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The Lie
“...One shares Susanne's belief that she must try to carry the deception off. Whether she will succeed keeps the reader, peering over Susanne's shoulder at all the traps, turning the pages of this remarkable book.”— The Independent (UK) Praise for Petra Hammesfahr's The Sinner : “ The Sinner is best psychological suspense novel I have read all year.”— Daily Telegraph “Dubbed Germany’s answer to Patricia Highsmith, Hammesfahr should win new fans with this novel.” Publishers Weekly “Demonstrates why she is one of Germany's bestselling writers of crime and psychological thrillers. It's grim, delves deep into the human psyche, and keeps you gripped.” The Times (London) Nadia and Susanne look uncannily alike, but one of the women is seriously rich and the other is destitute. When Nadia asks Susanne to spend the weekend with her husband so that she can sneak off with a lover, how can Susanne refuse the outrageous payment on offer? Nadia and her husband barely speak to each other and he will be working most of the weekend. Easy money, or so it seems. One Friday afternoon Susanne drives Nadia’s Alfa to her beautiful suburban villa with its indoor pool and glass doors opening onto the sloping lawn. This first stay is followed by others, as an apparently harmless game becomes a deadly web of lies. Petra Hammesfahr , born in 1951, has not had an easy she left school at thirteen and became pregnant by an alcoholic husband at seventeen. She published her first novel when she was forty and has since written over twenty crime and suspense novels. Petra also writes scripts for television and film. She has won numerous literary prizes, including the Crime Prize of Wiesbaden and the Rhineland Literary Prize.
351 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
38 people are currently reading
524 people want to read
About the author
Petra Hammesfahr
92 books207 followersHailed as Germany’s Patricia Highsmith, Petra Hammesfahr has written more than twenty crime and suspense novels, and also writes scripts for film and television. She has won numerous literary prizes, including the Crime Prize of Wiesbaden and the Rhineland Literary Prize. Her breakthrough novel, The Sinner, was a major critical and commercial success internationally, including in Germany, where it stayed on the bestseller list for more than fifteen months. The Sinner has been adapted for television as a limited series on USA starring Jessica Biel and Bill Pullman.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 24, 2019
Petra Hammesfahr is new to me. Unfortunately I found only two of her books translated in English. One The Sinner, I'm not going to read because I saw the series which was very good and which made me read the second one that is this one, The Lie.
The story is great, fast paced and interesting, kept me glued to the book. So why the 3 stars. I cannot say if that is because of the translation or because of the writing. My English version has rather dull writing. I really do not know if lots of things were lost in translation. I'd have to find a reader who read this in German but wrote an English review to see if this question can be answered.
Or else I would have to get my friend Lena to read it in German and tell me what she thinks :D
The story is great, fast paced and interesting, kept me glued to the book. So why the 3 stars. I cannot say if that is because of the translation or because of the writing. My English version has rather dull writing. I really do not know if lots of things were lost in translation. I'd have to find a reader who read this in German but wrote an English review to see if this question can be answered.
Or else I would have to get my friend Lena to read it in German and tell me what she thinks :D
July 19, 2023
Es izlasīju, lai jums nav jālasa, jo grāmata pilnīgi noteikti nav lasīšanas vērta. Tas, kā autore to centās mākslīgi sarežģīt, tikai nogurdināja. Secinājums? Reizēm grāmatas tiešām ir jāskata pēc to vāka.
December 12, 2011
This book built up a complicated story and some great suspense throughout the first half of the book, and then the convoluted plot lost me about 75% in and I just wanted to find out what happened.
Susanne gets off an elevator at a building where she is to have a job interview and walking down the hall is a woman who could be her identical twin. They look exactly alike, other than different hair styles and different clothes and grooming.
In the weeks to follow, Susanne is approached by Nadia, the woman who looks so much like her. Nadia has a proposal. Be her double, take her place at home while she runs off for an occasional weekend with a man with whom she's having an affair. Nadia and her husband don't get along very well so their interaction should be brief, if at all. It's just to provide Nadia with an alibi, and Susanne with desperately needed money, as she's been unemployed.
