Customer Reviews

Liars All

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

A tragic car accident. A missing necklace. A local mobster. An infant with an incurable disease. This book has enough twists and sub-plots to keep anyone's brain whirring. This mystery was more interesting than Laughed 'Till He Died. I enjoyed the British setting and the twists in the plot, especially toward the end. Many authors, myself included, have a wretched end game. It is very difficult to write the last chapter of a book - the problems are all solved, the characters are well-known, all the loose ends are tied up. But this book had a satisfying ending, and not one that dragged out long after the denouement, either. I will probably see if the public library has any more books by this author.

Another in the outstanding Brodie Farrell series - the characters are so intricately drawn and human - you won't be able to put it down.

This series seems to have run its course. The characters in the earlier books, especially Brodie Farrell, were refreshing and the plots captured the reader's interest. Sadly, the characters have become intensely self-centered and endlessly self-analytical (especially that pseudo-saintly bore Daniel Hood) while the who-done-it tension is almost nonexistent. I did finish Liars All in the hope that it somehow would improve as the pages turned but no such luck.

I really like Jo Bannister's books. Her style of writing makes each character stand out and seem like real flesh and blood people who are in no way perfect. Once you start one of her books you find it very hard to put down until the very end. True - I do wish Jonathan wasn't given the problems he was given but with Brodie and Deacon's peronalities - maybe the only way they can truly become a solidly bonded couple is to go thru something so serious and heartbreaking. I have rooted for Daniel from the very beginning and hope that he finds somone who will give him all that he needs emotionally. He has given so much of himself to other people that he deserves true happiness. This book took me thru many emotions and when I reached the end of it I felt as emotionally battered as if I had physically walked every step of the way with the charactors - as if they were real family members. That is how gifted a writer Jo Bannister is. You don't just read the book - you experience it. I don't know how many more books she can write in this series but whether she continues it or stops and starts another series - I will be picking up every single one. She has been a writer who has consistently entertained and never disappointed me. I would very much recommend her to anyone who wants to get in touch with reality and doesn't mind having to keep a full tissue box next to them.

In South Downs, Bobby Carson purposely runs down Tom Sanger and Jane Moss; Tom dies and Jane is severely injured. Bobby stops not to see if the couple is okay, but instead he steals a black star sapphire necklace that Tom just gave to his fiancée.

Bobby pawns the necklace, but is caught soon afterward by law enforcement. Bobby's mother Margaret feels sad and melancholy as she had high hopes for her son; she hires Brodie Farrell of Looking for Something? to find the necklace and give it back to Jane.

This is a superb Brodie Farrell mystery (see Closer Still) as the two moms share a special camaraderie with Margaret knowing her offspring is a psychopath and Brodie's child Jonathan is very sick. Besides the moms and their sons, the support cast enhances this extremely emotional investigation especially Jane's friend and assistant Daniel Hood and Brodie's ex Detective Superintendent Jack Deacon. Fans of the excellent series will realize this is one of the best as readers will muse over the things we do for love.

Harriet Klausner