The Good Liar

Summary (from the publisher): Veteran con artist Roy spots an obvious easy mark when he meets Betty, a wealthy widow, online. In no time at all, he moves into Betty's lovely cottage and tries to gain her trust. Betty's grandson disapproves of their blossoming relationship, but Roy is sure his scheme will be a success. He's done this before. 

As this remarkable feat of storytelling brings together Roy's and Betty's futures, it also delves into their pasts. Some things can never be forgiven, or forgotten - and for Roy and Betty, there is a reckoning to be made when the endgame of Roy's crooked plot plays out. 

Review: I received an uncorrected proof copy of this novel from HarperCollins. 

This novel opens with the seemingly innocent meeting of two elderly individuals who have decided to seek companionship after the deaths of their spouses. Roy and Betty soon move in together, but it quickly becomes clear that Roy is not all that he appears and is in fact trying to scam Betty out of her life savings. Roy even goes so far as to pretend to be ignorant of all technology and the internet and takes pains to appear more physically infirm than he actually is; "It is a real effort, but a necessary one, to convey this message of infirmity"(20). Even more puzzling is the fact that Betty seems to be aware of Roy's schemes and is quietly going along with his plans. Betty allows Roy to believe that she has been successfully duped; "He could at least make the effort to be consistent. Evidently he sees her as the gullible type" (101). 

In intervening chapters, Roy's history is slowly revealed, from his most recent cons and slowly working back through the decades to his first work of subterfuge as a teenager in the late 1930s. And slowly, the true relationship between Betty and Roy is also revealed. The structure of the novel, built around intervening chapters, allows for the buildup of tension between the present relationship between Roy and Betty and the revelation of Roy's past. 

I found the great revelation in the conclusion of the novel entirely implausible. It seemed both technically impossible but also unlikely that Betty would want to engage Roy in such a scheme. It was disturbing to learn more and more about Roy's past as this novel progresses, since he reveals himself to be a man seemingly devoid of any compassion or even love for anyone. I found this soulless aspect of his character also difficult to believe, although it certainly made it easier to hate his character. 

Stars: 3