The Burden Of Lies review @duffythewriter

Cocaine. Construction. Corruption. The unholy trinity of Sydney. Bestselling Richard Beasley’s latest sharp-edged, gritty Peter Tanner Thriller, The Burden Of Lies.

Self-made property mogul Tina Leonard has already lost her business, her home and custody of her children because South East Banking Corporation left her bankrupt. Now it appears she is being framed for the murder of her banker Oliver Randall, a senior executive of the corporation. Her motive? Revenge for ruining her life and her business.

When maverick lawyer Peter Tanner is brought in to represent Tina, he bends the law to learn the truth. Was the real killer employed by the bank to silence Randall, who knew too much about their corrupt clientele and business dealings?

What did I think of The Burden Of Lies?

You know that feeling when it’s been a while since you last visited your favourite restaurant? You’re worried that it may have changed, or not live up to expectation, but as you sit at your favourite table and order your favourite meal, you find it’s as good as you remember.  Well, that’s the feeling I got delving into The Burden Of Lies. It’s been a long while since I’ve got into a thriller, and this delivered over and above for me.

Tanner is a great character, and I loved him. A smart, cocky, maverick lawyer, but yet somehow has enough heart and love for his family to stop him becoming irritating. The central and subplots are carefully woven together, and there are a couple of twists and turns along the way as Tanner enlists the help of his legal colleagues and some unscrupulous characters to get to the truth. It’s well paced and kept my interest to the last page.

I loved the Sydney setting. The news is full of construction scandals and headlines about deals for Barangaroo, the casinos, and the battle to avoid cheap housing and tower blocks ruining the harbour foreshore. It’s a subject that had me hooked and drew parallels between fiction and real construction projects going ahead in the city today.  With the recent Commbank money laundering scandal too, it was intriguing to read the blurred lines between big banks and big corporations.

I enjoyed every page of this smart, heavyweight legal thriller which is up there with the best of them. I’ll be surprised if the ABC doesn’t snap up the TV rights. I cannot wait to meet Tanner again.

The Burden Of Lies is out December 1

Do yourself a favour and get it on back order from Booktopia and have it delivered in time for Christmas!