The Good Liar: A Novel

Now a major motion picture starring Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.

“A superb thriller and a truly engrossing read.”—Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood and The Woman in Cabin 10

When Roy meets a wealthy widow online, he can hardly believe his luck. Just like Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley, Roy is a man who lives to deceive—and everything about Betty suggests she’s an easy mark. He’s confident that his scheme to swindle her will be a success. After all, he’s done this before.

Sure enough, Betty soon lets Roy move into her beautiful home, seemingly blind to the web of lies he’s woven around her. But who is Roy, really? Spanning almost a century, this stunning and suspenseful feat of storytelling interweaves the present with the past. As the clock turns back and the years fall away, long-hidden secrets are forced into the light. Some things can never be forgotten. Or forgiven.

Spinning a page-turning story of literary suspense that begins in the present and unwinds back more than half a century, this unforgettable debut channels the haunting allure of Atonement as its masterfully woven web of lies, secrets, and betrayals unravels to a shocking conclusion.

Veteran con artist Roy spots an obvious easy mark when he meets Betty, a wealthy widow, online. In no time at all, he’s moved into Betty’s lovely cottage and is preparing to accompany her on a romantic trip to Europe. Betty’s grandson disapproves of their blossoming relationship, but Roy is sure this scheme will be a success. He knows what he’s doing.

As this remarkable feat of storytelling weaves together Roy’s and Betty’s futures, it also unwinds their pasts. Dancing across almost a century, decades that encompass unthinkable cruelty, extraordinary resilience, and remarkable kindness, The Good Liar is an epic narrative of sin, salvation, and survival—and for Roy and Betty, there is a reckoning to be made when the endgame of Roy’s crooked plot plays out.

“I was engrossed…. As deceiver and deceived move towards each other with hypnotic predestination, the plot unfolds to a payoff as inevitable as it is shocking. A superb thriller and a truly engrossing read.” - Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author of In a Dark, Dark Wood

“A gut-clenching cat-and-mouse game…. This debut novel is a wellcrafted, complex tale that will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers.” - Booklist

“If you like Patricia Highsmith’s Mr. Ripley books…this is an excellent debut indeed.” - BookPage.com

“The Good Liar is a taut, compulsive thriller with a dark, intriguing heart. A Mr Ripley for our time.” - Jonathan Freedland, author of The 3rd Woman

“Engrossing. . . . Equal parts crime novel and character study, the tale is itself an elegantly structured long con. The pace is almost maddeningly deliberate, with details about the characters and their schemes doled out like a controlled substance, but patient readers will be rewarded with devastating third-act twists and a satisfying denouement.” - Publishers Weekly

“Engrossing. . . . An elegantly structured long con. The pace is almost maddeningly deliberate, with details about the characters and their schemes doled out like a controlled substance, but patient readers will be rewarded with devastating third-act twists and a satisfying denouement.” - Publishers Weekly

“[A] compelling premise.... Elegant writing.” - The Times (London)

“As the tension mounts, the reader is kept guessing….The final denouement is a real cracker… Added to the fiendishly clever plot, Searle’s writing is both drily amusing and elegantly crafted.” - Daily Mail

“What a clever and menacing novel The Good Liar is. I was gripped and horrified in equal measure and the ending knocked me sideways! I can’t wait for everyone to read the book so I can talk about it.” - Nina Stibbe, author of Love, Nina

“An incredibly dark, taut thriller…. Think of Ruth Rendell morphing into John Le Carré.” - Daily Express (London)

“Searle paces the twists and turns of the plot admirably well…. Increasingly engaging and poised.” - The Independent (London)

“[A] fantastically assured debut…..A neat, clean structure alternates between sections written in the present tense, as Roy’s heart races at the thought of getting his hands on Betty’s assets, and past-tense accounts of key scenes from the lives of the trickster and his associates.… Searle nicely paces the dropping of details that explain what made Roy the person he now pretends to be…. The Good Liar makes you want to experience Nicholas Searle’s next trick.” - The Guardian

“[A] fantastically assured debut…. The Good Liar makes you want to experience Nicholas Searle’s next trick.” - The Guardian

“One of 2016’s most intriguing debut novels.” - The Independent (London)