Keep reading it will make perfect sense!

NETGALLEY SENT ME A COPY OF THE BOOK TO REVIEW.

The most challenging day in Jack Givins's (previously Donohue) life was the day his father left to go into witness protection services. Jack's life became tougher, especially when his mother married Earl Givins.

Jack had published two books and hoped his third book would be more successful. He jumps at the opportunity when offered a job working for the Witness Protection Service. He hopes it will help him find his father and reconnect with him.

Jack's innocence about his father's past is his failure to see that he's got himself in way over his head. Not only putting his life at risk but his girlfriend's as well.

When I started reading the book, I should have remembered that Linwood Barclay is the master of deception. There are so many twists and turns. I kept having to return to previous chapters to unblock my addled brain.

Elite Reviewing Group is a member of NetGalley and receives books from them to review.

An excellent page turning thriller. Likeable characters, a great story and something a bit different.

The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay quickly drew me into the world of Jack Givins, a struggling author who gets a unique job offer: crafting backstories for the Witness Protection Programme. The premise immediately intrigued me, and I was eager to see how Jack's personal connection to witness protection – his own father disappeared into the programme years ago – would play into the narrative.
Barclay knows how to craft a page-turner! The plot moves at a brisk pace, with plenty of twists and turns to keep me guessing. I enjoyed the cat-and-mouse chase as Jack tries to track down his missing father while navigating the dangerous world of assumed identities and hidden pasts. It is likely that some readers will find the plot predictable, however I was thoroughly entertained and appreciated the intricate plotting and fast-paced action.
This book is a gripping and entertaining read that left me wanting more. Fans of Linwood Barclay won't be disappointed, and newcomers to his work will find plenty to enjoy in this well-crafted thriller.

Another absolutely cracking read from one of my favourite authors.

A complex plot based around the witness protection programme, which made interesting reading. Slowly builds, draws you in, and then the pace ramps up.

Chapters alternating between the main characters, which is one of my preferred formats, too. That monent when everything comes together and you realise you've got it wrong!

Linwood Barclay's latest thriller is a captivating read, filled with the unexpected twists that his fans have come to expect. Set in Boston, it centers around Jack Givins, a 34-year-old author struggling with the rejection of his latest manuscript. His father, Michael, who had once confessed to Jack about a past crime, is now in the witness protection program after agreeing to testify against his former boss. Jack, who stayed behind with his mother and later acquired a stepfather, has always longed to reconnect with his father, despite financial difficulties and recent threats, including his car being set on fire.

Desperate for a fresh start, Jack accepts a secretive job with the U.S. Marshals Service, where he uses his writing skills to create new identities for those in witness protection. His girlfriend, journalist Lana Wilshire, grows increasingly curious about his mysterious work and starts investigating two recent deaths that seem connected. As Jack tries to arrange a meeting with his estranged father, he discovers that Michael has vanished, potentially putting him in grave danger due to his past enemies.

The thriller's pace builds slowly, but it eventually gains momentum with added tension and suspense. While some elements require a suspension of disbelief, this is a common aspect of thrillers. Though it might not be my top Barclay pick, it will likely resonate with his loyal readers. Jack is a likable lead, and the dynamic Lana adds depth to the narrative, especially in the thrilling climax. Thanks to the publisher for providing an ARC.

Thanks to the publishers and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Jack Givins, a struggling author gets an offer of work from the US Marshall's service creating back stories for re located witnesses. The money is to good to turn down but it also presents Jack with an opportunity to track down his own Father who went into witness protection when Jack was just a young boy.

Another great read from Linwood Barclay. I've always enjoyed his books and happily recommended this to others.

Linwood Barclay is one of my go-to authors when I need a guaranteed good book, something I know will be fast paced, entertaining and highly readable and The Lie Maker is no exception.

