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Puuma-kirjat #105
The Truth of the Matter
A con man takes to the road with a blond drifter, trying to stay one step ahead of a vengeful killer in this chilling thriller from New York Times-bestselling author John Lutz
Lou Roebuck couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it. If he could, he might not have lost his job and his wife, or ended up driving over his old nemesis, Ingrahm, in his Thunderbird. Now Roebuck's a thief and a murderer on the run with nobody to listen to his tall tales but Ellie, a pretty blonde who's looking for excitement. They'll have to keep moving, though, because not only are the cops dangerously close behind, but Ingrahm's cold killer friend, Gipp, is coming after them as well. Roebuck's going to have to do some pretty fast talking if he and Ellie want to keep breathing. And if he can't lie his way out of this one, he's going to find himself lying in an early grave.
A true master of suspense, John Lutz dazzles with a breakneck thriller that has more twists and turns than a winding country road. The Truth of the Matter is a bravura display of Lutz's justifiably acclaimed storytelling prowess.
Lou Roebuck couldn't tell the truth if his life depended on it. If he could, he might not have lost his job and his wife, or ended up driving over his old nemesis, Ingrahm, in his Thunderbird. Now Roebuck's a thief and a murderer on the run with nobody to listen to his tall tales but Ellie, a pretty blonde who's looking for excitement. They'll have to keep moving, though, because not only are the cops dangerously close behind, but Ingrahm's cold killer friend, Gipp, is coming after them as well. Roebuck's going to have to do some pretty fast talking if he and Ellie want to keep breathing. And if he can't lie his way out of this one, he's going to find himself lying in an early grave.
A true master of suspense, John Lutz dazzles with a breakneck thriller that has more twists and turns than a winding country road. The Truth of the Matter is a bravura display of Lutz's justifiably acclaimed storytelling prowess.
174 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1988
About the author
John Lutz
236 books301 followersLibrarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
John Lutz has captivated suspense enthusiasts for over four decades. He has been one of the premier voices in contemporary hard-boiled fiction. His work includes political suspense, private eye novels, urban suspense, humor, occult, crime caper, police procedural, espionage, historical, futuristic, amateur detective, thriller; virtually every mystery sub-genre. John Lutz published his first short story in 1966 in Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine and has been publishing regularly ever since. He is the author of more than fifty novels and 250 short stories and articles.
His novels and short fiction have been translated into virtually every language and adapted for almost every medium. He is a past president of both Mystery Writers of America and Private Eye Writers of America. Among his awards are the MWA Edgar, the PWA Shamus, The Trophee 813 Award for best mystery short story collection translated into the French language, the PWA Life Achievement Award, and the Short Mystery Fiction Society's Golden Derringer Lifetime Achievement Award.
He is the author of two private eye series, the Nudger series, set in his home town of St. Louis, and the Carver series, set in Florida, as well as many non-series suspense novels. His SWF SEEKS SAME was made into the hit movie SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, starring Bridget Fonda and Jennifer Jason Leigh, and his novel THE EX was made into the HBO original movie of the same title, for which he co-authored the screenplay.
Lutz and his wife, Barbara, split their time between St. Louis and Sarasota, Florida.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 23, 2023
The Truth of the Matter was first published in 1971 and was Lutz’ first of fifty novels. This novel is the cross-country man on the run saga of Lou and Ellie, two damaged people who met at a roadside bar and bonded. Lou was on the run from the law and from a military sharpshooter who had a personal beef with Lou after advertising executive Lou ran over an old army buddy in a fit of anger and then robbed his employer’s safe. But it was all just an accident, Lou explains. He is not really a bad guy. She tells him at one point that she never made two bones about what she was.
The highlight of the chase cross the country is their adventures with an all-too-clever local sheriff who distrusts the young couple who say they are in from Chicago to fish for a few weeks. It will be good for Lou’s nerves, one’s he needs to Keep steady as a test pilot, he explains. There are weeks of sparring back and forth as the all too eager lawman visits the couple every night and they are too scared of getting caught to tell him to shove off.
This is a well-paced crime thriller which finely illustrates the panicked frenzy of a man on the run, haunted by his childhood, his wartime past, and his more recent misdeeds. He has screaming nightmares every night. But all he can do now is run.
The highlight of the chase cross the country is their adventures with an all-too-clever local sheriff who distrusts the young couple who say they are in from Chicago to fish for a few weeks. It will be good for Lou’s nerves, one’s he needs to Keep steady as a test pilot, he explains. There are weeks of sparring back and forth as the all too eager lawman visits the couple every night and they are too scared of getting caught to tell him to shove off.
