It's not often an author in his mid-60s publishes a debut novel that proves worth the wait. But that's what James Whitfield Thomson has done with Lies You Wanted to Hear, a haunting piece of fiction that will bring a lump to your throat. Whitfield Thomson's anguishing tale is told so thoughtfully that it leaves readers in the unusual place of trying to determine right from wrong.
The romance begins innocently enough. Good guy cop Matt meets the intriguing and sexy Lucy and falls hard. Despite her being hung up on her cad of an ex-boyfriend, Griffin, the two marry and children follow. Although the newlyweds both adore their children (and Matt still adores Lucy), their domestic bliss is shattered when Griffin returns to steal a restless Lucy back into his arms. So far, this is hardly uncharted territory, but then Whitfield Thomson loops a twist into the mix no one will see coming, leaving readers in disbelief.
Matt, the loyal husband and loving father, begins to show a sinister side, while self-centered Lucy goes from a faithless wife to someone with whom every reader can identify. Whitfield Thomson performs this sleight-of-hand so deftly, he might as well be a magician. Wrenching to read, but nearly impossible to put down, Lies You Wanted to Hear is hopefully the first of many more reads by an untapped author as he enters the prime of his life. --Natalie Papailiou, author of blog MILF: Mother I'd Like to Friend