The Best Lies
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4.0 • 40 Ratings
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A USA TODAY Bestseller
Bestselling and award-winning author David Ellis delivers a fast-paced, twisty thriller that will surprise readers at every turn.
Leo Balanoff is a crusading attorney with unthinkable skeletons in his closet. He's also a diagnosed pathological liar. When a predatory gangster with a long list of victims is found dead and Leo’s fingerprints show up on the murder weapon, no one believes a word he says in his defense. But he might be the FBI’s only shot at taking down the gangster's even more lethal boss.
Risk his life going undercover for the feds or head straight to prison for murder? Leo accepts the FBI’s offer—but it comes with a price, including a collision course with his ex, Andi Piotrowski, a former cop and "the one who got away." Anyone else forced to walk this tightrope between an ambitious FBI agent and a cruel, calculating crime boss would fail. But this isn't Leo's first balancing act, and he still has a few tricks up his sleeve...
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
The plot reversals come fast and furious in this unconvincing legal thriller from Edgar winner Ellis (Look Closer). Illinois attorney Leo Balanoff, a diagnosed pathological liar, is back in trouble after successfully fighting to have his law license reinstated. Leo's DNA has been found on the shirtsleeve of murdered human trafficker Cyrus Balik, making him the prime suspect in the slaying. Though Leo maintains his innocence, his alleged motive is clear-cut: he represented Bonnie Tressler in a lawsuit against Balik for hooking her on narcotics and raping her when she was 14 years old. Bonnie overdosed before she could be called to the stand in that case, and Leo and the cops suspected Balik of having her killed. The FBI cuts Leo a deal: they'll keep him out of prison if he helps take down Balik's syndicate. That mission puts him back in touch with his ex-girlfriend, a former cop who's now working for a company developing a mysterious cure for cancer. The overstuffed plot also includes flashbacks to Leo's long history of deceit that continually recast the present-day action in a new light. Ellis's storytelling gets too tangled, and his characters are too implausible, for this to cohere. Here's hoping Ellis's next outing marks a return to form.
Customer Reviews
Lies
Overall a really great story and subject. Little Leo and Trace were heartbreaking. My only complaint is sometimes the jumping timelines were confusing combined with Leo’s goal and strategy. Maybe it’s just me so don’t think I’m not recommending.