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A Jack and Jill Thriller #1
Liars' Paradox
A master of international intrigue, New York Times bestselling author Taylor Stevens introduces a pair of wild cards into the global spy game--a brother and sister who were raised to deceive--and trained to kill . . .
They live in the shadows, Jack and Jill, feuding twins who can never stop running. From earliest memory they've been taught to hide, to hunt, to survive. Their prowess is outdone only by Clare, who has always been mentor first and mother second. She trained them in the art of espionage, tested their skills in weaponry, surveillance, and sabotage, and sharpened their minds with nerve-wracking psychological games. As they grew older they came to question her motives, her methods--and her sanity . . .
Now twenty-six years old, the twins are trying to lead normal lives. But when Clare's off-the-grid safehouse explodes and she goes missing, they're forced to believe the Their mother's paranoid delusions have been real all along. To find her, they'll need to set aside their differences; to survive, they'll have to draw on every skill she's trained them to use. A twisted trail leads from the CIA, to the KGB, to an underground network of global assassins where hunters become the hunted. Everyone, it seems, wants them dead--and, for one of the twins, it's a threat that's frighteningly familiar and dangerously close to home . . .
Filled with explosive action, suspense, and powerful human drama, Liars' Paradox is world-class intrigue at its finest.
They live in the shadows, Jack and Jill, feuding twins who can never stop running. From earliest memory they've been taught to hide, to hunt, to survive. Their prowess is outdone only by Clare, who has always been mentor first and mother second. She trained them in the art of espionage, tested their skills in weaponry, surveillance, and sabotage, and sharpened their minds with nerve-wracking psychological games. As they grew older they came to question her motives, her methods--and her sanity . . .
Now twenty-six years old, the twins are trying to lead normal lives. But when Clare's off-the-grid safehouse explodes and she goes missing, they're forced to believe the Their mother's paranoid delusions have been real all along. To find her, they'll need to set aside their differences; to survive, they'll have to draw on every skill she's trained them to use. A twisted trail leads from the CIA, to the KGB, to an underground network of global assassins where hunters become the hunted. Everyone, it seems, wants them dead--and, for one of the twins, it's a threat that's frighteningly familiar and dangerously close to home . . .
Filled with explosive action, suspense, and powerful human drama, Liars' Paradox is world-class intrigue at its finest.
343 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2018
330 people are currently reading
2222 people want to read
About the author
Taylor Stevens
50 books823 followersTAYLOR STEVENS is a critically acclaimed, multiple award-winning, New York Times bestselling author of international thrillers. Her books, known for high-octane plots populated with fascinating characters in vivid boots-on-the-ground settings, have been published in over twenty languages. THE INFORMATIONIST, first in the Vanessa Michael Munroe series has also been optioned for film by James Cameron’s production company, Lightstorm Entertainment.
Stevens came to writing fiction late. Born into an apocalyptic cult, separated from her family at age twelve and denied an education beyond sixth grade, she lived on three continents and in a dozen countries before she turned fourteen. In place of schooling, the majority of her adolescence was spent begging on city streets at the behest of cult leaders, or as a worker bee child caring for the many younger commune children, washing laundry, and cooking meals for hundreds at a time. In her twenties, Stevens broke free in order to follow hope and a vague idea of what possibilities lay beyond.
In addition to writing novels, Stevens shares extensively about the mechanics of storytelling, writing, overcoming adversity, and the details of her journey into publishing through email, podcast, and video tutorials.
You can find her at:
* taylorstevensbooks.com/connect.php
* taylorstevensshow.com
* patreon.com/taylorstevens
* facebook.com/taylorstevens
* twitter @taylorstevens
Stevens came to writing fiction late. Born into an apocalyptic cult, separated from her family at age twelve and denied an education beyond sixth grade, she lived on three continents and in a dozen countries before she turned fourteen. In place of schooling, the majority of her adolescence was spent begging on city streets at the behest of cult leaders, or as a worker bee child caring for the many younger commune children, washing laundry, and cooking meals for hundreds at a time. In her twenties, Stevens broke free in order to follow hope and a vague idea of what possibilities lay beyond.
In addition to writing novels, Stevens shares extensively about the mechanics of storytelling, writing, overcoming adversity, and the details of her journey into publishing through email, podcast, and video tutorials.
You can find her at:
* taylorstevensbooks.com/connect.php
* taylorstevensshow.com
* patreon.com/taylorstevens
* facebook.com/taylorstevens
* twitter @taylorstevens
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 235 reviews
May 5, 2019
Q: narcissistic, delusional, Munchausen (c) stuff happens in this one.
In all seriousness, this plot could have been solved easily: by ignoring Clare. Which is what they totally should have done. And which is why I kept wanting to lend a couple of braincells to each of the protagonists throughout the book. Really: if she's so good, let her do her tricks; if she is crazy, then she's ok other than just being crazy; and if she's not quite as good, well, maybe she should've trained harder and wasted less time terrifying her toddler kids.
They manage to do all kinds of attraction-calling things while being fixated on not calling any attention. They try to nonchalantly kidnap each other at gunpoint, stab each other with tranq needles, flash boobs to a sniper… A very entertaining book, otherwise.
The author is, as always, richly regaling the audience with all kinds of psychotic, PTSD heroes running bonkers with 'pathological minds'.
What's up with referring to the twins and Clare and even their guns as 'ghosts' (21 times), and to Jill as 'stripper' ('a nerd and a stripper', 'The nerd and the stripper kept pace inside his head', 'The stripper had stopped him.' All in the space of 2 pages!)? It's not stylish or anything.
It also seems that Jack might be brainless enough to fit a whole 'strategy wheel' in his head, which keeps spinning throughout the book.
Q:
In his head the strategy wheel spun. …
The strategy wheel stopped on unexpected element of surprise. ...
The mental strategy wheel flung round and round…
The strategy wheel started up. …
The wheel spun faster. …
The strategy wheel, spinning through permutations and possibilities, jerked to a hard stop on mother dearest…
The strategy wheel spun hard, clacking through a limited quantity of knowns and vast array of unknowns. …
The strategy wheel flung through possibilities, searching for a way…
Inside Jack’s head the strategy wheel spun. … (c) He definitely should have kept his brain intact. In all seriousness, brain works in a different way, generally.
And of course, we got bunches of very stereotypically evil Russians running amok, complete with vodka (even though the good ppl of Texas drink way more), 'selyodka' all kinds of evil-doing and so on. The author doesn't even bother to establish some maybe rogue group of Russians evildoers. Nope, it's just 'Russians' and we are on vanquishing them. It’s very much like old Soviet propaganda against generic 'capitalists' or 'Americans', just backwards. #propaganda_fiction is happening here.
Q:
Texas Hill Country acres owned by a Belizean subsidiary of a Panamanian company established by a Swiss law firm in Liechtenstein on behalf of unnamed clients. (c)
Q:
Same tinfoil, different hat. (c)
Q:
The injuries, the scars, the competition, the hair-trigger reactions came rushing back, all the times they’d come close to dying and the times they’d killed, the hard-core training, the psych-outs, and the blindsiding tests in a childhood spent on edge, never knowing what Clare would throw at them or when. (с)
Q:
They were two phlegmatic monsters in the closet. (c)
Q:
The regularity had toughened him, had made his mind stronger than anxiety, boredom, or the need to piss. (c)
Q:
… a kid who’d fired his first automatic weapon at the age of five, who’d teethed with his fists as an outsider in Jakarta’s dirt slum streets, who’d learned to use wit and strategy for safety, and who’d grown up knowing better than to trust the one person he should have been able to rely on, could only ever play pretend in a world of safe spaces, trigger warnings, and microaggressions. (c)
Q:
Clare might be a whacked-out nutjob… (c) Yeah…
Q:
two angry, resentful kids who were each capable of killing a neighborhood and making it look like an accident. He’d fed their need for gunpowder and poison, had endured the grief they gave him with humor and patience, and it was he who’d taught them how to navigate a boring, staid, rule-filled world they weren’t raised to live in. (c)
Q:
Today was the day she ceased to exist. (c)
Q:
Jen would have grown up on the move, born to kill, trained to survive, never in one place long, always present and never belonging. Robert’s stories about her took on new meaning—the drugs, the partying, the manipulative mask—so many decisions and choices made day after day in a perpetual effort to avoid the need to feel. (c)
Q:
He heard past the mind games and mental bait. (c)
Q:
A bit on the patchy side:
Q:
Jack found whatever he was looking for. (c) So, what was that whatever?
