Well….Linwood Barclay does it again! Never sure why he isn’t more well known as a writer than he is because every book he writes leaves me breathless.

Jack is only a child when his father enters the Witness Protection Program. Jack’s mum refuses to join him with Jack and so the story starts with Jack losing his dad to the FBI. Just before they take him away, one of them tells Jack that his dad is a very bad man…..and he’s also a killer.

Years later, with his dad never far from his mind, Jack is a struggling writer with a couple of novels published to little acclaim and a third that has been rejected. Desperate for a job, Jack is intrigued to learn that he has been headhunted for his writing. Jack taking the job as a lie maker continues a profession of revenge that has already been put into motion and will be almost impossible to stop….

I devoured this book. What a talent Linwood is. Would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys a twisty read.

Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and recommend.

What an apt name for a book, you’ll know why when you read it!
The story starts with a man leaving his family behind as he goes into witness protection, he wasn’t the nicest person and killed quite a few. He leaves his mine year old son and wife who refuses to go with him. Fast forward many years later and Jack Givens is in way over his head in things he knows not a lot about.

This book is fast paced and a page turner, very easy to read and become gripped on, I flew through it.
Jacks girlfriend Lana is a reporter and in the beginning I really disliked her for being so nosey and having to know everything about Jacks business and she really came across as a possessive girlfriend. She redeemed herself somewhat near the end, she became a more rounded character.

The ending was sad. I did ask why!! It was bittersweet. Thank you to NetGalley and HQ for the ARC in return for an honest review.

Jack Givins is an author. He first two books did quite well but his third on has neem rejected. To make ends meet he is hired by U.S Marshalls to write profiles for some people in the Witness protection service. He also has another agenda taking the job. When Jack was nine his father joined the witness protection service. His father was a hitman for an evil businessman Galen Frohm and instead of going to jail he testified against him. Jack wants to find his father.
There also a trail of murders that are linked to Jack’s father and what happened to him all of them years ago. Someone is out for revenge.
Thank you, HQ for Linwood Barclay’s latest book. This has an interesting storyline and characters. But it didn’t wow me as some of the other books that I have read from this author. It only got really interesting the last third of the book. 3.5 stars from me.

I always know that I’ll enjoy Linwood’s books and this is no exception. I really enjoyed the characters and the story line, it gripped me from the start. I would definitely recommend this book to any Linwood Barclay or Harlan Coben fans.

Thank you to NetGalley for my advanced reading copy.

This is a really engrossing read! But keep reading because there a lot of people and story lines to keep a reader busy. A young boy cries as his father leaves home to go into witness protection because he has agreed to escape prison by revealing all he knows about a major criminal. As the boy Jack grows up he never forgets his dad who occasionally turns up in his life. That is not nearly it all as there are other related deaths and an attempt by someone to find his father. Jack is also conned into a plot that nearly results in revealing where his father is. This is a really good read with a very cleverly devised story and a satisfying ending. I recommend it.

Linwood Barclay is one of the best out there for intriguing pitches and this one is no exception (assuming one is willing to take on the premise that such a job - writing fake histories for witness protection schemes - is something that might actually happen in real life: it seems, with any thought given to it that such a premise would make it easier for anyone in witness protection to trip up on their fake past, but hey, go with it).
After a novel involving self driving cars which felt more on the speculative fiction side of things, this seemed more like 'classic' Linwood Barclay in terms of plot and characters.
If you're a fan of the author's work, or indeed, that of other popular writers like Harlan Coben chances are you're going to like this one: it moves along at a pace, revealing more of the 'what happened to get everyone where they are' bit by bit. The bad people in it are bad (perhaps a little too stock villain for some). If some of the motivations and actions are either suspect or unbelievable then the story carries you along to put any such qualms to one side as you're reading it.
There is a bit of a 'let me explain everything you might not have figured out' feel to the climax of the book which may feel a little rushed for some but overall it was a solid thriller from one of the most reliable writers out there.

I really enjoyed Linwood Barclay's last book, 'Take Your Breath Away" but 'The Lie Maker' didn't grab me at all unfortunately. I found it rather plodding and difficult to feel empathy with any of the characters. The chapters switched between characters which made it difficult to remember what was going on and also didn't help to build up any tension or interest.

This new novel from Linwood Barclay has all the hallmarks of his writing. A twisty plot, an intriguing backstory and a rattling pace.
Jack Givens is hired by the US Marshall service to write back stories for people being put in witness protection. He’s a struggling novelist, with 2 underwhelming books under his belt, so this seems like a wonderful money making venture. Maybe it’s too good to be true. Jack’s dad was placed in witness protection when Jack was a child, and there seems to be a lot going on for him in the present.
There’s a pretty high body count in this book, and no guarantee that the main characters will make it out alive. I liked Jack, and his girlfriend, Lana, and even his dad, who we learn about in flashbacks, even though he’s clearly done some bad, bad things.
This is an enjoyable high octane romp.
Thanks to Net Galley for the ARC.

Good premise for a plot. Quite a slow burner and maybe a few pages too long but overall a good read. I did have to look up several Americanisms which sort of interrupts the flow. I have learnt that "driving a stick" means driving a manual car not a long piece of wood. I really liked Jack and Lana as characters.
My copy had quite bad formatting issues which made it a bit hard going. Classic by the pool book.

