Tell No Lies

by Gregg Hurwitz

Overview

"Another winner from a top-tier thriller writer." —Kirkus Reviews
Daniel Brasher left a high-paying job as a money manager to marry his community-organizer wife and do the work he loves, leading group counseling sessions with recently paroled ex-cons. Now he's about to start a private practice. But just before his last day on the job, Daniel finds an envelope in his department mailbox—one intended for someone else that was placed in his slot by accident. Inside it is an unsigned piece of paper, a note that says only "admit what you've done or you will bleed for it." along with a midnight deadline…which has passed. And the person to whom the envelope was addressed was found brutally murdered…

"A fast-paced roller coaster ride…well-written and extremely realistic." —Criminal Element
Soon, Daniel finds more warnings in his office mail, to people that the police cannot track down, and to victims that cannot be saved. Daniel's efforts, however, have alerted the killer to his involvement… and the next threat he receives is his own. Now, Daniel—with no clue what he's supposed to have done or to what action he must confess—must somehow appease, or outwit, a seemingly unstoppable killer. And time is running out…in Tell No Lies by Gregg Hurwitz.
"Menace, treachery, and intrigue have never been more exciting." —The Washington Post

This edition of the book is the deluxe, tall rack mass market paperback.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250051141
Publisher:	St. Martin's Publishing Group
Publication date:	07/01/2014
Pages:	496
Sales rank:	143,963
Product dimensions:	4.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 1.40(d)

About the Author

Gregg Hurwitz is the critically acclaimed, internationally bestselling author of fourteen novels including, most recently, Trust No One and The Survivor. His books have been translated into twenty languages. In addition, he is a screenwriter, television producer, and writes for Marvel and DC Comics. He lives in Los Angeles.

Editorial Reviews

Simply brilliant. Tell No Lies is infinitely more than a thriller, yet thrilling to the last page. Psychologically rich and often beautiful...A true page turner in which every phrase, every character, every little incident counts. Stylish, elegant, and absolutely riveting! An unforgettable read.” —Anne Rice

“Another winner from a top-tier thriller writer.” —Kirkus Reviews

“A great book for any reader who wants to be chilled and entertained at the same time.” —Suspense Magazine

“Menace, treachery, and intrigue have never been more exciting.” —The Washington Post

“A fast-paced roller coaster ride...well-written and extremely realistic.” —Criminal Element

“A rollercoaster ride that is going to make your stomach flip upside down two or three times before it's through...Equal parts thriller and mystery, Tell No Lies is built upon the finest elements of both genres.” —The Book Reporter

“Hurwitz has quickly established himself as one of the best writers in the genre. A unique variation on the ticking-clock thriller, written with a depth and nuance that gives everything meaning, and makes every character both satisfying and suspect. You'll be guessing right up until the end.” —Louisville Courier-Journal

“Gregg Hurwitz [has] written a string of excellent thrillers, but this one could be his best.
” —Winnipeg Free Press

“Stunningly effective and original...Hurwitz keeps the suspense humming, the promise of his premise matched by his execution every step of the way in this superb psychological thriller.” —Providence Journal

“With a multiplicity of elements to praise, it's hard to know where to start first...The book exerts all the author's customary Ancient Mariner-like grip on the reader.” —Crime Time

From the Publisher

In this thrill-packed stand-alone from Thriller Award–finalist Hurwitz (The Survivor), Daniel Brasher, a counselor working with ex-cons in San Francisco, receives an anonymous, semi-literate letter in his mailbox that reads: “admit what youv done. or you will bleed for it.” The letter is actually addressed to someone else, a man who, Brasher soon discovers, has just been brutally murdered. When he receives two more threat letters, each addressed to a new person, it becomes clear that the killer is sending a message. Brasher must examine the messy entanglements of his life to discover just why the killer is targeting him in this fashion. While at times a bit cloak and dagger—once Brasher looks in a standing mirror only to realize that “beyond the tilted bottom frame of the mirror” the killer’s boots are peaking out—the mystery lover will want to carry though until the somewhat strained end to learn the link between Brasher and the murderer. Agent: Lisa Erbach Vance of the Aaron Priest Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

Almost every scene in this thriller leads to a confrontation or chase, and those that don’t are rich with social commentary. The inimitable Scott Brick, master of the pregnant pause, injects an angry gloom into the characters, nearly all victims of sad and wasted lives. Daniel Brasher is a group counselor for felons who are trying to make their way out of the system, one way or another. Despite his dedication to the common good, Brasher finds himself the recipient of anonymous communications that threaten him and everyone he loves. Brick is a gripping narrator who injects just enough individuality into the characters to make them sound authentic. The setting of the story, San Francisco, is almost a character in itself. D.R.W. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

SEPTEMBER 2013 - AudioFile

A San Francisco silver spoon heir trying to do good becomes entangled in a serial murder case in Hurwitz's (The Survivor, 2012, etc.) latest thriller. Daniel Brasher, last heir to a family fortune that can be traced back to the Union Pacific's golden spike, left the private investment business to become a counselor for violent offenders. The only child of widowed Evelyn Brasher, a community mover and shaker more powerful and feared than appreciated and respected, Brasher strayed further by marrying Cristina, a Hispanic community organizer. Money, an Audi, a gentrified three-story in Pacific Heights mean the couple lives well while doing good, the only pothole on the road to happily-ever-after being Cristina's cancer. Then Brasher discovers an anonymous murder threat in his work mailbox. The threat, however, is directed at another person. Soon, other murder threats, and bodies, accumulate. Every corpse is left with "knife slits leaking blood below either eye." The Tearmaker's notes always demand that victims "admit what you've done." Hurwitz is brilliant with characterization. Evelyn and Cristina are spark-striking opposites. Leo Rizk, shadowy, silent hired bodyguard, has a dark history revealed in strobe flashes. Theresa Dooley, hard-charging young African-American inspector, leads the investigation. And Martin, A-Dre, Big Mac, Martin, Lil and Xochitl, the sextet that makes up Brasher's counsel group of violent offenders, are broken and brave but worthy suspects all. Hurwitz's writing is more lyrical than noir--one chapter delineates San Francisco perfectly--with occasional literary flashes--"watched the sunbeams' relentless creep along the floorboards, ushering in the threats of a new day)." Hurwitz is no slouch at plotting either, dragging Brasher from one murder scene to another, either consulting with Dooley or giving in to his own curiosity--or guilt. Every suspect seems legitimate, but then the narrative makes a hard U-turn and aims The Tearmaker at Brasher and his wife only to stumble beyond a satisfying conclusion and tack on the trite tying up of one minor narrative thread. Another winner from a top-tier thriller writer.

Kirkus Reviews