Tell No Lies ebook

"Tell No Lies" received glowing teasers about a great debut novel which influenced my decision to read it, however, I got half way through the book and just couldn't. read. another. sentence. The main character, Jack, is a husband, father, accomplished professional, and could be considered on any day as "having it all". The author tries to convince us several times, through the character of Jenny, that Jack has "a moral code that you live by; you would do what's right, and what's good. You wouldn't be swayed by politics, or friendship". This so-called "moral code" pertains to Jack's opposition, as an assistant district attorney, to the death penalty. However, shortly into the book, we learn of Jack's true nature - that of being selfish, obsessive and having no self control, lying to himself and everyone else. While the dichotomy of human nature has been the basis of many a great story, this isn't one of them. As a result, I found nothing I could like about any of the characters or the story and had no compelling reason to finish the book. If this book were a musical score, it would be a played as a single unrelenting note.

This book started out extremely slow. It did improve, but I did not like story line. I am not sure how I came across this book but I wish I had not.

The author tried to portray the main character Jack as an honorable man. He was anything but that. He was a selfish person, only thinking of himself. The author did not do a good job of making me like him. So when he did what he did, I absolutely hated him and wanted to stop reading the book.

I didn't like any of the characters really. I did have a gut wrenching reaction to what he did, which made a soft spot in my heart for his wife.

This book just didn't do it for me. If you are looking to read about an idiot husband who only thinks of himself, not his wife and kids. A husband who is willing to destroy his family for sex, then this is the book for you.

I think this author can be successful. Adultery is just not a topic I want to read about. I may read the next book, I am not sure. I do not want to go through another 300 pages of Jack's bad decision making.

Be warned! Here lie SPOILERS, so if you haven't read the book, check out the other reviews and then read it. You won't be sorry.

The title of Tell No Lies is ironic, because lies are what drive the story. On one level, the driver appears to be mere self-deception as ADA Jack Hilliard fools himself into believing that he can hold public office and maintain his integrity. He surrenders it even before the election, when he misrepresents his position on the death penalty. He fools himself into believing that he can have a platonic relationship with the dark-skinned bombshell Jenny Dodson, just because she's a fellow attorney. Then he fools himself into believing that the "one little kiss" they shared in the parking garage didn't mean anything. Then he fools himself.....

But you get the idea, and if you've read this you already know what I'm talking about. On this level, the novel serves as an insightful account of how well-educated, intelligent people still manage to mess up their lives and relationships. The title isn't irrelevant, though, and this is where it crackles with mystery. When I closed it, I wondered "Just exactly how much lying has gone on here?" That it has is indisputable. The lies politicians tell each other, and us, are obvious. The lies Jenny tells are something else. There's just enough truth in them to keep Jack fascinated, dangerously so. To what extent is Jenny leading Jack on from the beginning? To what extent does she merely take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves? On the night of the bar dinner, is she as drunk as she appears? Or does she know absolutely what she is doing? Is it really Alex who comes upstairs to the bedroom on the fateful night, or is it Jenny, picking up her gun? Is she such an accomplished liar that she can beat the polygraph that appears to clear her of a murder charge? Is Maxine, the villain we never meet, as evil as Jenny paints her? Did she really write the letter Jack sees in court? Did Jenny really write the letter Jack purportedly receives from the mother of a dead girl whose murderer Jack is prosecuting, the one that makes him decide to run for DA? Or does Jenny see yet another opportunity in claiming that she is the author? Is Jenny's boss, Mendelsohn, as awful as she paints him (there is a disconnect between Jack's previous experience of Mendelsohn and Jenny's picture)? Or is he also being used by a master manipulator waiting for the stars to align before she exacts her vengeance?

The questions go on and on, but you get the idea. Julie Compton creates fascinating characters, and she milks them for all they're worth. She plays us like violins, too, and the ending leaves us panting for more. There is evidently a sequel coming pretty soon. Maybe it'll answer some of the lingering questions: Where did Jenny go after the charges were dropped? Will we meet her brother, Brian? Did Brian even exist? How will Jack handle things if he meets her again? What effect would Jenny's prosecution have on Jack's relationship with Claire? With his children? With himself? Could we see a doppelganger of the pivotal courtroom scene in Tell No Lies in which Jack's identical testimony leads to the opposite conclusion on the part of the jury? Or could it turn out that Jenny was as flabbergasted by having Maxine as a client as Jack was to find out that Maxine and Jenny's father had a history?

There are weaknesses in her writing, of course, but they don't matter much. The biggest is probably her tendency to let her skill with character development lead to overwriting. We really don't need to know so much about the party leaders Jack meets, for instance. We also don't need to know details like what kind of food Jenny ordered on the night she apparently establishes her alibi with Jack.

When I finished Tell No Lies on my Kindle, I was sitting in the local Burger King. My thought was, "Holy mackerel, what an ending!" I must have spoken it aloud, because a nearby diner said, "Good book, huh?" Oh, yeah!

This book grabbed me from the first page, and kept me captive until the end, leaving me in deep thoughts and craving for a sequel, which I was lucky to find. Besides the legal background the story of Jack, Jenny and Claire, depicts the fine line that will make us cheaters, villains and victims. When there is a deep sense of morality and loyalty, the possibility of breaking those vows, of risking what we have built with someone we love, is no less than panicking.

Temptation surrounds us, and as humans, some follow through and some fall into it, leaving them to face the consequences of a weak moment. When do we stop loving our partner and began loving another? Is straying just a matter of lust and passion? Or something deeper lies beneath? How far can loyalty, friendship and a sense of justice would take us? Read the story, you wont regret it and you will go for the sequel. I award this novel five of my Rabbit Paws. Congratulations Mrs. Compton!