When researcher Brodie Farrell is asked to locate the whereabouts of a young man, Daniel Hood, she sees nothing suspicious in the request. Duly finds him, passes his details on to her client, and commends herself on a job well done. But a few days later Brodie is overcome by guilt, Daniel is in a life-threatening coma - if it wasn't for her efforts, none of this would have happened. So she resolves to do everything she can to bring Daniel's attackers to justice. But, when Daniel does eventually regain consciousness, he isn't much help to Brodie. Until he was snatched from his ordinary life, he hadn't known he had an enemy in the world. All he knows is that the men who hurt him were looking for someone called Sophie - and he doesn't know anyone of that name. Daniel needs to understand what has happened to him and why he has been left scarred for life. The journey of discovery that he and Brodie embark upon leads them into a deeper and more complex tragedy than either first imagined...
Echoes of Lies
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
Penzler Pick, February 2002: It's fun to see how Jo Bannister, already acclaimed for her solid police procedurals, has decided to update some of the conventions of the classic British mystery. In Echoes of Lies she presents the first case featuring Brodie Farrell, a young woman who finds things for a living and has set out her shingle--"Looking for Something?"--in a small seaside town.
The problem, we quickly learn, is that Brodie (who's not a private investigator as such but who will, for a fee, locate missing people as well as lost objects) can't answer for what happens to the information she provides after her clients have paid the bill. In a positively harrowing first chapter, a young man is mysteriously and horrendously tortured, and in the more placid but no less shocking second, a guilt-stricken Brodie believes herself responsible for the several days of agony leading to this poor stranger's ghastly death that she's just read about in the morning paper.
What the truth really is, you'll have to read Echoes of Lies to find out. And even though a fair suspension of disbelief is required as the story zigs and zags its way to several levels of denouement, there's no question that quitting before the end is next to impossible. It's simply one of those books that keeps upending your expectations and making you demand to know how it's all going to come out in the end. --Otto Penzler --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Deviating from her popular police procedurals (Changelings, etc.), British veteran Bannister introduces a new mystery series that's both fresh and different. Brodie Farrell, recently divorced and the single parent of a four-year-old, runs her own search service, Looking for Something? When a woman asks her to find a man in a photograph who she says has cheated her out of a great deal of money, Brodie, whose only prior detective experience has been limited to finding antique books and cranberry glass epergnes, accepts the case and soon tracks down and identifies the man as mathematics teacher Daniel Hood. After thugs torture, shoot and leave Daniel for dead, Brodie, plagued with guilt, dutifully reports her involvement to the police. When it becomes apparent that Daniel was an innocent victim, Brodie joins him in an investigation that will lead them into a world of the very rich where the life of a child is in jeopardy, money is all important and truth has no value. Lies abound from beginning to end in a plot that twists and turns until its surprising conclusion. As usual, the author skillfully juxtaposes a complex puzzle with insightful character studies. Particularly poignant here is the sensitivity with which she treats Daniel's psychological state as he tries to recover. Brodie is intelligent but sometimes impetuous, caring but sometimes overzealous. But then again, she's new at this work. Committed Bannister fans and those fond of psychological mysteries will welcome Brodie's debut.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a very challenging read,
By tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Echoes of Lies (Hardcover)
"Echoes of Lies" by Jo Bannister is a very challenging book to read. At least it was for me. From very nearly the beginning, Bannister challenged every concept I had on the notions of justice, law, retribution and forgiveness. Jo Bannister really pushed the envelop with this novel.The plot has already been reviewed rather well, and to discuss it any more would give away plot developments that could spoil things for those who haven't yet read this 'must read' novel. So, I'll stick to what I liked about "Echoes of Lies." The solution to the criminal act of who tortured Daniel Hood, and why is resolved a quarter way through the book. This leads private detective Brodie Farrell and Daniel to another crime and another innocent whose life is at stake. And the identity of the mastermind behind that crime was quite easy to guess as well. No, it's not the crimes or how Daniel and Brodie arrive at the solutions of these crimes that makes this book such compelling reading, but rather the manner in which Bannister makes the reader examine concepts such as punishment of the crime, justice, retribution and revenge. Daniel, the victim of torture, is a character that many will seldom come across, whether in fiction or in real life. The question that nagged at me while I read this book -- is Daniel doing the right thing? -- haunted me even after I had finished the book. This is a book that makes you think and question the accepted social mores about justice and retribution. And is what ultimately makes "Echoes of Lies" such compelling reading. Bannister did an excellent job in the pacing and execution of the novel -- each new development in the mystery led to an even deeper one. And I liked the manner in which Bannister made each new incident development in the mystery result in the 'fleshing out' of characters as well as insights into their motives. "Echoes in Lies" is an excellent read. I finished the book in one go -- I simply couldn't put it down. It's not quite the traditional mystery novel, but is a great read nonetheless. Here's my advice: run (don't walk) to your nearest library/bookstore and get this book!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The start of a refreshing new mystey series,
This review is from: Echoes of Lies (Hardcover)
Following her divorce, Brodie Farrell opens up the Look For Something? Shop. Brodie takes on clients seeking to find things or people. When a woman asks Brodie to find a man, she agrees to accept the case because the client insists the person in the picture conned her out of money. A few days later, Brodie locates the mark and provides the information to her customer. Not long after completing her assignment, Brodie sees a picture of the man she found accompanied by an article in which the newspaper states he was tortured and killed. Brodie admits to the police her role in the victim's death only to learn he remains alive in a hospital under watch. She asks for absolution and receives it from the victim and soon Brodie and Daniel become friends, joining forces to track down the person who hired her. Soon the plot thickens as they find the torturers who thought Daniel was part of a scheme to kidnap a child. This novel is quite different than the Castlemane series, but remains a solid tale. Brodie and Daniel are interesting characters with strong moral cores that takes them outside the law to do what each one feels is right. ECHOES OF LIES is a combination character story packed inside a Bond-like thriller. Harriet Klausner
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
More than a thriller...,
By
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This review is from: Echoes of Lies (Hardcover)
It would be easy to categorize "Echos of Lies" a 'thriller' or a good mystery, but to do so would be to take the easy way out. Jo Bannister's novel certainly fits those superficial descriptions--in fact, it rates most highly in the suspense department. But in all fairness to the author, there is much more going on here. "Echos of Lies" is an examination of lies, and lies about lies. Not only is the kidnapping of a young child a lie, all of the relationships which surround Sophie are filled with untruths and pain. And each of the characters who participates in her rescue must create their own deceptions and wrestle with the question of the destructive nature of truth. When should they lie? When is it better to tell a half-truth, or no truth at all? At the beginning of the novel, Daniel Hood is tortured relentlessly for information: the first words he speaks in chapter one are "I don't know...".And he doesn't know. Miraculously, he survives physically, and confronts his torturers. Miraculously, he unravels the mysteris surrounding kidnapping and death. And at the end, the truth is too destructive to be told. The last sentence of the book is Daniel's lie to the police inspector: "No," he lied. "She never knew, and I never told her." This book is truly good writing. More than just a challenging read or a thriller, it contains a penetrating depth of thought which makes it intellectually satisfying as well.
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