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Lie to Me
When a madman breaks into her Washington mansion, killing her husband, beautiful Mary Gaetan tells the police nothing of the intruder, claiming her husband killed himself--an odd response that spurs Detective Teddy Camel to find out the truth
305 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
12 people are currently reading
374 people want to read
About the author
David Lozell Martin
17 books32 followersDavid Martin is the author of ten novels that range from the international bestselling thriller Lie To Me to the acclaimed love story, The Crying Heart Tattoo.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews
May 15, 2018
I had never heard of this book or it’s author and found it in a charity shop. The cover grabbed my attention so I picked it up and read the blurb. A serial killer horror.
Clicked on my GR’s app and checked out the reviews as I do a lot (sometimes to my detriment as I put a book back on the shelf go home and wish I had bought it so go back only to see it has sold! Fool! All over £1!) Added it to my other purchases.
I always look at the first publication date of any book I read as it puts it into context. Lie To Me was first published in 1990. Two years after The Silence of the Lambs book and one year before the film adaptation. Right on time for the popular serial killer scene.
The book also intrigued me as it came at the end of the 80’s horror boom. It was a book publishers could market as a thriller rather then a horror. For me it is a horror. Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction has more on this.
I have just read The True Bride, Dark Places and The Intruder. All three are serial killer horrors so it was a good time to read Lie To Me.
Jonathan and Mary Gaetan are terrorized by a serial killer one night, resulting in a death. A local cop, Theodore Camel investigates the killing. However, all is not as it seems and the story twists and turns as secrets are revealed.
The serial killer is nasty, brutal, creepy, sick and insane. A great serial killer! The cop is not without his flaws either. The story is told from either of their points of view and the author does a great job of getting inside their heads and unleashing their thoughts and actions. This sometimes leads to gruesome scenes.
There was one end of chapter cliffhanger that made my imagination run riot. What is going to happen next? Is it going to be really awful and disturbing? Am I going to feel sick as I read on?
A great serial killer horror from the end of the 80’s and start of the 90’s.
Clicked on my GR’s app and checked out the reviews as I do a lot (sometimes to my detriment as I put a book back on the shelf go home and wish I had bought it so go back only to see it has sold! Fool! All over £1!) Added it to my other purchases.
I always look at the first publication date of any book I read as it puts it into context. Lie To Me was first published in 1990. Two years after The Silence of the Lambs book and one year before the film adaptation. Right on time for the popular serial killer scene.
The book also intrigued me as it came at the end of the 80’s horror boom. It was a book publishers could market as a thriller rather then a horror. For me it is a horror. Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction has more on this.
I have just read The True Bride, Dark Places and The Intruder. All three are serial killer horrors so it was a good time to read Lie To Me.
Jonathan and Mary Gaetan are terrorized by a serial killer one night, resulting in a death. A local cop, Theodore Camel investigates the killing. However, all is not as it seems and the story twists and turns as secrets are revealed.
The serial killer is nasty, brutal, creepy, sick and insane. A great serial killer! The cop is not without his flaws either. The story is told from either of their points of view and the author does a great job of getting inside their heads and unleashing their thoughts and actions. This sometimes leads to gruesome scenes.
There was one end of chapter cliffhanger that made my imagination run riot. What is going to happen next? Is it going to be really awful and disturbing? Am I going to feel sick as I read on?
A great serial killer horror from the end of the 80’s and start of the 90’s.
December 4, 2008
I found this at a book sale, and it's a pretty darned creepy serial killer tale, with all sorts of twists and turns that went from cliche to original. It's told from the point of view of the killer and from the detective, and I much preferred the chapters from the detective's POV, because the killer was just really creepy.
June 9, 2012
Read this book and you will reject the across-the-board accuracy of the adage, "Honesty is the best policy." Clearly illustrates that, under some circumstances, other factors must be considered. Breakneck pace; this book will grip you and pull you right in. Be prepared to stay up all night turning the pages.
June 29, 2024
4.25 stars.
First of all, the book contains hard topics, such as murders, drugs, sexual content and violence, mental illness and violence on children. I do not recommend the book if you are sensitive to these topics.
