Golden Lies

Years ago I read a story by Katherine Stone entitled Pearl Moon. The main characters were so intricately connected that it was hard to distinguish where the forks in the road would take you next. With Golden Lies, Barbara Freethy captured that exact feeling. I felt like I was walking through a maze and the way out was so well hidden that I lost my way a number of times. Golden Lies is not for the faint of heart. Either you are all in or not at all.
Riley, Paige and Alyssa find themselves immersed in a complex mystery that will have a ripple effect. Only open minds, open hearts and puzzle lovers need apply to this complicated read. I love a challenge so I'm all in. 3.5 stars

Riley McAlister's grandmother finds a Chinese dragon in her attic and takes it to an Antiques Road Show to see what it's worth. A lot! And everyone wants to examine it. While it is being evaluated by the leading San Francisco Chinese art authority, who removes it from the premises, it is stolen and he is injured. His daughter, Paige Hathaway, is trying to save her father's reputation and helps Riley investigate. But this brings to light her father's illegitimate daughter, Alyssa Chen. Three leery people work together to find out what is special about the dragon and who has stolen it. Each has a troubled background and lots of angst fills the pages. A little too many interior thoughts. Lots of denial and lack of communication when it show more counts. I thought it dragged. Not her best. show less

DESCRIPTION, NOT REVIEW: Every family has secrets -- some too intriguing to resist ... some too dangerous to ignore ...

A novel about three remarkable families -- the fifty-year-old promise that once bound them together, the fiery betrayal that tore them apart, and the ancient bronze dragon that could destroy their future ...

Riley McAllister, Paige Hathaway, and Alyssa Chen come from very different worlds. Tough guy Riley has overcome the hard knocks of a working-class upbringing. Paige struggles to define her place as the heir to a famous antiques emporium. And Alyssa feels trapped by the restrictions of her family's old world attitudes. Now this unlikely trio of strangers must come together to follow an elusive trail through the show more streets of San Francisco -- from glittering Pacific Heights to colorful Chinatown to trendy south of Market. Each will have to make the impossible choice between romantic love and family loyalty, between sheltering lies and revealing truth. Once the door to the past is opened, there's no turning back ... show less