Wednesday, May 06, 2009

Liars Anonymous, The Teaser

This week, the St. Martin's Press book club is featuring a smart-ass protagonist and reading for entertainment.

Liars Anonymous by Louise Ure is the sort of thing you're looking for when you've got hours to kill when you're flying from New York to LA, or while your kids are in between heats at the track meet.

It tells the story of Jesse Darling, a killer working for one of those roadside assistance companies that you know is called "OnStar" but which the author insists on labeling "HandsOn" like you wouldn't figure it out.

Except for that annoyance, the opening has the makings of some summertime entertainment. Not too deep. It's a mystery, in which the main character hears someone being murdered through the wonders of satellite transmission. According to the flap copy, the gentleman wasn't murdered at all. There's a hook for you.

The author pulls you in and makes you wonder what actually happened, since the narrative is from the POV of the protagonist and all that she can do is listen without watching.

The voice is smart-ass and cheeky, just the sort of non-literary fluff that we all enjoy for the entertainment and to hell with great writing or prose as poetry.

I'll be watching for the book at the public library, so I can read the ending.

That's about all I read of mysteries. No patience to get through the whole thing and collect clues and be led down blind alleys. If there's time, I'll read it all, but if not, at least I'll know whodunit.

If you'd like to join the book club, click your way over to St. Martin's Press and they'll be happy to send you five installments of an opening, five days per week.

It's free. What's not to like?

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