4.5 stars!! Leo Balanoff is a diagnosed pathological liar, whom is also an attorney that goes above and beyond for his client's justice. A well-known drug dealer and child trafficker is found dead, and Leo's fingerprints are found on the weapon left at the crime scene. Leo is confronted by someone in the FBI to complete a task, take down the ringleader of the drug dealers and child trafficker. Leo's ultimatums include, do the undercover deeds for the FBI, or be charged with murder and taken to jail for the rest of his life. Of course, after much thought, Leo takes the FBI undercover work.

This book has a genius plot. Lots of twists and turns. When you think you know what's going on, you definitely can expect another twist. I absolutely love Leo Balanoff's character. This book is hard to talk about too much in a review because you don't want to give anything away. I would definitely recommend this book and for sure 100% will be reading future books by David Ellis! Thank you to Penguin Group Putnam and NetGalley for this ARC!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC!
I really enjoyed this book! So many lies make for the best twists! At times I felt like I was at the circus with two Completing ring leaders! I dont want to give too much away but this was a book filled with thrills, lies, trauma, and even love. I loved that part of the story takes place in Chicago and liked the Chicago references! My first read of David Ellis and I cant wait to get my hands on more of his books!
i will be posting my review on my
Bookstgram account @bookofthemeg on 8/8!

Look Closer was one of my favorite reads last year so I was super excited to dive into The Best Lies. I switched between the physical and audio and while the full cast audio is absolutely phenomenal I would recommend having a physical because of the constant time jumps and long list of characters. I love how the author is able to start the book with all these loose threads of characters and backstory and as the novel progresses they come together slowly revealing all the secrets, lies, and motivations until you get a perfectly woven plot by the end. Another book by David Ellis I will absolutely recommend.

I adored the generosity of heart that was the basis of David Ellis’ prior thriller, Look Closer, so was really excited to dive into this latest novel of his. Even with his proven track record for writing compelling stories with unexpected twists though, I did not expect to be as blown away as I was here!

My astonishment started at the twenty percent mark, where a huge plot twist had me closing my Kindle so I could go take a walk and breathe through my shock. I didn’t see how anything else in this book could possibly top that masterful execution of story, so was more than pleasantly surprised by the rest of this terrific novel. At one point, I was literally flailing with disbelief at the sheer brilliance and audacity of our main characters. It’s the very rare book that elicits such violent yet positive physical reactions from me. The Best Lies is truly one of the smartest, most propulsive mysteries I’ve ever read.

The story itself is about Leo Balanoff, a crusading attorney who’s been formally diagnosed as a pathological liar. His childhood was a mess, but it did compel him to pursue a career in the criminal justice system. While he’d originally aimed to join the Illinois state attorney’s office, a brush with the law in college derails those plans, and introduces him to the man who will eventually become his law partner:

QUOTE
“Something funny?” I ask.

“No, no.” He waves a hand. “I just enjoyed the music lesson.”

I sit down next to him and stare at him. I don’t follow.

“You just played that judge like a fiddle,” he whispers.

“I don’t know what you mean. I’m just a college kid. This legal stuff is a little overwhelming.”

He likes that, actually laughs. “Yeah, overwhelming. You looked real overwhelmed up there.” He leans into me. “You managed, without going to trial, without even testifying–through a guilty plea, no less–to convince the judge, first, that you’re not guilty of aggravated battery of a peace officer, and second, that you’re an upstanding citizen who shouldn’t go to prison.”

Good thing this guy wasn’t the judge, then.
END QUOTE

One of Leo’s latest cases has him trying to shut down a notorious human trafficker, Cyrus Balik. When Cyrus is found stabbed to death, Leo isn’t exactly unhappy to have the gangster taken out of the picture for good. Unfortunately for Leo, however, his fingerprints have been found on the murder weapon, and his blood on Cyrus’ clothes.

The FBI inevitably comes knocking, seeking Leo’s cooperation in taking out Cyrus’ boss, the even more ruthless Nico Katsaros. If Leo helps them, they’ll see what they can do about the inevitable murder charge. Even so, Leo is hesitant. There’s a strong chance that going undercover for the feds could endanger his life. The prospect of life in prison is even less appealing to him than a quick death though, so he reluctantly agrees.

