Review of Tell No Lies

Tell No Lies
Julie Compton
St. Martins Minotaur
358pages
Look out there’s a new gun in town, a fresh new face in court-room drama.
Jack Hilliard is the fair-haired boy of the St. Louis DA’s office and with the imminent retirement of his boss is on the fast track to become his successor. With the perfect family he’s living the charmed life, but soon that dream existence becomes a nightmare and as he spirals downward he wonders if he will ever see the light again.
It’s a rare author who’s words on a page can deliver such intense emotional feelings in her readers. And that’s exactly what you’ll find in Julie Compton’s debut novel Tell No Lies published in 2008.
Julie gives us a realistic story line with her politico/legal drama. Her dialogue is vivid and witty interspersed with dramatic court-room legalese, dialogue so intense you will find yourself exhibiting the same emotions as the characters in this prosecutory emotionally charged novel. And oh my, her characters, they are wonderful, interesting, realistic and three dimensional. They make the story and as she introduces us to each one it becomes obvious as their importance in the telling of the tale, especially her charismatic protagonist Jack as this story is mostly his. Her scenes are described with such precision that you can easily imagine yourself a fly on the wall. There are some love scenes that she handles with dignity and raw emotion.
If you love great fiction, awesome storytelling, brilliant dialogue and phenomenal characters I think this novel will fit the bill. If you’re a fan of court-room or crime drama, this is it. If you love literary fiction it’s here too. If you just want to escape in some one else’s make believe troubles and wallow in their dilemmas this is what you want.
Be sure to check out Julie’s brand new novel Rescuing Olivia here’s a link to that review.
http://thereadingfrenzy.blogspot.com/2010/04/review-of-rescuing-olivia.html?spref=fb