Sometimes the setting of a novel can be a character as well. In Lisa Unger's debut thriller novel, “Beautiful Lies,” New York City plays as important part of the book as any of the main characters.
The book opens with a flashback to 1972 to tell the story of a battered woman lying in wait for the father of her baby to come back and torment her. The next chapter flashes forward to Ridley, a woman running and hiding from some men who are trying to kill her and her injured boyfriend.
Flash back again to Ridley Jones, a 20-something freelance writer who lives in an East Village third floor walkup apartment above Five Roses pizzeria. She is close to her beloved parents, Dr. Benjamin Jones, a pediatrician, and Grace, a former dancer.
She broke up with her boyfriend, childhood sweetheart Zack, six months ago. Zack is a pediatrician who works with Ridley's dad, and Ridley adores Zack's mom Esme, a nurse in her dad's office. The breakup was difficult, but Ridley felt that Zack deserved someone who loved him more than she did.
Ridley has an older brother, Ace, who left home under bad circumstances. Ace is troubled, a drug addict who broke his parents' hearts. He has no contact with his parents, but he does see Ridley from time to time, mostly to get money from her.
“Beautiful Lies” takes the position that life can be drastically altered by simple, rather than big, decisions. Ridley stops to talk to her elderly neighbor for 10 minutes on her way out her building. She then checks her overfilled mailbox and runs the mail back up to her apartment.
Because she took the time to do these things, Ridley was at the corner of First Avenue and 11th Street at the exact time that a toddler runs into the oncoming path of a van. She saves the boy's life and a photographer from the New York Post happens to be there to snap the dramatic rescue.
With her photo splashed on the front page, everyone wanted to meet the hero. Ridley did some interviews and generally enjoyed her five minutes of fame, hoping it would lead to more freelance writing work.
Fame seemed like a good thing until Ridley received an envelope in the mail with a newspaper story from 1972 about a woman who was murdered and her child kidnapped from an apartment in New York. The attached note asked “Are you my daughter?”
Ridley looked at the grainy photo from the paper and saw a resemblance between herself and the woman in the photo. Could she be the kidnapped baby? Or was this just some wacko who saw her photo in the paper and wanted something from her?
At the same time this was happening, a hot guy moved into the apartment upstairs. There was something odd about Jake, an artist, but Ridley and he had an instant attraction that quickly led to a torrid affair.
Ridley confronted her parents about the envelope sent to her and asked them if she was adopted. They tried to ally her fears, but the question nagged at Ridley. Jake offered to have his friend, a private detective, look into the matter, and Ridley took him up on his offer.
At this point, the reader is more wary of Jake than Ridley is. Ridley feels a real connection to Jake, and when he jumps right into the middle of her drama, she doesn't question his motives.
Ridley agrees to meet the man who sent her the newspaper clipping in a park in the Bronx in the middle of the night. His name is Christian Luna and he has been on the run for 30 years, accused of killing the woman and kidnapping the baby. He tells Ridley that he did not kill the woman and kidnap the baby, but he is sure that Ridley is the missing baby.
After he tells Ridley this, he is shot and killed. Jake rushes from his hiding place to whisk Ridley out of there. Who would want to kill this man? Is he really her father? If he is, who killed her mother and kidnapped her?
Jake tells Ridley that there was a string of kidnapped children in the 1970s and that he is trying to find out what happened to them. All of this is overwhelming to Ridley and she goes into hiding.
Author Lisa Unger clearly loves New York and that love shines through this novel. The city plays a key role and readers will get a true feel for the sights, sounds and even smells of this city. Her description of the subway is particularly realistic.
“Beautiful Lies” is a good thriller, grabbing the reader immediately and not letting go. The story at times became slightly convoluted in the middle, and many readers will be able to guess at the solution to the mystery, but the writing is generally crisp and the character of Ridley Jones is a welcome addition to the thriller genre.
There is an “interview” with Ridley at the end of the book that answers some nagging questions, and the enclosed first chapter of Ridley's next adventure “Sliver of Truth” will encourage people to buy the next saga in her story. I give “Beautiful Lies” four and half stars, mostly because of its New York City feel.
