An absolute treat of a book. Daily Mail The Good Liar is a taut, compulsive thriller with a dark, intriguing heart. A Mr Ripley for our time -- Jonathan Freedland Twists and turns galore! The Bookseller All the ingredients are in this book...You're in safe hands with Searle's elegant writing The Times One of 2016's most intriguing debut novels Independent I was engrossed by Nicholas Searle's story of Roy, a conman out for one last scam, and Betty, a wealthy widow, and the perfect mark. The plot unfolds to a payoff as inevitable as it is shocking. A superb thriller and a truly compelling read. Ruth Ware, bestselling author of 'In a Dark, Dark Wood' An incredibly dark, taut thriller...it deserves to be a bestseller. Think of Ruth Rendell morphing into John le Carre Daily Express Searle's relish in telling his dark tale and his taste for bitter irony will be savoured by anybody missing their annual fix of Ruth Rendell Sunday Express Searle shows a gift for complex plotting. The Good Liar is packed with secrets and surprises, bluffs and double-bluffs Daily Telegraph A perfectly entertaining way to spend a few hours Sunday Times A wily tale of a much larger, more traumatic and multifaceted deception than initially anticipated... The Independent You won't know who to trust in this compulsive, con-man thriller, where nothing is at seems Heat A debut novel guaranteed to keep you guessing Shortlist A confident debut...an easy page-turner Grazia A cracking read -- Graham Norton, BBC Radio 2 What a clever and menacing novel The Good Liar is. I was gripped and horrified in equal measure and the ending knocked me sideways! I can't wait for everyone to read the book so I can talk about it Nina Stibbe, bestselling author of 'Love, Nina' and 'Man at the Helm' An assured debut from an intriguing new writer Mail on Sunday A cleverly constructed novel Metro I was still hoodwinked Spectator A total cracker of a plot Saga A beautifully-written novel of suspense and intrigue dealing with sin, salvation, and survival Huffington Post

Author description

Nicholas Searle was a civil servant who spent much of his time working on security matters before deciding to leave in 2011 and begin writing fiction. The Good Liar is his first novel.