Liar's Candle

February 5, 2018
Thomas’s competent first novel opens in Ankara, Turkey, where Penny Kessler, a 21-year-old American intern at the U.S. embassy, lies unconscious in a hospital room, the victim of a terrorist bomb at a Fourth of July picnic. An image of her in a blood-stained dress, draped in an American flag, has made her a media sensation. Frank Lerman, a senior State Department official, wants to question her about her activities and her relationship with Zachary Robson, another American, who mysteriously disappeared after the explosion. In an unlikely twist, Turkey’s prime minister insists on taking Penny, once she regains consciousness, out of the hospital to the presidential palace to continue her recovery. The plot devolves into a James Bond–style thriller, with Penny trying to connect with Robson as she becomes a pawn in a high-stakes, strategic game of diplomacy (and treachery). For a young summer intern, she proves surprisingly resourceful. The cinematic action sweeps the reader along, and a strong sense of place makes up for the sometimes leaden exposition. Agent: Piers Blofeld, Sheil Land Assoc. (U.K.).

Narrator Rebekkah Ross delivers a satisfying narration of Thomas's debut novel. After a terrorist bomb attack, Penny Kessler, a 21-year-old intern at the U.S. Embassy in Turkey, wakes up in a hospital. Her friend, Zach, has disappeared, but before the State Department can question her about him, she is forcibly removed from the hospital by the Turkish government. While Ross has difficulty creating credible male voices, her characterizations are fine. However, the plot asks listeners to suspend disbelief a bit too often. Ross picks up the pace as Penny's exploits continue, including daring escapes in which Penny shows incredible ingenuity. Ross's confusion sounds genuine when Penny suddenly finds herself on everybody's hit list, even her own government's. S.J.H. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine