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    All the Beautiful Lies: A Novel
    All the Beautiful Lies: A Novel
    All the Beautiful Lies: A Novel
    Audiobook9 hours

    All the Beautiful Lies: A Novel

    Written by Peter Swanson

    Narrated by Sarah Mollo-Christensen

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    From the acclaimed author of Her Every Fear and The Kind Worth Killing comes a diabolically clever tale of obsession, revenge, and cold-blooded murder—a sly and brilliant guessing game of a novel in the vein of Ruth Ware, Paula Hawkins, and Patricia Highsmith.

    Harry Ackerson has always considered his stepmother Alice to be sexy and beautiful, in an ""otherworldly"" way. She has always been kind and attentive, if a little aloof in the last few years.

    Days before his college graduation, Alice calls with shocking news. His father is dead and the police think it’s suicide. Devastated, Harry returns to his father’s home in Maine. There, he and Alice will help each other pick up of the pieces of their lives and uncover what happened to his father.

    Shortly after he arrives, Harry meets a mysterious young woman named Grace McGowan. Though she claims to be new to the area, Harry begins to suspect that Grace may not be a complete stranger to his family. But she isn’t the only attractive woman taking an interest in Harry. The sensual Alice is also growing closer, coming on to him in an enticing, clearly sexual way.

    Mesmerized by these two women, Harry finds himself falling deeper under their spell. Yet the closer he gets to them, the more isolated he feels, disoriented by a growing fear that both women are hiding dangerous—even deadly—secrets . . . and that neither one is telling the truth.

    Editor's Note

    Intricately woven…

    Peter Swanson (of “The Kind Worth Killing” fame) takes some tips from Patricia Highsmith’s playbook in this intricately woven novel. A young man about to graduate college learns his father may have been murdered and finds himself caught between two suspicious, sensual women.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateApr 3, 2018
    ISBN9780062802958
    Author

    Peter Swanson

    Peter Swanson is the New York Times bestselling author of The Kind Worth Killing, winner of the New England Society Book Award and finalist for the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger; Her Every Fear, an NPR book of the year; and Eight Perfect Murders, a New York Times bestseller, among others. His books have been translated into 30 languages, and his stories, poetry, and features have appeared in Asimov’s Science Fiction, The Atlantic Monthly, Measure, The Guardian, The Strand Magazine, and Yankee Magazine. He lives on the North Shore of Massachusetts, where he is at work on his next novel.

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    Reviews for All the Beautiful Lies

    4/5

    386 ratings27 reviews

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    • 5/5
      (NON SPOILER REVIEW ) Its my third book by Peter Swanson and now I'm a fan. I loved this book. There was little bit of mystery to this novel , more of crazy psychotic characters which always you'll get in Peter Swanson's novels. Okay so there is like two major twist in it (with several small twists ) , I sensed the first but the thing which caught me off guard is the ending. Dang that was an ending.. I highly recommend it !!

      1 person found this helpful

    • 2/5
      This ode to pedophilia got more repellent the further I read. The allure of sex between adults and adolescents (especially stepparent /stepchild sex) was more prevalent than any psychological suspense or mystery. And these nasty folks also occasionally murder each other with very weak motives. This was definitely not up to the standards of "The Kind Worth Killing" or "The Girl With a Clock for a Heart".

      1 person found this helpful

    • 1/5
      This book had several graphic descriptions of pedophilia, by multiple characters. Sadly this seems to be a theme in this author’s books, as it was in another of his books as well (which is disturbing). You should only read this book if you want a perfect example of a bad book, so when you read a good book you’ll know the difference.
    • 4/5
      The characters were well done, the plot was very interesting, and I enjoyed this book very much.
    • 3/5
      Story lacks intrigue, it is just disturbing instead. Would not recommend it.
    • 4/5
      This book had me on the edge of my seat the whole time. I wasn't expecting the ending!!!
    • 5/5
      Such a good book! The twisted background stories kept me interested.
    • 4/5
      It kept me entertained and guessing up to the last word.
    • 5/5
      Great book and the tc app center and the internet
    • 3/5
      The narrator’s voice was a bit robotic so I found it hard to get into. The story itself was good and kept me going to the end.
    • 4/5
      it was pretty Good. nice twist and Turn
      good for book club
    • 3/5
      I usually love Peter Swanson but this was just meh for me.
    • 5/5
      Great read with a lot of twists threw out the book.
    • 4/5
      A light and easy enjoyable read with believable characters in unusual circumstances.
    • 5/5
      The characters and twists and turns made this book mesmerizing.
    • 2/5
      Sick, twisted, and ridiculous... the only reason I am allotting two stars is because the novel was surprisingly addictive (but not worth my time)
    • 3/5
      3.5 stars.