So far, this year, I can definitely say that this was the best twist I've read. It was so shocking and I really didn't see it coming. Also, it was really logically explained at the end. That really impressed me. The characters were really intriguing. I liked how the author portrayed the antagonist (the criminal) - he was really evil and horrible, but at the same time you felt sorry for him. He was a difficult character. The protagonist was also special - he's not a normal cop, I can say that. I grew to like him over time. The writing style was really engaging - I couldn't stop reading, I read a lot in one sitting and I read fast (I'm not really a fast reader in English). I also enjoyed the writing style and I think I will read more books by him!
First of all, the book contains hard topics, such as murders, drugs, sexual content and violence, mental illness and violence on children. I do not recommend the book if you are sensitive to these topics.
So far, this year, I can definitely say that this was the best twist I've read. It was so shocking and I really didn't see it coming. Also, it was really logically explained at the end. That really impressed me. The characters were really intriguing. I liked how the author portrayed the antagonist (the criminal) - he was really evil and horrible, but at the same time you felt sorry for him. He was a difficult character. The protagonist was also special - he's not a normal cop, I can say that. I grew to like him over time. The writing style was really engaging - I couldn't stop reading, I read a lot in one sitting and I read fast (I'm not really a fast reader in English). I also enjoyed the writing style and I think I will read more books by him!
April 13, 2010
this book was good, but to have a mind to write something like that kinda scares me... very creepy
February 12, 2015
Short Take: This might be the most cracked-out, violent, bizarre, hilarious, disturbing book I've read in a very long time.
“He sits in the woods holding her hand.” That’s about as innocuous a first line as they come. Dude’s just chilling in the woods, holding a girl’s hand. It sounds kind of nice, actually.
But the dude in question is a seriously messed-up person. His name is Philip, and he just got out of prison. The girl’s hand? It used to belong to a fifteen-year-old hitchhiker, and he carries it everywhere. And he’s not chilling in the woods, he’s hiding, watching the home of wealthy businessman Jonathan Gaetan and his beautiful young wife Mary. When night falls, he breaks into the house, threatens and brutalizes them both, and when morning comes, Philip is gone and Jonathan is dead in the bathtub, savagely butchered.
Yet when Mary calls the police, she insists it was a suicide, and never mentions the intruder. And that’s just the start of the craziness.
Theodore Camel, the cop investigating Jonathan’s death is, well, an a-hole. He’s boozy and burned out and bitter and just wants to nap at his desk until he can collect his pension. At one time, he was a hotshot known as The Detector because of an uncanny ability to persuade (read: bully) suspects into telling the truth. Camel would have preferred to stay out of the whole thing, but given the high profile nature of the case, the higher-ups want him to dust off the old Detector act to interrogate Mary Gaetan. He can tell that she’s lying, but she sticks to her story, that Jonathan cut himself nearly to pieces in the bathtub.
It’s the next day, when Jo-Jo Creek, Jonathan’s assistant, shows up with some new and interesting information that Camel finds himself wanting to solve this particular mystery. Teaming up with his old partner, Alfred, he (almost against his will) takes on a case with more twists than a small intestine.
David Martin doesn’t just Go There. He buys a house, moves in, and becomes the mayor of There. There’s quite a lot of sexual sadism in this one. Like, to the point that I think the phrase “cut it off” could be retired. His writing style is some of the best I’ve seen, though. There’s a lot of story in less than 300 pages, and no wasted words. Every sentence is perfectly on point. For example, when Camel meets Jo-Jo, this happens: “‘I have some information,’ she announced. A lot of what she said came in the form of announcements.”
That, right there. Two brief sentences, and you already know so much about the character. That’s the difference between telling a story, even a good one, and serious word craftsmanship. I was so caught up in the delicious story, and fantastic, if unlikeable, characters, that it didn’t dawn on me until I started this review that Lie To Me was first published in 1990. I didn’t even notice the lack of cell phones and Internet in the detective’s toolbox.