With Cyrus dead, the FBI agent in charge has arranged for Leo to take over as Nico’s courier in the transfer of some sensitive but exceedingly valuable data. Leo is prepared for a lot, but not for the collision course that this will set him on with his ex, Andi Piotrowski. She’s a former police officer who left the force and now has a more lucrative position in private security. She can’t help musing over her life choices though when a new colleague asks:

QUOTE
“You miss being a cop, don’t you?”

She answers with a shrug. She misses the romance of it, good guys catching bad guys. But that ship sailed a long time ago, well before she left Deemer Park P.D., when she realized the bad guys aren’t always as bad as you thought, and the good guys definitely aren’t as good.

Here, at least, there’s no pretending. Quigley Crowe International sells medical products for a profit. Sure, big picture, they’re making products that help people, but in the end, QCI is a private corporation trying to make money and protect its own interests.
END QUOTE

As Leo’s and Andi’s paths converge once more, will they be able to work through their shared history and reconcile what they once believed with who they are now? Perhaps more importantly, will they both be able to stay alive in the process?

It’s really hard to talk in any depth about how amazing this book is without giving away any spoilers. Let’s just say that this is way more than a story of the collision between industrial espionage and a vicious crime syndicate. It’s smart and humorous and heartfelt and written so propulsively that it’s impossible to put down. I adored this book so much that it’s one of my favorites of 2024, and hopefully will be one of yours, too.

David Ellis was brought to my attention last year with his 2023 release, Look Closer, which was a top read of 2023 for me, so when I heard about his upcoming novel, THE BEST LIES, I jumped at the chance to read it! Look Closer was a very popular, yet polarizing read due to the amount of twists it took, but THE BEST LIES is much more straightforward.

The story is centered around attorney Leo Balanoff seeking justice for his client, but when he is accused of murdering a high-profile drug dealer and human trafficker, he is left to take matters in his own hands. Leo was diagnosed as a pathological liar in the past and the FBI offers him an opportunity for justice. Leo must walk a fine line between going undercover and also protecting his ex, Andi Piotrowski, at all costs.

I don't want to dive too much into the story because I actually didn't even read the synopsis! I just knew that I needed to read another David Ellis novel. This one is much more of a Harlan Coben vibe than his last book—dark, gritty, and more crime-focused than his last book. This story involves serious topics such as human trafficking, sex crimes, and violence, but it's needed to tell the story carefully. We have multiple POVs, but Leo's is 100% hands down my favorite and if Ellis just stayed with him, this book would be 5 stars. There's so many unique characters in this novel and I loved some, hated others, and loved to hate a few as well. David Ellis is an amazing author and has become an auto-read author for me!

Book Review
The Best Lies
David Ellis
reviewed by Lou Jacobs


readersremains.com | Goodreads


When love for family and an undying need to seek justice collide with vice, murder, and corporate theft, an immersive and propulsive page-turner arises to captivate until the last page is turned. Multiple award-winning writer David Ellis spins another unforgettable tale, equal to his other prestigious novels and certainly rivaling his Edgar Award-winning debut novel.

Although the narrative is told through multiple points of view, the main protagonist, Leo Balanoff, a crusading attorney, provides the main framework that is the centerpoint of this compelling narrative. Interspersed flashbacks provide the necessary backstory and motivations that propel the multiple plotlines and dilemmas to converge in dramatic fashion.

What initially is inexplicable will eventually explode into a nuanced revelation. Leo has just had his license to practice law reinstated. It was suspended when he impersonated an FBI agent to prompt the truth from a silent source, which would be the linchpin in freeing Eric Putnam from wrongful incarceration. At seventeen, Eric was railroaded into jail for a murder he had no part in.

The action starts with Leo hearing thundering footsteps coming up the fire escape of his apartment. Either he is going to be killed or arrested. Sleazeball Cyrus Balik has been murdered, found with a knife sticking out of the side of his neck. Cyrus is known for his trifecta of gangs, girls, and drugs. His main sport is human trafficking, luring runaway girls into drugs and prostitution. His sideline is drug dealing and murder. Unfortunately, Leo’s DNA and blood are found on Cyrus’s shirtsleeve, and his fingerprints are recovered from the knife handle. Leo vehemently denies the killing, although the motivation is obvious to all. Leo’s client, Bonnie Tressler, was scheduled to testify against Cyrus. Somehow, her body was recovered from a ditch with signs of an overdose. How convenient! The FBI will attempt to coerce Leo into a sting that entraps Cyrus’s boss.