      All the Beautiful Lies by Peter Swanson is a suspenseful mystery that features a few taboo relationships.

      Harry Ackerson is days away from his college graduation when his stepmother, Alice, phones with the distressing news that his father has died. He rushes home to help plan the funeral where he quickly learns his father's death might not have been an accident. Catching sight of a stranger at his father's funeral, Harry cannot help but wonder what connection the lovely young woman might have to his father. It turns out Grace McGowan knew his dad through his bookstore, but Harry wonders if there might be more to their relationship than she is revealing.  Before he can uncover the truth, Alice points the police in the direction of another employee at her husband's bookstore, but Harry is not quite convinced her accusation holds merit. Before long, another person is murdered, Harry grows uncomfortable with Alice's attention and he cannot help but wonder if he knows anyone as well as he thinks.

      Harry is not overly sophisticated, a bit naive and he is quickly in over his head where his stepmother is concerned. After his father and Alice married, he was uncomfortable with his inappropriate sexual awareness of his new stepmother and he has spent little time in her company in the years since he left for college.  Staying with her at his father's house, Harry tries to stay out of her way but Alice does everything she can to engineer time together.  As he grows more certain his father might have been murdered, Grace casts suspicion on Alice but Harry harbors doubt she was involved.

      Flashbacks to Alice's teen years do not exactly paint her in a flattering light. Her father was never in her life and her mother was an alcoholic who did not marry Alice's stepfather Jake Richter until her daughter was in her late teens. Alice makes her own luck and she is somewhat ruthless when crossed.  She follows her heart even though there are few people who would condone her relationship with the man she chooses.

      All the Beautiful Lies is an intriguing mystery with a slow moving storyline, unappealing characters and shudder inducing relationships. Set on the Maine coast, the setting is beautifully rendered and springs vibrantly to life through Peter Swanson's descriptive prose.  The investigation into the death of Harry's father is interesting and the perpetrator's identity is cleverly concealed until the novel's twist-filled conclusion.
    • 4/5
      I had grown weary of this genre but I needed a book to listen to on my car ride. This story held my attention. The despicable characters were well written and entirely creepy people. Loved the ending!!
    • 3/5
      All the Beautiful Lies is a suspenseful read, but take it at face value. If you try to analyze the characters and the story, it may cause you to enjoy it less. I am glad I read this before reading all the reviews because I might not have read it after. I enjoyed the story and read it quite quickly to find out what would happen next. There were a lot of twists in the story, some that were quite surprising.

      When Harry Ackerson gets a phone call from his step-mother, Alice, telling him his father had died, he heads to Maine to help with the funeral and the book store. What he finds out when he gets there, changes the way he thinks about his father. At first it was thought to be a suicide, but later it is determined that it was murder. Even though beautiful, cold Alice appears to be grieving for Bill, Harry thinks there’s something not quite right about her. The narrative is told in two time periods referred to as then and now. We find out about Alice's past and how she ended up as a real estate agent married to Bill Ackerson. In then, the narrator is Harry and we find out about his father and what he is going through.

      My main issue with All the Beautiful Lies is that it felt a bit hollow. We find out about the past of the characters, but they still feel like shells to me. Even though the character development was not what I would have liked, I still enjoyed the book. I liked the idea of the book store and how books were so important in both Harry's and his father's life. It was nice to see that Harry used plots of mysteries he remembered that helped him to figure out what was really going on in the story. I will also say that the ending was not what I expected but it was karma. The publisher generously provided me with a copy of this book via Edelweiss.
    • 3/5
      I was a little disappointed in this book. I had been anxiously awaiting its release after reading "The Kind Worth Killing", a terrific psychological thriller. However, this novel had promise, but I just didn't think it delivered.
      The story begins when Harry receives a call that his father Bill has died accidentally. When he returns to Maine, he finds his stepmother distraught over the death. Harry can't understand it when the accidental death is changed to be a suspicious death / homicide. We then find out the backstory of Alice, Harry's stepmother, who has a very dark past.
      I really felt that the story collapsed in the last few chapters, almost as if the writer was racing to finish the book and tie up all the loose ends.