This is a well-paced crime thriller which finely illustrates the panicked frenzy of a man on the run, haunted by his childhood, his wartime past, and his more recent misdeeds. He has screaming nightmares every night. But all he can do now is run.
June 9, 2013
It's your typical pulp-y man on the run, trying to thrash his way out of the web of lies and ego in which he's bound himself up. You can probably guess a lot of the plot points already, but what made the book interesting to me was the interaction between the main character and the woman who joins him on the lam. In the limited amount of books I've picked up in this genre, women act as pretty things to be looked at and groped, or alternatively as the thing that your anti-hero blames for his present predicament. In contrast, here there is what appears to be tenderness and respect directed toward the bar hussy who comes along for the ride. For me, this is enough to pull this piece from the pack of sad/bad man dime store paperbacks that overcrowd the genre.
March 16, 2018
Pungent characterizations just escaping caricature: nice portrait of a self-convinced liar.
April 18, 2026
The Truth of the Matter by John Lutz (1971, 174 pgs, Black Lizard books edition, 1988, $4.95) is a very very noir noir...yes, very dark...Jim Thompson territory. It's about Lou Roebuck, a pathetic-low down-lying pos. It starts off with him first slapping his wife around, then killing an old friend, and then robbing his boss...and that's in the first 30 pages or so. It's also a road story where he picks up cute Ellie and they trip from Illinois to Colorado, hiding out along the way. I must say the book was a page-turner with all the heavy drama involved...but it is a dark one....4.0 outta 5.0...
July 26, 2017
I did not enjoy this book at all. It seemed as though it was kind of all over the place, repetitious and found it hard to keep on reading. But once I started I had to finish. The whole book seemed to be located in just either hotels or a vehicle. There wasn't too much that held me on the edge of my seat. I still finished the book in 2 days, but I didn't find it to be a great thriller or too much suspense for me.
December 2, 2018
The book is melodramatic and the main character is insufferable. Didn't want to keep reading it.
October 8, 2019
Well written. The ending is Not spectacular.
September 18, 2020
Vaikka loppu ei ollutkaan ihan sen arvoinen mihin muu osa kirjaa antoi toivoa, niin hyvä, tehokas ja synkkä tämä oli.
August 28, 2016
An engrossing read. This is very different from Lutz's usual fare. I must admit that I am partial to his Carver and Quinn books. This one is nothing like them. In this novel, Lutz brings us into the mind of a very disturbed man and his journey from a man living a traditional life to risking it all. On this journey we learn that he has very dark secrets in his past and is not a nice man. Despite his evil deeds, somehow Lutz made me care about him and, at times, root for him. Somehow, Lutz found a way to show us the tender side of a nasty man. This book kept me engrossed til the very end. Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC.
April 17, 2014
John Lutz has done it again! Another page turner. Once I started this book I found it difficult to put down. It accompanied me from room to room. The protagonist is a very creepy and scary individual that you almost... ALMOST want to like. It takes a great writer to be able to do that. I received this digital copy from Netgalley in return for an honest review. No compensation was received. To all John Lutz fans: He has another winner. To those that have never read his books: Don't miss out! Coming to a bookstore near you soon!
April 25, 2014
How could you root for a guy like Roebuck - a killer and a thief - and his for sale sweetie he picked up at a road cafe?
Yet we do, as he steals cars, flees the law, briefly finds an idyllic few weeks at a lake cabin with his sweetie, Ellie - beofe he flees again, heading west, away from trouble - but if you're trouble yourself, how can you ever escape yourself?
Another non-stop thriller from award winning, Lohn Lutz, will keep you up at night and maybe calling in sick to work, till you wrap this one up!
Yet we do, as he steals cars, flees the law, briefly finds an idyllic few weeks at a lake cabin with his sweetie, Ellie - beofe he flees again, heading west, away from trouble - but if you're trouble yourself, how can you ever escape yourself?
Another non-stop thriller from award winning, Lohn Lutz, will keep you up at night and maybe calling in sick to work, till you wrap this one up!
April 23, 2014
I was asked to review this book by NetGalley.
I really enjoyed the novel and the relationship between Lou and Ellie.
Even though Lou wasn't that nice of a guy, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I thought I had it figured out early on in the book but boy, was I wrong!
Very good suspense novel. This is my first read from John Lutz but will not be the last!
I really enjoyed the novel and the relationship between Lou and Ellie.
Even though Lou wasn't that nice of a guy, I couldn't help but feel sorry for him. I thought I had it figured out early on in the book but boy, was I wrong!
Very good suspense novel. This is my first read from John Lutz but will not be the last!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews