Genuine Lies [Hardcover]

Nora Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1998

From Nora Roberts, phenomenal author of Sanctuary, Sweet Revenge, and many other bestsellers, comes her classic novel of Hollywood's brightest stars and darkest schemes, available in hardcover for the first time.

She is the last of the movie goddesses, and the greatest: a smoky-voiced sex symbol who clawed her way up the ladder to two Oscars and a Tony, four husbands and a legion of lovers.  Her beauty is staggering, her power awesome.  There is no secret, no lie, no scandal she doesn't know.  Now, still in the spotlight after fifty years, Eve Benedict has decided to write her memoirs--no holds barred.  All Hollywood begs her not to.  But Eve has her reasons....

And she has handpicked her biographer.  She has transported twenty-eight-year-old Julia Summers, already renowned for her skill and integrity as a writer, from a quiet Connecticut existence to glitzy Beverly Hills.  Lovely, self-sufficient, and proudly professional, Julia hates the limelight but loves her work--and the home it built for the ten-year-old son she's raising alone.  How can she refuse this chance of a lifetime? How can she know how dramatically her hard-won peace will be shattered?

Among the beautiful people in Eve's entourage is her beloved stepson, crime novelist Paul Winthrop, the child she herself could never have.  Behind his elegance and sexy good looks simmers a resolve to kill Eve's tell-all story--and a desire for Julia that spells danger for her carefully guarded heart.

But danger of a far deadlier kind is already stalking Julia and her book.  First comes a series of anonymous menacing notes.  Then her house is ransacked, her interview tapes rifled.  For as an unlikely bond forms between Julia and Eve and the legendary star gradually reveals layers of her fantastic life and its vivid cast--the glamorous, the famous, the passionate, and the perverse--she is keeping one secret for last.  It is one that will change Julia's life--and could cut it brutally short....

In Genuine Lies, Nora Roberts has created a transfixing tale of sensuality and suspense, of buried desire and awakening terror.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

With her storytelling abilities in full force, Nora Roberts goes Hollywood in this contemporary romantic suspense. Ever since Julia Summers became a single mother at 18, she's focused all her energies on creating a secure home for her 10-year-old son, Brandon, and establishing herself as a sought-after biographer of Hollywood stars. Now quintessential movie goddess Eve Benedict, whose 50-year career has included two Oscars, four husbands, and scores of lovers, has particularly sought out Julia to write Eve's ultimate tell-all book. But as Eve reveals to Julia her many long-held secrets, Julia realizes there's a whole cast of characters with good reasons to keep Eve silent, including Eve's well-loved stepson, Paul Winthrop, a handsome novelist whose desire for Julia is beginning to penetrate her wary reserve. Eve, still glamorous, desirable, and reckless, thinks she's set the stage for events she can direct, but more and more, it's clear that someone dangerous is out of control. Fast paced, with a good balance between suspense and romance, and with more heart than many Hollywood-set novels. --Ellen Edwards

From Publishers Weekly

Though the opening scene of this book refers to a murder, that deed only occurs 100 pages from the end of the story, when Roberts's ( Public Secrets ) disappointing tale finally heats up. Until then, the reader is dragged through the sordid secrets of a dreary collection of friends, lovers, employees and ex-husbands of 67-year-old film star Eve Benedict. She has hired Julia Summers to write an authorized biography, an expose of Hollywood life guaranteed to irk most of her past associates. And soon an aggressor swings into action: Eve and Julia receive threatening notes; Julia's rooms are broken into twice; finally, Eve is silenced permanently. So whodunit? The suspects are legion: Eve's nephew and agent, Drake Morrison, now fired and disinherited; former lover Michael Delrickio, whose mob connections Eve planned to reveal; actress Gloria DuBarry, a symbol of morality--provided no one learns of her affair and abortion. Or maybe it was Eva's devoted supporters Nina Soloman and Dorothy Travers, who are more than just staff. Or Eve's stepson, mystery writer Paul Winthrop, who has a marked interest in Julia. Or, as the police think, Julia herself.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Mass Market Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Bantam (June 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0553108344
• ISBN-13: 978-0553108347
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (65 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #898,484 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

37 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Romantic Suspense!, January 30, 2002

By 

Sophie (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genuine Lies (Mass Market Paperback)