Q:
I told you every time Clare does favors or hands us off to someone else for training and goes away, there’s a big event on the news. (c) And every time I switch TV on, something happens. That's a secret power I have.
Q:
She wanted to crawl back under the covers, sleep for a month, and wake up after an extinction-level event. (c) Who does that?
A bit stupid (I'm taking off a star for these gems):
Q:
The stripper had stopped him.
She’d spun, looked right at him, and flashed her breasts.
One blinking delay of brain freeze had cost him the second kill, and the third. (c) So, the sis managed to flash the guy without her bro noticing? All the while running to him?
Q:
... onion and selyodka... (c) It should be either 'selyodka s lukom' or 'herring and onion'. Not one word this way and another one that way. Plus, the fish usually goes first as the onion is just an appetizer not a main course… Compare with 'parsley with cheese' vs 'cheese with parsley'.
Q:
… salo on cold bread. (c) Again, for one thing, it should be either 'bacon fatback on bread' or 'salo s khlebom'. Not 1 English word 1 Russian one. And the bread is never heated for fatback, so noting that the bread is cold isn't authentic for a supposedly good Russian impersonator that the MC is supposed to be.
Historical issues:
Q:
The Russian winter had defeated the armies of Napoleon and Hitler… (c) Actually, winter did NOT defeat the army of Hitler. Army did. The USSR one, incidentally. - another star. I don't care if the author has had issues (the ones she publicized) and had to get her education the untraditional way. One has to know basic history or not write about it.
In all seriousness, this plot could have been solved easily: by ignoring Clare. Which is what they totally should have done. And which is why I kept wanting to lend a couple of braincells to each of the protagonists throughout the book. Really: if she's so good, let her do her tricks; if she is crazy, then she's ok other than just being crazy; and if she's not quite as good, well, maybe she should've trained harder and wasted less time terrifying her toddler kids.
They manage to do all kinds of attraction-calling things while being fixated on not calling any attention. They try to nonchalantly kidnap each other at gunpoint, stab each other with tranq needles, flash boobs to a sniper… A very entertaining book, otherwise.
The author is, as always, richly regaling the audience with all kinds of psychotic, PTSD heroes running bonkers with 'pathological minds'.
What's up with referring to the twins and Clare and even their guns as 'ghosts' (21 times), and to Jill as 'stripper' ('a nerd and a stripper', 'The nerd and the stripper kept pace inside his head', 'The stripper had stopped him.' All in the space of 2 pages!)? It's not stylish or anything.
It also seems that Jack might be brainless enough to fit a whole 'strategy wheel' in his head, which keeps spinning throughout the book.
Q:
In his head the strategy wheel spun. …
The strategy wheel stopped on unexpected element of surprise. ...
The mental strategy wheel flung round and round…
The strategy wheel started up. …
The wheel spun faster. …
The strategy wheel, spinning through permutations and possibilities, jerked to a hard stop on mother dearest…
The strategy wheel spun hard, clacking through a limited quantity of knowns and vast array of unknowns. …
The strategy wheel flung through possibilities, searching for a way…
Inside Jack’s head the strategy wheel spun. … (c) He definitely should have kept his brain intact. In all seriousness, brain works in a different way, generally.
And of course, we got bunches of very stereotypically evil Russians running amok, complete with vodka (even though the good ppl of Texas drink way more), 'selyodka' all kinds of evil-doing and so on. The author doesn't even bother to establish some maybe rogue group of Russians evildoers. Nope, it's just 'Russians' and we are on vanquishing them. It’s very much like old Soviet propaganda against generic 'capitalists' or 'Americans', just backwards. #propaganda_fiction is happening here.
Q:
Texas Hill Country acres owned by a Belizean subsidiary of a Panamanian company established by a Swiss law firm in Liechtenstein on behalf of unnamed clients. (c)
Q:
Same tinfoil, different hat. (c)
Q:
The injuries, the scars, the competition, the hair-trigger reactions came rushing back, all the times they’d come close to dying and the times they’d killed, the hard-core training, the psych-outs, and the blindsiding tests in a childhood spent on edge, never knowing what Clare would throw at them or when. (с)
Q:
They were two phlegmatic monsters in the closet. (c)
Q:
The regularity had toughened him, had made his mind stronger than anxiety, boredom, or the need to piss. (c)
Q:
… a kid who’d fired his first automatic weapon at the age of five, who’d teethed with his fists as an outsider in Jakarta’s dirt slum streets, who’d learned to use wit and strategy for safety, and who’d grown up knowing better than to trust the one person he should have been able to rely on, could only ever play pretend in a world of safe spaces, trigger warnings, and microaggressions. (c)
Q:
Clare might be a whacked-out nutjob… (c) Yeah…
Q:
two angry, resentful kids who were each capable of killing a neighborhood and making it look like an accident. He’d fed their need for gunpowder and poison, had endured the grief they gave him with humor and patience, and it was he who’d taught them how to navigate a boring, staid, rule-filled world they weren’t raised to live in. (c)
Q:
Today was the day she ceased to exist. (c)
Q:
Jen would have grown up on the move, born to kill, trained to survive, never in one place long, always present and never belonging. Robert’s stories about her took on new meaning—the drugs, the partying, the manipulative mask—so many decisions and choices made day after day in a perpetual effort to avoid the need to feel. (c)
Q:
He heard past the mind games and mental bait. (c)
Q:
A bit on the patchy side:
Q:
Jack found whatever he was looking for. (c) So, what was that whatever?
Q:
I told you every time Clare does favors or hands us off to someone else for training and goes away, there’s a big event on the news. (c) And every time I switch TV on, something happens. That's a secret power I have.
Q:
She wanted to crawl back under the covers, sleep for a month, and wake up after an extinction-level event. (c) Who does that?
A bit stupid (I'm taking off a star for these gems):
Q:
The stripper had stopped him.
She’d spun, looked right at him, and flashed her breasts.
One blinking delay of brain freeze had cost him the second kill, and the third. (c) So, the sis managed to flash the guy without her bro noticing? All the while running to him?
Q:
... onion and selyodka... (c) It should be either 'selyodka s lukom' or 'herring and onion'. Not one word this way and another one that way. Plus, the fish usually goes first as the onion is just an appetizer not a main course… Compare with 'parsley with cheese' vs 'cheese with parsley'.
Q:
… salo on cold bread. (c) Again, for one thing, it should be either 'bacon fatback on bread' or 'salo s khlebom'. Not 1 English word 1 Russian one. And the bread is never heated for fatback, so noting that the bread is cold isn't authentic for a supposedly good Russian impersonator that the MC is supposed to be.
Historical issues:
Q:
The Russian winter had defeated the armies of Napoleon and Hitler… (c) Actually, winter did NOT defeat the army of Hitler. Army did. The USSR one, incidentally. - another star. I don't care if the author has had issues (the ones she publicized) and had to get her education the untraditional way. One has to know basic history or not write about it.
February 3, 2019
3.5 Huge fan of this authors past protagonist, the kick ass Vanessa Michael Monroe. Here she gives us a new series featuring two fearless females and a male thrown in for good measure. Claire, the nother, in her fifties is a force to be reckoned with, her past life hidden in the shadows. Jack and Jill, twins, trained harshly in survival since the age of five. This is a dysfunctional family for the ages, with possibly just a little psychopathic anger in the mix.