This book is a show stopper - one I would give to my friends. I would buy multiple copies of this book for people! After reading plenty of thrillers it takes a lot these days for me to not work out the ending but this one totally got me. Overall really clever, well written and one I will be recommending.

Another superb novel from a master storyteller.
An interesting plot and a really likeable main character who you won't help but root for.
Less twisty, more of a great story and one that comes to an excellent conclusion.
We have become a bit complacent with our expectations of Linwood Barclay's work but in a good way as he never disappoints.

Linwood Barclay at his best. The Lie Maker is an absorbing tense thrille. . Jack Givens, an author, Is the lead character. The Witness Protection Programme is the cental plot . I thought I knew exactly how it was going to evolve, yet again I was wrong. A clever plot as usual from this author. Can't wait for the next book

"Your dad's not a good person. Your dad killed people, Son. "

After only enjoying moderate success with his first two books and struggling to get anyone to take on his third, Jack jumps at an opportunity to work for the witness protection programme.

Approached via his agent, the secrecy is intriguing, and when he discovers that the work is to write a false history for people entering the programme and that the pay is extremely generous, he is more than happy.

Unbeknownst to his new employers, his father went into witness protection many years ago, and Jack wonders if this job will give him the opportunity to engineer a meeting with his long-lost father.

Meanwhile, Jack's reporter girlfriend is working on a story concerning the suspicious deaths of a retired judge and a doctor.

As things unfold in both of their lives, questions begin to arise. Are there still people out there seeking revenge for the things Jacks father did? Are the two deaths somehow related? Who is he actually working for, and what do they want?

I really enjoyed this book! The characters were all well built and relatable. You read about before and now, which gave the story a well-rounded richness and kept you interested in the goings on of everyone involved.

I wouldn't say this book was a thriller in the traditional sense of the word, with unexpected twists, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and a very satisfying read!

You know exactly what you’re getting when you pick up a Linwood Barclay and this novel delivers again, fantastic thriller, as always

I have really enjoyed all of Linwood Barclay's novels and The Lie Maker was no exception.
When struggling author Jack Givins is recruited by US Marshals to create false life histories for those in witness protection he uses it as an opportunity to try and trace his own father who was taken into a witness protection scheme when Jack was 9 years old.
I loved the original story line and like all of Barclay's thrillers there is a good mix of excellent plotting, pacing and characterisation with some good twists. This drew me in from the beginning and I liked the character of Jack and his girlfriend Lana, a journalist, who begins her own investigation into the case.
An original and gripping thriller that I would recommend.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

This is Linwood Barclay at his best. An unusual gripping plot centering around the Witness Security Program. I loved all the lies, unexpected twists and turns and didn't know who or what to believe because all the characters are so realistic.
Highly recommended.

“ Your dad's not a good person. Your dad killed people, son”.

These are the last words Jack Givins father said to the 9 year old before being taken away and placed in witness protection. It’s fair to say that there would be some very bad people who would love to kill him, given the chance. Jack begged for his father to take him with him, but Jack’s mother was having none of it. So Jack had to wave goodbye to his father for the very last time.

Jack is now an adult, a struggling author when he’s approached by a U.S. Marshal offering him a very lucrative opportunity, creating new histories for people entering witness protection. Jack sees this as an opportunity to discover the whereabouts of his father. The Marshal finally agrees to help him but the news isn’t good, Jack’s father has completely disappeared, which leads Jack to wonder if his hunters have finally found him and meted out their own form of justice. Jack won’t rest until he finds out the truth. Helping him is his investigative reporter girlfriend, Lana, and although Jack shouldn’t have told anyone about what he was doing, Lana has a way of finding out anything she puts her mind to.

An engaging plot, ( was it believable?) not entirely, but it was full of tension and twists and turns and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

I've read a few Linwood Barclay and have enjoyed his writing but unfortunately for me this one didn't hit the mark. I didn't end up finishing it because I hit the 25% mark and found that I wasn't drawn in to the story and had no desire to find out how the story ends.
If you're into slow burners and are a fan of Barclay's then you'll probably enjoy this one but it wasn't for me.

Well, what an original story! The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay plays the reader like a fish. Not only that but its got the big reveal where everything you thought you knew gets overturned. Overturned that is, by a single five letter word! This isn't done in an unsatisfying way, in fact you get to be in the same position as Jack Givin was in trying to find his father. You see, Jack was separated from his father at an early age. His father went in to a witness protection programme but his wife and son (more particularly his wife) didn't want to upsticks and join him. So, poor young Jack progressed through his early years to adulthood wondering where his father was and was he still alive following the pandemic (don't worry there's very little on that subject). There's talk that Jack's father was a bad guy, a killer but that really doesn't mesh with what young Jack remembers of him. His Dad was kind and loving towards his son, more particularly he had time for him.
Linwood Barclay has a great writing style and tells the tale with a high degree of chronological progression. If you like an unusual thriller I can thoroughly recommend it.

"The Lie Maker" by Linwood Barclay is not a page turner kind of thriller but it is definitely a thriller. What I liked was the slow build of the story, which was clear and concise but with a twist.