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One of the hazards of reading as much as I do is that, after a while, books start to become a bit too predictable. After a few pages, I can generally get the gist of the story and figure out what’s going to happen. But, every once in a while, I’ll pick up a book that doesn’t go as expected, and I’m once again reminded why I love to read. Sure, I love an entertaining escape from the same old day-to-day grind. But I also love to be challenged—and Louise Ure’s Liars Anonymous is definitely a challenge.
On an otherwise quiet September night at the HandsOn emergency call center in Phoenix, operator Jessie Dancing responds to a call that the airbag has been triggered in a 2007 Cadillac Seville owned by Darren Markson. It’s all pretty routine stuff, but then Jessie hears other voices in the background—and it sounds like they’re arguing over more than just a fender-bender. In fact, she’s afraid that Darren Markson has been murdered. She calls the local police to report the accident, but she can’t forget what she heard.
The next day, Jessie’s sent to Tucson, to talk to Markson’s wife, who claims that her husband is alive and well and on a business trip. Still, the pieces don’t fit for Jessie, so she decides to do some searching of her own before leaving town. Of course, the local police aren’t exactly thrilled to have her snooping around, even more so because they know Jessie all too well—and trouble seems to follow her around.
Liars Anonymous is a gripping thriller that’s much more than just the same old, run-of-the-mill mystery. It’s a story about right and wrong, lies and truth, crime and justice—and the deeper you get into the story, the more it’ll make you think.
In the beginning, it may seem like a plain-and-simple crime thriller, but then you’ll get to know more about Jessie. Slowly, as the story builds, you’ll learn more about her dark past—and, with her, you’ll face what she’s been running from for the last three years. Jessie’s such a fascinating character, in fact, that Markson’s story often takes a back seat. You’ll still want to find out what happened to him and why, but, at times, you’ll care even more about Jessie’s story. You’ll want to know more about why she made the decisions she’s made and how they’ve affected her—as well as how she’ll handle this latest challenge.
Though the final details of the Markson mystery aren’t without flaws (and you might be able to predict one or two of the story’s twists), there’s so much more to Liars Anonymous than the mystery—and that makes it easy to forgive a few shortcomings. It’s filled with moral dilemmas and thought-provoking challenges that add depth and drama to the plot, ensuring that the story will stick with you long after you finish reading the last page.
Jessie Dancing definitely isn’t the typical heroine—and Liars Anonymous isn’t the typical mystery. So if you’re tired of the same old brainless thriller, you won’t want to miss this surprising and thoughtful mystery.