And let me just say, Philip is one of the most fascinating bad guys I’ve come across. He’s sick, he’s insane, he has zero limits. He has a lifetime and a half’s worth of seriously awful stuff in his head, and the only thing you can be sure of with him is that no matter what you think he’s about to do, he’s going to do something worse. But he’s also just not that smart. It’s refreshing to read a character that is horrible and scary but also comically inept. When Philip would fail to do something terrible (usually injuring himself in the process), I found myself cheering and giggling. Hannibal Lecter he ain’t. His missteps are hilarious… until they aren’t.
There are two major revelations by the end of Lie To Me, and I’m proud to say that I had figured one of them out. The other one, however… whoa. Also, ew. There’s a final scene, after the mystery is solved, and the characters have all gone onto whatever happens after The End that just doesn’t square with the rest of the story. In a lesser book, it would probably cost the author a neuron in my rating, but when the rest of a story is so fantastic, I’ll forgive him a few pages of questionable choices.
The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS.
“He sits in the woods holding her hand.” That’s about as innocuous a first line as they come. Dude’s just chilling in the woods, holding a girl’s hand. It sounds kind of nice, actually.
But the dude in question is a seriously messed-up person. His name is Philip, and he just got out of prison. The girl’s hand? It used to belong to a fifteen-year-old hitchhiker, and he carries it everywhere. And he’s not chilling in the woods, he’s hiding, watching the home of wealthy businessman Jonathan Gaetan and his beautiful young wife Mary. When night falls, he breaks into the house, threatens and brutalizes them both, and when morning comes, Philip is gone and Jonathan is dead in the bathtub, savagely butchered.
Yet when Mary calls the police, she insists it was a suicide, and never mentions the intruder. And that’s just the start of the craziness.
Theodore Camel, the cop investigating Jonathan’s death is, well, an a-hole. He’s boozy and burned out and bitter and just wants to nap at his desk until he can collect his pension. At one time, he was a hotshot known as The Detector because of an uncanny ability to persuade (read: bully) suspects into telling the truth. Camel would have preferred to stay out of the whole thing, but given the high profile nature of the case, the higher-ups want him to dust off the old Detector act to interrogate Mary Gaetan. He can tell that she’s lying, but she sticks to her story, that Jonathan cut himself nearly to pieces in the bathtub.
It’s the next day, when Jo-Jo Creek, Jonathan’s assistant, shows up with some new and interesting information that Camel finds himself wanting to solve this particular mystery. Teaming up with his old partner, Alfred, he (almost against his will) takes on a case with more twists than a small intestine.
David Martin doesn’t just Go There. He buys a house, moves in, and becomes the mayor of There. There’s quite a lot of sexual sadism in this one. Like, to the point that I think the phrase “cut it off” could be retired. His writing style is some of the best I’ve seen, though. There’s a lot of story in less than 300 pages, and no wasted words. Every sentence is perfectly on point. For example, when Camel meets Jo-Jo, this happens: “‘I have some information,’ she announced. A lot of what she said came in the form of announcements.”
That, right there. Two brief sentences, and you already know so much about the character. That’s the difference between telling a story, even a good one, and serious word craftsmanship. I was so caught up in the delicious story, and fantastic, if unlikeable, characters, that it didn’t dawn on me until I started this review that Lie To Me was first published in 1990. I didn’t even notice the lack of cell phones and Internet in the detective’s toolbox.
And let me just say, Philip is one of the most fascinating bad guys I’ve come across. He’s sick, he’s insane, he has zero limits. He has a lifetime and a half’s worth of seriously awful stuff in his head, and the only thing you can be sure of with him is that no matter what you think he’s about to do, he’s going to do something worse. But he’s also just not that smart. It’s refreshing to read a character that is horrible and scary but also comically inept. When Philip would fail to do something terrible (usually injuring himself in the process), I found myself cheering and giggling. Hannibal Lecter he ain’t. His missteps are hilarious… until they aren’t.