Ellis provides a large cast of complex, multidimensional characters with multiple backstories and motivations that collide in seemingly incomprehensible dilemmas. Leo has a beloved brother, Trace, living now as a fugitive in Mexico. Both were raised by a “mother” who actually bought them to assuage her feelings of guilt over the loss of her natural children. Incidentally, she was an ex-cop (another story of its own). Leo’s path will also cross again with the beautiful and intelligent Andi Piotrowski. They lived and thrived together for years until she left. Also an ex-cop, Andi now works at the much more lucrative job of head of security at QCI (Quigley Crowe International). QCI was on the verge of releasing the formula for a major scientific breakthrough that would revolutionize the treatment of cancer. “Project Nano” utilized nanoparticles that would deliver the drugs to the tumor. They had discovered a liquid to coat the particles that would defeat the body’s immune system and allow for more efficient attachment to the red blood cells, resulting in a 50 percent more efficient attack on the cancer. Naturally, they were fearful of corporate espionage, especially by the Chinese spy agency, MSS.

Ellis proves to be a masterful storyteller as he weaves the multiple intricate plotlines to an ultimate collision course. He incrementally ratchets up the tension and intrigue until the puzzle pieces come crashing together in an exhilarating denouement. This action-packed narrative is full of secrets and deceptions that force the reader to turn each page faster.

Thanks to NetGalley and G.P. Putnam’s Sons for providing an Uncorrected Proof in exchange for an honest review

David is incredibly talented and I couldn’t listen to him talk for hours. I tell everyone to read LOOK CLOSER, and now I’ll be doing the same with his newest thriller THE BEST LIES. Seriously, go read it!

In THE BEST LIES, the short chapters, multiple POVs, and twists had me on the edge of my seat. And a first person main character who’s a diagnosed pathological liar?! Say less!

I loved Leo’s voice and his quirky fascination with numbers. He was definitely a morally gray character that you want to root for.

The plot is super intricate with a lot of moving parts and the ending was SUPER satisfying 👏

3.5-4⭐️ I really loved the authors book Look Closer, but this one just didn’t live up to that love for me. There were some good twists I didn’t see coming and it was very fast paced that kept me turning the pages, but in the end I wasn’t wowed like I had hoped and I didn’t think the ending was incredibly exciting. I love the way this author writes and I will be very excited to see what books come from him in the future. I love that so many people are enjoying this one!

I enjoyed this author’s previous novel, Look Closer. Unfortunately, I just did not care about the characters or the storyline. I put this aside to read another book, but when I went to pick it back up at the 60% mark, I realized that I just did not care about what happens in the last 40% of the story.

David Ellis is such a great writer. He does it allllll in The Best Lies. It is a complex and layered mystery for the crime solvers and there are twisty surprises throughout to satiate the thriller lovers. The short cliffhanger chapters kept the narrative moving and held me in RAPT attention. The Best Lies is different than Look Closer, it is more of a crime fiction/action thriller (think lawyers, FBI, the mob). I am happy to report that I loved both! Look Closer is my number 1, but The Best Lies was excellent.

Thank you very much Penguin/Putnam and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Loved this one from David Ellis! What a writer! He's one of my new favorite others and an auto read. This one was a little more complex than his last hit book but I still enjoyed it a lot. Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

David Ellis is the King of Twists!

Leo Balanoff is a pathological liar and attorney who is after a drug dealer and child trafficker. After his DNA if found on a murder victim & he is accused of murder, he puts his life on the line to go undercover for the FBI.
This book if full of unreliable narrators, and a past and present timeline that will keep you flipping the pages long after bedtime!

Like all of Ellis’ books, once you get sucked in, its easy to lose track o time! If you like undercover work, national security, spies, corporate espionage and a strong loyalty to family, then this book is 100% for you!

Thank you to Net Galley and Penguin Putnam Group for an advanced reader’s copy of The Best Lies. It was a privilege to review David Ellis’s newest novel!


4 Stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Another absolute hit from @david_ellis_author!

Short synopsis: Leo Balanoff is an attorney and diagnosed pathological liar. When Leo’s fingerprints end up on a murder weapon used on a predatory gangster, no one believes a word he says.

