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Table of Contents
About The Book
John le Carré meets Olen Steinhauer in this brilliant debut thriller about a highly intelligent but naïve State Department intern who is targeted for death after she becomes “the woman who knows too much.”
Penny Kessler, a young intern at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, wakes up in a hospital on the morning of July 5 to find herself at the center of an international crisis. The day before, the Embassy had been the target of a devastating terrorist attack that killed hundreds of Penny’s friends and colleagues. Not only has a photograph of Penny emerging from the rubble become the defining image of the event (#TheGirlwiththeFlag), but for reasons she doesn’t understand, her bosses believe she’s a crucial witness.
Suddenly, everyone is desperately interested in what Penny knows. But what does she know? And who can she trust? As she struggles to piece together her memories of the event, she discovers that Zach Robson, the young diplomat she’s been falling for all summer, went missing during the attack. Now his boss at the CIA, Christina Ekdahl, wants people to believe that Zach was a traitor. Only one person stands in her way: Penny. And Christina will do anything to silence her.
In a race to stay alive and uncover the truth, Penny reluctantly partners with Connor Beauregard, a rookie CIA officer on his first overseas assignment. But the two won’t survive unless they can outwit—and outmaneuver—everyone from the Turkish president and his daughter to Islamic extremists, the US State Department, and the CIA itself.
Penny Kessler, a young intern at the U.S. Embassy in Ankara, Turkey, wakes up in a hospital on the morning of July 5 to find herself at the center of an international crisis. The day before, the Embassy had been the target of a devastating terrorist attack that killed hundreds of Penny’s friends and colleagues. Not only has a photograph of Penny emerging from the rubble become the defining image of the event (#TheGirlwiththeFlag), but for reasons she doesn’t understand, her bosses believe she’s a crucial witness.
Suddenly, everyone is desperately interested in what Penny knows. But what does she know? And who can she trust? As she struggles to piece together her memories of the event, she discovers that Zach Robson, the young diplomat she’s been falling for all summer, went missing during the attack. Now his boss at the CIA, Christina Ekdahl, wants people to believe that Zach was a traitor. Only one person stands in her way: Penny. And Christina will do anything to silence her.
In a race to stay alive and uncover the truth, Penny reluctantly partners with Connor Beauregard, a rookie CIA officer on his first overseas assignment. But the two won’t survive unless they can outwit—and outmaneuver—everyone from the Turkish president and his daughter to Islamic extremists, the US State Department, and the CIA itself.
About The Author
Photograph by Rosanne Daryl Thomas
August Thomas began her first novel, Liar’s Candle, at age twenty three. Fluent in Turkish, she has traveled and studied in Turkey as the recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship, and holds Master’s degrees from Bogaziçi, Istanbul’s top public university, as well as the University of Edinburgh. She also has two degrees from the University of Massachusetts. A travel writer as well as a novelist, she lives in Massachusetts. You can find her at AugustThomasBooks.com.
Product Details
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 17, 2018)
- Length: 320 pages
- ISBN13: 9781501183249
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Raves and Reviews
“Liar’s Candle is a stunning debut, a novel that brings the le Carré and Follett traditions into the 21st century. Breakneck pacing, sharply observed detail, an all-too-plausible plot and a protagonist to cheer for—well done, August Thomas, well done.”
—Joseph Finder, New York Times bestselling author of The Switch and Judgment
“A propulsive, heart-in-your-throat thriller that’s loaded with unexpected twists and turns. . . . Liar's Candle is a shockingly good debut novel that kept this reader up much later than anticipated!”
—Daniel Kalla, internationally bestselling author of Pandemic and The Far Side of the Sky
“Tightly-plotted, well-written, and astute, Liar’s Candle is a remarkable debut. August Thomas delivers an atmospheric and twisty spy thriller that manages to be both assured and fresh. With a colorful, authentic sense of place, a rocket-paced plot full of deception and betrayal, and a young, naive heroine, Penny Kessler, at its center, this is both an exciting story of espionage and a compelling coming of age tale.”
—Lisa Unger, New York Times bestselling author of The Red Hunter
“August Thomas is a fresh, exciting new voice in international thrillers.”
—Chris Pavone, New York Times bestselling author of The Expats, The Accident, and The Travelers
“August Thomas offers a fresh voice and a unique perspective. Liar’s Candle is a tight and well-crafted novel with a compelling heroine and a breakneck-paced story that will keep you turning the pages until the early morning hours. What an extraordinary debut!”
—Mathew Palmer, author of Secrets of State and Enemy of the Good
“Liar’s Candle is the kind of debut novel that makes you want to cheer for the hero, Penny Kessler. Author August Thomas is new to the scene, and clearly she’s a very talented writer.”
—Robert Rotenberg, bestselling author of Heart of the City
“A high-energy thriller that takes Penny Kessler, a likable and reluctant American heroine wrongly accused of terrorist sympathies, on a non-stop adventure across Turkey in a quest to clear her name. The tension and relentless action ratchet higher from the very first chapter to the climatic ending as one terrifying escape follows the next and everywhere friends and foes change places. Thomas has eerily evoked not only the intrigue and brutality of terrorism in Turkey, but the country itself. Liar’s Candle is a very impressive debut.”
—Paul Vidich, author of An Honorable Man and The Good Assassin
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- Author Photo (jpg): August Thomas Photograph by Rosanne Daryl Thomas(0.1 MB)
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