Adrenaline fueled, cat and mouse chases, betrayal, gun fights and let me say these women can definitely hold their own. An adventure packed page turner, with an ending that nicely, okay well nothing is nice about this book, so aptly sets the stage for book two. Even in the worst of families, family still means something, especially if you hold the answers they need.
ARC from Netgalley.
Adrenaline fueled, cat and mouse chases, betrayal, gun fights and let me say these women can definitely hold their own. An adventure packed page turner, with an ending that nicely, okay well nothing is nice about this book, so aptly sets the stage for book two. Even in the worst of families, family still means something, especially if you hold the answers they need.
ARC from Netgalley.
November 14, 2019
Kidnapping, car trunks, tracking devices, fist fights (to put it mildly) knock-out hypos; those are a few of the ways twins Jack and Jill treat each other in the outstanding Liar’s Paradox. Not the typical demonstrations of sibling affection.
Supposedly the closest bond on earth, twins Jack and Jill spent nine months in the closest physical proximity. They spent the next 17 years in the closest emotional proximity; depending on one another, loving one another and finally hating one another. Now they must come together to rescue the mother who might not want to be rescued. Or need to be, with her "particular skill set."
Their mother, Clare, who raised them bouncing from country to country, oft times leaving them with strangers for months; strangers who taught them to add to their "particular skill set." Clare who turned them loose into a crowd of strangers at age five to complete an assignment of finding their way home. Their mother, Clare, who was never satisfied, who played brutal psychological games with Jack and Jill, who taught them all of the skills to be assassins and to survive in any environment. Clare, who taught the twins to become anyone, move anywhere, and survive anything at the drop of a dime. “Same tinfoil, different hat,” as Jack described it. Clare, who unwittingly turned the twins against one another. Clare, whom the twins eventually decided was paranoid. bat-s. crazy, and delusional with her stories, lectures and disappearances.
Until she wasn’t. Until Clare disappears in a ball of fire and the twins watch a helo lift off in the distance.
In Jack and Jill’s hunt for their mother they do their best to protect the innocents they unwittingly draw in, to battle other assassins, and in the end turn the murky dangerous world of assassins into a free for all. An assassins ball so to speak. It would be fun to watch. From a distance, a very great distance.
The massive physical and psychological exercises that Clare put the twins through left me feeling seasick. A maternal model she ain’t. Taylor Stevens did a masterful job of drawing me in and having an emotional investment in these characters.
Stevens also has marvelous powers of descriptions; from the brutal killing desserts on the Mexico-United Stated border to one of the best depictions I’ve read of the brutal killing cold of a Moscow winter. (I know, I know, but I only watched Dr. Zhivago)
Part thriller, part mystery, and part psychological study on just how far family members will go to protect each other.
Taylor Stevens is one of the best thriller writers I’ve come across. Her first series featured a character by the name of Vanessa Michael Munro. For the last few years her fans have waited for the next VMM. Instead we were gifted with Liar’s Paradox. Well worth the trade. Stevens' trademark action-packed, original and thrilling storytelling is present in Liar’s Paradox, the first of what I hope will be a long running series.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can’t help my gushing. It was that good.
Supposedly the closest bond on earth, twins Jack and Jill spent nine months in the closest physical proximity. They spent the next 17 years in the closest emotional proximity; depending on one another, loving one another and finally hating one another. Now they must come together to rescue the mother who might not want to be rescued. Or need to be, with her "particular skill set."
Their mother, Clare, who raised them bouncing from country to country, oft times leaving them with strangers for months; strangers who taught them to add to their "particular skill set." Clare who turned them loose into a crowd of strangers at age five to complete an assignment of finding their way home. Their mother, Clare, who was never satisfied, who played brutal psychological games with Jack and Jill, who taught them all of the skills to be assassins and to survive in any environment. Clare, who taught the twins to become anyone, move anywhere, and survive anything at the drop of a dime. “Same tinfoil, different hat,” as Jack described it. Clare, who unwittingly turned the twins against one another. Clare, whom the twins eventually decided was paranoid. bat-s. crazy, and delusional with her stories, lectures and disappearances.
Until she wasn’t. Until Clare disappears in a ball of fire and the twins watch a helo lift off in the distance.
In Jack and Jill’s hunt for their mother they do their best to protect the innocents they unwittingly draw in, to battle other assassins, and in the end turn the murky dangerous world of assassins into a free for all. An assassins ball so to speak. It would be fun to watch. From a distance, a very great distance.
The massive physical and psychological exercises that Clare put the twins through left me feeling seasick. A maternal model she ain’t. Taylor Stevens did a masterful job of drawing me in and having an emotional investment in these characters.
Stevens also has marvelous powers of descriptions; from the brutal killing desserts on the Mexico-United Stated border to one of the best depictions I’ve read of the brutal killing cold of a Moscow winter. (I know, I know, but I only watched Dr. Zhivago)
Part thriller, part mystery, and part psychological study on just how far family members will go to protect each other.
Taylor Stevens is one of the best thriller writers I’ve come across. Her first series featured a character by the name of Vanessa Michael Munro. For the last few years her fans have waited for the next VMM. Instead we were gifted with Liar’s Paradox. Well worth the trade. Stevens' trademark action-packed, original and thrilling storytelling is present in Liar’s Paradox, the first of what I hope will be a long running series.
Many thanks to NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I can’t help my gushing. It was that good.
November 15, 2018
Jack and Jill, such cute names for twins. We can picture the sweet darlings romping in the sunlight always with wide smiles on their faces.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. They have become rock hard survivalists, but with a bit of sibling rivalry tossed in.
All the skills and techniques drilled into them by their mother, Claire, now must be utilized as there is a bounty out on them. Trained killers unleashed by the Broker are after them. Thru gunfights, car chases, breaking into and out of buildings, physical altercations, and of course good old lying, the novel reaches a twist here, a turn there and a final satisfying conclusion.
The thriller draws you in from page one. First there are these women, Jill and Claire, who are mentally and physically strong. They do not back down to anyone. Next are the descriptions. You are given terrain details as well as human responses in a chase, or a hunt, or long wait for action.
Then there are the insights into the minds of the characters; as when Jack "heard the words form, heard them in a sirens lullaby," Or a later bombshell elicited "the unexpected sucked oxygen out of the room and the unanswerable encased time in silence." Not Shakespeare but not bad.
This was a highly enjoyable read of a topic rarely considered enjoyable.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. #netgalley #liarsparadox #stmartinspress
.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. They have become rock hard survivalists, but with a bit of sibling rivalry tossed in.
All the skills and techniques drilled into them by their mother, Claire, now must be utilized as there is a bounty out on them. Trained killers unleashed by the Broker are after them. Thru gunfights, car chases, breaking into and out of buildings, physical altercations, and of course good old lying, the novel reaches a twist here, a turn there and a final satisfying conclusion.
The thriller draws you in from page one. First there are these women, Jill and Claire, who are mentally and physically strong. They do not back down to anyone. Next are the descriptions. You are given terrain details as well as human responses in a chase, or a hunt, or long wait for action.
Then there are the insights into the minds of the characters; as when Jack "heard the words form, heard them in a sirens lullaby," Or a later bombshell elicited "the unexpected sucked oxygen out of the room and the unanswerable encased time in silence." Not Shakespeare but not bad.
This was a highly enjoyable read of a topic rarely considered enjoyable.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. #netgalley #liarsparadox #stmartinspress
.
November 15, 2018
Jack and Jill, such cute names for twins. We can picture the sweet darlings romping in the sunlight always with wide smiles on their faces.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. They have become rock hard survivalists, but with a bit of sibling rivalry tossed in.