Thoughts: This book was a real page-turner!! I had to know more about Leo and his involvement as well as his past. He is an underdog and one you can’t help but root for when you learn more about his past and why he does the things he does! This book was clever and compulsive. The twists kept coming and I came to a point, I wasn’t really trying to predict the story, I was just along for the ride! And boy, it paid off! 4.5 stars

Thank you Kaye Publicity, NetGalley, Putnam
Books, and David Ellis for my gifted copy

Leo is a lawyer, but he’s different than most, taking risks to get justice for those who deserve it. A local drug dealer is found dead and Leo’s fingerprints are on the weapon. The FBI offers him a deal and things begin to get complicated…
This book is not something I would typically read. I don’t read a ton of thrillers that go into depth with FBI investigations and crime. With that being said, overall, I did enjoy the book. It was full of twists I did not see coming and kept me engaged. Ellis does an amazing job weaving unpredictable twists into the plot. There were multiple points of view, but I didn’t care for some of the characters. The nonlinear timeline confused me in the beginning, if I wasn’t paying close attention. However, it was definitely something I enjoyed as Leo’s story unfolded.
Even though the plot wasn’t for me, this book is a great thriller and would highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrillers based around the FBI and crime.
Thank you Putnam Books and NetGalley for this ARC!

This was a strong narrated family drama. I am not a family drama person, but I am a David Ellis person. I think if the every day mystery but not really a thriller.

**Many thanks to NetGalley, Penguin - Putnam, and David Ellis for an ARC of this book!**

"Beware the clever man that makes the wrong look right." - Lawrence Hill

Meet Leo Balanoff: he's the type of defense attorney that, well, needs his OWN defense attorney. After a hard knock life of sorts and plenty of secrets in his past, he has TRIED to live life on the up and up...but nobody said it would be easy. When his prints are found on the murder weapon that took out notorious drug dealer and criminal mastermind Cyrus Balik, however, of COURSE all eyes are cast in his direction....but did Leo actually have the guts, the motive, and the chutzpah to take out Cyrus? Or was there a more dynamic, convoluted, and intricate scheme in play? Will his skills as a professional liar of sorts get him out of trouble...or drag him even deeper into the proverbial mire?

Andi Piotrowski is not only a cop tied up in this particular case, but she boasts a more personal connection: she is Leo's ex, and not only that, but his former soulmate and the proverbial one that got away. After a chance meeting in a bar led to a long courtship, the pair got engaged, but have gone their separate ways...until now, anyway. When Leo's intel and ability to talk his way in (or out) of any situation as an invaluable asset to the FBI, they make a deal with him: go undercover and blow up the whole scheme in exchange for protection and Leo is quick to accept the proposal. But what he DOESN'T know is that the pinnacle of this take-down will put him squarely in Andi's path once again. As the sting operation goes from inception to fulfillment, will this climactic showdown expose Leo for every wrong he's committed. Or is there yet ANOTHER wolf in sheep's clothing, waiting for the opportunity to take a little piece of the pie for his - or her- self?

It's hard to imagine a world where I WOULDN'T have raced to request an early copy of this book after being nothing short of FLOORED by Ellis' Look Closer and I waited ANXIOUSLY for this release. As a psychological thriller lover at my very core (the more twists the better...unless it's Sager, of course!) I was enthralled by Ellis' quirky, morally ambiguous characters and racing, exciting plots. His previous book had me CONSTANTLY questioning: who was right and who was wrong? What end justifies the means when it comes to 'bad' behavior? And most importantly...WHEN was the next twist coming because after a while, I just knew each progressive plot turn was going to up the ante...and needless to say, it did NOT disappoint!

But when it comes to this one, I suddenly realized that while Look Closer may have been a one-off, rip-roaring ride into my favorite thriller territory...Ellis' NORMAL lane seems to be in the crossroads of the Police Procedural, Sting Operation, Mob, and Action Thriller streets...and let's just say, that's an area I don't visit too often.

