The Lie

The translation does not seem to be fully edited, as word construction is often awkward. Asks us to suspend too much disbelief. Our main character behaves in an incomprehensibly stupid way. Slow read. Gave it two stars, cause it helped me fall asleep (that's important), and I stayed engaged enough to finish.

I had high hopes for this book. But the story is hard to believe even though the author tries hard to make it believable. By doing that, there are too many words. It seems to go on and on and I kept thinking: Why am I reading this? I have to admit that I didn't finish it because I got tired of it. Maybe I missed a very good book by not finishing it. Maybe not. Anyway, I think her other book - The Sinner - is very good but this one The Lie didn't grab me.

This is the first book I've read by Petra Hammesfahr and it kept me riveted from beginning to end. All the interesting characters, the complex psychological games they played; you couldn't guess what would happen next. Plenty of twists and turns to keep you going. I enjoyed it tremendously.

Good story, however the characters were one dimensional and not clearly defined ,so I got a bit confused.

I just couldn't finish this book, it started out with a great premise but at some point it just got so boring. I did not finish it and have no desire to pick it up again.

This book was terrible! So convoluted and confusing. Forced myself to finish and still not even clear what the outcome was.

Suzanne Lasko struggles to survive living in a dump in which she cannot pay the rent on time ever since her marriage ended and her teller job terminated for her inability to perform simple tasks. Apparently her mind never fully healed from a car accident several years ago. Her ailing mom lives in a home, so Suzanne who loves her makes up a life with a good paying job and a kind boyfriend. Desperately she does the unthinkable and uses her mom's money to pay her bills.Suzanne arrives at Behringer and partners for an interview. There she runs into her almost identical twin Nadia Trenkler though they are not related as far as either woman knows. Wealthy Nadia hires Suzanne to pose as her with her husband Michael for the weekend while she runs off for a tryst. Their first switch is successful so they do it again and again although Michael suspects something is not quite right with his wife.The concept of twins switching identities is common in movies and books and this latest tale is an adult modernization of the Prince and The Pauper. Suzanne makes the tale with her bewildered mind and abject poverty impeding her fitting in the luxurious lifestyle of Nadia. Although plausibility is somewhat lost due to Michael's actions and reactions and the too frequent switches, readers will enjoy this intriguing psychological suspense thriller.Harriet Klausner

Susanne Lasko is poor. She desperately needs to find a job soon, not just for herself but for her mother, who she is taking care of. Nadia Trenkler is married, rich and has everything Susanne wants.While Susanne was heading to a job interview, she bumped into her twin. Well not really but just about. When Naida first spots Susanne, she believes that they are half sisters. Naida offers Susanne an offer she can't refuse. Naida will pay Susanne if she will pretend to be her, so that she can get away for weekend getaways with her lover. Also as a plus, Susanne will have access to expensive cars, a huge house and lots of money. All things that Susanne could only dream about. How long will Naida and Susanne be able to keep up their charades before the stakes get too high?The Lie is the first novel I have read by Petra Hammesfahr. After finishing this book, I now want to check out all the rest of her novels. I thought this was a well written novel. The dynamics between Susanne and Naida were strong. I did not expect Susanne to be as strong a character as she turned out to be. The suspense built up as the story progressed. I couldn't stop reading this book. The ending was a twist that I didn't see coming. This book would make a good movie. US readers looking for some one new to read should look no further than Petra Hammesfahr.

I bought this book after reading The Sinner by the same author, which i'd give a 5* rating. I was dissapointed to find that of all her books, only these 2 so far as translated into english. I had very very high hopes for this book. The basic concept which the reader must accept at the start is that 2 women, completely unrelated look so uncannily alike, that one woman can step into the others 'shoes' and take over her life for brief periods. The imposter is coached by the woman whose life she takes over, its a willing transaction with benefits for each woman. The imposter is expected to fool the husband and friends of this lady. But I struggled through the entire book with this concept and thus the book was ruined for me. The book is very well written, i enjoyed the twists and turns of the plot. I warmed to the main characters. But throughout the book when the imposter is living the life of the 'other' character, i just felt that the author was expecting me to suspend a bit too much belief. For other readers this might not be an issue, but for me, it bugged me too much.

Received in good time. The product was in good condition but, unfortunately, I did not enjoy the story very much; but that's ok, we can't all like the same books, as I know only too well being a writer, but it was well written and I passed it on.

Too much going on that I didn't remember who was who in the zoo. I thought the characters and the story a little far fetched. Because it was translated poorly, you lost the flow of the novel. I wouldn't recommend this book to people who love a good mystery. It was too convoluted to enjoy.

My newest favourite author. Can't wait until more of her books are translated from German into English