The Lie

Starred review from March 22, 2010
A twin-swapping scheme propels this exceptional suspense novel from German bestseller Hammesfahr (The Sinner
). After meeting Susanne Lasko, a desperate, unemployed divorcée, by chance, Nadia Trenkler, a stylish Berlin investment counselor, hires Susanne, whom she closely resembles, to spend the weekend with her husband, with whom she barely interacts and who will be busy with his own work, so she can conduct an out-of-town affair. Of course, a lot more is going on than Susanne realizes. For one thing, Marcus Zurkeulen, a shady investor Nadia has been tricking, wants the money she stole from him. When the devious Nadia disappears, Susanne continues the deception with scary results. Hammesfahr does a superb job portraying Susanne's fearful descent into another woman's life. Full of clever and disturbing twists, this dark delight will please Patricia Highsmith fans.

May 1, 2010
Unemployed and reduced to stealing from her mothers savings, Susanne is desperate for a job, and when her best hope ends in rejection, she thinks all is lost. But that same day, she runs into a woman, Nadia, who uncannily resembles her in every way, except that she has all the money Susanne so desperately needs. Nadia contacts Susanne, and the lonely woman accepts Nadias offers of coffee and secondhand clothes; later, when Nadia asks her to spend a weekend with her husband so Nadia can be with her lover, Susanne cant refuse the generous amount of money Nadia offers. One weekend soons turns into another as the lies and deception multiply. Gripping, fast paced, and laced with an impending sense of doom, the novel proves once again that German author Hammesfahr (The Sinner, 2008) is a master of the psychological thriller. Those who read The Sinner will be thrilled with another high-quality offering; those new to Hammesfahr will soon understand her popularity in Germany.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)