A Thin Film of Lies

Last weekend was a haze. You know why? 

I could not put down this fantastic book!

First, let me offer a surprising disclaimer: I am not a mystery fan.  A Christian Crime novel didn't really pique my interest, but as the Operations Manager of The CWA Review Crew I had a free copy to peruse. Yeah, I said peruse. Let me be clear though. If you pick up this book you will not simply peruse. Your life will be in a paused state until you reach the last page. It's just that good.

My initial disinterest is exactly what made my pleasure in this book so profound. I literally could not stop reading. Susanne Lakin has the incredible gift of description. From the introduction I was hooked, simply by her language and the vivid images they evoked. 

Holy cow! It was like noting I'd read before. Let me tease you with the beginning:

I wasn’t there the night Libby Denham was killed but believe me, I can fill in the details. Being a photographer, I was taught to have an eye for detail. So here’s how I would have captured her death:

The first shot: Libby in her Pontiac Firebird. A beat-up old car, periwinkle blue. I’d shoot the angle from the front, straight through the windshield with a 50mm lens, capturing her flashy eyes and the way her thick red hair tumbled down her shoulders. She’d be wearing her oversized tortoiseshell glasses and, of course, the purple angora sweater. However, the look on her face would imply more than exasperation at trying to find a parking space for her clunker.

Here’s the beauty of the expression: you couldn’t tell if Libby was excited or fearful. A person would wonder—what was the source of her abnormal agitation? Why were her hands gripping the steering wheel so tenaciously?

See what I mean? It reads almost like a film script. Camera angles, intrigue, suspense. You get so much detail from the author that you actually believe you know what's going on, but you don't.

The reader becomes like the character, Alisa, evaluating the evidence and putting pieces together. Alisa is a woman who has just learned of her husband, Mike's,  infidelity via the ominous envelope filling her mail box. Oh, and if she had any doubts of its authenticity, there were pictures and love letters in her husband's handwriting. Can you feel the tension? It seems pretty cut and dry.  However,  it was far from simple. The day the letter arrives, the illicit "lover" is discovered dead, possibly victim of a hit and run.

Now two detectives are on the case but ultimately it's Alisa whose heart is on the line, in more ways then she can even understand.

A Thin Film of Lies is a fantastic book! 

In all the reading I do I certainly give plenty of positive reviews, but seriously, this goes beyond a good book. I thoroughly recommend snagging a copy. You can purchase online at Amazon.

You can also try before you buy: Sample Chapter PDF.

This book is only $4.99. That's a great price for a great book.

I am definitely eager to read more from this author.

C. S. Lakin is a novelist and professional copyeditor who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area. The first four books in her seven-book fantasy series, The Gates of Heaven, have been released (AMG/Living Ink Publishers) and she is also the author of 5 novels of pyschological suspense and YA sci-fi.

 I received a free copy of this Ebook Product to review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the FTC Regulations. I am part of The CWA Review Crew.