When we meet Jule, she is an international nomad, obviously keeping to herself, and on the run though we don't know who she is, why she is in trouble, or where she is going. Lockhart asks her readers to grapple with in her thriller, Genuine Fraud. To say that Patricia Highsmith's novel 'inspired' Lockhart is a pretty huge understatement, as this book is less of an homage and more of a bold-faced ripoff. The book is twisted, dark and sort of delicious. Those are only a few of the questions that E. Lockhart writes that she was 'inspired by' several different books, including The Talented Mr. I was one of the people who absolutely LOVED We Were Liars and I’ve been itching to read more of E. Genuine Fraud is the most original thriller I’ve read in ages.

It took a few chapters to get used to and I admit I was confused at first. Lockhart’s story is based on Patricia Highsmith’s The Talented Mr. My rather staid VW new beetle is quicker 0-60 mph than a Jaguar XK-140 of the mid-last century. This structure has probably been used before but I’ve not come across it and loved it. Genuine Fraud (the oxymoronic title is perfect) reminded me that most things really are better than they were sixty years ago. Genuine Fraud uses a structure I’ve never seen before in a book, the story is told in reverse order starting in the present then moves back in time gradually revealing Jule’s twisted personality, her obsession with Imogen and the sinister links between them before returning to the present. (Hot Key Books, 7 September 2017, 267 pages, hardback, borrowed from my library) The American dream, superheroes, spies, and villains.Ī girl who refuses to give people what they want from her.Ī girl who refuses to be the person she once was. A murder, or maybe two.īlunt objects, disguises, blood, and chocolate. How far would you go to become someone else A masterful young adult thriller from the author of blockbuster bestseller We Were Liars. JULE is a fighter, a social chameleon, and an athlete.Īn intense friendship. IMOGEN is a runaway heiress, an orphan, a cook, and a cheat.

Genuine fraud e lockhart review