Jack Givins is an author. He’s had two books published but is struggling to get his 3rd book out there. Money is tight so when his agent offers him a job writing background stories for people in the Witness Protection Programme for lots of money he can’t turn it down and the fact that Jack’s father went into the Witness Protection Programme when Jack was only nine years old also makes this assignment personal.

When Jack discovers his father hasn’t made contact with his handlers for a while, he believes he may be in danger and sets about trying to find him together with his girlfriend Lana.

As with all Barclay’s books, the pace is fast, the action is packed and the plot is tense. If you are looking for an entertaining thriller which should keep you on the edge of your seats, then pick up The Lie Maker now.

The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay is a gripping contemporary crime suspense that I became totally engrossed in.
Linwood Barclay knows how to weave an excellent tale. His plotline is complex and well executed. I hung on for dear life as the tale twisted this way and that.
We see that people and life are not always black and white. More often than not, people come in varying shade of grey.
Family is important. Sometimes in order to protect the family, tough choices have to be made. Sacrifices are the order of the day. In contrast, a warped sense of loyalty sees a character determined to get revenge, and will stop at nothing in order to achieve it.
All the characters were well drawn and believable. They elicited a variety of emotional responses from me.
The action alternates between characters and time periods. It is in both the first and third person.
The Lie Maker was an exciting read that consumed me from the start. Linwood Barclay always constructs compelling reads. Often with a few red herrings thrown in along the way as the action twists this way and that.
I received a free copy. A favourable review was not required. All opinions are my own.

Brilliant once again. Each book just gets better, I look forward to each new one published. Thank you for fantastic work

Linwood Barclay's books are a pleasure to read with all it's twists and turns. The Lie Maker is a story of Jack Givens budding author with two books in his kitty and his third not getting a publisher yet. While struggling with this new book, he gets an offer from U.S. Marshals which is too good to refuse. This is where starts the chase to find his dad who was also taken a years ago by the U.S. Marshals.

As always, Barclays books pull you into the book from the very first page. With every page turn, we get to know more about Jack and his girlfriend Lana Wiltshire. The chapters are narrated by Jack interspersed with an unknown voice. The beginning of the book is slow but soon picks up the pace as we near around 30%. The ending of the book is absolutely thrilling; one would be sitting literally at the edge of the seat. It has a small pool of characters but none were as interesting to hold the reader's attention. The plot came with a lots of twists and red herrings. Compared to Barclays's previous books this had a little less joy, but I will be waiting for author's next book.

My rating is 3.5 stars.

Thank you, Netgalley and HQ for the copy of the review copy.

I thoroughly enjoyed the suspense and intrigue in this one. Linwood Barclay has nailed the art of writing books that make you speed read as you just have to know what happens next. I flew through this one with its gripping narrative and likeable main character.

Jack is an author whose career seems to have stalled, and he takes on a job as a 'lie maker' for witness protection. I found this angle fascinating, and I enjoyed seeing how the process might work.

If you are looking for fast paced, twisty and entertaining, then I'd highly recommend The Lie Maker to you.

Another solid book from Linwood Barclay. Having read many of his previous books, and I do call myself a fan, I would say that this isn't quite as strong as predecessors.

The plot is decent, and the characters are well developed as always. However, there weren't as many surprise twists, and I found the few twists were more predictable than usual. I also felt that there was a little too much over explaining (tell rather than show type writing) and it meant I was making links and connections in my head only to be told them explicitly in the next few pages. I prefer working it out myself and things being alluded to than being told every single detail.

But, all in all, a good time and enjoyable book. Received as an eARC via Netgalley.

I gave The Lie Maker 3.5 stars out of 5.

By the end I did enjoy this book overall but after an engaging opening, I felt it got a bit slow for much of the story. It felt like a very long, substantial book - I read it on my kindle so not too sure- and because the middle chunk of it was slow it took me ages to get through it. The storyline of the main character, Jack, developing fictional life histories for people living in a witness protection programme was very original and interesting so I liked this aspect.

