The Truth and Other Lies: A Novel
Sascha Arango
Jun 2015 · Sold by Simon and Schuster
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18 reviews
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256
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About this ebook
NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
A literary crime thriller with “a clever plot that always surprises, told with dark humor and dry wit” (The New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice), this brilliant debut follows a famous author whose wife—the brains behind his success—meets an untimely death, leaving him to deal with the consequences.
Henry Hayden seems like someone you might admire, or even come to think of as a friend. A famous bestselling author. A loving and devoted husband. A generous and considerate neighbor. But Henry Hayden is a construction, a mask. His past is a secret, his methods more so. Only he and his wife know that she is the actual writer of the novels that made him famous.
When his hidden-in-plain-sight mistress becomes pregnant, it seems his carefully conceived façade is about to crumble. And on a rain-soaked night at the edge of a dangerous cliff, his permanent solution becomes his most terrible mistake.
Now not only are the police after Henry but his past—which he has painstakingly kept hidden—threatens to catch up with him as well. Henry is an ingenious man, and he works out an ingenious plan, weaving lies, truths, and half-truths into a story that might help him survive. Still, the noose tightens.
Smart, sardonic, and compulsively readable, this is the story of a man whose cunning allows him to evade the consequences of his every action, even when he’s standing on the edge of the abyss.
A literary crime thriller with “a clever plot that always surprises, told with dark humor and dry wit” (The New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice), this brilliant debut follows a famous author whose wife—the brains behind his success—meets an untimely death, leaving him to deal with the consequences.
Henry Hayden seems like someone you might admire, or even come to think of as a friend. A famous bestselling author. A loving and devoted husband. A generous and considerate neighbor. But Henry Hayden is a construction, a mask. His past is a secret, his methods more so. Only he and his wife know that she is the actual writer of the novels that made him famous.
When his hidden-in-plain-sight mistress becomes pregnant, it seems his carefully conceived façade is about to crumble. And on a rain-soaked night at the edge of a dangerous cliff, his permanent solution becomes his most terrible mistake.
Now not only are the police after Henry but his past—which he has painstakingly kept hidden—threatens to catch up with him as well. Henry is an ingenious man, and he works out an ingenious plan, weaving lies, truths, and half-truths into a story that might help him survive. Still, the noose tightens.
Smart, sardonic, and compulsively readable, this is the story of a man whose cunning allows him to evade the consequences of his every action, even when he’s standing on the edge of the abyss.
NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK
A literary crime thriller with “a clever plot that always surprises, told with dark humor and dry wit” (The New York Times Book Review, Editor’s Choice), this brilliant debut follows a famous author whose wife—the brains behind his success—meets an untimely death, lea...
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Ratings and reviews
18 reviews
kaleigh smith
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June 15, 2015
Henry is a man without a past.. at least not one he's willing to talk about. And it wouldn't matter anyway ... his truth may not be the whole truth. He's married to a woman who seems to love him unconditionally. Henry is a well-known author, but it's his wife who actually writes the books. Henry is a man other men aspire to be and the man that many women seem to be drawn to. One mistake .. that's all it took.. one mistake and the building blocks come tumbling down. I am torn between liking and not liking the characters in this book. Either way, they are fascinating in their own way. Henry is a little bit arrogant and will tell a lie or partial lie before ever admitting a truth. He's very clever.... arranging things and fabricating rags into whole cloth. His wife is almost a non-entity. She's quiet and unassuming. The mistress is loud and brash. I think I feel sorry for her because she also loves Henry and in some ways Henry only loves Henry.... or people only once they are dead. This was a very cleverly written novel. Lots of twists and turns. A riveting and compelling look at a man's life and lies. Thank you to Jin at Atria Books for furnishing to me an ARC in exchange for an honest opinion.
sonja white
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July 15, 2015
You can't help but love Henry and grieve with him. I loved all the characters. Mysterious Martha, narcissistic Betty, suspicious Honor, and on and on. I haven't enjoyed a book this much in a long time.
1 person found this review helpful
Stephanie Irwin
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September 8, 2015
A fun read, but the ending seems as if the author just got tired of writing.
About the author
Sascha Arango is one of Germany’s most prominent screenplay writers and a two-time winner of the Grimme Prize, a prestigious award for German television, for his work on the long-running detective series Tatort. His first novel, The Truth and Other Lies, will be published in more than thirteen countries in 2015. He lives in Germany.
Sascha Arango is one of Germany’s most prominent screenplay writers and a two-time winner of the Grimme Prize, a prestigious award for German television, for his work on the long-running detective series Tatort. His first novel, The Truth and Other Lies, will be published in more than thirteen co...
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