REVIEW: 3 Lies by Helen Hanson

Clint Masters is over his old life. A technological guru and founder of CatSat Laboratories, he’s pretty much “hung his hat up” on anything tech, preferring to spend his days peacefully with his dog, his boat, and his girlfriend, Beth, who he’s pretty sure he loves. Not bad for a guy who recently hit burn-out with his job, and had his heart broken by his (almost) ex-wife. Now, Clint’s living a new dream at his own pace and loving every minute…. until Beth stands him up for a morning date. When he realizes she may not be gone by choice, he persists in trying to track her– and gets more than he bargained for. Beth’s disappearance may be part of a much larger event, and it will take the help of many to get to the bottom of this mystery. Unfortunately, Beth is quickly running out of time.

A first novel by Helen Hanson, this book delivers. Molded by nicely flowing prose, there is clever description interspersed throughout. Every so often, I would read a sentence or phrase that was so elegant and perfect in its construction, it made me hungry for more. This story takes two seemingly disparate storylines and ties them together nicely in the end. When the second storyline first appears, it’s a bit jarring because of the completely new setting and characters. It’s quickly apparent, however, that it will tie in somehow. Others may guess immediately how it will tie in, but I found it a nice surprise. The entire plot is very well thought out, and the last chapter feels like icing on the cake. I’m not sure I wanted such pretty icing, but it seems to fit, and it didn’t leave me hanging.

Beth was a great character. It was easy to see why Clint would be so attracted to her, and why she would be inspirational to others. Clint was also a nicely fleshed out character, and it felt comfortable to engage with him as he struggled to find answers. I didn’t find Doug to be as well-defined, however. His personality didn’t feel solid in my mind. At times, his words or actions didn’t quite go along with my understanding of his character and his position. He did show some growth, but it was less convincing to me because he wasn’t firmly established in my mind. The rest of the characters I found perfectly developed in accordance with their relative importance in the story. This was a thriller with exciting plot events *and* well-defined characters; a very nice surprise.

I felt this was a great thriller- well-crafted and unique, and a wonderful first novel to recommend. However, there was something I can’t put my finger on that felt unpolished. Perhaps it was the details that felt a little off. The setting and locations of the various characters didn’t seem to go together quite right. Some other things were explained in enough detail to make you realize you didn’t actually know enough. Some of the characters occasionally acted in ways that didn’t always feel true to who they were drawn out to be- it might be that we saw some changes in some of the secondary characters that felt a little out of place. There was definitely a lot going on in this novel- a number of relationships and separate motivations of different characters. There were also a few twists to keep us guessing. All those things really added to the complexity of the novel, making it fuller and more interesting, but it also left room for a little more unexpected dissonance when things didn’t feel like they quite matched up. The basic story elements were generally strong and in place, but something about the complete package felt slightly unfinished to me.

Overall, an engaging and compelling ride, and I’m anxious to see what this author has up her sleeve for an encore.

4 /5 stars

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