Genuine Fraud

by E. Lockhart Narrated by Rebecca Soler

Overview

From the author of the unforgettable New York Times bestseller We Were Liars comes a masterful new psychological suspense novel—the story of a young woman whose diabolical smarts are her ticket into a charmed life. But how many times can someone reinvent themselves? You be the judge.
 
Imogen is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.
Jule is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.
An intense friendship. A disappearance. A murder, or maybe two.
A bad romance, or maybe three.
Blunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.
A girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.
A girl who refuses to be the person she once was.
 
Praise for E. Lockhart's We Were Liars:
 
"Haunting, sophisticated. . . . Twisty and well-told." —The Wall Street Journal
 
"[It] will leave you dying to talk about the book with a pal or ten." —Parade.com
 
"You're going to want to remember the title. Liars details the summers of a girl who harbors a dark secret, and delivers a satisfying but shocking twist ending." —Entertainment Weekly
 
"An ambitious novel with an engaging voice, a clever plot and some terrific writing." —The New York Times Book Review
 
"Thrilling, beautiful, and blisteringly smart, We Were Liars is utterly unforgettable." —John Green, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Fault in Our Stars

Editorial Reviews

AUGUST 2017 - AudioFile

Rebecca Soler’s riveting narration and the engrossing writing of E. Lockhart make for gripping listening—even if the main character of this story is unlikable. Soler renders a perfect portrait of Jule, a detached 18-year-old who is poised for fight, flight, and inventing lies about her past. Soler shows Jule’s polar traits of coldness and obsessiveness, especially when it comes to her wealthy best friend, Immy. The book’s structure moves backwards in time, and Soler’s narration keeps listeners poised for the next revelation as the fast-paced reversed plot reveals more and more of the precipitating events and an increasingly darker picture of Jule’s nature. Lockhart again proves herself the queen of twists, and Soler matches her tone to make this psychologically complex narrative even more chilling. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

The New York Times Book Review - Jeff Giles

Genuine Fraud is a disquieting book, one built craftily enough to reward repeat readings.

Publishers Weekly

★ 06/26/2017
Lockhart blends the privileged glamour of We Were Liars with a twisty, backward-running plot that’s slick with cinematic violence. Calling to mind her own The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, she offers a shrewd critique of the roles traditionally available to female characters in literature and film. This striking exploration of the nature of identity revolves around the relationship between Jule and Immie, two similar-looking orphans. Jule—a fierce physical fighter and self-taught expert at disguise—will do whatever it takes to escape her bleak past. Wealthy and charismatic Immie, by contrast, wafts pleasantly through life, living on Martha’s Vineyard while taking time off from college. Pushed into Immie’s privileged inner circle via a case of mistaken identity, Jule is swept into an intense friendship—and a series of events that play intentional tribute to Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. Ripley, among other literary precedents. A bracing pace, a slew of far-flung locations, and a storyline that runs mostly in reverse will keep readers on their toes, never entirely sure of what these girls are responsible for or capable of. Ages 12–up. Agent: Elizabeth Kaplan, Elizabeth Kaplan Agency. (Sept.)

From the Publisher

More Praise for E. Lockhart’s Genuine Fraud:

5 STARRED REVIEWS!

"A brilliant, twisty thriller—I loved it!" —Karen M. McManus, bestselling author of One of Us Is Lying

"Fans of E. Lockhart's We Were Liars will love this . . . and definitely won't see the ending coming." —HelloGiggles Online

"Tangled secrets, diabolical lies and, ultimately, a mind-blowing outcome are crafted with the plotted precision we expect (and love!) from E. Lockhart." —Justine Magazine

"The coming-of-age plot and complicated friendship between its two main characters make Genuine Fraud seem like it could be Girls for a younger set." —Vanity Fair

"A sophisticated, emotionally literate whodunit." —The Guardian

"As with E. Lockhart's previous novel, the bestselling We Were Liars, [readers] will likely finish the last page and flip right back to the beginning to search for clues they missed." —Chicago Tribune

"If there are two things you can count on E. Lockhart for it's badass ladies and killer atmosphere—Genuine Fraud has both in droves." —Bustle

“A bracing pace, a slew of far-flung locations, and a storyline that runs mostly in reverse will keep readers on their toes, never entirely sure of what these girls are responsible for or capable of.” —PW, Starred Review

“Captivating . . . bewitching.” —Booklist, Starred Review

“An excellent choice recommended for teens and adults who love twisty mysteries, stories about class conflict, and tough-as-nails teen girls.” —SLJ, Starred Review

