Product Description

Maddie Faraday's life would be perfect--if it weren't for
her cheating husband
her suspicious daughter
her gossipy mother
her secretive best friend
her nosy neighbors,
and that guy she lost her virginity to twenty years ago...

In Tell Me Lies, Jennifer Cruise dishes up a funny, sexy, suspeseful novel about small-town secrets, big-time betrayals and the redemptive power of love, laughter and choclate brownies.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #81950 in Books
• Published on: 1999-03-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Mass Market Paperback
• 384 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780312966805
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Amazon.com Review
If you think small-town life can be boring--think again. There are complex social rules: there are certain people with whom you fraternize and those you don't, and, of course, there is the all-powerful gossip. Everyone knows everything about everyone else. Don't they? That's what Maddie Farraday thinks until she finds a pair of black crotchless panties in her husband's car that don't belong to her. That's it; Maddie's had it. She's ready for change, and the first thing she's going to do is divorce her no-good, philandering husband Brent. But then everything goes haywire: Brent turns up dead, Maddie's daughter wants a dog, her best friend is suddenly acting very strange, and Maddie's secret boyhood crush, bad boy C. L. Sturgis, arrives in town after a 20-year hiatus--and he's as sexy as ever. You may laugh out loud at the wild and crazy antics in Jennifer Crusie's exceptional novel, but you'll exclaim with delight over the sizzling, dynamic, passionate affair between Maddie and her first love, C. L.

From Library Journal
Maddie Martindale has been the nice girl of her small town of Frog Point where gossip is major entertainment. Comfortably, if not happily, married to bigshot Brent, who is running for mayor, and mother to a sweet girl, Maddie seems to have a perfect life. But after she finds crotchless panties in her husband's car, Maddie's pristine reputation unravels. An imminent divorce, her husband's murder, and the precipitate return of Maddie's sexy high school flame, C.L. Sturgis, lead to her quick fall. C.L., the rebel bad boy who never dropped his torch for Maddie, has straightened out handsomely and plays a seductively vital role. The town is agog with talk of Maddie, the adulteress and murderess. An exciting, sensual romp, chock-full of mystery and intriguing characters, this light novel provides hours of fun reading. For all fiction collections.
-?Sheila M. Riley, Smithsonian Inst. Libs., Washington, D.C.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Crusie has been writing romances for years, but now she turns her considerable talent to mysteries. She has a wicked sense of humor, keen insights into the complexities of modern relationships, and a way of making her characters seem genuine and her stories real. Frog Point, Ohio, resident Maddie Farraday has a rocky relationship with her husband, Brent, but nothing prepares her for the shock of finding a pair of crotchless panties under the front seat of his car. Then C. L. Sturgis, the steamy dreamboat she lost her virginity to, walks back into her life, and her husband suddenly disappears. When Maddie is accused of Brent's murder, she turns gumshoe, aided and abetted by sexy C. L. What happens next makes for a wonderfully fresh, funny, tender, and outrageous story that will delight fans of the comic mystery. There's a hint of Susan Isaacs in her writing, but Crusie is definitely one of a kind. A Literary Guild selection. Emily Melton

Customer Reviews

What a hilarious uptake on a small town life!
As some of my online friends know, I am from Ohio and I eagerly read any books by a Buckeye native ~~ this is the fourth book I've read by Jennifer Cruise and I love it.

I have to admit, it took me awhile to get into the book ~~ but once I did, it snared me into a hilarious story.

Maddie has it all ~~ a perfect marriage, an adorable daughter and a good reputation in her hometown that she has lived in all her life. Then one day, she finds a pair of black lace panties in her husband's car and her perfect life begins to unravel. A former lover comes back into her life and turns everything upside down ~~ there's murder, intrigue, good home-cooked meals and everything a reader loves to read ~~ suspense, great sexy scenes and funny dialogue.

If you're going to the lake for a day and need a book to while away the time, I highly recommend this book. It's not a deep, thought-provoking book, but it's a great escapism book and fun to read. You won't regret reading Jennifer Cruise's first novel. Just like her other books, it's saucy and fun to read. Have fun!

No lie...this one is a winner!
I've been a fan of Jennifer Crusie's for quite some time although I haven't read too many of her books. I own them all, but it's a case of too many books, too little time. Anyhow, I'm glad I made some time for Tell Me Lies. It was a nice romantic story with a little page-turning mystery thrown in. Light and simple and perfect for a day of relaxation.

Tell Me Lies is the story of Maddie Faraday who, during the course of a clean-out of her husband, Brent's, car, finds a pair of black, crotchless underwear under the seat - and they are not hers! But that situation turns out to be the least of Maddie's problems - throw in an 8-year-old daughter who notices something awry with her parents, as well as two nosy neighbors, a best friend who has a big secret of her own, and gorgeous C.L. Sturgis, the boy who took her virginity 20 years before, back in town trying to get some answers. Oh, and then there's that pesky little murder that really sends Maddie over the edge....

This is a funny story about a marriage gone wrong in the middle of a small town that sees everything. I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to finally reading the rest of my Jennifer Crusie collection. If you are looking for something light, yet page-turning, I suggest Tell Me Lies with two thumbs up - and that ain't no lie!

Read Crusie's
Feeling virtuous for volunteering to clean her husband's car, Maddie Faraday reaches under the front seat of the Caddy and pulls out a pair of black lace crotchless panties - Not Hers! Thus begins a roller coaster series of events that will forever change her life.

Maddie lives in Frog Point, Ohio, a very small town where everybody knows everybody's business, and the business of their neighbor's long dead ancestors to boot. Maddie, forever the good girl, has never given anyone anything but "nice" things to say about her, her daughter Emily, and her soon-to-be-in-divorce-court husband Brent. Not even her mother, nor her best friend since grammar school, know how unhappy she has been with her marriage to a man who is not often home, and disinterested when he is. She had threatened to leave him once before when he cheated on her, but this time she is positive - the marriage must end.

Then her old high school flame turns up at her door. Says he's looking for Brent. Maddie hasn't seen him for twenty plus years, and although she is distracted and upset, she still feels the chemistry radiating between them. Later, she confronts Brent with his infidelity. He becomes enraged and knocks her around - something he has never done in all their married life. He leaves, slams the door behind him, and Maddie never sees him again - alive! And Maddie is a prime suspect in the murder investigation.

This lighthearted romance, with a good mystery included, also deals with some serious issues - a youthful middle age woman's coming of age, among them. Ms. Crusie fills her novel with humor, terrific characters, and lots of good lovin'. Maddie's dilemmas just seem to grow in number, as she tries to prove her innocence, redefine her life and care for and protect her grieving daughter. Jennifer Crusie reminds me of a Midwestern, Susan Isaacs, who is from Long Island. Their ethnicity and 'regionality' notwithstanding, both women tackle humor, romance and mystery in a similar way - and both are terrific writers. This is a really good light read, with a twist - don't miss it!
JANA