NO WHITE LIES

In this thriller, the shady past of a New Zealand journalist-turned–aspiring-novelist provokes his young daughter’s abduction.

Someone is watching writer Will McCormick on his property, where he lives with his wife, Maddy, and their two daughters. He subsequently receives two messages, both likely scrawled in blood: “LIAR” on a scrap of paper tied to a fence post and “AN EYE FOR AN EYE” on a mirror in his house. He knows these are threats stemming from his past. Years ago, in 2000, Will was a war correspondent in Cambodia. That’s where he met Bill Bradley, who ultimately convinced Will to become a CIA asset, with Bill as his handler. This proved beneficial to Will’s journalism career, but it was his Pulitzer Prize–winning story that changed everything. Events in his article didn’t happen quite the way he reported them, which may have amped up two countries’ serious conflict. In 2016 Queenstown, those two threats that Will discovers become all too real when someone kidnaps his oldest child, 5-year-old Lizzy. The abductors seem to be out for revenge, wanting Will to confess his apparent lies. As he’s hesitant to relay his dreadful history to the local authorities, Will goes out on his own to rescue Lizzy and stumbles on a few shocking—and unwelcome—truths. Eaton heavily ties his fictional story to real-world events, most notably 9/11. He manages this shrewdly and respectfully: Will is essentially an outsider, feeling sympathy for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy and witnessing firsthand America’s aggressive response. The book is understandably grim, as Will’s relentless guilt largely propels his first-person narrative. He also has his faults, including that he’s been unfaithful to Maddy. The story is swift and taut even as it details vibrant surroundings, such as Paris’ charcoal-colored, red- and gold-streaked sky. By the final act, Will has a revelation or two that some readers will predict, but the coda is one that reverberates.

An absorbing kidnapping tale inspired by true life and steeped in bleakness.