Customer Reviews

Tell Me No Lies

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a Elizabeth Lowell reprint, but one I enjoy the most. The story revolves around possible stolen bronzes from China and the possibility of US/China relations breakdown if the bronzes are found in the US.

Lindsey Danner is being used by the FBI and both sides of China politics in a bid to break or keep relations with US. Her reputation for always being able to tell the true from fake bronzes is one reason everyone wants her. Her total rock solid refusal to lie about a bronze puts her in danger; if she is brought in to identify the stolen bronzes and they are found to be real, relations will break. So, some chinese politicians definitely want her dead.

In comes the Dragon, Jacob MacArthur Catlin, late of the CIA. He is brought in to pay off an old debt to a chinese family. Catlin is to protect Lindsey from everyone and to be her "guide" during an FBI sting to recover the bronzes. However, during the sting, Catlin and Lindsey are to act as lovers. Lindsey finds acting as Catlin's lover hard since she is a truthfull person. As the sting goes on, it becomes harder and harder to tell the truth from lies. Is Catlin attracted to her? or is it the act?

This is a very riviting and steamy novel. As always, I love the culture, history, and behind the scenes of Lowell's characters' professions. It is always a learning experience reading a Lowell novel for me.

So enjoy "Tell Me No Lies"...

Elizabeth Lowell's books are rarely plain vanilla but this book is a spicy treat. I suspected I was in for a great read when Romantic Times picked this as Lowell's best book in their list of the 200 greatest books since 1981. It was better than that.

Start with two protagonists with exotic backgrounds. Caitlin (the male protagonist) is a former CIA agent who infiltrated Vietmam after the fall of Saigon. Lindsay is the child of Chinese missionaries who witnessed the brutality of the early days of Mao. She's now a museum curator specializing in ancient Chinese artificats.

The plot revolves around a missing Chinese bronze sculpture which is rumored to be in the San Francisco. Caitlin and Lindsay are trying to find it, as are the FBI, the PRC and assorted other dangerous parties. (Keeping track of all these players and their motivations makes this an unusually challenging read for a romance.) There's lots of lurking in the corners of Chinatown and relatively little of tourist San Francisco (a good thing in my opinion).

But the real reason to read this book is the chemistry between Caitlin and Lindsay. It's hotter than the best Hunan food in San Francisco and will warm up your dreams.

My only gripe about the book -- the name Caitlin made me think of sweet little girls, not a studly guy. Oh well.

A wonderful book that provides hours of enjoyment. I got it when it first came out, and have reread it whenever I need a romantic literary boost and nothing new has come out. Love the depth of character and setting output (sorry, correct word escapes me), and the amount of knowledge, both artistic and cultural, that she gives. Fantastic! Would like to see a book developed on Sam Wang. Anyone who could create a dragon of such superb workmanship would be as fascinating in his own right as Catlin. Love any and all her books, be they as Elizabeth Lowell, Ann Maxwell, or A.E.Maxwell. Wish the Fiddler series would have continued. Didn't really end, to my way of reading. The several series she has developed, with character continuations, are greatly enjoyed. Love her work and am looking forward to the next Donovan, or other, book.

I bought this book thinking it was brand new and was very disappointed when I found I had already read it and it had simply been re-released as a hardback with a new name. It was a very good book even the second time around but I still have the original and I could not help but feel a little ripped off. When a book is released for a second time under a different name and promoted on a new book it should say so. In a place you would see it and on the inside where look when you realize you have read this book before.

I am currently reading each of E.L's novels one by one. I consider this one, one of the best so far. I couldn't wait to see what happened next and how Lindsay was going to handle the situations she was put in. There were so many sub-plots going on with all the governmental officials and with Lindsay and Catlin, it really kept me reading on. Of course, I found the romance between Lindsay and Catlin exciting. It truely enhanced the story instead of being the whole focus of it. I finished this book in two days and could have gone on for more. I feel this book was written very well with intelligent characters, developed plots and insights into the chinese culture. I hope I'll discover another one of E.L's books that is as entertaining and long (457 pages) as this one. Kudos to the author!

I was put off by the title of this book, I guess Trust No One was taken. And I had to overlook the cover notes that said it was about Chinese art. I know nothing about the Chinese and thought I would get lost in a book about an ex-CIA operative in Asia. I was wrong. Before I completed the book I had spent happy hours on the internet looking for information on the art described in the novel and photos of the charioteer. Of course, a few years have passed since the book was written and the art is more accessable now, but for 20 years almost no one outside China saw these incredible bronze works. I learned a lot.

Aside from the intrique this book is hot. Lowell works the familar formula of ex-CIA undercover guy hero in a way that is credible. And Lindsay, our heroine, is not a virgin or 20 years old. She is an independent woman with a life of her own. She and our hero do not fall into bed the first night, it takes them weeks to determine what they want. The are partners, they are forced to live together, eat together, and have conversations. Doing the job they get to know each other, and eventually they deliberately consumate their relationship.

I recommend this book as the best I have read by Lowell and one of the best by any romance writer. Romance/suspense novels are uneven. I have yet to find a consistent writer who satisfies in everytime. I doubt that I will. This book has an unusual balance that is a surprise. I loved it.

I didn't realize this was a re-issue when I bought it, but that doesn't change the fact that it's one of the better suspense-romance books I've read. As other reviews have noted, Elizabeth Lowell did her homework for this book, and it shows. There's a ring of authenticity that simply can't be faked. As usual, the characters are compelling and the romance is red-hot. I literally could not put it down until I had finished. This one's a keeper.

By the way, our hero's last name is CATlin, not CAITlin.

Highly recommend. If you like this one, be sure to read Elizabeth Lowell's "Amber Beach", "Jade Island," "Pearl Cove," and "Midnight in Ruby Bayou". You won't be disappointed.

Tell Me No Lies was first published before the mysterious charioteers were made public and allowed to be viewed. This book is an exquisite account of relationships: Chinese vs. Chinese, Chinese vs. American, man vs. woman, strong vs. weak, respect vs. disrespect, truth vs. lies. It is a story to be savored, kept, and reread.
Lindsay Danner's innate gift for knowing the truth is central to the plot. Her inner struggle to portray herself as a liar for the love of a man is revealed by Elizabeth Lowell with such poignancy that it this story goes far beyond the bounds of a mere romance/thriller. Catlin's struggle with the man he has been and the man he becomes, in addition to his tender understanding of Lindsay's inner turmoil, submerses the reader totally into the story's "atmosphere."
I have always loved this story. Elizabeth Lowell is an extraordinary writer, and I look forward to each and every new publication.

Tell Me No Lies is one of the more enjoyable books that I have read. I am amazed at the in-depth research that Ms. Lowell has done, not only regarding the Chinese culture, but also the Pacific Rim trade and governmental bureaucracies. Her characters are real; male and female are readily identified with. It is a pleasure to read this book (more than once).

One thing I really appreciate about Elizabeth Lowell is the amount of research she does into whatever "theme" she decides to use for her novels, be it jewels, or in this case, Chinese bronze sculptures. Not only does the reader get a gripping, fast moving novel of romantic suspense, there is the bonus of being introduced to a new and fascinating world. Her characters are both likeable and believable, her plots are intriguing, and the romantic angle brings everything together to make this a great, highly recommended read.