REVIEW:

An honest breakdown of A.R. (Allessandra) Torre’s latest thriller, The Good Lie:

Good:

• The story. The Bloody Heart Killer is terrorizing the teenage boys of Los Angeles. A suspect is caught, but (gasp!) the father of one of BHK’s victims steps in to be his defense attorney. Said attorney enlists the help of a psychiatrist (who he’s also currently boinking) to do a profile on the killer since he’s sure it’s not his client.

• The pacing. This is a lickety-split novel of suspense that has zero superfluous pages. All meat, no fat here.

• The ending. Sure didn’t see that coming!

• The author. By all accounts, Ms. Torre seems to be as friendly to readers and fellow authors as she is versatile in her craft.

Not so good:

• My memory. I finished this a few days ago and had to re-read the synopsis to refresh my recollection of the plot and characters. Don’t you hate when that happens? ;)

PUBLISHER SYNOPSIS:

Six teens murdered. A suspect behind bars. A desperate father. In a case this shadowy, the truth is easy to hide.

Six teenagers dead. Finally, the killer behind bars. But are the games just beginning?

Psychiatrist Dr. Gwen Moore is an expert on killers. She’s spent a decade treating California’s most depraved predators and unlocking their motives — predators much like the notorious Bloody Heart serial killer, whose latest teenage victim escaped and then identified local high school teacher Randall Thompson as his captor. The case against Thompson as the Bloody Heart Killer is damning — and closed, as far as Gwen and the media are concerned. If not for one new development…

Defense attorney Robert Kavin is a still-traumatized father whose own son fell prey to the BH Killer. Convinced of Thompson’s innocence, he steps in to represent him. Now Robert wants Gwen to interview the accused, create a psych profile of the killer and his victims, and help clear his client’s name.

As Gwen and Robert grow closer and she dives deeper into the investigation, grave questions arise. So does Gwen’s suspicion that Robert is hiding something — and that he might not be the only one with a secret.