I was looking forward to reading it as I’ve read a couple of Linwood Barclay books before and really enjoyed them. I just felt this one dragged a bit too much for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley for providing an advance copy in return for my honest opinion. I have also published this review on Goodreads.

An interesting story with good pace and some unpredictable twists, as a writer tries to find his true father and some unexplained deaths are uncovered. Very tense and exciting finish!

I am a huge Linwood Barclay fan; whatever this man writes, I will read! So to say I was pleased when I was offered an ARC copy is definitely an understatement. However, this one did not captivate me as his novels usually do.

To be completely transparent, I was recovering from a few months of sickness, so it’s possible that my head was not in the right space. It’s a shame that reviews are limited by the timeframe in which you read a book, because we all know that our opinions can be influenced by outside factors. So yes, please do keep that in mind when reading this review, because I was left quite disappointed.

Jack Givins’ has grown up knowing the reason his father was taken into witness protection was that he had killed people. Now as an adult, he’s found himself with his own struggles, mainly how far he can stretch his royalty cheque to before things get really desperate. So when he’s approached by the U.S. Marshals with a unique job opportunity, he can’t really turn them down. Will this be his opportunity to reconnect to his lost past, and maybe see his father again?

I really loved the concept of the novel, but I found it very slow to engage me. It did pick up; however, it wasn’t until probably half way through that I actually found myself wanting to know about Jack’s story, and by then, the damage was done as the boredom had set in.

Personally, I just feel it lacked the intensity and suspense you would normally find in a Barclay novel, and I didn’t find myself having any real emotional connection to the characters until it was really too late. Unusually, I found it over descriptive and a little stale, where I was being given way too much of the information I didn’t want, and nothing of what I did.

The Lie Maker does not have the spark of his older novels, and I’d rather wait longer for a really good read, rather than him churning out mediocre stories to hit faster deadlines, as this was nowhere near the quality I expect from him.

I found it lacklustre, predictable and really disappointing.

Jack knows his father is a bad man because he tells him, just as he is taken away into witness protection. Years later when Jack is writing back stories for people who need to be protected he sees this as a way of reconnecting with his dad. But he has just gone missing and has a lot of enemies as Jack will find out. Not all as it seems which is a trope of the Barclay novels - super plotting and pacy writing pulls you through this excellent thriller

This book was everything I've come to expect from the author, fast paced, realistic, high octane thrills. Following dual timelines and multiple points of view we follow several people impacted by a hitman and his boss over 30 years later.

With several links to witness protection and a child feeling the weight of his father's decisions I was hooked from the beginning. I would highly recommend this book and others from the same author.

Thoroughly enjoyed this read. It was fast paced and with enough action to keep the plot moving along. I thought the concept was quite unique (but no spoilers). Witness protection and all the emotions, feelings, resentments etc that goes along with that makes this a compelling read. Covid was intertwined and , in the way Linwood Barclay always does, other seemingly unrelated incidents slot fully inot the final reaveal.
I read this quickly and enjoyed every second.

The second half of this book I couldn't put down! I was fully invested, it was like a John Wick film, but instead of revenge for killing his dog he's helping his son save his girlfriend. However, I've got to admit Jack was a pretty stupid guy, it was kind of obvious who you couldn't trust in this book, although their reasoning for wanting revenge wasn't immediately clear to me so some twists did land! Overall I did enjoy it though. I've read Linwood Barclay before and I will do so again!

Linwood Barclay has been one of my favourite authors for many years and apart from one particular book I have never come away feeling disappointed after reading his books. This one was no exception.
Jack Givins (an author) obtains a very lucrative job writing fabricated back stories for people in the witness protection system. This then makes him wonder if he can trace his father who left 10 year old Jack and his mother to enter said system.
Unfortunately, everything and everyone is not what they seem and it’s not just Jack that’s trying to track down his father. Lots of twists and turned as per usual in this thoroughly enjoyable book.