Things go smoothly at first, then become more and more bizarre, especially when Susanne develops feelings for Nadia's husband, and then when it turns out that there's more to Nadia's weekends away than first appeared. Soon, Susanne finds herself involved in a terrible case of more than just mistaken identity - there is embezzlement, fraud, extortion and blackmail, and then Susanne's very life is in danger.
This book had a great premise and parts of it really drew me in. But there were so many extra characters toward the end, I got lost and the story hit a weird and clumsy tone toward the end. Either way, it was a fascinating read, decently written (translated from German) and a good distraction on a grey winter weekend.
Susanne gets off an elevator at a building where she is to have a job interview and walking down the hall is a woman who could be her identical twin. They look exactly alike, other than different hair styles and different clothes and grooming.
In the weeks to follow, Susanne is approached by Nadia, the woman who looks so much like her. Nadia has a proposal. Be her double, take her place at home while she runs off for an occasional weekend with a man with whom she's having an affair. Nadia and her husband don't get along very well so their interaction should be brief, if at all. It's just to provide Nadia with an alibi, and Susanne with desperately needed money, as she's been unemployed.
Things go smoothly at first, then become more and more bizarre, especially when Susanne develops feelings for Nadia's husband, and then when it turns out that there's more to Nadia's weekends away than first appeared. Soon, Susanne finds herself involved in a terrible case of more than just mistaken identity - there is embezzlement, fraud, extortion and blackmail, and then Susanne's very life is in danger.
This book had a great premise and parts of it really drew me in. But there were so many extra characters toward the end, I got lost and the story hit a weird and clumsy tone toward the end. Either way, it was a fascinating read, decently written (translated from German) and a good distraction on a grey winter weekend.
October 28, 2020
Petra Hammesfāra ir ne tikai rakstniece, bet arī kinoscenāriste. Un to var labi just, lasot šo darbu. Kā asa sižeta filmu šo lasāmgabalu varu tīri labi iztēloties, bet kā literārs teksts mani diemžēl tas līdz galam nepārliecināja. Pārāk nereāli un samāksloti, lai es tam spētu noticēt. Un tās idillistiskās beigas pēc visas asinspirts... eh. Bet bija intetesanti palasīt un iztēloties dubultnieces ienākšanu svešā mājā, izliekoties par svešu cilvēku un veidojot attiecības ar svešu vīru.
April 7, 2016
The story is not believable at all. But I am ok with it when it comes to entertaining fictional crime story. And this book was pretty entertaining for the most part. Really caught me in the beginning. Although the problem is that it got less and less interesting after a time. Seems the books should not have been that long but keep on being very exciting. And the other weak part was the love story. Oh that love story made me gag. It seems like it was wroitten for/about teenagers not people in their late 30's/early 40's.
October 3, 2017
Jemanden zu begegnen, der so aussieht wie man selbst, ist ja schon gruselig genug. Wenn derjenige - oder in diesem Fall diejenige - dann aber auch noch ein tolles Leben führt, das du nicht hast und dir viel Geld dafür bezahlen will, damit du sie vertrittst, dann klingt das doch super, oder? Das dachte ich mir zumindest, als ich das Buch in die Hand genommen habe.
Das Buch beginnt mit einem Prolog, den man anfangs gar nicht einordnen kann. Das gefällt mir immer ganz gut, weil ich dann unbedingt weiterlesen will. Hinweise gibt es aber nicht, stattdessen lernen wir Susanne kennen. Susanne ist eine Protagonistin, mit der man Mitleid haben will, denn das Leben hat es bisher nicht unbedingt gut mit ihr gemeint. Man erfährt ausführlich, wie sie lebt und wie es dazu kam. Nach der Begegnung mit Nadia soll sich dieses Leben schnell ändern. Die Autorin hat es hier gut geschafft, die Gegensätze der beiden Frauen nicht nur von den Lebensumständen, sondern auch vom Charakter her, gut herauszustellen. Ich wusste lange nicht, wem meinen Sympathien gelten, denn sie haben beide Fehler, aber auch sehr positive Züge.
