The King of Lies (original 2006; edición 2007)

I liked it, the author successfully kept me guessing throwing a few good candidates for the murderer. The ending was a major let down - as if the author realised he already had enough pages and just called it a day. Not really a deus ex machina, it just ends and neatly resolves all the subplots.
It's actually baffling. The chapter ends, the villain wins, fade to black. Next page it's all over but actually it turns out they all lived happily ever after. The ending is so upbeat that I wonder if it was different at some point, more in line with the rest of the book. I'm just going to go with my interpretation of the ending being the last seconds of the brain activity of the dying protagonist as it makes more sense. ( )

Meh ( )

Jackson Workman Pickens' father was a pillar of the community. But he whom the community revered made his son's life a mess. In fact, they whole family was screwed up. He disappears for a year and then his body is found and everything thing Work did it. Work thinks his sister did it and will do anything to protect her. But this story is much more. It's full of great characters and it's really well told. ( )

Recommended by a friend, this is a good who-dunnit from a first time author. The main character is a tortured soul, unhappy in life and when his very wealthy father is found murdered, he is the obvious suspect. There are plenty of hints, twists and turns to keep the reader engaged and I actually didn't figure it out til the very end. At the beginning I found the sentence structure awkward sometimes, maybe a little formal or something. But by 1/4 of the way into the story, I'd become accustomed to the style.

The book is almost as much a character study as a mystery. Work Pickens, the main character, is forced on a journey to 'find' himself and discover what he really wants from life? Does he want to be a lawyer; does he want to be married; does he want a family; does he believe in himself as a good person? The resolution to these dilemmas is handled believably. ( )

I really liked this one. My mom gave it to me, and, despite the dubious title (which my boss has adopted as a nickname) it is a tight, well-written mystery. Flaws: the dialogue was occasionally trite and the ending was obvious to me by the time I got two thirds into the novel, which is a red flag because I'm never able to guess where mysteries are going. Despite its flaws, it is a very quick, accesible, entertaining, and satisfying read for a weekend at the beach. ( )