Once a Liar
A.F. Brady
Park Row Books
ISBN: 978-0-7783-6997-4
381 Pages
Once a Liar was the first book I have read by Author A.F. Brady. I was fortunate enough to receive an A.R.C. copy from Meryl Moss Media. I love a good thriller, and the synopsis immediately commanded my attention.
Once a Liar is the sorted story of Peter Caine and the betrayal and debauchery that seems to follow him wherever he goes. If this story was written with the intent for us to loathe Peter and not feel one ounce of sympathy for him, the author nailed it by page three. Peter is a narcissistic bastard who doesn’t deserve half of the good fortunes that have fallen in his lap.
The story is told from Peter’s point of view and alternates between “Then” and “Now.” We open up with Peter in the back of a limo with his live-in girlfriend, Claire. They are on their way to the funeral of Peter’s ex-wife and mother to his 16-year-old son Jamie. There are a few things you will pick up on; his strained relationship with his son, the part that Claire plays in his life and this obsession with a woman named Charlotte.
Peter has lied to everyone about everything in his life. The cliché “grew up from the wrong side of the tracks” is supposed to make you feel sorry for Peter and admire how he pulled himself up from the bootstraps and made something of himself. Won’t happen. Remember he’s an S.O.B. and tries to make you see how he is “owed” what he has because of his upbringing. Peter is a high powered defense attorney in New York, and with Marcus’s partnership has never lost a case. Until he is asked to defend a Congressman facing sexual assault charges, this case sets the wheels in motion. Peter loses this tumultuous case. He finds out he was set up to fail by his mentor and wallows in self-pity about it. Naturally, he has an affair to help ease his pain. Enter Charlotte Doyle, the Daughter of his arch-nemesis district attorney Harrison Doyle. They have a steamy off and on affair that destroyed his marriage and threatened to derail his relationship with Claire.
Ten or so years later, the disgraced congressman recently set free from prison, is pissed and wants someone’s head on a platter. I guess ten years behind bars can give you a lot of time to plot revenge. In the meantime, the viper charlotte has pissed off the wrong person and ends up dead. The dirtbag ex-congressman has plenty of ammunition to implicate everyone he thinks is responsible for his prison bid e including the DA Harrison Doyle, the Father of the fallen and good old Peter Caine.
As we dive deeper into Charlotte’s untimely demise, we learn secrets, schemes, and outrageous accusations. Is Peter guilty, or is he being framed? Will all his secrets and lies be exposed? Will, he ever give his kid some attention? Is Claire as innocent as she seems? Is Harrison behind his Daughters death? What’s the ugly family secret that the Doyle’s don’t want to be exposed? Is it good enough to kill for?
Overall Once a Liar was an easy read. The story is told in an alternating tense. There were instances when I would have to reread passages to make sure I was following along correctly. I can say the first 200 pages or so dragged on as the author set up the backstory. Fortunately, she was able to intersect both, which by the end, brought the story full circle.
I was able to guess the killer before the ending but was pleasantly surprised by the why and how. I do think the conclusion came abruptly, and wish there would have been an epilogue. When you spend this much time hating a character, you want to know what happens!
Thank you Meryl Moss Media, Park Row Books, and A.F. Brady for this ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.
