Lies He Told Me

At the novel’s beginning, Marcie has been married to her husband David Bowers for 13 years. Marcie conveys his athleticism and attractiveness, describing him as “muscle-bound and trim” (6). Through Marcie’s narrative perspective, he is also portrayed as a loving family man. His romantic streak is illustrated when he takes Marcie to the spot where they first met to celebrate his birthday. David’s courage is demonstrated in his unhesitating response when he witnesses a car plummet into the Cotton River. His decision to attempt to save the driver, despite the risk to his own life, begins the novel’s exploration of The Nature of Heroism. David illustrates the potential personal cost of bravery as the attribute proves to be his downfall. Years earlier, his life was upended after he courageously testified against the mob boss Michael Cagnina. Consequently, he was forced to enter the witness protection program and change his identity from accountant Wesley Price to pub owner David Bowers. When he later becomes a “town hero, [and] internet sensation” (141) due to saving a man’s life, his identity is exposed to his enemies.

David’s inability to escape his history underlines The Impact of the Past on the Present and drives the novel’s plot. His decision to steal $20 million from Cagnina before testifying against him later makes the Bowers family a target of Silas and Agent Blair. David’s character also contributes emotional depth to the crime thriller as Marcie grapples with the realization that her husband is not who he claims to be. David’s misguided belief that he can protect his family by lying to Marcie underpins the narrative’s exploration of The Role of Trust and Deception in Relationships. His increasingly suspicious behavior causes Marcie to suspect he is having an affair or, even worse, that he may be the cold-blooded killer Silas Renfrow. Ultimately, the novel suggests that although David concealed his past from his family, the attributes Marcie loved him for were genuine. David’s death provides a shock twist to the narrative, leaving Marcie to face the repercussions of his past alone.

Sergeant Kyle Janowski is the local police officer who investigates the increasingly sinister incidents experienced by the Bowers family. Born in Hemingway Grove, he views it as his duty to protect the small town from crime and corruption. Kyle is described as “handsome and well built” with a generally “genial” (160) manner. He is also Marcie’s former childhood sweetheart and still has feelings for the protagonist.

Kyle’s romantic history with Marcie complicates his investigation of the incidents plaguing the Bowers family. While he strives to remain objective, he resents the man who usurped his dream of settling down with Marcie in Hemingway Grove. Consequently, he is quick to believe the worst of David, mistakenly concluding that he is the ruthless assassin Silas Renfrow. Kyle’s character further illustrates The Role of Trust and Deception in Relationships as his shifting perception of Marcie’s role in events echoes the doubts Marcie has about David. While suspecting that Marcie colluded with David and knew his true identity, his long-held perception of her as an individual with integrity contradicts this belief. Like Marcie with David, Kyle is unsure if his judgment is colored by the romantic feelings he still harbors.

Kyle fulfills the crime thriller trope of the “honest cop.” Agent Blair’s assessment that the police sergeant is “as straight as they come” (247) underlines Kyle’s role as a foil to the corrupt FBI agent. Remaining committed to justice, he maintains his moral compass throughout the narrative. Asserting, “I’m not your errand boy” (324), Kyle clarifies that he will defy Blair’s authority as an FBI agent rather than compromise his integrity. His perseverance and unyielding dedication to duty provide a further example of The Nature of Heroism.

Early in the novel, Agent Francis Blair’s narrative recounts taking pity on a criminal when he discovers the man’s wife has cancer and his young daughter has Down Syndrome. Blair’s decision to save the man from prison by inaccurately describing him to his colleagues suggests a compassionate streak. The account encourages readers to perceive Agent Blair as a sympathetic character. However, as the novel progresses, readers realize this early scenario hints at Blair’s disregard for the laws he is supposed to uphold.

Before Blair is exposed as an antagonist, he is presented as a stock crime fiction character: the law enforcer haunted by a former failure to achieve justice. His fixation with Cagnina and events that occurred 15 years earlier illustrates The Impact of the Past on the Present. Blair describes himself as:

[A] fifty-five-year-old man, a guy who should be a special agent in charge by now, or at least an ASAC, but he’s not even a supervisor. Nothing more than a line agent at his ripe old age, a washout, […], a promising young agent whose career was derailed by a mobster named Michael Cagnina (190).

Blair’s reflection suggests that his career suffered collateral damage from the Halloween Massacre and his failure to convict Cagnina of anything more than tax evasion. In reality, he is consumed by a determination to retrieve the $20 million Cagnina promised him for revealing the location of the witness detention center. Experiencing no remorse for his involvement in the massacre, Blair pursues the Bowers family under the guise of an official investigation.

Blair is intelligent and manipulative, and his role as a corrupt law enforcement agent adds layers of deception and suspense to the narrative. His character elaborates on The Role of Trust and Deception in Relationships as he exploits the other characters’ faith in the authority of the FBI for personal gain. His final confrontation with Marcie, in which he suggests an alternative story where they could both emerge as “heroes,” illustrates how authority figures frequently get to shape and distort the accepted narrative. However, Marcie ultimately outwits him, and he meets a dramatic end.