No More Lies (Mass Market Paperback)

by Susan Squires (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
All of the elements that made Squires's previous sci-fi romantic suspense novel, Body Electric, such an eye-popping read manifest themselves here-a feverish romance, a pervasive sense of danger and an exhilarating chase full of adrenaline-fueled encounters. This time, however, Squires shifts her focus from the computer sciences to the biological sciences, deftly tackling the ethical issues surrounding genetic research and skewering both religious and scientific fanaticism. The story opens sluggishly as psychiatrist Holland Banks struggles with her belief that she's going crazy. Not only does she hear voices, but she's convinced that a man in a plaid shirt is stalking her. As it turns out, he is. Reporter Jeff McQueen hears the voices too, and he thinks Holland can help quiet them. Holland spends the first several chapters dodging Jeff and her narcissistic father, who wants her help with his latest genetic manipulation experiment. When she finally teams up with Jeff and they realize that they share an abnormal but extraordinary gene, they find themselves on the run from a power-hungry senator, his hitmen and the Army. The scientific supposition supporting the story-that a genetic mutation can be passed via a virus-is murky, and secondary characters like Jeff's bible-thumping father lack dimension. However, few romantic suspense authors know how to write a chase sequence as thrillingly as Squires, and readers who journey beyond the slow first half will find themselves hopelessly engaged.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Dr. Holland Banks hears voices in her head, and her nightmares have turned into reality. In fact, it seems as though she has become as crazy as the patients she sees at the plush, private Century Psychiatric Hospital. And she is being stalked by investigative reporter Jeff McQueen. Jeff is also hearing voices, the same ones that are plaguing Holland, but, oddly enough, when the two of them touch, the voices stop, leaving their telepathic link to each other intact. Squires' fast-paced conspiracy novel gives readers a run for their money, and then some. Evil government officials, nefarious drug companies, and even Holland's own father, who's involved in Mengele-like genetic experiments, are all potential villains, but the plot twists and turns until the bad and the good begin to blend. Readers who enjoy Michael Creighton and Robin Cook will be delighted to discover that Squires, a master of the epic historical novel, is also a master of suspense. Shelley Mosley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 406 pages
• Publisher: Love Spell; Reprint edition (September 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0505525666
• ISBN-13: 978-0505525666
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #825,613 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Incredibly imaginative storytelling, December 6, 2003

By	Heartstrings Reviews - See all my reviews

No one is more familiar with the symptoms of mental illness and the early stages of schizophrenia than Dr. Holland Banks, Director of Medical Services at Century Psychiatric Hospital in L.A. and head of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation. Hearing voices, having violent dreams and unconsciously slipping into a paranoid state are definitely indications of psychosis...but is she really losing her mind? The susurrations in her ears are steadily growing in volume and clarity; her dreams are becoming more violent by the day; and she's beginning to think a man -- brown hair, solid build, plaid shirt -- is stalking her, though she doesn't know why.

For a woman as put-together, self-possessed and in control as Holland, her progressively fragile mental state is a terrifying thing. Especially when she's trying to present a poised, polished and professional image to the world -- and more importantly, to her overbearing, narcissistic father, Dr. Leland Banks, a renowned geneticist whom regards the field of psychiatry as a pseudoscience. His condescension has put a tense strain on their relationship, but Holland is still ridiculously needy for her father's approval. Without it, her numerous accomplishments have felt like hollow victories.

The elder Banks isn't above seeking his daughter's help -- and consequently, cultivating a little extra publicity -- for a ground-breaking genome project, however, in which volunteers have been injected with a viral sector containing junk DNA. And who are now hearing voices (other people's thoughts, in fact) or have committed suicide. Not a particularly alarming coincidence in and of itself, but when her stalker, Jeff McQueen, is admitted to Century Hospital with similar symptoms, Holland realizes there's a frightening connection to her own condition. But it doesn't stop there: the entire world is about to be swept up into the madness of an epidemic that's dually tied to conspiracy and murder.

Susan Squires has put her mad genius on display -- for imaginative storytelling, that is -- in NO MORE LIES, a dark, edgy, contemporary thriller that will follow you into your dreams (should you make the mistake of staying up late to find out the fate of the world). Categorized as a romantic suspense novel, the plot also has paranormal and science fiction elements to it, ensuring that Ms. Squires's story about government conspiracies and genetic mutations will be a uniquely provocative reading experience. One that defies genre boundaries and isn't at all shy about exploring the inherent darkness of the human psyche; as well as the powerfully intimate bonds between Holland and Jeff, of course, who are soulmates in the truest sense of the word.