All the skills and techniques drilled into them by their mother, Claire, now must be utilized as there is a bounty out on them. Trained killers unleashed by the Broker are after them. Thru gunfights, car chases, breaking into and out of buildings, physical altercations, and of course good old lying, the novel reaches a twist here, a turn there and a final satisfying conclusion.
The thriller draws you in from page one. First there are these women, Jill and Claire, who are mentally and physically strong. They do not back down to anyone. Next are the descriptions. You are given terrain details as well as human responses in a chase, or a hunt, or long wait for action.
Then there are the insights into the minds of the characters; as when Jack "heard the words form, heard them in a sirens lullaby," Or a later bombshell elicited "the unexpected sucked oxygen out of the room and the unanswerable encased time in silence." Not Shakespeare but not bad.
This was a highly enjoyable read of a topic rarely considered enjoyable.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. #netgalley #liarsparadox #stmartinspress
.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. They have become rock hard survivalists, but with a bit of sibling rivalry tossed in.
All the skills and techniques drilled into them by their mother, Claire, now must be utilized as there is a bounty out on them. Trained killers unleashed by the Broker are after them. Thru gunfights, car chases, breaking into and out of buildings, physical altercations, and of course good old lying, the novel reaches a twist here, a turn there and a final satisfying conclusion.
The thriller draws you in from page one. First there are these women, Jill and Claire, who are mentally and physically strong. They do not back down to anyone. Next are the descriptions. You are given terrain details as well as human responses in a chase, or a hunt, or long wait for action.
Then there are the insights into the minds of the characters; as when Jack "heard the words form, heard them in a sirens lullaby," Or a later bombshell elicited "the unexpected sucked oxygen out of the room and the unanswerable encased time in silence." Not Shakespeare but not bad.
This was a highly enjoyable read of a topic rarely considered enjoyable.
I received an advance copy of this book from Netgalley. #netgalley #liarsparadox #stmartinspress
.
October 1, 2020
3 stars for the damaged, dysfunctional, and dangerous
I wanted a distraction from reality so I sought something unconventional. Taylor Stevens is better known for her Vanessa Michael Munroe books, but I opted to try her out with her newer series. Liars' Paradox offered not just one female main protagonist with a lethal skills set, but an entire family: mom Clare (54) and her fraternal twins (26) - Jack and Jill. Like most key characters in this genre, the twins packed hefty psychological baggage, all courtesy of their mother. Clare had trained them mercilessly and relentlessly since they were 5 to survive, hunt, and kill as adeptly as any operative worthy of the 007 badge.
Not even the special twins' bond could survive such an unorthodox childhood intact. Their relationship was marked by sibling rivalry and brinkmanship. So when Clare unexpectedly summoned them, what else could Jack do but kidnap Jill from the lap of her boyfriend at 2 am? And when they reached Clare's hideout and were greeted by her home's explosion, it was Jack's forethought that had saved their lives from Clare's kidnappers.
From philosophy, the liar's paradox is the statement "I am lying" uttered by a known liar. To manage frayed psyches, the twins had long ago categorized their mother as a liar. After this explosion, the twins questioned their mom's paranoia which had justified their unusual childhoods. This book's title indicates more than one liar, so who are the others?
I was immediately hooked by the beginning in Liars' Paradox. Action and excitement heralded the introduction of unconventional but plausible characters. But then the story's momentum began to stall at the 40 percent mark. The pace was bogged down by too much character background, to the point of sounding repetitive and ponderous.
As told through multiple POVs, this tale did involve a complex web of deceit and deception. The major conflict was resolved in a way that should have been very satisfactory. It's just that the later action scenes were depicted in a way that veered on cartoon-ish to me (other thriller writers have scripted better).
I'm curious about what's next, so I will likely read the sequel, even bearing this bleak warning in mind:
I wanted a distraction from reality so I sought something unconventional. Taylor Stevens is better known for her Vanessa Michael Munroe books, but I opted to try her out with her newer series. Liars' Paradox offered not just one female main protagonist with a lethal skills set, but an entire family: mom Clare (54) and her fraternal twins (26) - Jack and Jill. Like most key characters in this genre, the twins packed hefty psychological baggage, all courtesy of their mother. Clare had trained them mercilessly and relentlessly since they were 5 to survive, hunt, and kill as adeptly as any operative worthy of the 007 badge.
[Clare] made sure you could never know if she told the truth, that way you were always guessing. Sometimes she said she was leaving as a trick to test their reflexes and training. The worst tests were always the ones he didn't set coming.
Not even the special twins' bond could survive such an unorthodox childhood intact. Their relationship was marked by sibling rivalry and brinkmanship. So when Clare unexpectedly summoned them, what else could Jack do but kidnap Jill from the lap of her boyfriend at 2 am? And when they reached Clare's hideout and were greeted by her home's explosion, it was Jack's forethought that had saved their lives from Clare's kidnappers.
In times like this, twins or nor, she truly hated her brother... Nothing he said would clarify in a way that would make sense, because this was Jack... he planned for the inevitable, and he planned for the absurd. He was worse than Clare. Sure, she'd started him on this path, but he'd taken psycho contingency planning to a whole new level.
From philosophy, the liar's paradox is the statement "I am lying" uttered by a known liar. To manage frayed psyches, the twins had long ago categorized their mother as a liar. After this explosion, the twins questioned their mom's paranoia which had justified their unusual childhoods. This book's title indicates more than one liar, so who are the others?
I was immediately hooked by the beginning in Liars' Paradox. Action and excitement heralded the introduction of unconventional but plausible characters. But then the story's momentum began to stall at the 40 percent mark. The pace was bogged down by too much character background, to the point of sounding repetitive and ponderous.
As told through multiple POVs, this tale did involve a complex web of deceit and deception. The major conflict was resolved in a way that should have been very satisfactory. It's just that the later action scenes were depicted in a way that veered on cartoon-ish to me (other thriller writers have scripted better).
I'm curious about what's next, so I will likely read the sequel, even bearing this bleak warning in mind:
... there were no fairy tales, only lies wrapped in good feelings, and that happy endings weren't even endings, merely where the story was cut and the reader moved on.
December 18, 2018
Filled with explosive action, suspense, and powerful human drama, Liars’ Paradox by Taylor Stevens is the first book in the new Jack and Jill Thriller series.
Eighteen months ago, Taylor Stevens told me about her new series, and I told her to send me an ARC when it was ready. Her editor sent it to me last summer, but with five kids and writing three books a year, I didn’t get a chance to read it until October.
I was hooked from page one:
Quiet gentrified neighborhood and a cloud-covered sky at two in the morning, a perfect mix for breaking and entering. Would have been, anyway, if the house itself hadn’t been lit up like an Omani oil field, every window eating shadows from the neighboring yards in the same way flare burn-off stole night from the deep desert dunes. So, he sat in his car three houses down, hidden in the dark beneath a thirty-foot live oak, watching the front door and debating the options, not of them good.
Bringing in a target was so much easier if it could be dead.
I read Liars’ Paradox in one day. I started at my daughter’s softball practice, rushed home when she was done, and read well into the early morning hours. The next day, I sent this blurb to Taylor’s editor:
"Liars’ Paradox is hands-down the best thriller I’ve read this year. Original, cunning, smart, riveting, and relentless; with complex characters, pitch-perfect pacing, and high tension from page one to the end that begs for a movie treatment. Taylor Stevens has catapulted herself to the top of my favorite authors, right up there with Lisa Gardner and Lee Child."
Liars’ Paradox is that good.
Read my full review at Criminal Element.
Eighteen months ago, Taylor Stevens told me about her new series, and I told her to send me an ARC when it was ready. Her editor sent it to me last summer, but with five kids and writing three books a year, I didn’t get a chance to read it until October.
