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beastreader's review
3.0
I did like this book. Although, I found myself not fully invested in the characters, which did take away some from my enjoyment of this book. The other factor was that I found the suspense levels to be a medium. There was some slow burn to the story. At times I did find myself re-reading parts. Despite these factors, I did like this book and would read another book from this author.
When it came to the main character, Peter, I had kind of a love/hate relationship with him. Hate because he was void of emotions and thus this is why he was good at his job. Of course, it was easy to see how Peter came to be as I got to know his mentor. The reason I did have a love reason with him is because as much as I did not like him, I was not fully convinced he rightfully deserved the situation he found himself in. However as the saying goes "Once a Liar, Always a Liar."
When it came to the main character, Peter, I had kind of a love/hate relationship with him. Hate because he was void of emotions and thus this is why he was good at his job. Of course, it was easy to see how Peter came to be as I got to know his mentor. The reason I did have a love reason with him is because as much as I did not like him, I was not fully convinced he rightfully deserved the situation he found himself in. However as the saying goes "Once a Liar, Always a Liar."
charlie_allin's review against another edition
5.0
“Everyone you think you know becomes someone else if you just look close enough. Even you”
Peter Caine is a highly successful defence lawyer in New York. Many people see him as ruthless and unfeeling. However, he was not always like this, once he was a kind man, a loving man, and a man who just wanted to follow in the footsteps of his mentor. But sometimes you become too much like your mentors. Sometimes you become to focused on following their path you fail to see what is happening around you.
When Peter’s former lover is found murdered he must set out on a journey to prove himself not guilty, but can he trust those close to him or are there others involved in the murder of Charlie Doyle?
Told in two different timelines:
Then:
We see Peter falling in love, climbing the ladder to become the most regarded and most feared defence lawyers.
Now:
Peter is at the top of his game, to absorbed to consider those around him, his ex wife who recently passed, his current partner and his son desperate and alone in grief.
A.F. Brady has managed to create a character in Peter who you can’t help but despise and hope karma works it’s magic, while keeping you hooked and giving you an ending you didn’t fully if at all expect. This was a brilliant introduction to this author.
Peter Caine is a highly successful defence lawyer in New York. Many people see him as ruthless and unfeeling. However, he was not always like this, once he was a kind man, a loving man, and a man who just wanted to follow in the footsteps of his mentor. But sometimes you become too much like your mentors. Sometimes you become to focused on following their path you fail to see what is happening around you.
When Peter’s former lover is found murdered he must set out on a journey to prove himself not guilty, but can he trust those close to him or are there others involved in the murder of Charlie Doyle?
Told in two different timelines:
Then:
We see Peter falling in love, climbing the ladder to become the most regarded and most feared defence lawyers.
Now:
Peter is at the top of his game, to absorbed to consider those around him, his ex wife who recently passed, his current partner and his son desperate and alone in grief.
A.F. Brady has managed to create a character in Peter who you can’t help but despise and hope karma works it’s magic, while keeping you hooked and giving you an ending you didn’t fully if at all expect. This was a brilliant introduction to this author.
angschw's review
3.0
My initial thought was to give this book 3 stars because I couldn’t stand the main character. His narcissism was sometimes a bit unbelievable. However, this book was a real page turner for me in a “who done it” way. If you are looking for a quick read, this would be it. ☝
elizabethstrachan's review
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This was pretty good, but predictable. It was easy to see who was behind everything.
kbranfield's review
4.0
4.5 stars.
Narrated in first person by sociopath lawyer Peter Caine, Once a Liar by A. F. Brady is an absolutely compelling mystery.
Peter is a cold, calculating man whose every decision is based on how his choices benefit him. A completely remade, successful defense attorney, his marriage to Juliette ended not long after the birth of their only son, Jamie. Seeing little advantage to paying any attention to Jamie, Peter is content to ignore both son and ex-wife until tragedy strikes. After Jamie comes to live with him, Peter is still aloof and indifferent to the teenager and he leaves his live-in girlfriend Claire to parent the young man.
Peter has recently ended his long time, on again/off again relationship with Charlotte "Charlie" Doyle. However, after she is brutally murdered, suspicion falls on Peter. Fearing his simmering feud with District Attorney Harrison Doyle will result in his arrest, Peter and his partner/attorney Sinan Khan try to unearth evidence that will point to Charlie's killer. Will Peter uncover the perpetrator's identity before he arrested for Charlie's murder?
Peter is an incredibly manipulative man who will do anything to succeed. Except for one memorable (and regrettable) time, he is also quite secretive and cagey about his past. At first completely enamored with Juliette, it does not take make for his love to turn to disdain. Although Peter makes no effort to hide his affair with Charlie during his marriage to Juliette, he is much more circumspect with Claire. He has been completely upfront and honest with Claire about what he does and does not want from their relationship. Fully aware that she has put aside her dream of having kids for him, he puts her yearning for motherhood to good use once Jamie comes to live with them. Having finally seen an advantage to being a parent, Peter's attempts to get to know his son are rather awkward and stilted.
The investigation into Charlie's murder immediately focuses on Peter. With a former client publicly pointing the finger at him, Peter is desperate to change the narrative in hopes of avoiding arrest. Despite his strenuous claims of innocence, it is impossible for Sinan to completely believe Peter. With the noose slowly tightening, Peter makes one last desperate attempt to clear his name. Will his plan succeed?
Once a Liar is a fiendishly clever and highly entertaining mystery. Peter is easy to hate as he carelessly breaks the hearts of the people who love him. With a series of stunning twists and diabolical turns, A. F. Brady keeps readers in suspense about who murdered Charlie and why until the novel's shocking conclusion. A devilishly fascinating read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend to readers of the genre.