"Genuine Lies" is a fabulously entertaining and thrilling novel, and is sure to please readers.
Julia Summers has been a single mom since she was 18-years-old and now her life is devoted to providing a safe and happy environment for her 10-year-old son, Brandon. Julia has established herself as a sought after Hollywood biographer, and her life is simple, just the way she wants it.
When movie goddess Eve Benedict enlists Julia to write her tell ALL biography of her 50-year career including numerous awards, husbands, and lovers, Julia is thrilled. But as Eve reveals her many deep, dark secrets, Julia realizes that there are a great many people who are desperate to keep Eve quiet and keep her book from ever being published.
Paul Winthrop, handsome novelist and Eve's beloved stepson, is protective of Eve and unsure of Julia. He believes this book can bring nothing but trouble. However, Paul finds himself very attracted to Julia, and Julia's resolve to stay single begins to weaken. Paul and Julia are both well-developed and likable characters, and their romance is sweet and beautifully rendered.
Eve believes that she has everything under control, but it soon becomes clear that there is a highly dangerous individual nearby who will take any measure necessary to stop this book - which means that Eve and Julia had better watch their backs!
This is a wonderful story full of suspense, intrigue and romance. It creates an excellent and exciting picture of Hollywood, and tells a story that will keep you glued to the pages. The ending is fabulous and totally unexpected. I guarantee you will enjoy this book - so buy it today!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining from Beginning to End, June 15, 2004

By 

Angel Karmer "SerenaMoon" (GA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Genuine Lies (Mass Market Paperback)

This novel is like a soap opera, but only more fun, more interesting, and more suspenseful. I was dubious in the beginning about this novel because I usually don't like plots with flashbacks, especially when it isn't between the couple falling in love, Julia and Paul, in this case. But this book is a definite exception, most importantly because I love the characters. There were a lot of characters but you get so enraptured in the novel that you actually do end up knowing all the twenty characters or so. Heck, Eve's husbands and lovers probably made up most of it. Despite the many characters, each character was fully developed and had a personality which was great. Also, ever have a person try to describe a soap opera to you with all the love triangles, murder, and revenge? This novel is kinda like that.

This book twists your emotions all around. A reader becomes sad, angry, understanding, and amused, sometimes all at the same time. I was laughing continuously throughout the book, especially when Eve meets Paul for the first time. I was tearing up with a couple of Eve's stories, especially of Charlie Gray's unrequited love of her and his action because of that. Yes, I am being deliberately vague to avoid giving away that story, although there are so many great stories I doubt you'd care. There were also some parts that were supposed to be sad but because of Nora Roberts's witty descriptions, I ended up laughing out loud despite everything. The novel has many plots all intertwining and then tying up into an unpredictable ending. Guessing the killer was a real mystery to me since everytime I thought I had it figured it out, I changed the killer to a different person.

Now about the characters that I loved so much: Some people might think Eve coldhearted but she did care. She was a strong woman that knew everyone's secrets. Eve had a hard life and it was amazing to me how she could keep moving through all the trials that were heaped unto her. Paul and Julia made a great couple, distrustful of each other at first and then coming to love each other. Julia I really liked because she is a heroine, she protects her son in many ways even to the point of knocking a teacher out. :)

There were some dark characters and some dark stories. If you hate books with rape, suicide, infidelity, people sleeping around, murder, and all that--this book might not be for you. Because like I said, it is kind of like a soap opera. But it is a great enough book to see if you would like it or not. Believe me, just buy it.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Genuine Lies, August 29, 2001

By 

K. Morgan (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Genuine Lies (Hardcover)

Julia Summers has been hand picked to write the memoirs of Eve Benedict by Eve herself. She packs up her ten year old son and heads off to California to research and write the book. Once in California Julia begins receiving pieces of paper with sayings on them that are intended to be threatening. A lot of people want to put a stop to the writing of Eve's memoirs but one person in particular wants the book to never be published. Herein lies the mystery of the book. Just who is that one person.
There are a lot of characters in this book. All of which are close to Eve in some manner. I found it hard at times to keep all the characters straight. And then there were the flashbacks when Eve was telling of certain events or times. This book seemed to go on and on with little or no purpose. Once I got within the last hundred pages of the book it became very interesting and worth the time reading. I only wish the first three hundred pages could have kept my attention. It was hard to keep reading when I found it not that interesting. There was a climax to the storyline but I think it was too far into the book. To tell Eve's story took awhile but it wasn't really all that interesting.
To sum it up--Genuine Lies is a good book if you like the tales of the rich and famous (even if they are fictional). This book could have stood to be shorter. It might have even been better. If it wasn't for the last one hundred pages I would have rated this book two stars.