I was hooked from page one:
Quiet gentrified neighborhood and a cloud-covered sky at two in the morning, a perfect mix for breaking and entering. Would have been, anyway, if the house itself hadn’t been lit up like an Omani oil field, every window eating shadows from the neighboring yards in the same way flare burn-off stole night from the deep desert dunes. So, he sat in his car three houses down, hidden in the dark beneath a thirty-foot live oak, watching the front door and debating the options, not of them good.
Bringing in a target was so much easier if it could be dead.
I read Liars’ Paradox in one day. I started at my daughter’s softball practice, rushed home when she was done, and read well into the early morning hours. The next day, I sent this blurb to Taylor’s editor:
"Liars’ Paradox is hands-down the best thriller I’ve read this year. Original, cunning, smart, riveting, and relentless; with complex characters, pitch-perfect pacing, and high tension from page one to the end that begs for a movie treatment. Taylor Stevens has catapulted herself to the top of my favorite authors, right up there with Lisa Gardner and Lee Child."
Liars’ Paradox is that good.
Read my full review at Criminal Element.
December 19, 2018
Liars' Paradox, award-winning and New York Times bestselling author Taylor Stevens's seventh novel, is destined to be just as successful as her previous books. The premise is sound and highly original, and the explosive action starts right away, no messing about and continues to move the plot forward at a fast-pace. This is a tale of assassins, espionage, Jack and Jills love for their mother and some shady involvement from the CIA and KGB. Danger lurks around every corner and the characters don't know who is trustworthy and who is not, giving the whole book a menacing undertone to it. You never quite knew what was about to happen. This is a well written and crafted story that will have you nibbling those nails for the duration.
The action is compelling and her characters well-built and easy to connect with. They are all rather unlikeable but they come alive on the page and with each passing word the tension slowly but surely builds to an astonishing crescendo. This is one of those rare character-driven novels that also comes with a complex, multilayered plot. A fun, lighthearted read that often comes across as ironic, not least because of the names of our two main characters, Jack and Jill. I did pick up on some plot holes and things that really didn't seem logical, but this had little to no impact on my enjoyment. I look forward to the next high-octane instalment.
Many thanks to Kensington for an ARC.
The action is compelling and her characters well-built and easy to connect with. They are all rather unlikeable but they come alive on the page and with each passing word the tension slowly but surely builds to an astonishing crescendo. This is one of those rare character-driven novels that also comes with a complex, multilayered plot. A fun, lighthearted read that often comes across as ironic, not least because of the names of our two main characters, Jack and Jill. I did pick up on some plot holes and things that really didn't seem logical, but this had little to no impact on my enjoyment. I look forward to the next high-octane instalment.
Many thanks to Kensington for an ARC.
September 21, 2018
“Liars’ Paradox” is modern day pulp fiction, brain candy for those who crave non-stop action rather than a halfway decent stab a something approaching literature or a good story. The basic background – twins trained from early childhood in skills that would make James Bond envious – is necessary to the plot but so over-the-top that the constant examples only serve to work against believability.
Author Taylor Stevens begins with page after page, chapter after chapter of an adult sibling rivalry, and the “kidnapping” during a love scene caused me to initially question if the author meant for the book to be serious or humorous. This squabbling between the two characters carries on throughout the book, serving as a skimpy sort of character development. Rather than develop into something deeper, it merely got old after a while.
I don’t take of stars for this, but I will warn those who dislike purchasing a novel laced with expletives. This book is filled with colorful language, and enough f-bombs to decimate a small country. While I can understand the use to exhibit emotion, the over-abundance is a waste of a writing tool.
Bottom line: After careful thought, I am giving this book three stars. The writing is coherent, the plot moves quickly, and I believe that ultimately Ms. Stevens ended up with exactly the sort of book she planned to write, an action-packed story. Unfortunately, that left little room for strong characterization or reality, coupled with a plot that does little more than lead to the next battle. Three stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance electronic copy of this book.
Author Taylor Stevens begins with page after page, chapter after chapter of an adult sibling rivalry, and the “kidnapping” during a love scene caused me to initially question if the author meant for the book to be serious or humorous. This squabbling between the two characters carries on throughout the book, serving as a skimpy sort of character development. Rather than develop into something deeper, it merely got old after a while.
I don’t take of stars for this, but I will warn those who dislike purchasing a novel laced with expletives. This book is filled with colorful language, and enough f-bombs to decimate a small country. While I can understand the use to exhibit emotion, the over-abundance is a waste of a writing tool.
Bottom line: After careful thought, I am giving this book three stars. The writing is coherent, the plot moves quickly, and I believe that ultimately Ms. Stevens ended up with exactly the sort of book she planned to write, an action-packed story. Unfortunately, that left little room for strong characterization or reality, coupled with a plot that does little more than lead to the next battle. Three stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advance electronic copy of this book.
January 6, 2019
This is my first Taylor Stevens book and I can tell her writing is addictive. This book is non-stop from beginning to end. We get full on action with each chapter while learning about the characters. I don't mind multiple POVs and we get several here. However, the most we see is of Jack and Jill, our stars. Twins who were basically trained from birth with spy-like abilities for survival, they always considered their mother more of a mentor than anything else. They disregarded her paranoia but have to consider how right she may be when things go awry and they realize what they thought was another test is anything but.
The action did get a little over the top in certain areas. I would've liked to see some more character development... which is interesting as I felt this was still a more character driven book than a plot driven one. The first in a series can certainly be the build up to the upcoming books and in this case we get a full blown look at just how incredible these twins are. I certainly wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them (or their mother). As twins and growing up being tested repeatedly in a variety of situations, this made for the continuous, crazy sibling rivalry that is thrown at you in virtually ever chapter. I still can't quite wrap my mind around the opening scene because if that was MY brother coming at me while I was in THAT situation.. well... WEIRD. (also maybe poor choice of words but I'm leaving it there)
Mainly this book is just fun. If you like action packed thrillers then this is definitely suitable for your tastes. While I felt things got a bit redundant and a bit out there, I think that we get exactly what the author wanted to put out there - crazy characters that are continuously on the run which makes for a lot of new adventures coming our way.
I'm VERY curious to see where this family goes.. and if the twins can survive EACH OTHER.
Thank you to Kensington Books and TLC Book Tours for this copy. <3
The action did get a little over the top in certain areas. I would've liked to see some more character development... which is interesting as I felt this was still a more character driven book than a plot driven one. The first in a series can certainly be the build up to the upcoming books and in this case we get a full blown look at just how incredible these twins are. I certainly wouldn't want to get on the wrong side of them (or their mother). As twins and growing up being tested repeatedly in a variety of situations, this made for the continuous, crazy sibling rivalry that is thrown at you in virtually ever chapter. I still can't quite wrap my mind around the opening scene because if that was MY brother coming at me while I was in THAT situation.. well... WEIRD. (also maybe poor choice of words but I'm leaving it there)
Mainly this book is just fun. If you like action packed thrillers then this is definitely suitable for your tastes. While I felt things got a bit redundant and a bit out there, I think that we get exactly what the author wanted to put out there - crazy characters that are continuously on the run which makes for a lot of new adventures coming our way.
I'm VERY curious to see where this family goes.. and if the twins can survive EACH OTHER.
Thank you to Kensington Books and TLC Book Tours for this copy. <3
January 1, 2019
First of all, there's something that had me stumped. It's the cover. The razor with blood and rust. I'm trying to comprehend how it ties in with the story here. The only thing that mentioned was a quote with the wording razor's edge. I thought maybe I had missed something so I reread it. Same confusement. I do like the cover. Creative.
Moving on....