“This thriller from the author of We Were Liars will challenge preconceptions about identity and keep readers guessing.” —Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

"Intoxicating." —The Horn Book, Starred Review

School Library Journal

★ 06/01/2017
Gr 9 Up—Jule West Williams is at a fancy resort in Mexico. Someone is looking for her, but she can do a pretty stellar job of taking care of herself, paying a bartender to smuggle her out in his car, then fighting back when he tries to extort more money. That's where Lockhart's latest novel begins. Jule was recently in London. Her best friend, Imogen Sokoloff, is dead. There's a guy Jule likes but can't have. Jule steals wallets in Las Vegas, NV. The teen likes how strong she feels when she defends herself. Jule was in San Francisco. She has had just about enough of Immie's friends from Vassar. Jule was in Puerto Rico. The protagonist has a prodigious talent for memorization. Jule was staying at Immie's house in Martha's Vineyard. She was in New York. Jule is, above all else, a survivor. The narrative moves backward in time, constantly forcing readers to adjust their opinions of the characters and events and realign them in light of new information. While those familiar with The Talented Mr. Ripley may have a good idea of Lockhart's ultimate destination, they'll still enjoy the trip. The book rewards rereading, as initially inconsequential details shine brightly when you can see the whole picture. VERDICT An excellent choice recommended for teens and adults who love twisty mysteries, stories about class conflict, and tough-as-nails teen girls.—Stephanie Klose, School Library Journal

AUGUST 2017 - AudioFile

Rebecca Soler’s riveting narration and the engrossing writing of E. Lockhart make for gripping listening—even if the main character of this story is unlikable. Soler renders a perfect portrait of Jule, a detached 18-year-old who is poised for fight, flight, and inventing lies about her past. Soler shows Jule’s polar traits of coldness and obsessiveness, especially when it comes to her wealthy best friend, Immy. The book’s structure moves backwards in time, and Soler’s narration keeps listeners poised for the next revelation as the fast-paced reversed plot reveals more and more of the precipitating events and an increasingly darker picture of Jule’s nature. Lockhart again proves herself the queen of twists, and Soler matches her tone to make this psychologically complex narrative even more chilling. S.W. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

★ 2017-05-31
Can Jule recognize her own true self within the tangled story of the past year? Jule West Williams is 18, white, and an orphan, all of which she has in common with her best friend, heiress Imogen Sokoloff—or does she? Jule, an impulsive, complicated protagonist like no other, tells her story as though she were living in an adventure movie. She imagines herself a heroine in contrast to the "great white hetero hero on his fucking epic journey." She's proud of her strength and fighting ability, her talents for disguises and imitating accents. Outside of her fantasy life, she feels inferior to practically everyone—Immie and her boyfriend, Forrest, as well as Immie's parents and friends from college. Starting the book with Chapter 18 and the instruction "Begin here," Jule traces a year backward, revealing startling secrets along the way. The fast-paced plot moves among New York, London, California, and Mexico as Jule stays one step ahead of those who've underestimated her skills. Jule's intense narrative frequently includes clipped snatches of dialogue with herself: "No, she had. / No, she hadn't. / She wished she had not. / She wished it could be undone." Her unsettling storytelling, filled with energy and a fair amount of violence, comes from deep inside her own mysterious background. This thriller from the author of We Were Liars (2014) will challenge preconceptions about identity and keep readers guessing. (Suspense. 12-adult)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169122923
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	09/05/2017
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	12 - 17 Years

Read an Excerpt

Begin here:
 
 
Third week in June, 2017
 
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
 
 
 
It was a bloody great hotel.
 
The minibar in Jule’s room stocked potato chips and four different chocolate bars. The bathtub had bubble jets. There was an endless supply of fat towels and liquid gardenia soap. In the lobby, an elderly gentleman played Gershwin on a grand piano at four each afternoon. You could get hot clay skin treatments, if you didn’t mind strangers touching you. Jule’s skin smelled like chlorine all day.
 
The Playa Grande Resort in Baja had white curtains, white tile, white carpets, and explosions of lush white flowers. The staff members were nurselike in their white cotton garments. Jule had been alone at the hotel for nearly four weeks now. She was eighteen years old.
 
This morning, she was running in the Playa Grande gym. She wore custom sea-green shoes with navy laces. She ran without music. She had been doing intervals for nearly an hour when a woman stepped onto the treadmill next to her.
 
