Lies of the Heart

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"Boyajian's psychologically astute debut combines courtroom drama with a heartbreaking portrait of a wife's grief." -People

Katie Burelli is living a nightmare. Her husband Nick, a speech therapist, is dead-shot by Jerry, one of his mentally handicapped patients. As Jerry stands trial, Katie plays and replays the events that led up to Nick's murder, and searches her own recollections for answers. Long overshadowed by her beautiful, successful sister, Katie pinned her emotional wellbeing on Nick, whose unpredictable rampages only fueled Katie's insecurities. As the cracks began to appear, both welcomed Jerry into their family, hoping that by fixing him they could fix themselves. A rich tale of psychological suspense, Lies of the Heart is a masterful debut by a writer to watch.Michelle Boyajian is a graduate of NYU, Miami University, and the University of North Carolina Wilmington, where she received her MFA and the Austin Robert Hartsook fellowship in Creative Writing. Her most recent short stories appeared in Third Coast and Timber Creek Review and were nominated for a Pushcart Prize.