If their relationship is somewhat secondary to other plot developments, at least initially, the enforced intimacy of their shared thoughts will add a new dimension to the storyline. While the ill-timed sexual attraction between Ms. Squire's protagonists is complicated by their need to touch -- hip to hip, hand to thigh, however subtly -- in order to quiet the voices inside of their heads. So maintaining their physical distance isn't an option for Holly and Jeff, not if they want to keep their sanity intact and remain one step ahead of the people they're running from: a deadly sniper, Holland's father, members of the government, as well as the military. The building momentum in NO MORE LIES is truly incredible, and so, too, is Susan Squires's wonderfully fertile imagination.

Kudos to the author for daring to be different and for plunging readers into the dark fantastic without a parachute -- a familiar but eerie expanse; and one so strangely intoxicating, I'd like to beg the author's indulgence and request a sequel to this gritty, adventurous tale to fill in a few blanks and completely ensure a reader's peace of mind.

C.L. Jeffries, Heartstrings | Romance Novels and Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars scary, edgy, dark....and brilliant!!, October 1, 2003

By	Deborah MacGillivray "Author," (US & UK) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Dr. Holland Banks is head of the Century Psychiatric Hospital and president of the Schizophrenia Research Foundation and the phrase "Physician Heal Thyself" is foremost at the front of her brain. It's just not Holly's week. She is suffering from terrible nightmares from which she awakens thinking her hand is an evil being. At first, she chalks this up to her inner feelings of being inadequate. The daughter of a high-powered research scientist, she has never measures up to the mad-scientist daddy dearest's hopes for her. She feels she has to continually push be perfect, in her work, in her appearance, and the only place Holly lets down her hair is her home. She could chalk up the odd dreams to the pressure of younger
doctors wanting her position, and that she always fears someone is going to find out she is not as good as she thinks she should be. Except for one thing: someone is stalking her.

She first sees him outside her exercise club, then later as she is coming out of a restaurant from a meeting with her father. The man is handsome in a rugged way, and dressed in a plaid shirt - always a plaid shirt. Her sense of losing her sanity increased as she begins to hear his thoughts. Someone took a shot at her ...she thought it was the stalker, but the police
point out she was watching his hands at the time and he was not holding a gun. Was someone else shooting at her? Where they shooting at him?

The riddle of the stalker's identity comes to light at a press conference where her father is announcing his breakthrough in genes altering. Holly fears her father is pushing into areas that are not only outside of what is legal, but way beyond what is ethical, and has warned him not to announce she has anything to do with his work. Despite two warnings, Leyland Banks does just this because he needs Holly's reputation ...and more. When the stalker breaks into the conferences and attacks Leyland, Holly's grip on reality slips even further, for she hears what the stalker is thinking.

The man is admitted to her hospital as a patient, and Holly is strangely drawn to the reporter who seems to have gone mad. She is rattled by his blethering about people who thought they were aliens...very similar to Holly's own dream. As she begins to work with the reporter, she starts to fear something dark and sinister is spreading it tentacles throughout the city. There are strange deaths, people disappearing, and a sniper on the loose racking up nearly two dozen kills ...and at the bottom it Holly's fears her father's work is the cause of it all.

Squires continually pushes the edge in her writing. Keeping the reading off balance and pulling them along on the dark ride. It's a first class nail bitter that you won't be able to put down.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This author is awesome and so is the story..., September 30, 2003

By	Huntress Reviews (United States) - See all my reviews

Holland Banks, (Holly), has made a sucessful career for herself as a pschiatrist, despite the fact that she often feels like she is going insane herself. Voices clammer in her head, giving her little peace. It is not until she meets another person with a problem much like her own that she has hope of finding peace.

Jeff McQueen first encounters Holly when he attacks her and her father. Later, when he becomes her patient, Holly finds herself attracted to this strange man who is able to bring silence to her voices. When they touch, Holly and Jeff are able to find peace. They also find that they can hear each other's every thought. They are not the only ones though. Hundreds of people in the world have this blessed curse. Those people are the voices in their head. What is more alarming is that Holland's father is working with a corrupt senator to use as many of these people as possible in genetic manipulations and political schemes that could lead to a world wide nightmare.

Imagine, a world where no one could lie, not even the white, polite lies that are termed diplomacy. In a world built upon lies, the truth is the one thing that could destroy reality. Holland and Jeff must stop the senator from his scheme to control the world. The two lovers set off on a journey across the country, barely a step ahead of an enemy who can invade their very thoughts.

***** One of the best things about Susan Squires is that she always creates a new way to tell stories. Her plot is exciting and thought provoking, and her characters realistic. From politics to religion, she covers all bases. There may be many books about psychics, but there is not one that is like NO MORE LIES. *****