Empire of Lies

highly recommended

This was a story I both believed and loved. Very believable plot and the narrator of this story was very compelling. This was the only book by Andrew Klavan I have read and now cannot wait to read more of his stories. Throughout I was wondering what would happen next and was pleased with the ending. Highly recommended!

What's Real and Should You Take Action if You Are Not Sure

In this thriller, Jason Harrow is thrown into a world in which he doesn't know if what is happening is real or a catastrophe which he needs to prevent. He once lived in New York but moved to the midwest to a more quiet life. He found a simple woman to marry and raised a family and had a successful career as a journalist.

When his mother passes away, he and his brother are both asked if one of them can come back to New York to take care of her house. An ex-girlfriend (Lauren) from New York then calls him and tells him she needs to see him. Jason decides that he will be the one to sell his mother's house so he can have an excuse to go back to NY to see his old flame.

Lauren tells Jason that her daughter is missing and that her daughter (Serena) is actually his daughter. Apparently she had gotten pregnant just before their split and had never told Jason. Jason decides to play private investigator and track down Serena himself. When he finds her, he realizes that she is very troubled and may have witnessed something terrible. After she seems to play him for a fool and Jason no longer knows if what she told him was the truth.

Also, Lauren who seemed anxious at first to get Serena back, seems to have lost total interest. Later some weird conincidences seem to happen regarding Jason's mother's tv and Jason stumbles onto some secrets regarding his mother. Everything seems to be leaning towards "nothing" or to a possible terrorist plot.

The book holds you throughout and never gets boring. I did not rate it higher and only barely give it four stars because (note: Possible spoilers below):

- The book is narrated by Jason so when there is danger, some of the tension is lost if you know he will survive.
- Jason's mother's secret seemed like it was copied from John Nash in A Beautiful Mind.
- The reader is able to guess the target of the possible terrorist plot very early in the book.
- Jason's family seems to be an afterthought to the story. We see snippets in the beginning of the book and it seemed that Jason was not really interested in his wife when he married her. There is one or two phonecalls home in the book and when Jason is about to do something "bad" he may think about his family but that is about it.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Stirring, Frightening, too real!

Wow! Empire of Lies is too real to be fiction. It is today and must be made into a film. No time is wasted in getting you immersed in a world that will shock you but at the same time seems too, too familiar. Klavan brings his characters to life. Next thing you know your looking for them on the bus, the subway ...the plane. Not for the innocent and gentle spirited.

fantastic read!

This is by far one of the best books I've read in awhile. It grabs you from the first few pages and pulls you in. It is exciting, it is funny and in the world we live in today it feels like it could be true. Andrew Klavan this is your best so far! Good job! A must read!

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