Wow! Talk about a major disfunctional family especially between the twin brother and sister. Apparently the special bond doesn't even exist between them. You can practically taste the different flavors of hatred and bitterness. Especially when it rolled off the twin girl, Jill fast and furious; understandably so. Its mostly due to the way they were raised by their ever elusive mother. She had trained them to defend themselves 24/7 . They couldn't understand why but they do it for their mother's love. They believed that their mother didn't love them due to the fact she would drop them off at different parts of the world and be trained without hearing a word from her for days, weeks, months, even year.
The story alternates with the siblings, mother and other people who are involved in the twins' lives at the moment. The twins had thought their mother disillusioned until her hidden home was bombed after receiving a cryptic text from her. This is where their wild crazy ride begins. In order to find their mother, they need to set aside their jealousy, pettiness and differences aside to solve the mystery. In order to do that, they must go back into the past to get clues and hints as to who their mother really is and learn their real identities.
The story was a wild roller coaster ride. There were times I just wanted to slap Jill and tell her to grow up. There are some characters who got me confused at first where I had to go back and figure out where they came from.
It is a fast actioned mystery. Also it's a first book in a series. Basically, it's called Jack and Jill Thriller. The way it ended in this book led me to believe there will be another book after this one. I like the way the book started and ended with a bang.
For those of you guys who like mystery (think CIA, undercover, KCG, Broker, Berlin, Florida, contracts, murder for hire, and etc) and thriller, different emotions, and etc, then this book is for you. This book is a bit unique for a mystery/thriller.
I'm going to give this book a low 4 stars.
I received ARC from Kensington Corp through Net Galley and won a print from Good Reads. Thank you!
Moving on....
Wow! Talk about a major disfunctional family especially between the twin brother and sister. Apparently the special bond doesn't even exist between them. You can practically taste the different flavors of hatred and bitterness. Especially when it rolled off the twin girl, Jill fast and furious; understandably so. Its mostly due to the way they were raised by their ever elusive mother. She had trained them to defend themselves 24/7 . They couldn't understand why but they do it for their mother's love. They believed that their mother didn't love them due to the fact she would drop them off at different parts of the world and be trained without hearing a word from her for days, weeks, months, even year.
The story alternates with the siblings, mother and other people who are involved in the twins' lives at the moment. The twins had thought their mother disillusioned until her hidden home was bombed after receiving a cryptic text from her. This is where their wild crazy ride begins. In order to find their mother, they need to set aside their jealousy, pettiness and differences aside to solve the mystery. In order to do that, they must go back into the past to get clues and hints as to who their mother really is and learn their real identities.
The story was a wild roller coaster ride. There were times I just wanted to slap Jill and tell her to grow up. There are some characters who got me confused at first where I had to go back and figure out where they came from.
It is a fast actioned mystery. Also it's a first book in a series. Basically, it's called Jack and Jill Thriller. The way it ended in this book led me to believe there will be another book after this one. I like the way the book started and ended with a bang.
For those of you guys who like mystery (think CIA, undercover, KCG, Broker, Berlin, Florida, contracts, murder for hire, and etc) and thriller, different emotions, and etc, then this book is for you. This book is a bit unique for a mystery/thriller.
I'm going to give this book a low 4 stars.
I received ARC from Kensington Corp through Net Galley and won a print from Good Reads. Thank you!
December 10, 2018
In Taylor Stevens newest book, Liars' Paradox (Kensington 2018), the first in her new series, twins Jack and Jill have been raised by a paranoid mother who taught them how to protect themselves from danger in a world populated with spies, terrorists, evil, lies, and subterfuge, where no one is to be trusted and every event is to be approached with cynicism. By the time the twins were teenagers, they could survive anywhere and protect themselves from any attack. When they finally become adults, they understandably break away, trying to leave behind the mother (Claire) they believe to be crazy and create their own life. That crashes down on them when they arrive at her house--at her request--to find it blown up, overrun with terrorists, and a helicopter taking Claire they-don't-know-where. But this sort of unknown is exactly what they've trained for their entire lives so they begin the process of tracking and rescuing. As they follow the minuscule breadcrumbs left behind by highly-professional kidnappers, the brother and sister--who love and hate each other in equal amounts--struggle with the realization that maybe their mother wasn't paranoid these past decades at all. Maybe all her stories were real. As a result, they must revisit a childhood they had desperately wanted to forgot, mining it for clues to the predicament Claire now faces.
Stevens is a unique writer. Her Vanessa Michael Munroe series was breathtaking--always fast with head-spinning plot twists. Stevens has a way of building tension with each word constantly until your chewing your nails at the end of each paragraph. She excels at creating powerful physical characters up to any challenge they face in defending or avenging themselves. This new series is no different in that respect though the characters--because of their loveless upbringing and their love-hate with each other--is darker. Also, for me, there is an excess of psychological backstory. Many pages are spent explaining in excruciating detail what made the characters who they are today. This may be entirely appropriate--it's the first book in a new series--but it became a few paragraphs to many for me and is why it got four instead of five stars.
Still, for those who love superheroes who can do anything and a psychological thriller like no other, this is a perfect read.
Stevens is a unique writer. Her Vanessa Michael Munroe series was breathtaking--always fast with head-spinning plot twists. Stevens has a way of building tension with each word constantly until your chewing your nails at the end of each paragraph. She excels at creating powerful physical characters up to any challenge they face in defending or avenging themselves. This new series is no different in that respect though the characters--because of their loveless upbringing and their love-hate with each other--is darker. Also, for me, there is an excess of psychological backstory. Many pages are spent explaining in excruciating detail what made the characters who they are today. This may be entirely appropriate--it's the first book in a new series--but it became a few paragraphs to many for me and is why it got four instead of five stars.
Still, for those who love superheroes who can do anything and a psychological thriller like no other, this is a perfect read.
November 8, 2018
I am constitutionally disposed to reject any book with a blood-encrusted razor blade featured on the cover, no matter how stylishly rendered. I never would have read Liars' Paradox if I hadn't enjoyed Stevens' prior books. Happily, the razor blade has nothing to do with the story. I hope it doesn't mislead potential readers, because Liars' Paradox is a seriously fun book, an ever-escalating, multi-player cat and mouse game complicated by family dynamics in overdrive.
Despite an emphasis on thrills, Stevens stays solidly grounded in reality. The danger with action-oriented stories is the temptation to sacrifice logic, consistency, plausibility, and the laws of physics for effect, resulting in plot holes that make a reader like me want to toss books across the room. I love that Stevens delivers high-octane thrills while staying true to her characters, technology and her environment.
Be prepared to stay up into the wee hours. Liars' Paradox is faster paced than Stevens' earlier books, with prose honed to produce a narrative as targeted and swift as a cobra strike while remaining as seductive as staring that same cobra in the face.
Stevens deftly balances life-and-death stakes with humor as feuding twins Jack and Jill search for their missing mother. Liars' Paradox is a special treat for anyone with a complicated sibling relationship.
Note: I received a Netgalley advance reader copy of Liars' Paradox.
Despite an emphasis on thrills, Stevens stays solidly grounded in reality. The danger with action-oriented stories is the temptation to sacrifice logic, consistency, plausibility, and the laws of physics for effect, resulting in plot holes that make a reader like me want to toss books across the room. I love that Stevens delivers high-octane thrills while staying true to her characters, technology and her environment.
Be prepared to stay up into the wee hours. Liars' Paradox is faster paced than Stevens' earlier books, with prose honed to produce a narrative as targeted and swift as a cobra strike while remaining as seductive as staring that same cobra in the face.
Stevens deftly balances life-and-death stakes with humor as feuding twins Jack and Jill search for their missing mother. Liars' Paradox is a special treat for anyone with a complicated sibling relationship.
Note: I received a Netgalley advance reader copy of Liars' Paradox.
September 25, 2018
Liars' Paradox by Taylor Stevens is a fast paced book that once involved I did not want to put this down! **spoiler alert**This is about a brother and sister (Jack and Jill, just one set of names they go by, twins) who have been raised from a very early age to be assassins by their mother (also an assassin ), their mother has sent for them and they heed the call but by the time they get to their mothers place it is to late and she has been taken....follow them on their hunt to find their mother before it is to late....
