Customer Reviews

Fake Liar Cheat

5 star:		(24)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Fake Liar Cheat is a wild ride. Tod Goldberg knows his Hollywood and he knows his dead-end jobs and he knows bad, bad, women. Put it all together and you've got one of the funniest books of the year. By far the best MTV title I've read because it isn't filled with GenX angst...instead its filled with actual angst. Besides, any book that contains a line dissing The Real World and is still put out by MTV deserves some measure of credit. A major work by a big time player in the next century of fiction.

Hot damn! Anyone who likes the classic noir writers across the decades will eat up the first-novel pageburner "Fake Liar Cheat" by Tod Goldberg, one of a new series of Pocketbooks/MTV collaborations. The book begins with a chance encounter by temp-employment recruiter and wage-slave Lonnie Milton with a woman at one of those coffee-shop megabookstores -- and is suddenly shot out of the cannon with a blazing burst of wierdness reminsicient of Charles Willeford and Jim Thompson (combined!). What I thought was probably a ho-hum Hollywood nothing book started increasingly rearing up as a real thriller, with a well-worked plot, great characterization, pacing, and dialogue. (Elmore Leonard fans go 'head!) I read the 162 pages in one sitting. The other authors I mentioned are not intended as a comparison or implication of imitation, but if you like those tough guys, you will love this one! To even mention anything about the plot of this book would spoil it for you -- just go get the blessed thing and read it! It's great movie material, already sold, according to another review on this site -- I just hope they stay faithful to the book, including the ending, which in fine form does not compromise itself commercially. It made me want to check out the other books in Pocketbooks/MTV series. Pocketbooks has always been on the cutting edge of paperbacks and Goldberg is worthy of the imprimatur. Hope Goldberg can keep up this momentum in his career -- it could be the start of a beautiful friendship for a lot of readers.

I don't know, maybe it's me but I just can't seem to get overly excited about these MTV books. They all seem basically they same to me, all pandering to the MTV generation of Britney Spears non-readers. They must be doing a good job though because we keep buying their books.

Fake Liar Cheat was okay. Nothing more than that. It reminded me of other MTV books that I've read in the past in that a lot of its plot lines and characters were unrealistic and underdeveloped. This book does its job of helping to pass the time, but anything beyond that is a stretch. If you're looking for good indie reading that is as believable as it is powerful, then I always recommend reading Dylan Raskin. These MTV books are just for passing time while waiting for the doctor.

This book was quite different from what I typically read. In fact, this book seems different from anything I've read before. It raises questions of what any of us would do if put in certain situations - if caught up in a world where we had only dreamed of existing.

Lonnie Milton could have been anybody. It's quite interesting to see how easily he makes himself fit in with all of L.A.'s glitz and glamour. With Claire at his side, he could've been anything he wanted. But when Claire's fantasy world upends itself, Lonnie is left struggling with who he is - trying to find his real self in such a deceptive world.

Some parts of this book aren't always clear on what's actually happening - whether it's going on in Lonnie's head or in reality. Then again, it could be the Vicodin. The ending in particular seemed a bit vague for my taste. I probably would've enjoyed an epilogue wrapping things up a bit more cleanly, but part of me is also glad it isn't clear. That way, my mind can direct the rest of the story however it wants.

Lonnie's cult following is also quite interesting. He seems to have brought people hope that anybody could become somebody important. His story tells people that they can rise above their nothingness, even if only for dinner. I don't quite understand why "Armani-man" was willing to give up his life for that, though. I understand a person rooting for the underdog, but how many people would really be willing to risk their lives for someone who stole a few dinners and could have killed someone? That's one part of the story that just doesn't sit well with me.

Freedom is an interesting theme in this book. On the one hand, Claire gave Lonnie the freedom to be whatever he wanted - to rise above mediocrity and live as someone important. However, the freedoms he took caused his life to spiral in on itself and completely out of his control. Just what amount of freedom can a person have before his freedom causes his own destruction?

In general, I enjoyed reading this book; it was a quick read, and for that short time, brought me into a world I'd never known. I haven't yet decided just how much I like the book though. It provides an interesting story and makes you think how you would react, but there are bits and pieces that just don't seem realistic enough, which prevents it from being a terrific book in my opinion. It's worth the short time it takes to read it and to question your own situation, but it's probably not something I'd read more than once.

Fake Liar Cheat holds you hostage. In a good, I-want-to-be-held-hostage kind of way. This book is super-hip without trying too hard. In this witty page-turner, Goldberg makes you want to befriend his characters. To go out and get crazy with them. As much as you'll want to recommend this one to friends; don't loan this one out. Make them get their own darn copy. There's always the chance they won't give it back and this is a book you'll read again and again.

This book grabbed my attention.. because MTV brought it out. I have all of MTV pocketbooks and this is the best our of the 5. It gets your attention with the first scene with Claire getting Lonnie to help her steal a book. The ride of his life just started there and... it contuines to unfold some great secrets and your'll never believe the ending. I didn't... and could not believe that the author ended it that way. But it makes you think. Great read... read it in about 3 hours.

Tod Goldberg shares his famous family's knack for cranking out page-turning prose characterized by wit, wisdom, and clever one-liners. The appeal of FAKE LIAR CHEAT, however, is not dependant upon any familiarity with books by his brother, Lee Goldberg (MY GUN HAS BULLETS, BEYOND THE BEYOND), or his uncle, Burl Barer (MURDER IN THE FAMILY, HEADLOCK, THE SAINT). The characters are captivating and believable, the quicksand of our primary character's continually evolving predicament compelling, and the intrinsic allure of the mysterious and irrevocably dangerous woman with whom he becomes entranced is undeniable. As for the near-mythic and hotly debated climax --- well, read it for yourself before they make a movie out of it and change everything.

I just met Tod Goldberg at book signing in San Francisco and he was hilarious! Fake Liar Cheat is just the tip of the iceberg with him, I think. If you get a chance to see Tod read live, do it, do it now. He's very personable and down right humble about all of his success. If you're not in the know,Fake Liar Cheat was bought by Miramax to be made into a film and Mr. Goldberg seemed like a real genuine soul and an all around nice guy. I can't wait to read whatever comes next from him. He also has a cool web site...[to]...look at.

I buy a lot of books for a buck a pop at a local thrift store. Most of them are so-so, but this one was a firecracker in a pile of duds.

This was short, fast paced, and funny, which was great considering how the main character's bucolic life falls down around his ears throughout the span of the story. It's a neat look into the brainless flashmob sort of fame that befalls people these days, whether they want it or not. Some run, some embrace it, then there's Lonnie.

This is a great read. It will only take you two or three hours to complete it and you'll feel like you've been on a roller coaster. Its a great first novel, but if you want to read a brillaint follow up, get Goldberg's "Living Dead Girl". Scary good, scary tense, and 180 degrees different from Fake liar Cheat. Still, this is a fantastic look at LA.