Der Anfang hat mich wirklich gefesselt. Leider nahm das im Mittelteil ab. Irgendwie ging die Handlung nicht wirklich voran, man erfährt nur, wie Susanne Nadias Leben lebt, die selbst allerdings nicht erreichbar ist. Das war mit der Zeit etwas langweilig. Verwirrend waren dann auch die vielen Namen und Personen, die Susanne nach und nach kennenlernt. Ich konnte sie zwischendurch gar nicht mehr richtig auseinanderhalten und zuordnen, wer wichtig oder unwichtig ist. Das hat meinen Lesegenuss doch etwas eingeschränkt.
Die letzten 150 Seiten dagegen haben mich wieder nicht losgelassen: Ich konnte das Buch nicht weglegen, weil wieder viel Bewegung in die Story kam und es richtig spannend wurde. Außerdem merkt man hier eine große Veränderung im Charakter Susannes, was es für mich wieder nicht leichter gemacht hat, sie einzuordnen. Ich liebe es, wenn Protagonisten nicht einfach nur "gut" oder "böse" sind.
Das Ende war zwar nicht wirklich überraschend, weil sich die Entwicklung schon angedeutet hatte, aber der Weg dorthin auf jeden Fall sehr lesenswert. Ich war sehr zufrieden, denn es hat zur Geschichte gepasst.
Wie von Petra Hammesfahr gewohnt, gibt es auch in "Die Lüge" keine Kapitel, sondern nur 5 große, lange Teile. Das verleitet natürlich dazu, immer weiterzulesen. Aber gerade, wenn ich es mal weggelegt habe, fand ich es doch schwer, wieder genau an der Stelle hineinzukommen und habe etwas zurückgeblättert. Vielleicht wäre mir das mit Kapiteln leichter gefallen, einfach weil man dann als Leser eine bessere Gliederung hat - das ist aber reine Spekulation.
Insgesamt hatte das Buch einen tollen Plot, der mir aber leider an der ein oder anderen Stelle etwas zu langatmig war. Deswegen gibt es von mir 3 Sterne - aber natürlich freue ich mich auch auf das nächste Buch der Autorin.
Das Buch beginnt mit einem Prolog, den man anfangs gar nicht einordnen kann. Das gefällt mir immer ganz gut, weil ich dann unbedingt weiterlesen will. Hinweise gibt es aber nicht, stattdessen lernen wir Susanne kennen. Susanne ist eine Protagonistin, mit der man Mitleid haben will, denn das Leben hat es bisher nicht unbedingt gut mit ihr gemeint. Man erfährt ausführlich, wie sie lebt und wie es dazu kam. Nach der Begegnung mit Nadia soll sich dieses Leben schnell ändern. Die Autorin hat es hier gut geschafft, die Gegensätze der beiden Frauen nicht nur von den Lebensumständen, sondern auch vom Charakter her, gut herauszustellen. Ich wusste lange nicht, wem meinen Sympathien gelten, denn sie haben beide Fehler, aber auch sehr positive Züge.
Der Anfang hat mich wirklich gefesselt. Leider nahm das im Mittelteil ab. Irgendwie ging die Handlung nicht wirklich voran, man erfährt nur, wie Susanne Nadias Leben lebt, die selbst allerdings nicht erreichbar ist. Das war mit der Zeit etwas langweilig. Verwirrend waren dann auch die vielen Namen und Personen, die Susanne nach und nach kennenlernt. Ich konnte sie zwischendurch gar nicht mehr richtig auseinanderhalten und zuordnen, wer wichtig oder unwichtig ist. Das hat meinen Lesegenuss doch etwas eingeschränkt.
Die letzten 150 Seiten dagegen haben mich wieder nicht losgelassen: Ich konnte das Buch nicht weglegen, weil wieder viel Bewegung in die Story kam und es richtig spannend wurde. Außerdem merkt man hier eine große Veränderung im Charakter Susannes, was es für mich wieder nicht leichter gemacht hat, sie einzuordnen. Ich liebe es, wenn Protagonisten nicht einfach nur "gut" oder "böse" sind.
