Tell No Lies

Tell No Lies by Gregg Hurwitz is what might broadly be classified as a mystery thriller. A counselor who works with criminals released from jail on condition they work through a rehabilitation course run by the counselor, finds himself involved in what proves to be the work of a serial killer. The book follows the standard formula. Our counselor was a wrestler when at college. He also keeps fit and is able to defend himself when attacked. We’re therefore to take it as credible this man would confront the killer, chase after him, and fight when the situation requires it.

The counseling sessions themselves replace the more usual investigation and interviews. From an early point, it’s assumed one of the six going through counseling is involved. The sessions are described at length to give us a chance to decide which of the six is the antagonist. Sadly, the exchanges are somewhat idealized and less than convincing. Although the link between the victims does prove to be reasonably interesting, the socio-political subtext about the nature of hypocrisy and guilt is not properly developed and fails to engage, leaving the reader uninvolved as the characters move around to make the plot work on the page.