Absolutely loved this book, fast paced lots of action very unputdownable for me!!! Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC book in return for leaving my honest opinion!
Absolutely loved this book, fast paced lots of action very unputdownable for me!!! Thank you Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for allowing me to read this ARC book in return for leaving my honest opinion!
December 24, 2018
Many thanks to NetGalley, Kensington Books, and Taylor Stevens for an excerpt of this book. My opinions are 100% my own and independent of receiving this excerpt.
Meet Jack. He busts into a room, grabs a woman off of her lover, throws her on his shoulders and into the trunk of his car. He has been trailing her. Is he a stalker? Jealous ex? Nope. When he releases her from the trunk, they go at it like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Except these aren’t love interests. This is brother and sister. It is obvious that they have both been trained as assassins. Their “mom”, or the woman who trained them, needs to see them. When they approach her out-of-the-way home, it blows up in front of them. So the story begins.
So, you can get the idea that this is a mix of Kill Bill, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and any other famous trained assassin movie you can think of. It reads a little like those old gumshoe movies with the voice overs. From the excerpt it seems to have more violence and sex than those old movies would have shown. I’m not sure if it peaked my interest enough to go buy the book. I would have loved to have read the whole thing and give you a better idea of what it was like and see if I would have been interested enough to invest in the series, but I just didn’t get enough information from the excerpt to be able to tell. My fault for not reading the publisher’s note that the whole book was available to download at a later date.What I did read wasn’t enough to make me want to run out and buy it. There are just too many books in this world that I know I want to read first. That being said, it peaked my curiosity enough that if I come across it on sale, I’m interested enough to give the first book a try.
Meet Jack. He busts into a room, grabs a woman off of her lover, throws her on his shoulders and into the trunk of his car. He has been trailing her. Is he a stalker? Jealous ex? Nope. When he releases her from the trunk, they go at it like Mr. and Mrs. Smith. Except these aren’t love interests. This is brother and sister. It is obvious that they have both been trained as assassins. Their “mom”, or the woman who trained them, needs to see them. When they approach her out-of-the-way home, it blows up in front of them. So the story begins.
So, you can get the idea that this is a mix of Kill Bill, Mr. and Mrs. Smith and any other famous trained assassin movie you can think of. It reads a little like those old gumshoe movies with the voice overs. From the excerpt it seems to have more violence and sex than those old movies would have shown. I’m not sure if it peaked my interest enough to go buy the book. I would have loved to have read the whole thing and give you a better idea of what it was like and see if I would have been interested enough to invest in the series, but I just didn’t get enough information from the excerpt to be able to tell. My fault for not reading the publisher’s note that the whole book was available to download at a later date.What I did read wasn’t enough to make me want to run out and buy it. There are just too many books in this world that I know I want to read first. That being said, it peaked my curiosity enough that if I come across it on sale, I’m interested enough to give the first book a try.
January 20, 2019
This was all right, but not nearly as compelling as her previous series.
October 5, 2018
HOLY FREAKIN CRAP! I loved this book so much. Jack and Jill are fascinating characters I want to know everything about them. There was enough action to draw people in who want a fast paced story, but the family dynamic/drama took it and made it a better more layered, nuanced story. The flashbacks to different times in Jack and Jill’s childhood were great way to help the reader better understand them. I CANT NOT WAIT for the next book in this series!
October 11, 2018
I was really waiting for this one and it did not disappoint. I received an early release copy via NetGalley and the publisher. "Jack" and "Jill" are twins raised by a mother who by all appearances is a gun-toting, conspiracy nut who has basically raised them to be the same. Who they really are is what makes this story so great! It is an awesome start to a new series with some seriously kick-butt characters.
September 25, 2018
Absolutely fabulous book. Jill and Jack's adventures kept my interest from page one. Jill turned out to be such a strong woman and one you would not want to cross. Jack was such a sensitive character. I can see a relationship happening between Jill and Christopher. So many sub plots going on . Can't wait until the next one.
October 29, 2019
I get a real kick out of reading this type of book, the assassin-for-hire adventure thriller. I had not been aware of the Jack and Jill Mystery series so was very interested in trying out this first book. And, boy, am I glad I've read Liars' Paradox. This is action packed from first page to last with very good character development and superb plotting. Anyone who reads this type of novel knows that the exploits of the characters is going to be over-the-top but that doesn't mean the authors can get away with sloppy action. Taylor Stevens has kept her characters as believable as possible under the circumstances and still give readers an action packed story.
Jack and Jill (maybe their real names, maybe not) are twins who grew up under incredibly difficult circumstances. Their mother had been an active espionage agent before they were born and her paranoia kept her teaching and training them from the time they were five or six to evade government hunters who might want to use them to get back to her. Later the training moved into the tradecraft of assassination and all the deception relative to staying off the radar of anyone looking for them. This is a fast moving story with the question of who to trust always staring this young (26 year old) team in the face. I am certainly looking forward to reading Liars' Legacy due for release December 3, 2019.
Jack and Jill (maybe their real names, maybe not) are twins who grew up under incredibly difficult circumstances. Their mother had been an active espionage agent before they were born and her paranoia kept her teaching and training them from the time they were five or six to evade government hunters who might want to use them to get back to her. Later the training moved into the tradecraft of assassination and all the deception relative to staying off the radar of anyone looking for them. This is a fast moving story with the question of who to trust always staring this young (26 year old) team in the face. I am certainly looking forward to reading Liars' Legacy due for release December 3, 2019.
November 13, 2019
Twisty mystery with some messed up characters. Everyone is an assassin, except one poor schmuck. A lot of action & very mysterious past. Wraps up fairly well, but there's still a major mystery to solve that will take another book. I don't think I'll read it.
I didn't like any of the characters much. Way too much testosterone even in the women, especially in them, & they're twisted folks living only to survive. It was pretty good until the end where it started jumping the shark too much. I didn't buy allowing one person to live because it kept worse at bay.
Still, it was well narrated & kept my attention.
I didn't like any of the characters much. Way too much testosterone even in the women, especially in them, & they're twisted folks living only to survive. It was pretty good until the end where it started jumping the shark too much. I didn't buy allowing one person to live because it kept worse at bay.
Still, it was well narrated & kept my attention.
January 13, 2020
The one point that nagged me the most throughout the story was Jill's over the top jealousy against Jack which would erupt at ridiculous inopertunistically times when she should have been more focused on staying alive instead of beating up her brother. She behaves more like a five year old with a mommy loves you more than me attitude. I hope Clare's reveal to Jill concerning why she treated Jill the way she did when she was younger will cease Jill's constantly physically pummeling Jack in the next book and they work as a more cohesive team.
May 14, 2025
I didn't really enjoy this book. I read a few chapters. I found it quite boring. I thought the writing was very simple. the characters were very bland
October 3, 2021
This is the first thriller I've ever read, and honestly, I'm going to hope that others have more action. While Liars' Paradox was intriguing at some points, it felt very flat at others.
The story starts in Jack's point of view, and I initially saw him as a strong character. I liked Jill in her point of view a lot less, and I can't really say she grew on me as the story went on.
What surprised me was that they introduced new points of view after Jack and Jill were introduced. Holden is their mother's kidnapper, and when his point of view was first brought out, I didn't think I would like it. It's that feeling where you're set to like the protagonist, because they are the protagonist, or the first characters introduced, or for whatever reason. But as the story goes on, the reader actually sees that Holden is not necessarily the antagonist either. I started to look forward to his point of view, as he grew to be the only character with much substance.
In contrast, my least favorite perspective was Clare's, the mother. Although some of her story was necessary for the plot to make sense, I just could not connect to her at all. All of her scenes were action with little or no feeling, and though this was how she was seen by Jack and Jill, I expected that in her own narration she would have a little more of a personality.