To start, it seemed like these two books could be SOMEWHAT similar, with the questionable morals, clever thinking, and bizarre habits (Leo has a fascination with prime numbers and math as sort of a coping mechanism throughout the book) and he seemed like the sort of unreliable and intriguing narrator that kept me wanting more. But the minute he started delving into specifics about the crime lords, the mob, drugs etc., I could see this was going in an ENTIRELY different direction....and it had me longing for the 'simple' Simon of Look Closer. At its core, I think one of the struggles for me here was that there was so much PLOT going on and so many intricate details about the crime syndicate's plans that some of the impact that Ellis' past characters had on me got lost along the way. I was so busy trying to keep up with who was telling the truth, the timeline (which was confusing, to say the least) and the next steps of the plan at any given moment that the story just didn't have enough time to breathe...because trust me, I FELT that ticking clock.

Except it felt more like a ticking clock at the front of the room during a loooong exam...and the kind of exam that essentially stumped me.

There ARE twists here, sure; but none that had so great an impact as any from his previous book. A few made me smile and were clever, but none compelled me to start racing through the pages. One of the main reasons for this was just the length of the book itself, and there's really no way around it: it's just LONG. The great irony is that looking back, Look Closer was JUST as long...but while I finished that in short order, while I had no problem setting this one down for a while and coming back to it at my leisure. I'm not sure if it's just how I feel about these sort of books, but while I was invested enough to care how the "big operation" played out....I don't think I cared nearly as much as I SHOULD have for the depth and breadth of the story.

One area that WAS somewhat of a highlight for me was, ironically, the love story (of sorts) between Leo and Andi. The scenes of their meet cute and the tortured state of their current interactions was far more exciting to me than any plans involving the development of secret drugs or how best to hoodwink the bad guys. Perhaps this was my way of yet again yearning for the Simon and Vicky days in Look Closer and the uh, 'messy' relationship there...but I think Ellis' ability to write a sort of tortured love story with 'will they won't they' undertones shouldn't be ignored. As a judge and a lawyer in his own life, Ellis also makes these scenes sing: there's one in particular that sort of sets the scene for Leo's character early on that was particularly memorable and DYNAMICALLY clever that also pays off toward the end of the book, so there are bright spots to be found amidst the heavy darkness of the sting op and all that surrounds it...you just have to LOOK for them.

And although I am personally longing for Ellis to take a sharp turn back into the of the mile-a-minute, so many twists you'll get whiplash, Psychological Thriller Fast Lane...this one unfortunately felt like it put the 'pit' back in pit stop.

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

Go in blind!

Really enjoyed this one. After reading and absolutely loving Look Closer last year I was so excited to receive an early ARC via netgalley and Putnam books. I loved all the twists, the shocks, the plot line and the way the story unfolded. It had me turning the pages quickly and kept me guessing till the end.

Highly recommend!

What I loved:

- The story building is incredible.
-Enjoyed the multiple POVs
-Original story, not something I have read before.
-Once it got going it was quick paced and super interesting.
-Really enjoyed the ending.

What I struggled with:

-Keeping up with all the characters and their history
-A little slow at the beginning

I had a hard time getting started with this book which I think is a me problem due to my lifestyle. I am usually reading with kids running around or at a sports practice so my focus is elsewhere but once I got into the story and figured out all of the characters and their backstory it started clicking and I was loving it. The buildup for the end was so intense! And the ending was spectacular. I would definitely recommend this to a friend, it was a terrific thriller and I cant wait to grab more by this author.

What attributes would benefit a lawyer that is willing to do what it takes to insure that criminals pay for their crimes? You would think that being a diagnosed pathological liar would be a good asset. But, unfortunately for Leo, it has proven to be quite a problem when he finds himself accused of murdering one of the worst human trafficker and drug dealers in Chicago. No one believes anything he says. Leo finds himself reluctantly taking a deal with the FBI that puts him in the middle of a web of lies and espionage as he tries to get through this without getting himself killed.

Wow, this was such a rollercoaster ride. I loved the way the story unraveled and secrets were revealed. The pacing of the story was perfect as it bounced from past to present and revealed important pieces to the puzzle that was craftily written. This was my first Ellis book and it will definitely not be my last. Well done!!

5 ⭐️

Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest reveiw.

Loved the pace of this book, I had constant whiplash (in a good way) going back and forth between the timeline and the narrators. The twists near the end to bring it all together were exciting and made the slower start worth it. I had to go back a few different times to re-read about various characters because it was a lot to keep track of. But it definitely made you think the whole time and I enjoyed it overall.