The Many Lies of Veronica Hawkins: A Novel

by Kristina Pérez

Overview

A cursed woman. A beautiful socialite. A tragic heiress. Just who was Veronica Hawkins?

When Martina Torres arrives in the glamorous and vibrant metropolis of Hong Kong, newly married to her high school sweetheart, the world seems to be her oyster. But looks can be deceiving. Adrift in a foreign city, with no job and no friends, Martina chafes in her new role as Expat Wife.

But her luck changes when she meets Veronica Hawkins. Beautiful, sophisticated, and very, very rich, Veronica is the epitome of Old Hong Kong—the last surviving member of a British mercantile dynasty that built the city during its colonial heyday. Martina can hardly believe her fortune when she's taken under Veronica's wing and into her confidence, with Veronica helping her to find a new apartment, a new career, and most importantly, a new self.

Veronica transforms Martina's life and then, shockingly, she dies. She disappears over the side of a yacht during a party attended by Hong Kong's most influential people—yet somehow there are no witnesses.

Was it murder? Suicide? A terrible accident? What really happened to Veronica Hawkins?

Somebody knows but nobody's telling.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781639367719
Publisher:	Pegasus Books
Publication date:	09/03/2024
Pages:	400
Sales rank:	525,676
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 1.50(d)

About the Author

Kristina Pérez is a half-Argentine, half-Norwegian native New Yorker. She holds a PhD in Medieval Literature from the University of Cambridge and has taught at the National University of Singapore and the University of Hong Kong. As a journalist, she's written for many international news outlets covering primarily travel, culture, and fine art. She has penned several novels for young adults and is now a London-based literary agent.

Editorial Reviews

07/29/2024

An American woman learns to navigate Hong Kong’s wealthy expat culture in this busy debut from literary agent Pérez. After moving to Hong Kong for her husband’s finance job, Martina Torres struggles to adjust, with little to do but attend luncheons with the ruthless wives of executives. Longing for more meaningful connections, she’s thrilled when she meets the sophisticated Veronica Hawkins, heiress to a British mercantile dynasty. The two become fast friends, with Veronica teaching Martina to love Hong Kong and empowering her to return to work. Then Veronica drowns during a ball at the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club—though no one saw her fall into the water. Just before she died, Veronica named Martina the director of a foundation that supports up-and-coming artists. When financial discrepancies pop up after Veronica’s death, Martina is accused of embezzlement. Determined to clear her name and find out what happened to her friend, Martina launches an investigation that unearths inconsistencies in Veronica’s biography. Pérez provides fascinating tidbits about Hong Kong’s colonial history, but they’re not enough to compensate for an overstuffed plot that resolves with a too-predictable twist. It’s a case of squandered potential. Agent: Joelle Hobeika, Alloy Entertainment. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

"A smart, twisted story filled with secrets and lies played out in the vibrant, glittering setting of Hong Kong."

author of The Shimmer on the Water Marina McCarron

"Lush descriptions, passionate friendships and wicked betrayals. An interesting undercurrent of ideas about identity, self and truth."

The Literary Review

"Vivid, immersive and compulsive, the layers of detail are gorgeous, and the quick wit and devious twists mean that you know everyone is lying, but it's a rollercoaster ride to find out what they're lying about."

author of The Best Way to Bury Your Husband&# Alexia Casale

A must-read that’s dark, disturbing, and suspenseful while also being a compelling story about identity, deception, and ambition.

Booklist (starred review)

"Glamorous, shocking and deliciously deceptive. The kind of sharp, exciting and sophisticated mystery I just adore."

author of We Begin at the End Chris Whitaker

"A joyous, addictive exploration of materialism and excess, beautifully conjuring Hong Kong in all its societal layers. This is a delightfully dark novel which brings to mind The Great Gatsby in early 21st Century Hong Kong."

author of The Innocent One Lisa Ballantyne

"A twisty thriller with rich and complex female friendships. I tore through this one."

 New York Times #1 bestseling author Kelley Armstrong

Kristina Pérez crafts an engaging tale of intrigue, glamour and hyper-status conscious expatriates, laced with claustrophobic menace and mystery.

The Financial Times

This whirlwind of a novel presents a glittering façade and then shatters it, exposing the violence and racism that lies behind.

The Times (London)

"A smartly plotted psychological thriller set in Hong Kong. With a detailed look at high society expat life and its attendant glamour and a strong sense of place, this is a rewarding thriller with much to offer."

Crime Time

★ 07/01/2024

Pérez's adult fiction debut (she's the author of the YA "Sweet Black Waves" trilogy) is a twisty, glamorous thriller set among the rich and powerful in Hong Kong. The first section is a memoir of a friendship and the experience of grief when one friend dies. Martina Torres came to Hong Kong to support her blue-blooded husband Spencer, but she feels lonely and aimless in the fast-paced city. Her gig as a freelance reporter leads her to interview shipping heiress Veronica Hawkins. From their first meeting, Martina is drawn in. As the two women become close friends, Martina's view of her life and marriage shifts. Even as she's making changes, she sees that Veronica is struggling personally as well. When a tragedy takes Veronica's life, Martina picks up the pieces and writes to assuage her grief. In the second half of the book, told in the third person, Martina has seemingly moved past the worst of her pain, but she finds her life upended again when someone threatens to take all that she has gained. VERDICT The setting, characters, and structure of the novel are compelling, and, as the title suggests, there are secrets and lies aplenty. For fans of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid and The Heiress by Rachel Hawkins.—Jane Jorgenson

Library Journal