I both liked and hated how much backstory was given. Since I am also working through the Legion series, which I think needs a lot more backstory, I liked it at first. However, to me, Taylor Stevens inserted flashbacks and character history at random times that were not exactly cohesive to the story.
As for the plot, the beginning started off strong, and then the story became really dull in the middle, where you would kind of expect the most action. There was a lot of waiting around, and when there was action it was all too fast paced, and again, not always cohesive to the story. Liars' Paradox has suspense as a main page genre, but I never felt any sense of that. Things just weren't that well paced.
Despite my qualms about Liars' Paradox, I would be interested to read the sequel when it comes out, although I probably won't try too hard to get it. I do want to see how the characters grow and change, and I also really, really ship Holden and Jill.
Disclaimer:
The story starts in Jack's point of view, and I initially saw him as a strong character. I liked Jill in her point of view a lot less, and I can't really say she grew on me as the story went on.
What surprised me was that they introduced new points of view after Jack and Jill were introduced. Holden is their mother's kidnapper, and when his point of view was first brought out, I didn't think I would like it. It's that feeling where you're set to like the protagonist, because they are the protagonist, or the first characters introduced, or for whatever reason. But as the story goes on, the reader actually sees that Holden is not necessarily the antagonist either. I started to look forward to his point of view, as he grew to be the only character with much substance.
In contrast, my least favorite perspective was Clare's, the mother. Although some of her story was necessary for the plot to make sense, I just could not connect to her at all. All of her scenes were action with little or no feeling, and though this was how she was seen by Jack and Jill, I expected that in her own narration she would have a little more of a personality.
I both liked and hated how much backstory was given. Since I am also working through the Legion series, which I think needs a lot more backstory, I liked it at first. However, to me, Taylor Stevens inserted flashbacks and character history at random times that were not exactly cohesive to the story.
As for the plot, the beginning started off strong, and then the story became really dull in the middle, where you would kind of expect the most action. There was a lot of waiting around, and when there was action it was all too fast paced, and again, not always cohesive to the story. Liars' Paradox has suspense as a main page genre, but I never felt any sense of that. Things just weren't that well paced.
Despite my qualms about Liars' Paradox, I would be interested to read the sequel when it comes out, although I probably won't try too hard to get it. I do want to see how the characters grow and change, and I also really, really ship Holden and Jill.
Disclaimer:
September 22, 2020
Taylor Stevens is one of the best writers alive today. Her stories have incredibly well developed and unique characters like none you will experience in her chosen genre. The suspense is gripping and the plots thick as molasses with lots of twists. She reminds me of Lee Child except her characters have more dimension and less predictability. She is going to blow away the best seller's list I have no doubt. Her fans have been waiting for this for years. So strap on your seat belt. (I am not in any way associated with this author or the publisher. I am in her fan club because I gotta know when this is coming.)
October 22, 2018
Liars’ Paradox by author Taylor Stevens is a gripping suspense/thriller book. Fans of fast paced and thick plots will love this! It will finish with a bang of great things!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Liars’ Paradox in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of Liars’ Paradox in exchange for an honest review.
November 8, 2019
I have read and loved all of this author's Vanessa Michael Munroe novels, but this new series is so very, very disappointing. Had to stop reading after about 100 pages and could not finish the book. Do not recommend:(
January 16, 2019
Thanks to Kensington Books and TLC Book Tours for the free copy in exchange for my honest review
This was my introduction to Taylor Stevens, as well as the start of a new series! LIARS’ PARADOX follows twins, Jack and Jill. Don’t let the names fool you, they are far from sweet and innocent children. Both have been trained by their mother, Clare, to be the optimal survivalists. Taught at young ages the art of espionage, hunting, surveillance, and even subjected them to cruel psychological tests and games. Sounds like a happy childhood we all want, right?
Fast forward, the twins are now in their 20s and are desperate to lead normal lives. That is nearly impossible for them when Clare’s off-grid home is blown up. Jack and Jill’s instincts and training kick in and they must find their mother.
This book was very entertaining and had plenty of action and suspense to keep you reading straight through. Espionage is always fun for me to read because my senior project in college was about espionage tactics used – so I always love seeing how authors utilize this element/research that can go into it. There are moments where things are over the top, which isn’t bad. You almost expect it to be with the training the twins go through. I am happy to see that this is a series, so hopefully there will be some more character development as it continues because that was one thing that I was wanting more of.
Overall, a solid suspense read and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more with Jack and Jill.
This was my introduction to Taylor Stevens, as well as the start of a new series! LIARS’ PARADOX follows twins, Jack and Jill. Don’t let the names fool you, they are far from sweet and innocent children. Both have been trained by their mother, Clare, to be the optimal survivalists. Taught at young ages the art of espionage, hunting, surveillance, and even subjected them to cruel psychological tests and games. Sounds like a happy childhood we all want, right?
Fast forward, the twins are now in their 20s and are desperate to lead normal lives. That is nearly impossible for them when Clare’s off-grid home is blown up. Jack and Jill’s instincts and training kick in and they must find their mother.
This book was very entertaining and had plenty of action and suspense to keep you reading straight through. Espionage is always fun for me to read because my senior project in college was about espionage tactics used – so I always love seeing how authors utilize this element/research that can go into it. There are moments where things are over the top, which isn’t bad. You almost expect it to be with the training the twins go through. I am happy to see that this is a series, so hopefully there will be some more character development as it continues because that was one thing that I was wanting more of.
Overall, a solid suspense read and I’ll be keeping an eye out for more with Jack and Jill.
December 3, 2018
It has been years since I have read a book from this author. I will admit that my first impression was not the greatest. Thus, I really did not have much interest in wanting to jump into reading another book. In fact, when I read the premise for this book it is what drew me to want to check it out. I forgot I had read a book from this author before.
I like the vibes of this book. Jack and Jill can kill. They are very skilled shooters. Although, they had a good mentor in Clare. The story started out with a bang. There is nothing like Jack busting through a door to retrieve Jill from her date over his shoulder. Once Jack and Jill get to their destination, they find themselves under fire. From there the story keeps up a good pacing. Yet, I will admit that while the flashbacks to the past was good as it helped to provide details about Jack and Jill and their relationship with Clare; I found it not as interesting as the present. After finishing this book, I will probably check out another book from this author sooner rather than later.
I like the vibes of this book. Jack and Jill can kill. They are very skilled shooters. Although, they had a good mentor in Clare. The story started out with a bang. There is nothing like Jack busting through a door to retrieve Jill from her date over his shoulder. Once Jack and Jill get to their destination, they find themselves under fire. From there the story keeps up a good pacing. Yet, I will admit that while the flashbacks to the past was good as it helped to provide details about Jack and Jill and their relationship with Clare; I found it not as interesting as the present. After finishing this book, I will probably check out another book from this author sooner rather than later.
December 25, 2018
Liars' Paradox (A Jack and Jill Mystery #1) by Taylor Stevens is a good thriller read. I want to thank Netgalley and the author for my arc. I am sorry that my delay I loved the book I just had a hard time the last two months sitting down doing my reviews. Jack and Jill some cute names for twins. Although the relationship between them is anything but cute. We can picture the sweet darlings romping in the sunlight always with wide smiles on their faces.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. The book reads like 007 meets revenge and I loved every minute. I thought Claire their mother is an odd ball who I actually liked. It wraps up well and I look forward to seeing how the two continue in the second book.
Boy is that not the case in Liars' Paradox. These twins have been trained by their commando mother to endure pain, deprivation, fear, isolation, and loneliness. The book reads like 007 meets revenge and I loved every minute. I thought Claire their mother is an odd ball who I actually liked. It wraps up well and I look forward to seeing how the two continue in the second book.
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