He was a civil servant who spent much of his time working on security matters before deciding to leave in 2011 and begin writing fiction. I found this book somewhat difficult to read, yet completely worth the effort. Dancing across almost a century, decades that encompass unthinkable cruelty, extraordinary resilience, and remarkable kindness, the good liar is an epic. Searle published his first novel in the year 2015, which was called the good liar. Roy is a conman living in a small english town, about to pull off his final con. He spent more years than he cares to remember in public service before deciding in 2011 to leave and begin writing fiction. The good liar is a 2019 american crime thriller film directed and produced by bill condon and written by jeffrey hatcher, based on the novel of the same name by nicholas searle. Ruth ware, new york times bestselling author of in a dark, dark wood and the woman in cabin 10when roy meets a wealthy widow online, he can hardly believe his luck. A taut thriller, the good liar keeps you guessing til its explosive end. The good liar by nicholas searle 9780241206935hardback. Searles book is not entirely an espionage tale, and the le carre character it most evokes is not so much george smiley as rick pym, the monstrous conman dad from a perfect spy. It stars ian mckellen and helen mirren and will be released by warner bros. Ruth ware, new york times bestselling author of in a dark, dark wood and the woman in cabin 10.
In no time at all, hes moved into bettys lovely cottage and is preparing to accompany her on a. Nicholas searle s debut thriller is a charming pageturner filled with high stakes and witty, cutting repartee. And condon told the crowds at cinemacon that he knew he needed to turn the good liar into a movie the moment he read the bombshell ending of the book. The good liar is the first stand alone novel, which was released in the year 2015. Telling his story with a quickness of pace and clarity, searle s expose on human deviance twists and turns as we move back through roys past life. Director bill condons film is based on the novel by nicholas searle, and builds much in the same way a book does. His first novel, the good liar, was a sunday times bestseller and was shortlisted for the cwa john creasey new blood dagger for the best debut crime novel. The good liar nicholas searle, 2016 harpercollins 352 pp. The good liar is an upcoming drama film directed and coproduced by bill condon and written by jeffrey hatcher based on the novel by nicholas searle. Veteran con artist roy spots an obvious easy mark when he meets betty, a wealthy widow, online. Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it. Now a major film starring helen mirren and ian mckellen by nicholas searle.
He is going to meet and woo a beautiful woman and slip away with her life savings. The protagonist of the good liar is roy courtnay aka, among other identities. The author known as nicholas searle made his pen name with his bestselling debut novel the good liar, a book about how and why somebody might go about creating a false identity. Just like patricia highsmiths tom ripley, roy is a man who lives to deceiveand everything about.
The good liar by nicholas searle book cover, description, publication history. Now a major film starring helen mirren and ian mckellen. The good liar is based on a bestselling book by nicholas searle, released in 2016. Nicholas searle grew up in the southwest of england and studied languages at the university of bath. The good liar makes you want to experience nicholas searles. The author takes us into some dark places, mining the cracks that exist beneath roys cultivated and polished surface. The good liar is a taut, compulsive thriller with a dark, intriguing heart.
Going into the cinema and not having read nicholas searle s book on which bill condons film is based i commented to the ticket seller that regardless of whether the actual film was good, its always worth paying a tenner to see ian mckellen and helen mirren sparring on screen. The book goes backwards and forwards in time as his life story unfolds and gives the reader plenty of food for thought to. The information that the pseudonymous nicholas searle was a civil servant who spent much of his time working on security matters cannot. The good liar by nicholas searle fantastic fiction. In order to properly tell the story, it is told from the viewpoint of several of the characters and. The good liar is a story of deception, brilliantly imagined the story of a conman. Roy, a con man, lives in a small english town, and is about to pull off his last job. Before becoming a writer, nicholas worked in british intelligence for more than twentyfive years. The good liar by nicholas searle overview a superb thriller and a truly engrossing read.
His first novel, the good liar, was a sunday times bestseller and was shortlisted for the cwa john creasey new blood dagger for. The good liar by nicholas searle tells the story of roy courtnay, a conman aged in his eighties living in the leafy suburbs of england who is attempting to swindle wealthy widow betty mcleish out of her life savings after meeting her on a dating website. The good liar by nicholas searle is a fascinating thriller. Prodding us along is the man calling himself roy courtnay, a scammer, it seems, who preys on widows he finds through online dating sites. But who is the man behind the con and what has he had to. The good liar by nicholas searle a little blog of books. The good liar by nicholas searle 9780241973295 paperback. Although the first few chapters are slow and readers will question where the plot is going they should realize that as the book progresses the storyline will grab their attention. So, dodging any possible plot spoilers, heres a little description of the book. The good liar by searle, nicholas and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This book could also be described as the continuing fight of good versus evil. As deceiver and deceived move towards each other with hypnotic predestination, the plot unfolds to a payoff as inevitable as it is shocking. Nicholas searle makes his debut with the much spoken about book the good liar a book that will grip you and horrify you in equal measure, but make you smile at the end. The good liar is a compulsive psychological thriller about what happens to a man when a lifetime of lies catches up with him.
Just like patricia highsmiths tom ripley, roy is a man who lives to deceiveand everything about betty suggests shes an easy mark. Wed love you to buy this book, and hope you find this page convenient in locating a place of purchase. One of those intermittent publishing fusses over a talkedup book by an unknown author occurred last autumn, when a debut novel by nicholas. Former intelligence officer nicholas searle on the good. An assured thriller debut in the footsteps of le carre, highsmith and rendell. The story line takes us backward in time from modernday london to germany in the 1930s, with each chapter revealing something new about royand eventually about betty as well. The good liar is british writer nicholas searle s first novel, and for over thirty pages its also what i would call an instrument of torture, the sort where one is blindfolded and led off to an unknown destination, somewhere unpleasant. Jonathan freedland, author of the 3rd woman what a clever and menacing novel the good liar is. When roy meets a wealthy widow online, he can hardly believe his luck. Spinning a pageturning 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. Drawing admiring comparisons to many of the thriller genres titans, the good liar is a rewarding, character driven study of lifelong duplicity and the vulnerability that lies at the heart of sustained deception. Theres more than meets the eye to ian mckellen and helen mirrens roles in the thriller the good liar.
Roy is a conman living in a small english town, ab. Helen mirren and ian mckellen cant make the most of their dream pairing, in this twisty drama from director bill condon. 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 roys crooked plot plays out. The good liar ebook, nicholas searle 9780062407511. Nicholas searle the good liar read and download epub. Soon to be a major motion picture starring helen mirren and ian mckellen. His novels are from the genres of thriller and mystery. I enjoyed this story of an elderly con man who is planning his last money making scheme only things arent what they seem to be. Soon to be a major motion picture starring helen mirren and. Penguin presents the unabridged, downloadable audiobook edition of the good liar by nicholas searle, read by martin jarvis. The good liar makes you want to experience nicholas searle s next trick. A sunday times bestseller, now a major film starring helen mirren and ian mckellen this is a life told back to front.