Das Ende war zwar nicht wirklich überraschend, weil sich die Entwicklung schon angedeutet hatte, aber der Weg dorthin auf jeden Fall sehr lesenswert. Ich war sehr zufrieden, denn es hat zur Geschichte gepasst.
Wie von Petra Hammesfahr gewohnt, gibt es auch in "Die Lüge" keine Kapitel, sondern nur 5 große, lange Teile. Das verleitet natürlich dazu, immer weiterzulesen. Aber gerade, wenn ich es mal weggelegt habe, fand ich es doch schwer, wieder genau an der Stelle hineinzukommen und habe etwas zurückgeblättert. Vielleicht wäre mir das mit Kapiteln leichter gefallen, einfach weil man dann als Leser eine bessere Gliederung hat - das ist aber reine Spekulation.
Insgesamt hatte das Buch einen tollen Plot, der mir aber leider an der ein oder anderen Stelle etwas zu langatmig war. Deswegen gibt es von mir 3 Sterne - aber natürlich freue ich mich auch auf das nächste Buch der Autorin.
May 24, 2011
It was unreal. In Nadia's clothes, with Nadia's rings on her finger and the bag under her arm containing everything that proved Nadia's identity. A little more lipstick, eye shadow and mascara, her hair freshly died and cut by an expert, Nadia's stud earrings in her ears - and the illusion would have been perfect.
A best seller in Germany, The Lie is one of those novels that despite its adherence to the confines of the genre and its many flaws, I still liked it enough for me to include amongst the other titles of International Thrillers. It's one of those novels that for all its obvious shortcomings, it shouldn't work. But the implausibility of so many of the twists and turns is excused by the ingenuity of those very twists and turns and the Hammesfahr's obvious strength with pacing and tension. There are autobahn chases, sex, cyber spying, identity theft and a few thugs which is more than enough to make this book a muddled but entertaining literary escapade.
The plot itself is a hard sell. Two women, Susanne Lasko and Nadia Trenkler, who are not related but look identical, end up meeting coincidentally. Of course, wink wink, it's not really happenstance. Susanne Lasko is down and out - out of job, mom in the old folks home, divorced, no love prospects in the future, childless and lives in a tenement where she is constantly harassed by an alcoholic ex-con. She had been married to a famous reporter, Deiter, with whom she supported during most of their marriage. He makes it big and leaves her. She was doing well as a business woman who worked in a bank, but of all the rotten luck, the bank is held-up and she is taken as a hostage and left abused and abandoned for two days by her captors. Since this incident, she can't seem to walk into a bank again. Her skill set is limited to bank work and the jobs she does try to get require either language or computer skills, which she has neither. It's difficult to believe that someone of her professional experience is computer illiterate, but Susanne is not necessarily the type to keep up with modern technology.
Out of money and hope, successful and rich Nadia Trenkler meets her in front of an elevator and attempts to inveigle her to coffee or lunch. Of course Susanne accepts...she has no better offers. After some push and pull, Nadia eventually convinces Susanne to become her 'stand-in' at home. Nadia claims she is in love and doesn't want her husband to know that she is sneaking off a couple of weekends a month to meet with her paramour. Nadia is flush with the money and offers Susanne 500 euros for each weekend. This eventually gets upped to 2000 euros each weekend. Susanne is in such a dreadful way, she has to accept. Operation Nadia stand-in is underway. Susanne gets her hair cut and colored like Nadia, waxes all her parts like Nadia, pierces her ears like Nadia, and talks like Nadia. How would Nadia's supposed two-timing hubby Michael know the difference? Nadia and Michael are hardly on good terms and besides, there's just the incident of Susanne's birthmark that Michael would only notice if she were naked? And she would have no reason to get naked with Michael because Nadia and Michael are not really sleeping together, right? You know, things happen.
