Simply Lies(2023) - David Baldacci

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Simply Lies(2024) - David Baldacci

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The 6:20 Man comes a twisting psychological thriller in which two women—one a former detective, the other a dangerous con artist—go head-to-head in an electrifying game of cat and mouse.

Mickey Gibson, single mother and former detective, leads a hectic life similar to that of many moms: juggling the demands of her two small children with the tasks of her job working remotely for ProEye, a global investigation company that hunts down wealthy tax and credit cheats.  

When Mickey gets a call from a colleague named Arlene Robinson, she thinks nothing of Arlene’s unusual request for her to go inventory the vacant home of an arms dealer who cheated ProEye’s clients and fled. That is, until she arrives at the mansion and discovers a dead body in a secret room—and nothing is as it seems.
  
Not only does the arms dealer not exist, but the murder victim turns out to be Harry Langhorne, a man with mob ties who used to be in Witness Protection. What’s more, no one named Arlene Robinson works at ProEye.  

In the blink of an eye, Gibson has become a prime suspect in a murder investigation—and now her job is on the line until she proves that she was set up. Before long, Gibson is locked in a battle of wits with a brilliant woman with no name, a hidden past, and unknown motives—whose end game is as mysterious as it is deadly.  

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https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/david-baldacci/simply-lies-baldacci/

SIMPLY LIES | Kirkus Reviews

https://www.queenslandreviewerscollective.com/2023/03/28/simply-lies-by-david-baldacci/

Simply Lies by David Baldacci

https://www.debbish.com/books-literature/book-review-simply-lies-by-david-baldacci/

Book review: Simply Lies by David Baldacci - Debbish

David Baldacci is one of my go-to authors. I’ve particularly enjoyed recent Memory Man (Amos Decker) and Atlee Pine series and though his latest, Simply Lies, could be a standalone novel I suspect – for several reasons – we will also meet data analyst / investigator and former cop Mickey Gibson again.

Goodreads

The first clue we’ll see more of Mickey comes in the form of her backstory. When we’re introduced to the single mother she’s uncovered a trail of hidden bank accounts and set in motion a range of actions to have them shut down. We learn she’s moved into the private sector after her husband disappeared leaving her in the financial lurch. And given Mick tracks down people and money for a living and has some serious white hat-like computer skills, the fact she can’t locate her husband is a sure sign there’s a LOT more to that story.

Mick’s tricked by Arlene (who we get to know as Clarissa) into getting involved in a murder investigation and hunt for missing money and the pair work in tandem – though separately…  never the twain shall meet kinda thing. Clarissa is angry with Mickey for some reason, as if there’s a shared history and she’s determined to get one over on her.

My head did spin a little the first time Baldacci switches to Clarissa’s point-of-view as there’s really no signal until you start reading and the narrator talks about Mickey. From then on however Baldacci easily lets us know whose head we’re in. The person we know as Clarissa is a fascinating character and involved in several scams. She’s most certainly a blackmailer, but then we learn more about some of her other exploits, all of which points to someone who’s motivated, cleverly cunning and (quite frankly) morally corrupt.

Baldacci introduces some additional texture here via Mick’s parents (her dad’s a former cop) and of course there’s Clarissa and her agenda. He also gives us a lot of intrigue via money launderers, mobsters and life-in-witness protection.

I must admit I got a little lost amidst the talk of NFTs, blockchain, metaverses and digital samples of famous artwork but appreciate that Baldacci is able to easily reference popular technological advancements and move with the times. Even if I’m not.

Despite not fully comprehending the technology, the why and whodunnit come down to the basics, though Baldacci throws in some surprises. It’s a reminder to be careful who we trust and how easily we can be duped.

I really liked Mickey. In addition to her complex backstory there’s a reference early in the novel that she should set up her own business, so that along with the way this book ends has me fairly certain we’ll meet her (and her partner… *wink wink*) again.