Auburn native Diane La Rue's lifelong goal is to read a book a week. If you have suggestions, e-mail her at
laruediane2000@yahoo.com
Flash back again to Ridley Jones, a 20-something freelance writer who lives in an East Village third floor walkup apartment above Five Roses pizzeria. She is close to her beloved parents, Dr. Benjamin Jones, a pediatrician, and Grace, a former dancer.
She broke up with her boyfriend, childhood sweetheart Zack, six months ago. Zack is a pediatrician who works with Ridley's dad, and Ridley adores Zack's mom Esme, a nurse in her dad's office. The breakup was difficult, but Ridley felt that Zack deserved someone who loved him more than she did.
Ridley has an older brother, Ace, who left home under bad circumstances. Ace is troubled, a drug addict who broke his parents' hearts. He has no contact with his parents, but he does see Ridley from time to time, mostly to get money from her.
“Beautiful Lies” takes the position that life can be drastically altered by simple, rather than big, decisions. Ridley stops to talk to her elderly neighbor for 10 minutes on her way out her building. She then checks her overfilled mailbox and runs the mail back up to her apartment.
Because she took the time to do these things, Ridley was at the corner of First Avenue and 11th Street at the exact time that a toddler runs into the oncoming path of a van. She saves the boy's life and a photographer from the New York Post happens to be there to snap the dramatic rescue.
With her photo splashed on the front page, everyone wanted to meet the hero. Ridley did some interviews and generally enjoyed her five minutes of fame, hoping it would lead to more freelance writing work.
Fame seemed like a good thing until Ridley received an envelope in the mail with a newspaper story from 1972 about a woman who was murdered and her child kidnapped from an apartment in New York. The attached note asked “Are you my daughter?”
Ridley looked at the grainy photo from the paper and saw a resemblance between herself and the woman in the photo. Could she be the kidnapped baby? Or was this just some wacko who saw her photo in the paper and wanted something from her?
At the same time this was happening, a hot guy moved into the apartment upstairs. There was something odd about Jake, an artist, but Ridley and he had an instant attraction that quickly led to a torrid affair.
Ridley confronted her parents about the envelope sent to her and asked them if she was adopted. They tried to ally her fears, but the question nagged at Ridley. Jake offered to have his friend, a private detective, look into the matter, and Ridley took him up on his offer.
At this point, the reader is more wary of Jake than Ridley is. Ridley feels a real connection to Jake, and when he jumps right into the middle of her drama, she doesn't question his motives.
Ridley agrees to meet the man who sent her the newspaper clipping in a park in the Bronx in the middle of the night. His name is Christian Luna and he has been on the run for 30 years, accused of killing the woman and kidnapping the baby. He tells Ridley that he did not kill the woman and kidnap the baby, but he is sure that Ridley is the missing baby.
After he tells Ridley this, he is shot and killed. Jake rushes from his hiding place to whisk Ridley out of there. Who would want to kill this man? Is he really her father? If he is, who killed her mother and kidnapped her?
Jake tells Ridley that there was a string of kidnapped children in the 1970s and that he is trying to find out what happened to them. All of this is overwhelming to Ridley and she goes into hiding.
Author Lisa Unger clearly loves New York and that love shines through this novel. The city plays a key role and readers will get a true feel for the sights, sounds and even smells of this city. Her description of the subway is particularly realistic.
“Beautiful Lies” is a good thriller, grabbing the reader immediately and not letting go. The story at times became slightly convoluted in the middle, and many readers will be able to guess at the solution to the mystery, but the writing is generally crisp and the character of Ridley Jones is a welcome addition to the thriller genre.
There is an “interview” with Ridley at the end of the book that answers some nagging questions, and the enclosed first chapter of Ridley's next adventure “Sliver of Truth” will encourage people to buy the next saga in her story. I give “Beautiful Lies” four and half stars, mostly because of its New York City feel.
Auburn native Diane La Rue's lifelong goal is to read a book a week. If you have suggestions, e-mail her at
laruediane2000@yahoo.com
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