The plot is so convoluted and unbelievable that after awhile you just give up trying to believe it and surrender to the ride. There are too many characters and too many details for the reader to possibly remember. There are also a few things that don't add up. But Hammesfahr, who is a well-known author in her own country, does keep the reader completely engaged with the tension. Every scene ups the anxiety that Susanne's identity will be revealed, with each plot development Nadia is uncovered as a manipulative, greedy woman who is clever and outrageous, and the reader's sympathy for Susanne grows deeper with her continual turns of bad luck. Things change so quickly and new clues appear at breakneck speed, there's no time to question some of the logistics. The one striking trait about Susanne that feels inauthentic is that for someone who agrees to do this out of desperation and who seems not to be the inquisitive type, she goes out of her way to get more involved in the mayhem by constantly questioning all the happens around her. Not only does she work herself into the role of amateur sleuth, but she seems pretty savvy for someone who has had trouble landing a job. As intricate as this scheme is, computers would seem like a walk down Easy Street as opposed to cobbling together this jigsaw of a plot. Yet again, the reader is invested in her and ignores the slight contradictions of Susanne's character the pop up frequently throughout the story.
All the situations that arise for Susanne will leave you wondering what would you do in that situation. That alone is worth the read. The prose isn't outstanding, but it does the no nonsense job well enough. You're not stumbling over clunky phrasing and because this was translated for British audience, some words might stop an American reader for a second but nothing major. Mr. Mitchell, a virtuoso of German, also translated a previous title in this theme, In Matto's Realm. He definitely has his way with German language mystery/thrillers. This book is a fun and imaginative read that is not generic nor easily figured out. It will keep you guessing and sometimes that is all we want form a thriller.
April 30, 2020
This book was promising. Whilst the premise of the plot is pretty hard to believe, I pursued it out of interest. I enjoyed the first half, finding everything in a Thriller to satisfy me. But then the plot became convoluted and even seemed rushed at times, hence why I gave it a two start rating. This book had so much promise, but did not deliver.
May 5, 2025
Aunque la idea de ocupar la vida de tu Doppelgänger es casi irrealizable, la forma de contar de Hammersfahr te absorbe durante al menos dos tercios del libro. Luego la resolución se extiende demasiado y el libro se vuelve pesado.
October 7, 2017
Wow, was this a frustrating read. I really liked The Sinner, so I thought I'd give The Lie a try. First of all, the translation from German to English was a little rough, so maybe that's what made the story confusing. I thought the premise was intriguing and felt the book had such promise. But in the end, I was left with a story that was utterly preposterous and tough to sort out. With that said, I liked The Sinner so much I'd be willing to give Petra Hammesfahr another try, if anyone has a good recommendation.
July 21, 2010
This had a good review in the press, and was clearly a fantastic idea - one of those you wish you'd thought of yourself. Two women who look uncannily alike swap identities, but all is not what it initially seems. Perhaps it was me, or perhaps it was the translation, but I quickly found the plot hopelessly confusing. Rather disappointing, given the press reviews.
February 27, 2017
This was just a mess. It started off really well but halfway through it was nearly unreadable. I usually try to finish books, but I can't be bothered to slave through the rest of this.
May 31, 2017
Got 39% way into it. Fascinating plot line, but became harder and harder to believe
August 24, 2017
What a slog that was. It doesn't even merit an exclamation point. I literally hated every character. I'll chalk it up to the translation but I won't read another.
March 25, 2022
I had to read it! I love Highsmith and also really greatly enjoyed the series "The Sinner," which is also by Hammesfahr. I read in several places that Hammesfahr is like The New Highsmith.
Goodness, this book is so convoluted and goes on for so long that I was praying for it to be over for a week. There were so many nefarious characters, most of whom seemed to meld together in my mind and many of whom seemed spurious. The financial shenanigans were just exhausting after a while, as well as hard to follow. I doubt that anyone could fully follow them. I kept thinking maybe having the Cast at the beginning of the book might have been helpful, along with their roles in the various frauds, but that might have somehow given something away???
Honestly, I don't even think anyone could actually write like Highsmith in today's world. But in comparison, I would say Highsmith is both simpler in her construction and more in-depth in terms of her character development.
There is a certain naivité--and even simplicity--about Highsmith that is overcompensated for by Hammefahr by having approximately 1 billion villains to thwart the anti-heroine at every turn. Reading it was kinda like running an obstacle course, knocking down bad guy after bad guy.
