This is your annual reminder that Carol Goodman, along with being both an exceptional writer and first-class citizen of humanity, is one of those career authors who has mastered a difficult skill—the art of continually giving fans exactly what they want (the same) while never seeming to repeat oneself (but different). She is so proficient at this that most fans could identify a novel as being written by Carol Goodman without needing to see the name on the cover. It’s a magical combination of theme, motif, and character that epitomizes her work. The style is so recognizable that the term Goodman-esque can succinctly be used when it manifests in the work of others. But the original is always the best, because there is only one Carol Goodman. With that in mind, it will be no surprise that her latest novel—Writers and Liars—will have fans flocking to bookstores.
One of Carol Goodman’s many covert skills is her knowledge of crime fiction history. She is always aware that her novels do not exist in a vacuum and uses this scholarly data to her advantage. Upon picking up Writers and Liars, crime fiction aficionados will immediately be reminded of Agatha Christie. Here we have a group of people—in this case, writers—traveling to a distant island location—in this case, Greece—at the beckoning of a benefactor—in this case, billionaire Argos Alexander—who is mysteriously absent upon their arrival. Cue the suspense music, because this is not going to go well.
Most of this group has been to this island before. Fifteen years earlier, they all attended a writing retreat on the secluded island of Eris, but events of that summer caused a massive rift among the group. Readers quickly learn that each writer has a connection to the crime fiction field—for example, one character is a highly-successful cozy mystery writer, another’s father is a famous author of traditional mysteries, and yes, one of them is even an influential reviewer of crime fiction. What could go wrong?
Our main voice through the story is Maia Gold. She published the novel she wrote that bygone summer to great acclaim but has faced a serious case of writer’s block ever since. She sees this new trip as a way to restart her career by putting to rest the many grievances of the past. Fans of Carol Goodman will know that these characters will each have complicated and unexpected connections to each other, setting in motion a tragic plot that marches toward inevitability.
The backbone of Writers and Liars is Greek mythology. Much of Carol Goodman’s oeuvre is steeped in myth, fairy tale, and literature, so this is no surprise. This is, however, a deep dive into myth, where most readers—even those obsessed with the tales of gods and goddesses—will learn something new about those narratives of long ago. Part of the fun of Writers and Liars is watching how Goodman skillfully weaves those existing stories into her new narrative in a way that subtly manipulates the reader until the final surprises are revealed.
Suffice to say, with a gathering of crime writers and a few dead bodies, there is no shortage of suspects. Prepare to be glued to the pages until the very end because this novel was tailor-made for fans of the genre. Carol Goodman never disappoints her fans, but Writers and Liars is sure to bring some new acolytes into her sphere. Join us, the waters here may be deadly, but they are also wildly entertaining.
BUY LINKS: Writers and Liars by Carol Goodman
Disclaimer: An e-galley of this title was provided to BOLO Books by the publisher. No promotion was promised and the above is an unbiased review of the novel.
