Lies Agreed Upon

by Katherine D. Sharma

After losing her job and her lover, Tess Parnell hopes her luck has changed when she is contacted about a surprise Louisiana inheritance. Excitement turns to shock, however, when she realizes her family has hidden their New Orleans history, including her grandfather's murder and a possible link to her mother's suicide. Tess heads to New Orleans to cash in on her inheritance, explore her newfound roots and learn the reasons for her family's lies. Sifting through memories and legends, she begins to trace her Creole heritage from a haunted plantation to bayou tragedies and bitter vendettas. Tess is determined to uncover the family secrets that may have warped her mother's life and her own childhood. When Tess unwittingly rouses vengeful forces from a dark New Orleans past, her fight for the truth suddenly becomes a fight for her life.

Genres: Mystery

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 9, 2013

About the author

Katherine Sharma's family roots are in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. But after her early childhood in Texas, she has moved around the country and resided in seven other states, from Virginia to Hawaii. She currently lives in California with her husband and three children. She has also traveled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia, and makes regular visits to family in India. After receiving her B.A. in Economics and M.A. in Journalism from the University of Michigan, Katherine worked as a newspaper and magazine writer and editor for more than 15 years. She then shifted into management and marketing roles for firms in industries ranging from outdoor recreation products to insurance to direct marketing. Although Katherine still works as a marketing consultant, she is now focused on creative writing.

Reviews

[Nancy Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best books I've read all year. Written by my friend, Katy Sharma. How daunting for a friend to ask you to read a book she has written: what if it's awful? what do I say? Thankfully, it is amazingly good! I couldn't put it down, and neither could any of my friends and family who have read it. Based in New Orleans, filled with generational intrigue, mystery and murder, all explored by our heroine, the beautiful Tess. Can't wait for the sequel!

[Shari's Perusings & Musings · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had a horrible time getting into this book. The heroine was so wishy-washy. Took forever for me to finish as I just did not care about the characters. 1.5 stars

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the spring of 2009, my best friend and I decided to go to New Orleans for our last Spring Break of college with a few of our friends. We spent the week doing as much as we could to soak up the culture of the city - walking tours of the cemeteries, swamp tours, exploring the French Quarter, eating at landmark restaurants, etc - and I've had an affinity for the Crescent City ever since. When I found Lies Agreed Upon by Katherine Sharma online, I was immediately taken by the memories of New Orleans that the book's description evoked and knew right away I wanted to read more.

Lies Agreed Upon follows the story of Tess Parnell, a California girl in between jobs and stuck in a relationship with no definition, as she dives into the murky waters of her family's complex history following her mother's unexpected death and the news of an inheritance in New Orleans, a city she had, until now, no knowledge of any connection to. She heads to New Orleans hoping to settle matters quickly and find some information to help her cope with her mother's suicide while enjoying a brief getaway from her problems in California. Tess quickly learns, though, that the situation in New Orleans is not as it seems and she is the last remaining heir of a family filled with secrets. As the branches of her family tree unfurl and entangle, Tess finds herself drawn into the stories of the past with debts to be paid in the present and a dangerous foe lurking in plain sight.

What I really enjoyed about Lies Agreed Upon was how well Sharma was able to capture the feel of New Orleans. From the proud residents to the afternoon pop-up storms, the sights and sounds of the various locales (especially the hidden gardens at the site of the ruined mansion, Alhambra!), I could close my eyes while reading the book and picture exactly the image that Sharma was painting. I also enjoyed the various locals that Tess meets upon arriving in New Orleans, including a few society women and a parade of beaus, each looking to catch her attention for different reasons. I found myself getting lost, however, trying to keep track of the various branches of Tess's family tree, remembering what happened to who and how each person was related to Tess. Sharma provides a family tree in the front of the book which is helpful but, for me, didn't do a whole lot to ease my confusion. Despite that, I very much enjoyed this book, especially trying to figure out what was really going on as the story approached its conclusion. Sharma was able to wrap up several loose ends while leaving just enough story open for the reader to determine Tess's future on their own, a decision I believe shows a respect for the reader on Sharma's part and is, ultimately, a testament to her talents as a writer.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lies Agreed Upon by Kathleen Sharma is a very intricate web of family lies, secrets, murder, greed, desire and almost everything you can think of.

The author plunges us into the story with a gator hunter finding a skull with a beautiful gold necklace in the Louisiana bayous. That was in the past. But Chapter One opens with Tess Parnell living in a dilapidated apartment in Los Angeles. She lost her librarian job because of the bad economy. So she is behind on her rent.She drowns herself in crossword puzzles to escape her bad situation. One day she receives a thick envelope from New Orleans. She has inherited ten acres of land and an offer to buy at big sum of money. Her mother had always been close-lipped about her family. She decides to accept the invitation from the attorney representing the buyer to come to New Orleans. She wants to learn about her heritage and make a decision on the offer.

But things are not what they seem and she has some much to learn. She daydreams of starting a new romantic relationship. Also wondered if the answer to why her mother committed suicide might lie in her family history. She didn’t know that she would be opening an incredible family history of lies and even murder. She fell under the spell of New Orleans and slipped into danger.

The author pulls us into New Orleans, the restaurants, the jazz, the family mansions and gardens. The only problem that I had with exception of very small print was keeping the characters straight. She did provide a family tree at the beginning of the book and without that I would have been lost. I ended up writing notes on the family tree so I could keep the characters straight. There were lots of twists and surprises along the way and as soon as you thought you knew about a family member, you were introduced to another side by the memories of a different person.

I highly recommend this book with a caution, if you have trouble with small print, it would be better to read it as an e-book so that you can adjust the size.

I received this book as a win from FirstReads but that in no way influenced my thoughts or ideas in my review.

[Darlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book.

Katherine Sharma unveils the mystery of the lead character Tess, as she navigates her way through the history of her secretive family, layer by layer. The characters are interesting and emerge slowly from the shadows revealing murder, violence and romance. Present day New Orleans may be the setting but the action is influenced by French, Spanish, antebellum, black and white societies.

But mostly this book is about how complexities of the family structure can play out through generations.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this is not my usual read, I'm glad I picked it up. This mystery sets the reader to chasing long-dead ghosts, tracing the subtle incarnations of family feuds, and questioning the motives of each person added to the story. Sharma ties things together in bits and twisted pieces, appropriately to the story...even leaving some lost to the march of time. I found myself a little bored following drama and revenge of the dead (I prefer to stay away from the drama of the living as well), but if you like juicy bits of gossip this is a well-told yarn.

[Kristine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Apparently I am in the minority on this one. I just couldn't get into this book. Many parts of the book were just so boring and didn't really take the reader anywhere. The biggest problem I had however was the number of characters (espcially dead ones). I felt like I was listening to people talk about people they knew and that I just could not keep up. There were just so many names and relationships to follow that I ofte got lost.
The end was also a bit wierd.

[Connie Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I won this book though Goodreads and loved every page of it. It was very well written. Full of romance, history, drama, mystery, and secrets. Everything tied in and answered just at the right times to make it hard to put down. It was very interesting to see how the past of this family kept affecting each later generation. I hated it when the book came to an end. I am recommending it to all my friends. I am so happy I had the chance to read it.

[Eileen Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It is funny reading a book by someone you actually know personally. Katie did a really good job in writing a book that kept the reader engaged. I would highly recommend this book to all of my reader friends.

[Kim Freitas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads win - it was very well written, lots of depth to it. Presented a lot of "scenic visiting" throughout New Orleans - made me remember visits their. The only problem was their were too many players, almost needed a scorecard to keep up with everyone, but a very well told story.