Liars' Paradox is a 2018 mystery novel by Taylor Stevens, the first in her Jack and Jill Thriller series. It is followed by Liars' Legacy.
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Author | Taylor Stevens |
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Publisher | Kensington Publishing |
Publication date | December 18, 2018 |
ISBN | 9781496718631 |
Followed by | Liars' Legacy |
Plot
editThis article needs a plot summary. (August 2023) |
Reception
editLiars Paradox received mixed reviews from critics.
Allison Brennan, writing for Criminal Element, said, "Liars' Paradox is hands-down the best thriller I've read this year."[1] Brennan called the novel "original, cunning, smart, riveting, and relentless; with complex characters, pitch-perfect pacing, and high tension from page one."[1]
Beth Kanell, writing for The New York Journal of Books, called Liars Paradox a "propulsive page-turner," saying the novel's "short, hard-paced action chapters cascade" and compared the work to a "Lee Child thriller."[2]
In a mixed review, Publishers Weekly praised the novel's "cinematic plot," saying its "abundant action, unexpected twists, and a kaleidoscopic narrative keep the pace brisk and the tension high." However, they mentioned that "Stevens takes too long to develop her point-of-view characters, which undermines the story's drama and lessens its emotional heft."[3]
The Dallas Morning News, Shawna Seed also provided a mixed review, writing, "Stevens pushes the writing maxim 'show, don't tell' to its absolute limit and pares exposition to a bare minimum. So much happens so fast that readers may find themselves scrambling to keep up. One action sequence [...] was so chaotic that I was a couple chapters down the road before I realized I'd completely missed the identity and motivation of a shooter."[4] Though Seed conceded that Liars Paradox is a "a page-turning thriller," she preferred the nuance of Stevens's previous works, noting that in Liars Paradox, complexity "about the nature of evil, about life on the margins of society [...] doesn't quite come through as clearly."[4]
References
edit- ^ a b Brennan, Allison (2018-12-18). "Book Review: Liars' Paradox by Taylor Stevens". Criminal Element. Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ Kanell, Beth. "a book review by Beth Kanell: Liars' Paradox (A Jack and Jill Thriller)". The New York Journal of Books. Archived from the original on 2023-04-01. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ "Liars' Paradox by Taylor Stevens". Publishers Weekly. 2018-10-01. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.
- ^ a b Seed, Shawna (2018-12-14). "Taylor Stevens' latest, 'Liars' Paradox,' is a truly high-energy page-turner of a thriller". Dallas News. Archived from the original on 2023-08-27. Retrieved 2023-08-27.