This woman was younger than thirty. Her black hair was in a tight ponytail, slicked with hair spray. She had big arms and a solid torso, light brown skin, and a dusting of powdery blush on her cheeks. Her shoes were down at the heels and spattered with old mud.
 
No one else was in the gym.
 
Jule slowed to a walk, figuring to leave in a minute. She liked privacy, and she was pretty much done, anyway.
 
“You training?” the woman asked. She gestured at Jule’s digital readout. “Like, for a marathon or something?” The accent was Mexican American. She was probably a New Yorker raised in a Spanish-speaking neighborhood.
 
“I ran track in secondary school. That’s all.” Jule’s own speech was clipped, what the British call BBC English.
 
The woman gave her a penetrating look. “I like your accent,” she said. “Where you from?”
 
“London. St. John’s Wood.”
 
“New York.” The woman pointed to herself.
 
Jule stepped off the treadmill to stretch her quads.
 
“I’m here alone,” the woman confided after a moment. “Got in last night. I booked this hotel at the last minute. You been here long?”
 
“It’s never long enough,” said Jule, “at a place like this.”
 
“So what do you recommend? At the Playa Grande?”
 
Jule didn’t often talk to other hotel guests, but she saw no harm in answering. “Go on the snorkel tour,” she said. “I saw a bloody huge moray eel.”
 
“No kidding. An eel?”
 
“The guide tempted it with fish guts he had in a plastic milk jug. The eel swam out from the rocks. It must have been eight feet long. Bright green.”
 
The woman shivered. “I don’t like eels.”
 
“You could skip it. If you scare easy.”
 
The woman laughed. “How’s the food? I didn’t eat yet.”
 
“Get the chocolate cake.”
 
“For breakfast?”
 
“Oh, yeah. They’ll bring it to you special, if you ask.”
 
“Good to know. You traveling alone?”
 
“Listen, I’m gonna jet,” said Jule, feeling the conversation had turned personal. “Cheerio.” She headed for the door.
 
“My dad’s crazy sick,” the woman said, talking to Jule’s back. “I’ve been looking after him for a long time.”
 
A stab of sympathy. Jule stopped and turned.
 
“Every morning and every night after work, I’m with him,” the woman went on. “Now he’s finally stable, and I wanted to get away so badly I didn’t think about the price tag. I’m blowing a lot of cash here I shouldn’t blow.”
 
“What’s your father got?”
 
“MS,” said the woman. “Multiple sclerosis? And dementia. He used to be the head of our family. Very macho. Strong in all his opinions. Now he’s a twisted body in a bed. He doesn’t even know where he is half the time. He’s, like, asking me if I’m the waitress.”
 
“Damn.”
 
“I’m scared I’m gonna lose him and I hate being with him, both at the same time. And when he’s dead and I’m an orphan, I know I’m going to be sorry I took this trip away from him, d’you know?” The woman stopped running and put her feet on either side of the treadmill. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. “Sorry. Too much information.”
 
“S’okay.”
 
“You go on. Go shower or whatever. Maybe I’ll see you around later.”
 
The woman pushed up the arms of her long-sleeved shirt and turned to the digital readout of her treadmill. A scar wound down her right forearm, jagged, like from a knife, not clean like from an operation. There was a story there.
 
“Listen, do you like to play trivia?” Jule asked, against her better judgment.
 
A smile. White but crooked teeth. “I’m excellent at trivia, actually.”
 
“They run it every other night in the lounge downstairs,” said Jule. “It’s pretty much rubbish. You wanna go?”
 
“What kind of rubbish?”
 
“Good rubbish. Silly and loud.”
 
“Okay. Yeah, all right.”
 
“Good,” said Jule. “We’ll kill it. You’ll be glad you took a vacation. I’m strong on superheroes, spy movies, YouTubers, fitness, money, makeup, and Victorian writers. What about you?”
 
“Victorian writers? Like Dickens?”
 
“Yeah, whatever.” Jule felt her face flush. It suddenly seemed an odd set of things to be interested in.
 
“I love Dickens.”
 
“Get out.”
 
“I do.” The woman smiled again. “I’m good on Dickens, cooking, current events, politics . . . let’s see, oh, and cats.”
 
“All right, then,” said Jule. “It starts at eight o’clock in that lounge off the main lobby. The bar with sofas.”
 
“Eight o’clock. You’re on.” The woman walked over and extended her hand. “What’s your name again? I’m Noa.”
 
Jule shook it. “I didn’t tell you my name,” she said. “But it’s Imogen.”
 
 

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