Product Description

If Ridley Jones had slept ten minutes later or had taken the subway instead of waiting for a cab, she would still be living the beautiful lie she used to call her life. She would still be the privileged daughter of a doting father and a loving mother. Her life would still be perfect—with only the tiny cracks of an angry junkie for a brother and a charming drunk with shady underworld connections for an uncle to mar the otherwise flawless whole.

But that’s not what happened. Instead, those inconsequential decisions lead her to perform a good deed that puts her in the right place at the right time to unleash a chain of events that brings a mysterious package to her door—a package which informs her that her entire world is a lie.

Suddenly forced to question everything she knows about herself and her family, Ridley wanders into dark territory she never knew existed, where everyone in her life seems like a stranger. She has no idea who’s on her side and who has something to hide—even, and maybe especially, her new lover, Jake, who appears to have secrets of his own.

Sexy and fast-paced, Beautiful Lies is a true literary thriller with one of the freshest voices and heroines to arrive in years. Lisa Unger takes us on a breathtaking ride in which every choice Ridley makes creates a whirlwind of consequences that are impossible to imagine . . . .


AN INTERNATIONAL BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH SELECTION

A featured alternate selection of the Literary Guild, Doubleday Book Club, Book-of-the-Month Club, Mystery Guild, and Rhapsody Book Club.

Also available as a Random House AudioBook, a Large Print edition, and an eBook.


From the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #493077 in Books
• Published on: 2006-12-05
• Released on: 2006-12-05
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. After an act of heroism garners instant fame for 30-something New York freelancer Ridley Jones, she receives a faded photo of a man, a familiar-looking woman and a little girl along with a note asking, "Are you my daughter?" Shaken, she confronts her parents, who affirm she is theirs by birth; that same day, however, hot new neighbor Jake enters her life, and he's less sure. With breathless speed, Unger is off on an action-packed journey of treachery and intrigue—and sex and romance. Jake turns out to have just as much at stake in discovering Ridley's past as she, but in the way are Ridley's controlling parents; her drug-addicted brother, Ace; her intrusive former boyfriend, pediatrician Zack; and the people protecting the legacy of her Uncle Max, a real estate mogul who used his influence to fund rescue houses for abused women and children. Following leads garnered from scrutinizing the operations of places Max's foundation supports, Ridley and Jake uncover a chilling scheme for taking infants and toddlers from violent homes; their relationship heats up, and Ridley's family gets very edgy. The premise—that there is a dark side to the safe haven law—is deep as well as clever, and Unger plays it out thrillingly. rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From AudioFile
Ridley Jones's life is turned upside down when she uncovers a kidnapping and illegal adoption ring, as well as unsavory facts about her own life. Jones's story begins with violence and unfolds as a flashback in which she and her neighbor, a private investigator, first stumble into trouble. Jenna Lamia's sharp, high voice makes Jones sound whiny in her discomfort with her discoveries, as well as with herself. The male voices are sharp and cruel in thought and deed. Unger's story twists and turns with unexpected motives and threats as Jones comes to grips with the "beautiful lies" that have shaped her life. M.B.K. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Unless readers scan the biographical information first, they will never guess that Unger is a first novelist. Her ability to generate spine-tingling suspense while evoking the danger and glamour of New York City is matched by her skill in creating memorable, realistic characters. Most notable is protagonist Ridley Scott, a freelance writer whose life changes when she rescues a toddler who wanders into traffic. Her heroic act delights a city of cynical New Yorkers and leads to weeks of newspaper and TV publicity. While enjoying her 15 minutes of fame, Ridley receives a strange message from someone claiming to be her father--but she already has a father. Her parents dismiss the note as the work of a crackpot, but Ridley senses they are lying. Perhaps the only one who knows the truth is her brother, Ace, estranged from the family as a result of his drug addiction. Just as Ridley starts to investigate her own past, she meets Jake, a handsome new neighbor who quickly becomes involved in her quest. When it turns out Jake might be connected to her investigation, Ridley feels betrayed--is he using her? Unger takes readers on a pulse-pounding ride through the Big Apple in this outstanding debut that will please both pace-obsessed thriller fans and those who want to savor the more subtle aspects of character development. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

Couldn't put this one down.
I loved this book. It was captivating and I enjoyed it thoroughly. Worth the read, very entertaining.

Promising premise lost in a series of lectures.
This book had promise. What could have been a tense novella turned into a long series of lectures about "how life is."

I like it when a book causes me to reflect on my own life, not when it dictates how life should feel to me using generalizations. Show, don't tell! The huge chunks where the main character describes how life is like this-or-that felt very condescending and really hurt the pace of the book. It is great for the character to feel emotions, but when they are dissected and explained to death, they lose any punch they might have had.

The story premise was good, and I wanted to know what would happen-- in the beginning. Unfortunately, most of the secrets were let out pretty early on. If some of Unger's tangents would have been cut short and some action put in their place, this could have been a good book. Instead from about mid-point on I was bored and disconnected from the characters. When the last bits of "the truth" came out, I was beyond caring, and so I was not too disappointed that there were no great revelations anyway.

wonderful writing
I read a lot of novels, many not so great but fun nonetheless for escapist reading. What a treat to read a book by a terrific writer, with so much more than just action and adventure. The descriptions and narrative are just great! It truly was a "can't put it down" book. I wish there were many more of Unger's books to get me through the summer. Hope she can write quickly!