“He could have someone out there,“ the man said, pulling back the front window curtains a tentative inch. “Watching the house right now.” He was careful not to step directly in front of the glass as he peeked outside. He ran his fingers nervously through his thick, dark hair. His handsome features were undercut by the fear in his eyes. He wasn’t used to being afraid. He was unaccustomed to the role of prey.”
That’s the opening to Linwood Barclay’s suspense novel The Lie Maker. Michael, the speaker, is about to enter the federal witness protection program after revealing evidence that his corrupt boss had bullied him into murdering several people. Michael is leaving his wife and nine-year-old son behind.
Twenty years later, Michael’s son Jack is a struggling author trying to get his third novel published when a U. S. Marshal approaches him and offers him a job writing false histories for people in the witness protection program. When Jack tells the marshal his dad is in the program, he assures Jack it’s just a coincidence.
Jack’s girlfriend Lana is a newspaper reporter who gets curious about a judge and a doctor who die within a couple of weeks, both by drowning. When Jack asks the marshal to help locate his father, he’s told that he’s left his protection. Jack begins to worry that something has happened to his dad or is about to happen to him, and with the help of Lana, goes looking for him. Of course, all the loose ends are tied up in the last chapter. This would make a great made-for-TV movie.
If you’re looking for a well-written suspense novel revolving around the witness protection program, then you must read The Lie Maker by Linwood Barclay.
