All the Beautiful Lies: A Novel

From the acclaimed author of Her Every Fear and The Kind Worth Killing comes a diabolically clever tale of obsession, revenge, and cold-blooded murder—a sly and brilliant guessing game of a novel in the vein of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Patricia Highsmith.Harry Ackerson has always considered his stepmother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an "otherworldly" way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years. Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, Harry returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help each other pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father.Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way.Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth.

Library Journal

“Suspense lovers will devour this deliciously duplicitous read, which is chock-full of twists, turns, lust, greed, and dishonesty.”

Booklist

“Swanson’s fourth psychological thriller is a gripping exploration of delusion and deceit; sure to please readers of Laura Lippman’s stand-alones.”

Suspense Magazine

“Complex [and] intriguing… [Swanson] makes sure to place those twists and turns perfectly... And when someone else turns up dead, the story goes from 0-to-60 in a split-second. Peter Swanson has done a fantastic job.”

Sunday Post (UK)

“Gripping… [Alice’s] past is peppered with secrets and the damage is revealed in a split narrative between now and then, culminating in an edge of the seat ending.”

Guardian

“Swanson has drawn on Alfred Hitchcock to good effect. In All the Beautiful Lies, he looks instead to du Maurier.… The reader is soon gripped and wondering which will come first: Harry’s seduction or his death? Swanson’s magpie borrowings are always finessed into something fresh and piquant.”

Sunday Mirror (UK)

“This atmospheric, stylish mystery is pure pleasure.”

New York Journal of Books

“An explosive mix of seductions, obsessions, and dark secrets.”

Thriller Books Journal

“All the Beautiful Lies has a very rich texture which the reader gets to see only gradually, so cleverly it is disguised.”

Saga (UK)

“Crammed with twists, turns, and duplicity galore… The narrative… soars to a nerve-shredding finale that will leave you gasping.”

Iron Mountain Daily News

“All the Beautiful Lies was hard to put down… This mystery with a twist was outstanding.”

Good Housekeeping, Thriller of the Month (UK)

“A compulsive read.”

PCA/ACA Mystery & Detective Fiction Reading List

“There are many twists and turns, and quite a few surprises along the way…. All the Beautiful Lies is very much character-driven and strong on psychology…. A solid, twisty work of suspense.”

From the Back Cover

Days before his college graduation, Harry Ackerson’s step-mother, Alice, calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, he returns to his father’s home in Maine, where he meets a mysterious young woman. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way.Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither is telling the truth about his father. And when someone else turns up dead, Harry realizes he’s in much more danger than he’d ever imagined.

About the Author

Peter Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and Eight Perfect Murders, a New York Times bestseller, among others. His books have been translated into 30 languages. He lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts, where he is at work on his next novel.

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