I'd previously read Carole Parkes' biography of her mother and enjoyed it, so I was especially keen to read one of her two novels. This one Tissue of Lies, I believe was her maiden work and I have to say, for a new author, this is a well-presented, professional example of what can be achieved by the Indie author, with hard work and preparation.
Tissue of Lies bring us into the world of Julie Simpson, your average upper-middle-class housewife and mom in England. All through her childhood Julie had the feeling something didn't quite gel with her and her parents. Oh, she loved them to bits and they had been fantastic parents but deep down Julie wondered if perhaps she had been adopted. A chance reading of a magazine article leads her down the path to finding someone she believes may be her real, birth-mother. When she realises she was stolen as a baby, her fear of the repercussions her adoptive parents might face, leads her to construct a "Tissue of Lies" to hide her adoptive parents from her newly discovered birth-mother, as well as her birth-mother from her children. Considering it all for the "better good" of everyone concerned, Julie builds a fantasy life around herself that keeps the two parties separate. Little does she realise the can of worms she has opened and the lasting ramifications on the people she loves, from this newly discovered relationship.
I chose to read this book based solely on the premise. The idea of discovering, in later life, that you were stolen as a baby and that your birth-parents had spent decades searching for you, intrigued me a lot. One could follow, if not always agree with Julie's convoluted thought processes and self-justifications for the tissue of lies she constructed.
I loved the gentle, conversational style of Parkes as she wound one mystery around another, with plenty of twists and turns. Although the development of the story followed the lines I anticipated, while reading, the author still managed to surprise me a couple of times with where the story led. As with all good novels, there is plenty of moral succour for the reader to grasp onto.
If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, with plenty of twists, I'm sure you will enjoy Tissue of Lies. I can highly recommend this read for someone wanting a straightforward and enjoyable mystery read.
Tissue of Lies bring us into the world of Julie Simpson, your average upper-middle-class housewife and mom in England. All through her childhood Julie had the feeling something didn't quite gel with her and her parents. Oh, she loved them to bits and they had been fantastic parents but deep down Julie wondered if perhaps she had been adopted. A chance reading of a magazine article leads her down the path to finding someone she believes may be her real, birth-mother. When she realises she was stolen as a baby, her fear of the repercussions her adoptive parents might face, leads her to construct a "Tissue of Lies" to hide her adoptive parents from her newly discovered birth-mother, as well as her birth-mother from her children. Considering it all for the "better good" of everyone concerned, Julie builds a fantasy life around herself that keeps the two parties separate. Little does she realise the can of worms she has opened and the lasting ramifications on the people she loves, from this newly discovered relationship.
I chose to read this book based solely on the premise. The idea of discovering, in later life, that you were stolen as a baby and that your birth-parents had spent decades searching for you, intrigued me a lot. One could follow, if not always agree with Julie's convoluted thought processes and self-justifications for the tissue of lies she constructed.
I loved the gentle, conversational style of Parkes as she wound one mystery around another, with plenty of twists and turns. Although the development of the story followed the lines I anticipated, while reading, the author still managed to surprise me a couple of times with where the story led. As with all good novels, there is plenty of moral succour for the reader to grasp onto.
If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, with plenty of twists, I'm sure you will enjoy Tissue of Lies. I can highly recommend this read for someone wanting a straightforward and enjoyable mystery read.
You can check on Tissue of Lies by Carole Parkes, here on her Amazon page:
RSS Feed
