Author: August Thomas
ISBN: 9781471167034
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: 1st June 2018
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
Liar’s Candle is a highly praised debut novel that seems like it might hit a little close to home and be just a little too plausible in the current international climate and that thought concerns me.
A fast-paced spy thriller with a quick thinking female protagonist who needs to outsmart a pretty impressive list of high profile people, and organisations, if she wants to live through the current fallout.
The U.S. Embassy in Turkey has been targeted by terrorists in an attack that killed hundreds and young intern Penny Kessler is believed to be a crucial witness. She appears in a photo emerging from the rubble that becomes the defining image of the event but when she wakes in hospital the morning after her memories aren’t very clear.
Everyone is desperate to discover what information Penny knows, but even she isn’t sure what she knows or who she can trust.
A young diplomat, and love interest of Penny, disappeared during the attack and now his boss is trying to make out he was a traitor, the question is why?
Penny is racing the clock to find the truth, and stay alive, so she reluctantly pairs up with a rookie CIA officer on his first overseas assignment. The two find themselves up against a long list of powerful people, can they outmanoeuvre everyone to find what they need?
Liar’s Candle is a book that sounds gripping, and terrifying in it’s plausibility, definitely sounds like it’s worth picking up.
Published June 1st by Simon and Schuster and is available now from Angus & Robertson Bookworld, Booktopia and where all good books are sold.
Thanks to Simon & Schuster 10 of our Beauty and Lace Club Members will be reading Liar’s Candle so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Lair’s candle by August Thomas is a brilliant read. From the first paragraph to the very end, the author kept the reader’s interest.
The characters and scene are set well without being bogged down in laborious detail. The young protagonist Penny gains a life changing opportunity to accept an internship in the US Embasy in Turkey. Here, after a bombing, her life goes from straightforward to the impossible as we follow her through Turkey, chased by the US intelligence community, the Turkish authorities and terrorists. Who can she trust?
I would highly recommend this title.
Thanks Beauty and Lace
I don’t normally read this type of book but I started reading it and couldn’t put it down. I read it in one go..
It was very exciting with many twists and turns in the plot.some of which were surprising. I will definitely
be looking for the next book by this author.
Thankyou very much for the opportunity
“Liar’s Candle” is a fast moving spy thriller. It lacks plausibility in some places, but the action is so quick and unrelenting that this is unlikely to bother most readers (at least while they’re consuming the novel).
Penny Kessler is an intern at the US Embassy in Turkey. She’s made considerable sacrifices to be there – it’s a dream job for her. But on July 4, the Embassy party is bombed – and with hundreds dead, Penny wakes in hospital to find herself at the centre of the crisis. Almost everyone except Penny seems to think she knows something vital; she’s become a propaganda image; and within hours people are trying to kill her.
One of the implausibilities is how quickly Penny recovers from her serious head injury, despite new injuries being piled on top of it at regular intervals. Beyond that, Thomas makes it believable that a young, inexperienced, untrained person could survive the situation Penny finds herself in. The skills that brought her to the Embassy are the same skills that help her to survive now.
However, I really enjoyed this novel. It swept me up, and the plot and action kept me too involved to worry about things like that. The broad sweep of the plot is both credible and topical and Thomas writes with conviction.
Penny is a believable and empathetic character, as are the characters who wind up helping her (I’m not naming them, as that would be a minor spoiler). I found some of her opponents a little less believable, but that might just be because Thomas wasn’t interested in making them empathetic.
I’d recommend this to fans of spy thrillers, and people who like fast moving action oriented plots. The plot is carefully constructed and easy to follow despite the twists and turns. The novel is well written and enjoyable. And honestly, the parts where I found my credulity strained were pretty minor. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
Thank you for selecting me to read Liars Candle written by August Thomas
This book is action packed from start to finish
Plenty of drama and twists and turns in this book ( no spoilers )
Penny is a young intern with the US embassy in Turkey her dream job, which all goes pear shaped when. a bomb is detonated,
Penny has no idea any more to what the truth is or more importantly who she can trust
Would recommend this book was a great read
Thanks for the opportunity to read Liars Candle by August Thomas!
This is an action packed story from beginning to end and the fast pace doesn’t let up all the way through. Penny Kessler is heroine for our times – the young intern with brain power and nerves of steel.
I read this book in a couple of days and it would have been faster if work hadn’t got in the way. My husband is now reading it and enjoying it as well.
Move outside your comfort zone (like I did) and read Liars Candle this year! I can’t wait to see the film of Liars Candle which will undoubtedly follow – its just that good! And August Thomas reveals more books starring Penny in the future. WIN!
Thanks to Beauty and Lace and Simon and Schuster for the opportunity!
Thank you Beauty and Lace for the opportunity to review Liar’s Candle by August Thomas.
Liar’s Candle is a spy thriller of the best kind, I could not put the book down. The story revolves around Penny Kessler who was offered an internship in the U.S. Embassy in Turkey.
On July 4th there was an attack by terrorists at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey while they were having an Embassy party and hundreds were killed.
Penny is believed to be a witness, even though she has no clear memory the next day where she is in hospital. Just about everone beleives Penny knows more than she is saying. Unfortunately she within hours she has become a target with people trying to kill her.
It is a great read and I would highly recommend it, it will definitely keep you turning the pages and not wanting to put the book down.
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This isn’t generally my type of book however the blerb sounded intriguing. The book itself is action packed & definitely keeps your attention.
I did question the athletic ability & recovery time of injuries towards the end of the book, in terms of realism but that’s nitpicking.
Worth picking up!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I was hooked from the very first page and I really enjoyed the action and adventure that the heroine went through. The book was very suspenseful and kept me wanting to turn the page to read more! The characters were believable and kept you guessing whether they were good or bad.
Thank you Beauty and Lace and Simon and Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read it.
August Thomas’ Liar’s Candle is one of those rare books that grabs your attention from the first page and the fast paced storyline bounds along through the pages so quick that you are transported to another world and all the happenings of real life are forgotten.
A really great read and a bit outside my usual style, I loved Penny’s character and could easily imagine this being made into a film in the future. A very impressive debut novel. I will certainly be looking out for more from August Thomas in the future!
I would highly recommend Liar’s Candle. Thanks to Simon and Schuster and of course, as always, Beauty and Lace for the chance to read and review this cracking read.
A fast paced on the edge of your seat spy thriller , If you enjoy action, suspense, and conspiracies then you will enjoy this novel. It really wasnt my kinda read,.
Turkey being the country it is set in. Its filled with information to set the setting so to speak .
The action keeps the book moving along at a fast pace, a few bad guys thrown in to give the story a spin and a few twists and turns along the way. Heroes to up the anti .
The author has written this story. It starts off when a bomb explodes Penny finds herself one of very few surviors in hospital. Her memories play a sole part in her survival, if only she knew … it would be the end of the end for her.
Penny is on a race to uncover the truth or be killed so to speak, the author puts forth the voices in the novel well and giving a vivid description within the story for those whom have never been to Turkey some well envisaged parts. Overall, for those looking for an ecapisim this book is for you. Government, spys, mystery ..