All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson

William Morrow | April 2018 | 304 pgs

Source: Publisher via Edelweiss

Having read Peter Swanson's previous novels (The Kind Worth Killing and Her Every Fear) and enjoyed them, I was thrilled when I learned that he has a new book coming out. His latest work revolves around lies, obsessions and taboo relationships and although it was an easy, fast-paced read, it somewhat lacks the punch of his previous works, which I found brilliant and kept me on edge. 

This story is written in two time frames "Then" and "Now" alternatively and at times it reads like a coming of age as it centers around a woman named Alice, as we read about her teenage years and how she has grown up to be an attractive woman with dark motives. All the while, she has had a fondness with older men partly due to an unhappy adolescence. Her relationship with her mother is lukewarm and her attraction to older men only began with her mother's remarriage to Jake. This is simply one of the "Then" segments and I figured I should skip whatever transpired thereafter to avoid spoilers. 

Onto the "Now" segment, Alice has found her man in Bill Ackerson and thought she would live a happily-ever-after but that bliss is short-lived as Bill is believed to have committed suicide. Bill's son, Harry, is due to attend his college graduation ceremony and he rushes home upon receiving Alice's call. Harry has always thought his stepmother sexy and beautiful and it seems Bill's death has kind of bring them together as they lend support to each other and try to find out what had happened to the man in their life. Enter Grace McGowan, who is mysterious and alluring in her own way and she has aroused Harry's interest and curiosity. Who is this young woman and why does she seem to appear in their range right after Bill's death? 

As much as I enjoyed this story, I felt this was something different from his other works. The characters are intriguing but they failed to captivate me, no matter if it's secretive Alice or even young innocent Harry. Then of course there is the taboo relationships which is part of the plot, which I suppose may either raise a few eyebrows or be intrigued by the complexity and bizarreness of it. The suspense is fairly predictable at some point, and the ending seemed a bit too abrupt and convenient to me. Nevertheless, it was a readable story and Peter Swanson's writing sucks you in. I'm currently reading his first book, The Girl with a Clock for a Heart and I'm enjoying it so far. 

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