The Good Liar

Wicked Old People

The word ‘old’ is used to describe anyone over 60, but the octogenarian protagonists of Nicholas Searle’s The Good Liar are so delightfully wicked, they could beat people half their age.

At the age when so many seniors are battling loneliness or trying to survive in care homes for senior citizens, the dapper conman Roy Courtnay is planning one last job that will not only give him a jolt or energy, but also enough money to let him retire in peace once and for all.

In flashbacks Searle gives the reader a view of how cleverly and coldly Roy operates, how he has always managed to get away and how easily he changes his identity.

 When the book opens, he is going on a blind date with yet another wealthy old widow with the idea of swindling her of her nest egg.  Betty McLeish is beautiful and sophisticated, which adds to her appeal as a potential target-- Roy being fussy about the ‘quality’ of his prey.  Soon, he has moved into her cosy country home, much to the annoyance of her family.

In neat chapters, Searle’s flashbacks give details of Roy’s transformations and operations, right from the World War II to the present when he runs an elaborate con on a bunch of his buddies and then stages his own death. Ruthless though he is, there is something darkly fascinating about his utterly immovable eye on his goal. But Betty has her agenda too, and the deadly chess game of oneupmanship between the two is hugely enjoyable. One can’t but admire Betty for her luck, survival skills and razor sharp brain.

The book has both suspense and humour in large measure, even though at some point one can guess where it’s headed. Still, Roy getting his comeuppance is most satisfying.

The Good Liar is the the pseudonymous Nicholas Searle’s first book and the author bio says he  “was a civil servant who spent much of his time working on security matters."  A writer as elusive as his leading man.

The Good Liar

by Nicholas Searle

Publisher: Viking

Pages: 288