Anthony Blackwell’s “gift” compels people to confess their deepest secrets.
It corrupts his relationships, derails his career and drives him toward eviction—until he becomes Anthony Bishop, private investigator. His first case drops him into a deadly family drama that will save him financially, if it doesn't kill him first.
I am a wife, mom, public relations professional and recovering journalist. My passion for prose and my love of the American West are so intertwined, I don’t think I can separate them. When I run out of words, I reach for my camera, take off on a back road and return home with a bucketful of inspiration.
I live in a mountain valley with my husband, three children, some cats, two goats, a bird and a basset hound.
I knew that I was going to love this story when I first read the back blurb and it described Anthony Blackwell's "gift" that compels people to confess their deepest secrets. What a great twist for a main character! I have to admit that my favorite parts of the book were when Anthony had his little chats with people and they were spilling all kinds of thoughts and feelings to him. Some are downright funny, where others are kind of creepy; this is a murder mystery after all.
There are two stories intertwined in Truth is Relative. One story concerns Anthony and his family, and the other concerns the attractive Danielle, her cousin Aria who is engaged to Danielle's former fiance and his father Dennis. The mystery in the story is compelling and keeps the story moving until the shocking end where the killer is revealed. I really like Anthony, and hope that J.J. Lyon writes more stories with this P.I. and his "gift" that makes others gab if they want to or not.
I am biased about this book, because the author is a relative. However, I can honestly give this book a positive review without feeling like I'm pandering to the author.
What a unique idea. Anthony, the main character, is burdened with a "gift" that compels all those within a certain distance of him, to confess all their secrets, etc. to him. This has completely messed up his personal life, but makes him an excellent private investigator, since everyone he comes in contact with must tell him the truth.
I did get a little bogged down at times with the many characters, and some had similar names which added to the confusion. In the end however, all became clear and the story ended well. I would really like to read another book by this author following Anthony on more adventures using this unique talent!
I received a free copy of this book in order to review it. I have to confess--as if the main character was sitting next to me--that I started reading purely to fulfill that obligation. But soon I was sucked into the world of Anthony and his unwanted ability to make people confess their deepest guilt. I kept wanting to find opportunities to read (not always easy during a family vacation to Orlando) so that I could find out what happened next. Would Anthony find the young woman on the run? Would he catch the killer on the loose? Would he make Danelle fall in love with him despite his flaws? This book is a great, guilty pleasurable way to spend a weekend.
This book will hook you from the very beginning. I couldn't put it down. Well written and very creative idea. I look forward to more books from the same author. I want to find out more about Anthony and his amazing, although somewhat frightening abilities.
What a fun, great read! Loved the characters and the concept was one I'd never heard of. Reading was an absolute pleasure. What a fun 'super power,' although after reading, I'm not sure I'd ever want it. But it does make me wonder how truthful I really am.
I read this after an author I follow highly recommended it on her blog (Rebecca Belliston). A fascinating concept, fun and engaging read. Without giving away anything, the ending was a bit of a let-down, but still a 4 star read.
Clever story line. I liked the characters and thought the book moved along well. I would definitely read the next one to find out what becomes of Anthony and his gift.
First line: The Monday before Thanksgiving, my car disappeared.
At 25%: I really love the premise of the book, it's like PI Marlow meets Liar, Liar. The main character doesn't like his superpower and at this point, we don't even know why he has it. However, he needs a job and he's going to use all his resources to make money. The main character is very likable. The only drawback to the book is that because people open up to him, there's a lot of dialogue. A lot. However, the author manages to keep it entertaining.
At 40%: What I like about the book so far is the characters are smart. They react to situations like I would react to situations and the main character is strong. Starting to get into the case now. Some family situations occur to add a bit of extra drama. It doesn't add to the mystery at all but it does provide the reader with understand as to what the main character has to deal with his superpower.
At 80%: We know what's going on now. But the question is, can the guilty be caught? The ending is very exciting. I'm just loving the chemistry between Anthony and Danelle.
At 100%: Just loved the ending. It left things open for a second book in the series. I hope another one is written. The only thing I wish was touched on more was the reason behind his ability to get people to open up.
Last line: For a day.
Reader's advisory: Other than a few intense scenes, the book is tame. I didn't notice any swearing or sex.
Unfortunately I wasn’t thrilled about this book. I didn’t find it interesting enough and I didn’t like the writing style. In my humble opinion the author had the ambition to give us a cross-genre novel with several stories within the main story but the final result is not successfully balanced. Descriptions are better written than dialogues, which I didn’t find witty enough. I wish the author better luck next time.