True Lies (Hardcover)

by Margaret Johnson-Hodge (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
An African-American woman gets more and less than she bargains for as she falls for a man with a child in the latest romantic drama from Johnson-Hodge (Some Sunday; Butterscotch Blues). When accountant Dajah Moore meets corrections officer Rick Trimmons, the attraction is instant. There's just one problem: Gina Alexander, the mother of Rick's four-year-old daughter, Kanisha. For Kanisha's sake, Rick still lives with irresponsible, hard-partying Gina, who is several years his junior. His feelings for Dajah spur him to end the relationship, but things don't exactly go smoothly from there. Dajah and Rick argue constantly, and unemployed Gina is a relentless irritant manipulating, blackmailing and stealing from Rick, using Kanisha as her trump card against him. Then he devises a scheme to purchase a two-family home so that he can be closer to his daughter; of course, once they move in (Rick downstairs, Gina and Kanisha up), it's a complete disaster, and Dajah finds herself running out of ways to "deflect the drama." When Gina gets arrested and loses custody of Kenisha, she resolves to better herself, but her renewal could be what finally forces Rick and Dajah apart. Despite clich‚d prose, much of it devoted to the woes of supporting characters, Johnson-Hodge moves easily and realistically between the middle-class world of Rick and Dajah and the seedier realm in which Gina operates. More importantly, she has created characters that, despite their flaws, readers will actually care about.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Dajah Moore is an average woman in an average coffee shop moments away from an extraordinary encounter. When she meets Rick Trimmons, she knows this could be the start of something special. For Rick, the feeling is mutual. The catch? Rick's number one love is his four-year-old daughter, and his number one complication is her mother, Gina, who isn't about to let Rick just walk out the door. Johnson-Hodge offers a poignant and lyrical tale of dreams lost, dreams deferred, and dreams reborn. Dajah, Rick, and the supporting cast discover how easy it is to lie to themselves, and how much they can learn once they recognize and accept the truth. This is a good book, which could have been great if Dajah had truly undergone a traditional journey of growth as a lead character really must. Instead Dajah, already well adjusted at the beginning, winds up being a foil for the more dramatic changes other characters endure. Nina Davis
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 357 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 157566917X
• ISBN-13: 978-1575669175
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (48 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,544,419 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very real and very good novel, September 21, 2002

By	Cydney Rax "rmn1994" (Houston, TX United States) - See all my reviews

A favorite among readers, author Margaret Johnson-Hodge gets better and better. Her latest, True Lies, is one of the tightest novels she's ever written. The story revolves around a sincere, goal-oriented, but problem-plagued man named Rick who has fathered a child with an unstable drama queen named Gina. Although they are no longer a couple, Rick dotes on their daughter, four-year-old Kanisha, and dealing with Gina emotionally sends him to places he never wanted to go. Through it all Rick tries to develop a romance with Dajah, a woman who sometimes gets frustrated with the drama, a woman that Rick hopes will make his life complete.

True Lies reads like a movie; it's very vivid, and the characters are so well drawn that when you read the dialogue, you can literally hear their voices. Margaret Johnson-Hodge shapes and sculpts her characters with amazing precision; she doesn't make all men look bad, or all baby mamas look trifling. She digs deep and helps the reader to understand the characters' motivations for the decisions they make.

The novel takes surprising turns that may cause one to talk out loud to the book, grow disgusted with some of the characters' decisions, and make you feel as if this story could be anybody's. True Lies is just that authentic. This is a commanding and appealing novel, and it's highly recommended.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Lies We Tell Ourselves, December 15, 2002

By	Nicole McCurty (Chesapeake, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The title True Lies is well represented in this novel about three people who have come to believe the lies they tell themselves. Rick is a corrections officer who is quickly becoming frustrated with his baby's mama's antics. Gina is trying to deal with the pressures of being a mother while wanting to hang in the streets with her friends. Dajah is a self assured accountant coming out of a disappointing relationship. When Rick and Dajah have a chance meeting, Rick starts to devise a plan that will allow the three of them to live happily ever after or will it.

As with all of MJH's book that I have read, she drew me into the story by making me feel for the characters. I was emotionally invested in Rick and Dajah. Even though I was determined to dislike Gina at the beginning of the book, I found myself pulling for her in the end. I was even interested in the outcome of the minor characters whose stories were just as compelling but not overpowering. In this book, there are no easy answers. The characters are forced to make some hard decisions that are believable to the reader.

While reading Butterscotch Blues and Some Sunday, I shed some tears. Even though this did not happen with True Lies, the emotions that it sparked were just as intense. I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read a good book because this one had me guessing the outcome until the surprising realistic end.

Reviewed by Nicole
APOOO Book Club

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars complex contemporary relationship drama, September 30, 2002

By	Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews (#1 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

When Corrections Officer Rick Trimmons and teenage drop out Gina Alexander meet, both think it is love. However, Rick never recovered from being dumped and remains in a rebound state of limbo while Gina desperately wants a baby. When Kanisha is born, Gina learns what an infant does to a lifestyle so in order to return to the streets, she begins dumping Kanisha on her grandmother, which angers Rick. Rick still fantasizes about a loving relationship between he, Gina, and their child, but he turns to showering all his love on his little girl.

Hardworking Dajah Moore takes no risks in life even with her heart. Currently she is lonely having ended her last relationship about a year ago. When Dajah and Rick meet, perhaps it is the traits they share in common, but they begin to fall in love. However, Kanisha remains first in Rick's life, which means Gina is still a player and at night by himself he knows in his way he loves all three women in his life. Will Rick choose the dream that Gina will change; or select a relationship with Dajah that will limit his time with Kanisha; or opt for the status quo of a foot in two homes?

TRUE LIES is a strong character study that shows the impact on people of life altering decisions to include the ripple effect on other individuals in a person's concentric world. The key cast seems authentic, as readers will recognize similar people especially when seemingly poor or selfish judgment is used. Fans of complex contemporary relationship dramas with strong characterizations will enjoy Margaret Johnson-Hodge's latest spotlight on life.

Harriet Klausner