We as citizens of the World are obsessed with reality shows but how well do we know those who should be closest to us? Bickley presents us in "Lies of the Dead" with a heavily character driven novel. We are permitted a peek in the door at siblings who have long held feelings about their middle sibling. The agreed mother's favorite. Why would he slip into the English coastal town and take Tom's boat in order to kill himself? Is that he's self-centered or was there a larger scheme? Did Liam kill himself or was it convenient to make people think he had? Andi, the sister, isn't as interested as Tom and she has bigger fish to fry. She believes that her ex is trying to take custody of their 15-yea-old twins. Bickley paints ordinary people in extraordinary situations and does it well.

Many authors will set aside the daily life for the sake of the plot line. Bickley maintains a balance between the story-lines driven by Andi and Tom in a way that never feels muddled or awkward. Tom gets the bigger ah-ha moments but he has his feet to the ground and Andi's turn is no less interesting despite being more grounded in her everyday. Andi's twin daughters aren't in the business of making her life easier. The girls are not as concerned in a very realistic way as Andi about threats to their well-being. Their mom is old, out of date, blowing things out of proportion and essentially a pain in their butts.

"Lies of the Dead" is a very human mystery/thriller. I have no complaints. Loved every moment of this novel. ( )

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Lie of the Dead is self published novel by Shauna Bickley. This a 2013 publication. I received this book from the author for an honest review. Tom is told his brother, Liam is missing and presumed dead. The death is ruled a suicide. Tom then must inform his sister, Andi. Tom just can not wrap his brain around Liam's death. He knows his brother did not commit suicide. So, Tom and Andi begin looking for clues among Liam's personal belongings. Tom has taken the death hard, while Andi is shocked and saddened, she still remembers Liam being her parents favorite child and letting him get away with many things he shouldn't have. Andi is also going through a rough patch personally. She and her husband Steven are separated after he confessed to Andi he had a one night stand while away on business. The couple are parents to teenage twin daughters. Sophie is fairly well adjusted, but Kristin is having some difficulties. So, Tom winds up being more involved with trying to figure out what was going on with Liam. The first strange thing is a woman showing up at Liam's apartment claiming she was a co-worker and that she and Liam had been involved. Then Tom finds that Liam had left a message for him to contact an attorney. The attorney is less than forth coming until Tom finds more evidence that Liam was involved in something sinister. Meanwhile, Andi has become convinced she is being followed. The more Tom digs, the more clues he unravels as Liam leaves a trail for Tom to follow. But, before Tom comes to terms with what he is learning, he finds himself in deep trouble. Trouble that is tied to Liam and now Tom and Andi and the girls are in extreme danger. The author alternates each chapter between Tom and Andi. While Andi is having so many issues going in her personal life, she is less involved in the investigation into Liam's death. She is however, in just as much danger. Tom learns more about his brother than he ever wanted to know. Liam has weaved a complex web that both of his siblings find themselves caught in. This was a really a unique novel. It's part mystery, part thriller. There is a little bit of something for everyone. There's a little romance, a family drama, suspense, action, and lots of twist and turns. This was a fast paced novel that kept me engaged through out. This would even be a good movie. Over all a B+ ( )