      #AllTheBeautifulLies #PeterSwanson
    • 4/5
      All The Beautiful Lies is another well-plotted psychological thriller by Peter Swanson.Harry, who has just graduated from college, is always mesmerized by Alice, his stepmother, since the day she married his father a few years ago.When Alice breaks the shocking news that his dad has fallen to his death during his regular walk, Harry is so devastated because he is now left alone, just him and his stepmom… As time goes by, Harry discovers more secrets and lies about his father’s death, and then some! Is the death ruled as an accident or something else? How well does he really know Alice? Who is the young attractive woman that attends his father’s funeral? As one turns the pages, there are twists and turns till the end.I have read and love Peter Swanson’s Her Every Fear, knowing that he has potential to be a great author. All The Beautiful Lies does not disappoint me – it is another good read, and I recommend his novels to anyone who loves suspense thrillers!Thank you to William Morrow / Harper Collins , Peter Swanson and Goodreads for giving me the opportunity to enjoy this thriller.
    • 4/5
      In true Peter Swanson fashion, this book takes you through many twists and turns before everything makes sense. About halfway through I did predict the ending, but the first half was so good.

      I do like that this book came to a satisfying conclusion, rather than some of his earlier works which left the reader guessing what happened.

      It was a quick read, fast-paced and highly enjoyable.
    • 4/5
      All the Beautiful Things – Dark and DisturbingHarry is about to graduate from College when his stepmother calls to inform him that his father has died, and can he come home. So, he heads home to the Maine Coast and his step-mother Alice, even though he never really feels this is home, and does not really know his step-mother.As we go on how much does Harry know of his step-mother who is much younger than his father was. As the story of Alice’s dark and damaged past comes to light and entwined with Harry’s in the present he does not really know or understand what is happening around him. Harry’s own confused feeling leave him confused and not knowing where to turn.While trying to work out his future, and deal with his father’s business, be also learnt at how little he actually knew about him. As he stumbles around for clues, those whom he turns too tend to have something happen to them. Confusing the fog around him even further.Meanwhile as we learn more of Alice’s damaged past, and how easily she seems to move on, concerns Harry but not overly. At the same time Alice’s past seems to be catching her up as she gets older and will she be able to keep everything under her control, like she always has.Peter Swanson manages to tease out both Harry and Alice’s stories so that we can judge how far her past has affected the present. This is a brilliant split narrative story that draws you in and keeps you gripped throughout. As the story builds you just want to keep turning those pages to see what will happen. Will Harry ever know the truth? Will Alice’s hidden surface ever come to light?Another Swanson classic that keeps you hooked from beginning to end.
    • 4/5
      Not as good as his first three domestic thrillers, this one is set in coastal Maine and has Swanson's trademark notorious BIG TWIST at the very end. Read the first three first.
    • 3/5
      Think it might be time for me to take a psychological thriller break again. They are all blending together, and the plots just seem to darn familiar. Am in the minority in my rating and review for this one, but that has happened before and I'm sure will happen again. Loved the setting, not that many books are set to n Maine and from the descriptions it sounds gorgeous. The rest of the book was rather predictable, easy to guess what was coming next. A few of the plot twists, didn't make sense. One in particular I couldn't understand the reason for, and it kind of disappeared, no meaning forthcoming. Didn't particularly care for these characters, even Harry, who was for all intents and purposes meant to be the good guy. He was, I suppose, but also naive and some of his actions didn't make much sense either. It was fast paced, but the reason I am giving it even three stars is the ending. That came out of nowhere and was surprising. So a rather quick but predictable read that pulled itself up by the ending.ARC from Edelweiss.
    • 5/5
      Looking for a good book to start the New Year? Peter Swanson's All The Beautiful Lies is the one. It has murder, obsession, revenge and a story that keeps you guessing until the end. My only regret is that I could only give it 5 stars.
    • 4/5
      A special thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.Alternating between past and present, Swanson's newest domestic psychological thriller is a standout in the genre which seems to be increasingly popular as of late. Harry Ackerson is set to graduate from college when he receives word from his stepmother, Alice, that his father has died in what appears to be a suicide. Devastated, Harry skips his graduation ceremony and travels to his late father's home in Maine. Harry and Alice lean on one another to pick up the pieces after such a monumental loss. For Harry, things start to become uncomfortable and awkward with Alice—he has always considered her attractive, and she has been nothing short of kind to him. Alice is also 15 years younger than his father was.A mysterious young woman named Grace makes Harry's acquaintance shortly after he arrives. She claims to be new to the area, but she was at Harry's father's funeral. Things aren't adding up, and Grace seems to know more than she is letting on. Grace is not the only woman with interest in Harry, Alice is also growing closer and ends up seducing him. The more involved Harry gets to with these women, the more he realizes that he doesn't know them at all. Both women are hiding secrets and the truth about who they really are. Things are not what they appear, including his father's death which is now looking like murder.Swanson excels at character development and this novel is no exception. He has a gift for writing characters that are boarder on being psychotic, yet believable. There is a cleverness and preciseness to Swanson's storytelling without being overly dark. With just enough plot twists, the story is not predicable or confusing. If you like psychological thrillers, I encourage you to pick up this, or any of Peter Swanson's other books.