The Lie

Hesh Kestin

‘Extraordinarily fun and surprisingly intriguing.’

Kansas City Star

‘In this taut novel, the dark complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict hit home … Dahlia … is a magnetic presence throughout…. Extraordinary… A powerful and unsettling finale.’

Kirkus

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'The latest escalation of the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict is a grim context in which to read Hesh Kestin’s The Lie, a terse thriller pitched at its battle lines ... Kestin’s taut style lends a claustrophobic air to a thriller in which there seem to be no rational choices, only bad and worse.'

The Age

‘A fast-moving, tense thriller… Calling the book cinematic takes nothing away from its literary muscle … A tightly plotted story, a political game of nerve with some seriously charismatic special ops for good measure…. Kestin brings the action alive through details both mundane and exotic … A vivid picture of life in an everyday war zone.’

The Millions

‘A page-turner that will engage your mind and emotions in a way few novels do. The narrative is headlong, the issues have never been more current, and the characters come alive from the page. This is a story about the lies we tell until the truth is forced upon us, and about divided countries, including those of the human heart. I started reading; I ended up experiencing. The Lie is what great fiction is all about.’

Stephen King

‘The Lie is a page-turning triumph, foaming with emotional resonance and ripped-from-the-headlines suspense. Welcome to the next generation of political thrillers.’

David Goodwillie, author of American Subversive

‘I was moved to tears (and cheers!) by this wonderfully compelling account of deeply personal conflict in the midst of Israel's war against terror. Hesh Kestin is a superb storyteller who knows the Middle East intimately. The Lie is alive with an abundance of surprising fact and thoroughly engaging fiction.’

Richard D. Heffner, host of public television’s The Open Mind

‘Not a single word is wasted in Kestin's masterfully wrought and mercilessly readable novel of intrigue, and terror. The Lie’s political, cultural, and personal insights are matched only by its breathtaking action and suspense. Quite simply, the best thriller I've read in ages.’

Jonathan Evison, New York Times–bestselling author of West of Here and All About Lulu

'[A] powerful story of people on both sides of the terror equation whose lives turn out to have more in common than they could have ever imagined.'

Australian Jewish News

'A consummate thriller ... with many twists and turns and a devastating ending. Kestin is a natural storyteller. His prose is punchy, direct and occasionally elegant. He is adept at building tension and creating believable, flawed characters ... If you enjoy political thrillers, this novel is definitely for you.'

Jewish Chronicle

‘An utterly riveting thriller that is likely to rank as one of the year’s best ... The Lie has everything: memorable characters, a compelling plot, white-knuckle military action, and an economy and clarity of prose that is direct, powerful, and at times beautiful.’

Booklist (starred review)

A devoted mother, soon-to-be divorced wife, and the attractive lover of an American television correspondent, Dahlia Barr is a brash and successful Israeli attorney famous for defending Palestinians accused of terrorism. One day, to her great surprise, the national police approach Dahlia with a proposition: Join us, and become the government’s primary arbiter for when the use of harsh interrogation methods on prisoners — some would say torture — may be allowed. Dahlia has no intention of permitting the police to use this weapon of last resort.

Then, one horrible day, Dahlia’s son Ari, a 20-year old lieutenant in the Israel Defense Forces, is kidnapped by Hezbollah terrorists, taken to a secret location, and tortured. And the one man who may hold the key to Ari’s rescue is an old acquaintance of Dahlia’s, currently locked in an Israeli jail. A thrilling story, pulsing with insight into the inner-workings of the human heart, The Lie is the unforgettable story of human beings on both sides of the terror equation whose lives turn out to share more than enmity.

‘Extraordinarily fun and surprisingly intriguing.’

Kansas City Star

‘In this taut novel, the dark complexities of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict hit home … Dahlia … is a magnetic presence throughout…. Extraordinary… A powerful and unsettling finale.’

Kirkus

View all reviews

The Age

The Millions

Stephen King

‘The Lie is a page-turning triumph, foaming with emotional resonance and ripped-from-the-headlines suspense. Welcome to the next generation of political thrillers.’

David Goodwillie, author of American Subversive

Richard D. Heffner, host of public television’s The Open Mind

Jonathan Evison, New York Times–bestselling author of West of Here and All About Lulu

'[A] powerful story of people on both sides of the terror equation whose lives turn out to have more in common than they could have ever imagined.'

Australian Jewish News

Jewish Chronicle

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Details

Format:Paperback

Size: 198mm × 129mm

Extent:240pp

ISBN (13):9781922247742

RRP:£8.99

Pub date:9 Oct 2014

Rights Held: UK & Commonwealth

High-res cover:Download Image

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AUTHOR

Hesh Kestin

Hesh Kestin was for two decades a foreign correspondent, reporting from Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on war, international security, terrorism, arms dealing, espionage, and often equally shadowy global business. Formerly a London-based European correspondent for Forbes, he is an eighteen-year veteran of the Israel Defense Forces. His articles have appeared in Newsday, The Jerusalem Post, Ma’ariv, and Playboy. The father of five children, Kestin lives close to New York City in a very quiet village, and likes it that way.