I wonder if anything was lost in the translation?
Goodness, this book is so convoluted and goes on for so long that I was praying for it to be over for a week. There were so many nefarious characters, most of whom seemed to meld together in my mind and many of whom seemed spurious. The financial shenanigans were just exhausting after a while, as well as hard to follow. I doubt that anyone could fully follow them. I kept thinking maybe having the Cast at the beginning of the book might have been helpful, along with their roles in the various frauds, but that might have somehow given something away???
Honestly, I don't even think anyone could actually write like Highsmith in today's world. But in comparison, I would say Highsmith is both simpler in her construction and more in-depth in terms of her character development.
There is a certain naivité--and even simplicity--about Highsmith that is overcompensated for by Hammefahr by having approximately 1 billion villains to thwart the anti-heroine at every turn. Reading it was kinda like running an obstacle course, knocking down bad guy after bad guy.
I wonder if anything was lost in the translation?
Read
February 27, 2021The only mystery in this book is how it got published in the first place. Or why anyone would bother translating it into clunky English. What an incoherent mess. The overall premise is ludicrous. The author would have us believe that two women who look alike could fool the husband of one of them into thinking he was making love to his real wife. Even if we accept that the husband is perhaps an imbecile, our suspension of disbelief is sorely tried throughout. A seemingly endless number of secondary characters never come to life for a moment. And the dreariness of the fruitless back and forth between the two main women is totally frustrating. Not only can we not follow the utterly confusing plot, such as it is, we end up not giving a damn. I crawled through 200 pages before drop-kicking this book out the window, so I've no idea how it concluded. Nor do I care. I can certainly understand why this was never picked up by a major publisher. The only remaining mystery is why a small publishing house would take it on, risking their reputation in doing so.
October 9, 2018
I actually would have rated it 2.5
Susanna undergoes a personal crisis. She is divorced, lost her job and quite depressed.
On the way from another job interview she stumbles upon her exact looking copy - Nadia.
Nadia is rich, good looking and probably has everything that Susanna ever wished for. And Nadia has a surprising proposal her...
The plot is interesting, absolutely unbelievable though. However, it didn't bother me. The premise of the book was good, but too many plot turns that are not properly explained left a feeling of something confusing and a little bit messy. But I have to admit that I kept reading till the end.
Susanna undergoes a personal crisis. She is divorced, lost her job and quite depressed.
On the way from another job interview she stumbles upon her exact looking copy - Nadia.
Nadia is rich, good looking and probably has everything that Susanna ever wished for. And Nadia has a surprising proposal her...
The plot is interesting, absolutely unbelievable though. However, it didn't bother me. The premise of the book was good, but too many plot turns that are not properly explained left a feeling of something confusing and a little bit messy. But I have to admit that I kept reading till the end.
August 18, 2025
Something feels lost in the German to English language translation. So so confusing, too complex a plot had no idea who all the men were and who was good and who was bad and they were all weirdly one dimensional. Book dragged on for far too long. Why would this woman fall in love with the weird and emotionally abusive husband of her doppelgänger over the course of two days? Not believable at all. I soldiered through just to say I’d finished it. Disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 15, 2019
I have to admit that the beginning really dragged on at times. But this kind of story needed a solid foundation to work, so it was ok. But then ... I was torn between wanting to keep reading to see what happens next and wanting to put it away because I was afraid of what would happen next. This book was a real rollercoaster! Not Hammesfahr's best work, but definitely a very good one.
February 20, 2021
I read this book because I liked the TV series "The Sinner" so much. I don't know if it was the translation or the original writing, but I found it extremely tedious and flat. I ended up skipping a lot of the details of the drama because it was so boring. I'm sorry I read it because if it's a TV series in the future it might be good and I've spoiled it for myself.
March 13, 2023
Grāmatas sākums tiešām aizrāva, bet otra puse likās kaut kā baigi izstiepta, brīžiem nesaprotama vai lieki sarežģīta. Pabeidzu lasīt līdz galam, jo gribēju saprast, kā tad tas viss beigsies un, jā, visu laiku cerēju, ka rakstniece pārsteigs ar nobeigumu, bet tā nebija, tomēr piepildījās manas aizdomas par salkani paredzamo nobeigumu.