There are two major revelations by the end of Lie To Me, and I’m proud to say that I had figured one of them out. The other one, however… whoa. Also, ew. There’s a final scene, after the mystery is solved, and the characters have all gone onto whatever happens after The End that just doesn’t square with the rest of the story. In a lesser book, it would probably cost the author a neuron in my rating, but when the rest of a story is so fantastic, I’ll forgive him a few pages of questionable choices.
The Nerd’s Rating: FIVE HAPPY NEURONS.
December 30, 2019
4.0 stars!
Detective mystery horror.
Pre-cell phone serial killer story. Examines pros and cons realities of "truth and lies". An aware person could learn something from Martin's yarn. In writing "Lie to Me", I suspect David Martin's sub conscious continually warned Martin of his future personal peril. But that's another David Martin story..."Losing Everything"
Although I figured out the main plot points before reveals, the characters actions kept me guessing. "Lie to Me" should appeal to folks who like their horror written with a literary flair. I'll probably reread "Lie to Me" in another 10 years. If you liked "Lie to Me", I recommend Exorcist author Willaim Peter Blatty's novel - "Dimiter"
Detective mystery horror.
Pre-cell phone serial killer story. Examines pros and cons realities of "truth and lies". An aware person could learn something from Martin's yarn. In writing "Lie to Me", I suspect David Martin's sub conscious continually warned Martin of his future personal peril. But that's another David Martin story..."Losing Everything"
Although I figured out the main plot points before reveals, the characters actions kept me guessing. "Lie to Me" should appeal to folks who like their horror written with a literary flair. I'll probably reread "Lie to Me" in another 10 years. If you liked "Lie to Me", I recommend Exorcist author Willaim Peter Blatty's novel - "Dimiter"
December 21, 2009
A very good serial killer novel,try to figure who it is. A wonderful twist.
July 27, 2012
พอ อ่านแล้วท่านจะรู้สึกเหมือนว่ากำลังดูละครสืบสวนฝรั่งอยู่ พระเอกมีบุคลิกที่ธรรมดามาก เป็นตำรวจธรรมดานายนึงที่ไม่น่าสนใจ เค้าบอกว่าตัวเองมีพรสวรรค์คือจับเท็จได้ อ่านไปก็ไม่เห็นว่าพรสวรรค์นั้นมันจะได้เรื่องได้ราว
เรื่องนี้คืออ่าน เอามันอะ ตอนที่เด็กโดนจับเป็นตัวประกันไปนี่ โอ้โหหหหห รู้สึกเหมือนดูหนังไล่ล่า ข้อดีของเรื่องนี้คือมันมีบทสนทนาและฉากอย่างที่ซีรี่ยส์ชอบใช้กัน เลยทำให้อ่านได้ ปมปัญหาก็ประหลาดดี โรคจิตเหมือนที่พวกฝรั่งชอบเป็นบ่อยๆ
ตอนจบก็แฮปปี้เอนดิ้ง (เอาเฮอะถึงแม้พ่อเธอจะตาย) คนเลวบางคนสำนึกผิดและได้แก้ตัว คนดี(พระเอกนั่นแหละ)ก็ได้ใช้ชีวิตวัยแก่อย่างไม่อับเฉา ได้คืนดีกับลูกด้วยมั้งถ้าจำไม่ผิด
เหมือนละครเลยอะ ให้ตายสิ 555+
(หนังสือไม่อยู่กับตัว จำปมปัญหาได้ไม่ครบทุกเรื่อง)
เจอหนังสือเล่มนี้ที่มาเลย์ คิดว่า Norfuasialaila น่าจะเป็นคนอ่าน (เพราะแนบที่คั่นหนังสือบอกรักดาราญี่ปุ่นอยู่ #ไม่เกี่ยว)
เรื่องนี้คืออ่าน เอามันอะ ตอนที่เด็กโดนจับเป็นตัวประกันไปนี่ โอ้โหหหหห รู้สึกเหมือนดูหนังไล่ล่า ข้อดีของเรื่องนี้คือมันมีบทสนทนาและฉากอย่างที่ซีรี่ยส์ชอบใช้กัน เลยทำให้อ่านได้ ปมปัญหาก็ประหลาดดี โรคจิตเหมือนที่พวกฝรั่งชอบเป็นบ่อยๆ
ตอนจบก็แฮปปี้เอนดิ้ง (เอาเฮอะถึงแม้พ่อเธอจะตาย) คนเลวบางคนสำนึกผิดและได้แก้ตัว คนดี(พระเอกนั่นแหละ)ก็ได้ใช้ชีวิตวัยแก่อย่างไม่อับเฉา ได้คืนดีกับลูกด้วยมั้งถ้าจำไม่ผิด
เหมือนละครเลยอะ ให้ตายสิ 555+
(หนังสือไม่อยู่กับตัว จำปมปัญหาได้ไม่ครบทุกเรื่อง)
เจอหนังสือเล่มนี้ที่มาเลย์ คิดว่า Norfuasialaila น่าจะเป็นคนอ่าน (เพราะแนบที่คั่นหนังสือบอกรักดาราญี่ปุ่นอยู่ #ไม่เกี่ยว)
April 10, 2022
I don’t know why I bought this book over thirty years ago. I never heard of the author or anything about it. It’s been sitting in my bookshelf all these years unread. I finally decided to read it now and I couldn’t put it down. I may look into other David Martin books and hope that this one wasn’t a fluke.
