Telling Lies [Hardcover]

Wendy Hornsby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1992

When her medical crusading sister, Emily, is gunned down in Los Angeles, investigative reporter Maggie McGowen is determined to track down the gunman and finds herself uncovering a twisted story with origins in Emily's days as a sixties radical.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Left lying for hours in a rain-splattered Los Angeles alley with a bullet in her brain, political firebrand Dr. Emily Duschamps is comatose. Her sister Maggie MacGowen, a filmmaker/amateur sleuth last seen in No Harm , searches Los Angeles for the would-be murderer in this sharply written mystery. Although beloved by her colleagues and community, Emily has a formidable list of enemies including the FBI, a couple who believe she killed their son, former activists and politicians. These comprise the initial list of suspects. Numbered among her friends are some of the most influential people in the city and, contrary to Maggie's hope, the evidence indicates that one of them is the would-be assassin. Her investigation takes her through skid row, into the past and their family's antiwar activism and into a murderous trap from which she barely escapes. Maggie is up against an assailant ready to kill and determined to reveal some secrets about Emily's politics that could destroy the only thing she has left--her reputation. Hornsby's cinematic eye for detail, witty dialogue and credible surprise ending yield a compelling and evocative read.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Documentary filmmaker Maggie MacGowen, summoned to Los Angeles by sister Emily on the anniversary of their brother's death, finds the famous former radical (now a doctor) in the hospital close to death. After notifying her parents and falling in with the engaging Detective Flint, Maggie sets out to find the person who shot her beloved sister. She searches from the gutters to the ballroom of L.A. and questions everyone from street people to friends from Emily's war-protesting days. Hornsby captures her setting and characters well, writes with panache, and maintains suspense with a smooth hand. A delight, better than her previous Half a Mind ( LJ 1/90).
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Adult; First edition (June 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525934723
• ISBN-13: 978-0525934721
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,631,183 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Wendy Hornsby (1947 - ) is a native of Southern California, the setting for her nine mystery novels. Among the awards she has received for her work are the Edgar Allan Poe Award (the "Edgar") and its French equivalent le Grand Prix de litterature policiere, as well as nominations for the Anthony Award and the Prix Du Roman D'Adventures. While a NPR interviewer described the author as a "soft-spoken college professor," critics have described her work as "refreshing [and] real" (NY Times), "unusually poignant" (LA Times), and "powerful writing and... equally thought-provoking story" (Publisher's Weekly). The Cleveland Plain Dealer declared, "No mystery novelist since Raymond Chandler may have captured downtown Los Angeles as Hornsby does."

Hornsby lives in Long Beach CA, where she teaches history at a local college.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Telling it well!, July 15, 2000

By 

JoAnne Coakley (Maumee, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telling Lies (Maggie MacGowen Mystery) (Paperback)

This is not just a murder mystery, it's also a great story. Sure, there's a murder, actually more than one, but the characters are so interesting, the murders sort of take a backseat to all the relationships between the main characters. Maggie McGowen is gutsy and bright and Mike Flint is the perfect match for her. The sparks fly between them right from the start and that relationship is almost as fascinating as the background to the story which is seen in flashbacks. A real winner! You're going to want to read about Maggie and Mike again.