The Art of a Lie is a beautifully-haunting tale of love and violence by Laura Shepherd-Robinson. You’re going to finish it with a broken heart and a thoughtful mind that ponders over the intricacies of what makes us tick.
Set in the 18th Century, we’re introduced to Hannah Cole, a confectioner who’s dealing with the murder of her husband as part of a supposed robbery gone wrong. Barely able to make ends meet, all hope feels lost as the police investigation drains more and more of her lifeline, until she meets William Devereux. Sophisticated and charming, he pledges to help Hannah with her struggles by helping her with the mysterious circumstances around her husband’s death so the police can unfreeze her assets. But is he really the charming person he appears to be? Moreover, is she the unwitting lady she wants the police to think she is?
Even though I’m not one for romantic crime dramas, let alone historical, Laura Shepherd-Robinson won me over. Before I knew it, I was flying through the pages, mesmerized by how 18th century England came to life in my mind through the eloquent descriptions of the author. I found myself deeply invested in seeing the characters meet their fate, almost heartbreakingly. It helps that the story is shrouded in mystery, layering the narrative between well-timed and gut-wrenching twists that flip the narrative on its head repeatedly in the best possible ways. You’re drawn to the characters in their plights and pain as much as their potential for good, and it’s all conveyed through the characters themselves, with the way they feel and behave that make them all the more real and meaningful for you to invest your emotions in. Even as I finished the book, I was shell-shocked to reel it all in, the enormity of the emotional complexity surrounding the characters’ actions as well as the nuanced nature of the ending.
The Art of a Lie is a fascinating crime drama that burrows into your brain and sits with you as you think back to the entire length of the book, finally unwinding from the suspense and thrills of the narrative.
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