May 4, 2017
This was disturbing and compelling at the same time. I would relate it to a train wreck or a tragic accident...you know it's not politically correct to stare (or keep reading), but you can't tear your eyes away (or put the book down). Whoa...the author has quite an imagination.
February 14, 2018
3.5 🌟
This was an entertaining read, but probably not a "landmark" in the serial killer/detective canon. A bit gruesome at times, but, hey, it's a story about a serial killer, not altar boys.
The tired, near-retirement detective character may not have been overdone when this book was published, but it is now. Not the author's fault, but still a bit of a turn-off in the 21st century. The killer, on the other hand, is an interesting character with enough quirks and odd mannerisms to make me uncomfortable, yet I find myself thinking that I would read another story featuring him as the main character.
The author himself has described his work thusly: "My writing is violent and dark and profane and adolescently male...."
'Nuff said. If that's not your cup o' tea, this book may not be for you.
This was an entertaining read, but probably not a "landmark" in the serial killer/detective canon. A bit gruesome at times, but, hey, it's a story about a serial killer, not altar boys.
The tired, near-retirement detective character may not have been overdone when this book was published, but it is now. Not the author's fault, but still a bit of a turn-off in the 21st century. The killer, on the other hand, is an interesting character with enough quirks and odd mannerisms to make me uncomfortable, yet I find myself thinking that I would read another story featuring him as the main character.
The author himself has described his work thusly: "My writing is violent and dark and profane and adolescently male...."
'Nuff said. If that's not your cup o' tea, this book may not be for you.
October 27, 2024
Could not put this down. Awesome and tragic and terrifying villain, veteran pair of police written with every hard bitten, wise cracking, straight shooting cliche but comfortably so - it IS American, but I am too Australian to refer to them as 'cops' without feeling I am pretending to be someone else. They are policeman. Full of twists and turns that succeeded at pinning me to the couch til finished. Its not literary or poetic although the villain gets close given his origins and what he endures too young. The plot is a little unusal but my main appreciation for it is that it evoked emotional reaction as I read and it made me see how telling the truth is not always the best thing to do, and that people suffer whether a truth or a lie is told in some situations so we should choose the kinder option. A thinking readers psychological thriller with some technicolour evil.
December 22, 2022
I have definitely read better and creepier books. This was not very gruesome to me either. It honestly kind of bored me. Perhaps it was because this book was written years ago and there has been better serial killer books written since. There was one nasty concept that I would have rather not read about.
November 25, 2024
It was good. Definitely had me intrigued and was a page-turner. However, some parts were really hard to read. Super graphic scenes involving rape and murder. So if that stuff is a trigger for you, definitely skip this one.