Narrated in first person by sociopath lawyer Peter Caine, Once a Liar by A. F. Brady is an absolutely compelling mystery.
Peter is a cold, calculating man whose every decision is based on how his choices benefit him. A completely remade, successful defense attorney, his marriage to Juliette ended not long after the birth of their only son, Jamie. Seeing little advantage to paying any attention to Jamie, Peter is content to ignore both son and ex-wife until tragedy strikes. After Jamie comes to live with him, Peter is still aloof and indifferent to the teenager and he leaves his live-in girlfriend Claire to parent the young man.
Peter has recently ended his long time, on again/off again relationship with Charlotte "Charlie" Doyle. However, after she is brutally murdered, suspicion falls on Peter. Fearing his simmering feud with District Attorney Harrison Doyle will result in his arrest, Peter and his partner/attorney Sinan Khan try to unearth evidence that will point to Charlie's killer. Will Peter uncover the perpetrator's identity before he arrested for Charlie's murder?
Peter is an incredibly manipulative man who will do anything to succeed. Except for one memorable (and regrettable) time, he is also quite secretive and cagey about his past. At first completely enamored with Juliette, it does not take make for his love to turn to disdain. Although Peter makes no effort to hide his affair with Charlie during his marriage to Juliette, he is much more circumspect with Claire. He has been completely upfront and honest with Claire about what he does and does not want from their relationship. Fully aware that she has put aside her dream of having kids for him, he puts her yearning for motherhood to good use once Jamie comes to live with them. Having finally seen an advantage to being a parent, Peter's attempts to get to know his son are rather awkward and stilted.
The investigation into Charlie's murder immediately focuses on Peter. With a former client publicly pointing the finger at him, Peter is desperate to change the narrative in hopes of avoiding arrest. Despite his strenuous claims of innocence, it is impossible for Sinan to completely believe Peter. With the noose slowly tightening, Peter makes one last desperate attempt to clear his name. Will his plan succeed?
Once a Liar is a fiendishly clever and highly entertaining mystery. Peter is easy to hate as he carelessly breaks the hearts of the people who love him. With a series of stunning twists and diabolical turns, A. F. Brady keeps readers in suspense about who murdered Charlie and why until the novel's shocking conclusion. A devilishly fascinating read that I absolutely loved and highly recommend to readers of the genre.
mpr2000's review
4.0
This is one of those books that is quite difficult to make a review; the story is slow paced but the problem is the main character, you don’t feel pity for him at all, he has spent all his life lying and only taking care of himself, the reader will don’t doubt that he can kill!
Peter has just buried her ex-wife when his lover appears dead, yes, and he has been living with another woman for the last 8 years… You can see that he is not a very reliable man; he even has a son that hasn’t seen for the last 5 years! But now he will have to face up everything, even the work life that had always tried to keep separated will collide in a murder investigation, no less.
The main question of the book will be, did he really kill her? And don’t pretend me to tell you the answer of that, you’ll have to read the book to know the answer! But, there’s always the doubt in your mind while you are reading the story; told between the past and the present we will discover all the secrets that Peter buried all this time, from he meets his now dead ex-wife until his collapsing world. It will be a curious trip, he was not a bad man in the beginning, he always wanted power and money, and had no doubt to do anything in his hands to achieve it. But maybe, jut maybe, when we start knowing him we can see that murder is not really his way to work, so who really killed Charlie and why is trying to frame him?
This had been a different read from the ones I am used to, I was totally intrigued with the story, there are not many “loved” characters, they all have their faults and problems and is difficult to like any of them. There are a couple of twists in the end that will make this read much more intense and twisted; for me the perfect ending! Sometimes what you saw is what you deserve, don’t you think? Once a liar...
Peter has just buried her ex-wife when his lover appears dead, yes, and he has been living with another woman for the last 8 years… You can see that he is not a very reliable man; he even has a son that hasn’t seen for the last 5 years! But now he will have to face up everything, even the work life that had always tried to keep separated will collide in a murder investigation, no less.
The main question of the book will be, did he really kill her? And don’t pretend me to tell you the answer of that, you’ll have to read the book to know the answer! But, there’s always the doubt in your mind while you are reading the story; told between the past and the present we will discover all the secrets that Peter buried all this time, from he meets his now dead ex-wife until his collapsing world. It will be a curious trip, he was not a bad man in the beginning, he always wanted power and money, and had no doubt to do anything in his hands to achieve it. But maybe, jut maybe, when we start knowing him we can see that murder is not really his way to work, so who really killed Charlie and why is trying to frame him?
This had been a different read from the ones I am used to, I was totally intrigued with the story, there are not many “loved” characters, they all have their faults and problems and is difficult to like any of them. There are a couple of twists in the end that will make this read much more intense and twisted; for me the perfect ending! Sometimes what you saw is what you deserve, don’t you think? Once a liar...
alifromkc1907's review against another edition
4.0
Gut Instinct Rating: 5
Characters: 5
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 4
Excitement Factor: 3.5
Story Line: 3.5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 4
Overall: 4.33
Characters: 5
Believability: 4
Uniqueness: 5
Writing Style: 4
Excitement Factor: 3.5
Story Line: 3.5
Title Relevance: 5
Artwork Relevance: 4
Overall: 4.33
linnea1801's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If anyone had told me how the book ended while I was reading the first chapter I would have been very happy and felt like Peter had gotten what he deserved. I didn’t expect to ever feel empathy for Peter but somehow he grew on me. He’s still a flawed character who made many mistakes but in the end I had hoped that he would be able to clear his name and be a better person. All in all this book was way better than I expected and I stayed up all night to finish reading it because it was just so good.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Mental illness, Injury/Injury detail, Self harm, Blood, Cancer, Infidelity, Abandonment, and Death
Moderate: Suicide and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Rape