(99)Once Upon A Lie by Magie Barbieri

Sunday, December 8, 2013

Once Upon A Lie

Pages: 304
Publication Date: December 10,2013


Maeve Conlon is barely holding her life together.  One of her two teen daughters is determined to be a "wild child", her ex-husband is proving to be a better husband and father to his second wife then he ever was to her, her father is battling early onset Alzheimers and now her cousin, Sean has been murdered.  There is no love lost between Maeve and her cousin, but her large extended Irish family expects Maeve to keep up appearances, so she does. But it is not long before the NYPD are knocking on Maeve's door and questioning where her father was the night of the murder.  As their investigation continues more of Maeve's history with her cousin is revealed and you have to wonder, did her father kill Sean or was it someone else?

Once Upon A Lie was one of those books that I just could not put down. I can very easily say that it was one of the better books I have recently read. The characters are so well written and multi-dimensional it was very easy to connect with them.  I loved Maeve and the way she tried to stay on top of everything from her wayward father to her sneaky daughter.  I found myself laughing when she busted her daughter at the party and how she did so.  Her friend and employee, Jo is another character who really added some depth, and often comic relief,  to the story. She has had such a horrible time recently that when Maeve tells her story, you can see how much love she has for her friend.  Then there is Maeve's relationship with her ex, Cal. It is unique because while Cal destroyed their marriage by having an affair with her friend, he still has a fondness for Maeve that shows itself by his kisses on her forehead, stopping by her shop, and many other ways. It was just another facet of the book that kept you interested and hooked.

Bottom line, if you are looking for good mystery - a good suspense novel you will not go wrong with Once Upon A Lie. There are some pretty important underlying themes that would even make this novel a great selection for your next book club meeting. Give it a read and let me know what you think.

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