June 21, 2025
I found a copy of this book at a Goodwill and bought it because I was desperate for something to read. After finishing it, I wish I had left that store empty handed. Between the incest, pedophilia, murders and assault... Jesus. This book needs to come with a giant RATED M FOR MATURE label
September 1, 2025
Found this book at an estate sale and thought it sounded good. It was gruesome and definitely not for everyone but I enjoyed the whole thing. This was a great mystery/thriller book with great writing.
March 20, 2020
This book is graphic.
June 15, 2020
Very suspenseful and scary!!! Mr. Martin, you owe me sleep!!!
April 15, 2021
Read in 1995. Not for the squeamish, this taut, gripping and bloody thriller details the mad ravings of a warped personality. Right up my alley. One of my favorites that year.
March 28, 2023
Love David L. Martin books!
November 13, 2023
It’s definitely interesting enough but you can easily tell that it’s written by a man in the 90s 😄 a lot of “man writing women” moments in that book.
February 18, 2024
I really enjoyed this.
March 4, 2024
Vile.
April 11, 2025
The writing on this one isn't great, and I saw the twist coming. It gets very dark and very messed up if that isn't your thing.
October 27, 2021
“Phil Jameson, a nut case, waits in a Virginia woods holding the hand of the 15-year-old hitchhiker he picked up in Maryland. When influential real estate developer Jonathan Gaetan and his wife Mary leave, Philip breaks into their house ``to get what is his.'' Gradually, the reader catches on that the hitchhiker isn't there, just her hand is. The Gaetans return, and the next day Jonathan is found dead and sexually mutilated. Did Philip do it? Or Mary? Alone or in collusion? What connects Philip and the Gaetans, and, does Mary protect him because of the photos he stole from the house? Will Philip kidnap Penny, a child staying at the motel where he hides out, and if he does, will he harm her? Can deposed Detective Teddy Camel use this case to make a comeback? Only the last issue is a given in this violent, psychologically acute, grossly logical thriller with an amusing epilogue. (June)”
I found this in the horror section of a used bookstore in central California. The cover caught my eye so I looked it up on good reads and the first review mentioned it was a great serial killer novel.
Well, I had just finished Verity and thought that was pretty messed up, but this book takes it to a whole new level. I can’t imagine the author’s mind who wrote this novel.
Oh, it’s a good story. Well written with lots of twists and turns. I was never bored. Disgusted, concerned, disturbed, entertained, yes, but never bored.
It includes underage rape scenes, necrophilia, pedophilia, and incest. And of course graphic murder.
I’m pretty early into my reading career, but this is by and large the most disturbing, screwed up book I have ever read.
I found this in the horror section of a used bookstore in central California. The cover caught my eye so I looked it up on good reads and the first review mentioned it was a great serial killer novel.
Well, I had just finished Verity and thought that was pretty messed up, but this book takes it to a whole new level. I can’t imagine the author’s mind who wrote this novel.
Oh, it’s a good story. Well written with lots of twists and turns. I was never bored. Disgusted, concerned, disturbed, entertained, yes, but never bored.
It includes underage rape scenes, necrophilia, pedophilia, and incest. And of course graphic murder.
I’m pretty early into my reading career, but this is by and large the most disturbing, screwed up book I have ever read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 6, 2010
Good read this was at the bottom of my pile and the blurb got me into trying it. He's a crazed murderer sloppy and sadistic, gripping reading from offset with quite a few surprises in the story.when yu get into the chapters were yu see things from his pov he's really messed up I get images of that murderer from silence of lambs movie. Was page-turner right to end.
November 22, 2013
From 1990,this book was highly recommended as being one of the "scariest" books ever. Nope. Definitely had some gratuitous violence which I am not a fan of. And if I the author put the word sob or sobbing in there one more time... Not worth it.
January 22, 2014
I found this book in our college library and read it until the end. For a psychological thriller fanatic like me, this was a good read. There were so many brutal incidents though but what can you expect from a psycho that went through a lot. I like the twist and how it ended.
March 27, 2014
I really enjoyed the book. the plot came rushing at 150mph throughout the pages, but still an enjoyable book. I enjoyed Camel's whole character concept. making him as lovable and easy to frown upon. and the epilogue!! Nicely done
Displaying 1 - 30 of 43 reviews