Lovers and Liars

Drama, suspense, intrigue, murder, and sex all come together in this Beauman novel.

Partly political intrigue and partly sexual voyeurism, "Lovers and Liars" is the story of a charismatic Democratic politician being groomed to become president of the United States by his powerful wealthy father and the Democratic political machine.

Rumors are leaked that this potential Presidential candidate, John Hawhorne, is a sexual predator and has a history of sadistic sexual behavior. A sleazy gossip newspaper puts a young female reporter and a renowned celebrity photographer on the job to discover if the rumors are true and hopefully to catch Mr. Hawthorne in the act of cheating on his lovely wife.

A trail of mysterious clues lead to a witness show more that just happens to have recently disappeared. And the reporting assignment that begins as a lark quickly turns into a dark, horrifying, life threatening game.

Written in 1994, this is an old-fashioned murder mystery - no security systems, no surveillance cameras, no cell phones, which made it a lot more difficult to trace people’s actions and gather proof of guilt.

Great character development and an unpredictable plot contribute to this being a sublime summer read.

Rated 4 Stars August 2021. show less

Amazon Description:
In the first book of a trilogy of seductive, suspense-packed Sally Beauman novels, a man and woman stumble upon a political conspiracy in which nothing is what it seems . . . and no one can be trusted.

Just after New Year’s, four small parcels are delivered to Paris, Venice, New York, and London. Photojournalist Pascal Lamartine is sent a woman’s left-handed black leather glove. Reporter Gini Hunter receives a pair of handcuffs. They soon discover that the anonymous packages may be linked to a breaking sex scandal that could rock the world’s political stage.

Who sent the packages, and why? As the dogged journalists delve into a sordid world of lies and deceit, call girls and secret trysts, Gini and Pascal rekindle show more their own passionate affair. The truth goes back farther than they imagine . . . to the other side of the world and a long-awaited revenge.

Opinions:

Lovers and Liars is a romantic mystery that takes place in England (mostly) during the 1990s (so it was contemporary at the time it was written.) In the story, an English journalist, Gini, and a French photographer, Pascal, join forces on an assignment about a potential political scandal. As they delve deeper into investigations, they find that there is more to the story than they originally thought. With their lives in danger, they are even more determined to find the truth behind the rumors.

The story is written in third person, mostly following Gini and Pascal. At the beginning of the book, there are four parcels that went out internationally – one went to Gini and one went to Pascal. The objects in the parcels are linked to a political scandal surrounding former Senator now ambassador, John Hawthorne. I think the characters are well developed. Throughout the book, you are never quite sure if one of the characters is telling the truth or not to Gini and Pascal. Gini and Pascal have a past that eventually unfolds during the story. Gini was raised by her step-mother in England because her father ignored her; her step-mother and father were divorced. She always wanted to show him that she could do things – such as journalism. Pascal took pictures of war and now handles scandals as well. Both are thrown together after twelve years to cover a scandal. Can their past get in their way or cause a distraction?

One complaint I have of the book is the length. I think it could have been shortened down and still would have been good. At times, I felt like all the twists and turns (making not only the characters doubt themselves, but you as well) could have been condensed. I like twists and turns that keep the reader guessing. However, for the length of the book, it is a little much. The last part of the book definitely picked up pace and had more action. The book is labeled as "thriller" but I think it is more "mystery" instead. Thrillers tend to be a little more fast-paced throughout the book – at least the ones I have read.

I must admit that reading the book set in the 1990s I forgot how unavailable people could be without cells/mobiles. I had to stop myself a few times and say, "No, they can't just call their cell phones. They don't have any!"

Overall, it was a good book. If you like mystery romance novels with hints of scandal, then you might want to try this book. show less

Bought it at a book sale, and so far it is a good, light summer read. We all need entertainment now and again.

Well, I have now finished and can warn any and all to pass this one up. It deteriorates terribly toward the end and turns a bit pornographic in places. I couldn't buy the "heroine's" rationalizations at the ending. I'm a bit put out because I realized I had read another of her novels a long time ago, Dark Angel, that was quite gripping until near the end when she obviously decided she had to wrap things up, used the most cliche ending possible, picked it out of thin air (nothing in the novel suggested it ahead of time) and sent me plummeting into despair at having wasted so much time!

Here's hoping I pick the next read a little show more better. show less

This book took a long time to get into. It was overly long. I don't think it was a good as the other two books of hers I read.

S P O I L E R
I could not believe Gini, this man attempts to rape her and then later she finds out he has killed her cat. Yet she still felt in the end he was honorable, kind and a good man??? Hardly believable.

Over-complicated intrigue that is undermined by its lack of realism: the Parisian male protagonist appears to be able to contact almost anyone in London immediately even if he does not know them.

Journaliste Gini Hunter en fotograaf Pascal Lamartine krijgen van hun hoofdredacteur opdracht onderzoek te doen naar het verborgen leven van de charmante John Hawthorne, de Amerikaanse ambassadeur in Londen.

John Hawthorne, telg uit een beroemde familie, werd ooit beschouwd als de ideale presidentskandidaat, maar heeft zijn politieke carrière opgegeven voor de diplomatieke dienst. Waarom? En wat is er aan de hand met zijn beeldschone en ogenschijnlijk zeer toegewijde vrouw Lisa?

Gini en Pascal raken verzeild in een schijnwereld vol hartstocht, ambitie en... gevaar.