You can never go wrong with a book by Linwood Barclay! This book is filled with a lot of suspense and heart pounding action. Just as you think you know "who dunit" you're whiplashed into more suspects. GREAT BOOK!!!!

3.75 stars
I wish Goodreads would let us put something other than 3 or 4 stars- I give this book 3.75 stars. All Linwood Barclay's books are entertaining- and this was no different! It had a fantastic premise. Imagine finding out your dad is a horrible person- a hitman for another even more horrible person. This is the reality for Jack Givins as a child- his father testifies against his crime boss and has to go into witness protection. Jack's mother refuses to join him, and as a result, Jack doesn't really know his father growing up.
Years later, Jack is a grown man trying to make it as an author. A woman from the US Marshals approaches him with a great job to write fictional backgrounds for people entering witness protection. This is where the story really kicks off. It is a fun read with a unique premise.

Over the years, Linwood Barclay has been more or less what I think of as a reliable author: I mean, if I am searching for something to take me away for awhile, his books are usually able to fill the bill. So when I was offered a copy of The Lie Maker from William Morrow and NetGalley in exchange for my honest review, I was READY!

This one isn’t set in Promise Falls, the peaceful small town which was the setting for several Barclay titles. Apparently, that series, with titles released between ~2008 and 2017, isn’t scheduled to have another title anytime soon. So, it is off to wherever (sorry, setting isn’t a big deal in this one) where we meet Jack Givins. Author of a sort of successful first book, Jack is a struggling author looking for ways to keep making a living from his writing, when he is approached by the U.S. Marshals Service and offered a paying gig writing fictional histories for people in witness protection.

What a coincidence, right? When Jack was young, his father disappeared into witness protection, leaving Jack with just the memory of his last words: “Your dad’s not a good person. Your dad killed people, son.” Jack and his mother struggled over the years, and Jack always wished he could find his dad. After pondering the huge coincidence of the offered job, Jack thinks maybe it could be a way to find his father. It turns out that the Marshals have lost touch with his Dad, so Jack thinks maybe he needs to leap up and save his father? Or something like that!

The challenge comes because he never knew the man, and is flying blind trying to solve the mystery surrounding his family, knowing only that his father apparently was a killer. It’s fun, moves quickly, doesn’t suffer from fuzzy plot points or rely on a deus ex machina resolution. Solid effort. Four stars

Mr. Barclay has NEVER disappointed me! I love each and every one of his novels. I have read every single one of his novels and they all become "my new favorite". This title is no different

1000 stars out of 5!

Linwood Barclay is one of my favorite new authors. Jack’s father leaves him and and his mother at a young age. His Dad was taken into protective custody due to him working being a hired worker and turning in his boss that he worked for. As an adult Jack wants to find his Dad and in the meanwhile is hired by the government to write the back stories of those who enter into witness protection. Where is Jacks Dad and is Jacks new job a coincidence? There are some flash backs which you confuse the situation. Will Jack find his Dad who has gone missing the witness protection program? Jack sets out to find the answers.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC for revie.

Love this author! One of my favorites. This novel follows Jack, whose father goes into witness protection. Soon, Jack is drawn into helping the witness protection program, leading him to figure out what his father did and where he ended up. The story felt twisty without being too gruesome. I figured out part of the ending but there was plenty of misdirection to keep you guessing.

Jack Givins is a published author with a murky past. For starters, he chose to publish his books under a pseudonym. They were mostly well-received but not career-making, so he’s financially stretched and worried about getting by. Then he’s approached by the U.S. Marshals, literally making him an offer he can’t refuse. They’d like him to write back stories for people in the witness protection program. Jack is more than willing to take the money, but also sees it as a way to find his father, who was in witness protection (and notorious, hence Jack’s decision to use a pseudonym). However, the marshals can’t find him, and it would seem he could be in imminent danger unless Jack can find him.

This was, as usual, an unbelievably complicated and clever story, and very enjoyable. I did wonder if more analytical minds than mine (I never, ever figure out the surprise ahead of time) could have seen the twist before it was revealed. I hope not, because they’d miss a great surprise. To me, one of the joys of reading mysteries is admiring how convoluted the stories can get, only to have a perfectly reasonable resolution. Linwood Barclay is a master of it; kudos to him for another thoroughly entertaining read.