January 18, 2018
I read this because i watched the TV show The Sinner (same author).
Not that impressed -- a very confusing story line, but also i think the quality of the translation was bumpy.
Not that impressed -- a very confusing story line, but also i think the quality of the translation was bumpy.
December 26, 2018
Sped through this one, caught early on by a web of deceit that never ends.
January 11, 2010
Susanne Lasko is poor. She desperately needs to find a job soon, not just for herself but for her mother, who she is taking care of. Nadia Trenkler is married, rich and has everything Susanne wants.
While Susanne was heading to a job interview, she bumped into her twin. Well not really but just about. When Naida first spots Susanne, she believes that they are half sisters. Naida offers Susanne an offer she can’t refuse. Naida will pay Susanne if she will pretend to be her, so that she can get away for weekend getaways with her lover. Also as a plus, Susanne will have access to expensive cars, a huge house and lots of money. All things that Susanne could only dream about. How long will Naida and Susanne be able to keep up their charades before the stakes get too high?
The Lie is the first novel I have read by Petra Hammesfahr. After finishing this book, I now want to check out all the rest of her novels. I thought this was a well written novel. The dynamics between Susanne and Naida were strong. I did not expect Susanne to be as strong a character as she turned out to be. The suspense built up as the story progressed. I couldn’t stop reading this book. The ending was a twist that I didn’t see coming. This book would make a good movie. US readers looking for some one new to read should look no further than Petra Hammesfahr.
While Susanne was heading to a job interview, she bumped into her twin. Well not really but just about. When Naida first spots Susanne, she believes that they are half sisters. Naida offers Susanne an offer she can’t refuse. Naida will pay Susanne if she will pretend to be her, so that she can get away for weekend getaways with her lover. Also as a plus, Susanne will have access to expensive cars, a huge house and lots of money. All things that Susanne could only dream about. How long will Naida and Susanne be able to keep up their charades before the stakes get too high?
The Lie is the first novel I have read by Petra Hammesfahr. After finishing this book, I now want to check out all the rest of her novels. I thought this was a well written novel. The dynamics between Susanne and Naida were strong. I did not expect Susanne to be as strong a character as she turned out to be. The suspense built up as the story progressed. I couldn’t stop reading this book. The ending was a twist that I didn’t see coming. This book would make a good movie. US readers looking for some one new to read should look no further than Petra Hammesfahr.
March 6, 2010
This book sounded so good, just the sort of thing I like. A German thriller mixing murder, mystery and psychological intrigue. Oh dear, what a let down!
The ridiculous chance meeting that the story was based on would surely turn out to be all part of a clever plot leading to a fascinating denouement where nothing was quite what it seemed, wouldn't it? Surely no serious plot could really be based on such a flimsy setup. Could it? Unfortunately, it could. The preposterous coincidences, naive characters and ponderous pacing just became more irritating as the story drew to an inevitably frustrating end. Disappointing.
The ridiculous chance meeting that the story was based on would surely turn out to be all part of a clever plot leading to a fascinating denouement where nothing was quite what it seemed, wouldn't it? Surely no serious plot could really be based on such a flimsy setup. Could it? Unfortunately, it could. The preposterous coincidences, naive characters and ponderous pacing just became more irritating as the story drew to an inevitably frustrating end. Disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 28, 2011
Fast-paced, creepy fun, complete with car chases up and down the Autobahn, this thriller features Doppelgängers, one rich and unscrupulous, the other poor and desperate, who switch places with chilling results. The English translation was a bit stilted in spots, but otherwise, it was a quick read.
May 6, 2011
This was a fun and suspenseful read. Some incidences were incredible; however fiction does not always have to be credible. What's not to love about a thriller with a doppleganger theme? Not much was lost in translation. I enjoyed this novel.
June 16, 2010
A satisfyingly complex tale of deception, worth reading again.
December 30, 2011
Exciting, involved story.
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