My Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐
Mickey Gibson, a former detective and single mother to two toddlers, works for ProEye, a global investigation company that specializes in financial fraud, locating hidden assets of criminals and those looking to evade taxes. Her role allows her to mostly work from home which is a perfect arrangement for her. A woman claiming to be a colleague (convincingly so) calls her with an assignment and lures her to an old mansion under false pretenses where she discovers the body of a man in a secret room with a cryptic message left on the wall.
“DO AS I SAY, NOT AS I DO”
Subsequently, Mickey finds herself a suspect in a murder investigation. It is clear that she is being set up and her employer, not too happy with the firm’s name being dragged into the investigation, forces her to take time off from her job. Mickey correctly assumes that her employment is at risk unless she can prove her innocence. She continues to receive phone calls from the mysterious woman who calls herself “Clarisse.” Clarisse seems to know a lot about Mickey, persistently baiting her and pushing her to delve deeper into the background of the murder victim who is discovered to have been a criminal with ties to the mob. Who is the killer? Clarisse? Who is Clarisse and why did she involve Mickey in her schemes, endangering her and her family in the process?
With its consistent pacing, strong female characters in the lead, and an intriguing plot, David Baldacci’s Simply Lies is a twisty thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. There are several characters and multiple threads crucial to the plot but the author masterfully weaves a twisty and thrilling story without it becoming convoluted or confusing for the reader. I found the segments on cryptocurrency and NFTs really interesting. Both Mickey and Clarisse are interesting characters and I enjoyed following their trajectories though I would question a few of Mickey’s choices. An aspect of the story that was truly well-executed is the evolving dynamic between these two characters, given that for the larger part of the narrative they only interact through phone conversations. Overall, this is an absorbing read that kept me engaged till the very last page.
I’ve been reading the author’s books for over twenty years and though I can't say that I’ve enjoyed all of the books I’ve read in equal measure when it comes to action-packed thrillers, David Baldacci is one of my go-to authors. With Simply Lies, David Baldacci does not disappoint! This is supposedly a standalone thriller but I would love more stories featuring these two characters working together and hope that this book marks the beginning of a new series. These two characters would make a formidable team!
Many thanks to author David Baldacci, Grand Central Publishing and NetGalley for the much-appreciated digital review copy of this novel. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This novel is due to be released on April 18, 2023.
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