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Where the Truth Lies
As Britain's railroads burgeon, a young Victorian woman named Kezzy is motivated by her love and her longing for a better life to struggle for her very survival
256 pages, Hardcover
Published January 1, 1988
About the author
Helen Hayes
44 books11 followersHelen Hayes Brown (October 10, 1900 – March 17, 1993) was an American actress whose career spanned almost 70 years.
She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of eleven people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. Hayes also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, from President Ronald Reagan in 1986. In 1988, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
The annual Helen Hayes Awards, which have recognized excellence in professional theatre in the greater Washington, D.C. area since 1984, are her namesake. In 1955 the former Fulton Theatre on 46th Street in New York City's Broadway theater district was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre. When that venue was torn down in 1982, the nearby Little Theatre was renamed in her honor.
Hayes wrote three memoirs.
She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the American Theatre" and was one of eleven people who have won an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony Award. Hayes also received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America's highest civilian honor, from President Ronald Reagan in 1986. In 1988, she was awarded the National Medal of Arts.
The annual Helen Hayes Awards, which have recognized excellence in professional theatre in the greater Washington, D.C. area since 1984, are her namesake. In 1955 the former Fulton Theatre on 46th Street in New York City's Broadway theater district was renamed the Helen Hayes Theatre. When that venue was torn down in 1982, the nearby Little Theatre was renamed in her honor.
Hayes wrote three memoirs.
"We rely upon the poets, the philosophers, and the playwrights to articulate what most of us can only feel, in joy or sorrow. They illuminate the thoughts for which we only grope; they give us the strength and balm we cannot find in ourselves. Whenever I feel my courage wavering, I rush to them. They give me the wisdom of acceptance, the will and resiliance to push on." - Helen Hayes
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 19, 2020
Where the Truth Lies by Helen Hayes and Thomas Chastain is a 1990 William Morrow publication.
This book is a part of my little paperback collection. Published in 1990, it doesn’t qualify as a ‘vintage’ paperback just yet- but the reason I have held onto it was because it was written by the esteemed actress Helen Hayes- “The First lady of American Theatre”. So, I’ve kept it because, to me at least, the book is collectable.
Helen Hayes was a popular and personable actress, on stage and screen, and also portrayed “Miss Marple”, in three full-length movie adaptations of Agatha Christie’s novels.
This book features a veteran actress named Halcie Harper, who rises to the occasion to help detectives solve the murder of Arthur Strickland, a movie producer who had just won an Oscar. I think Halcie’s character was loosely based on Helen, which was kind of fun, if a bit transparent.
However, the book, though lacking any text reviews on Goodreads, hasn’t received high marks. But I couldn’t bring myself to believe a book with Helen Hayes’ name attached could be that bad.
But, in all honesty, it wasn’t anything special, although, to be fair, it was structured like many light mysteries written in the early nineties. There was a nice twist I didn’t see coming, although today's audience will find some aspects to be highly implausible. Yet, the story captures some Hollywood sparkle from a different time and place, which gave the story a bit of nostalgic charm.
With the popularity of cozy mysteries right now, if this book had been written today, with a bit of modernization, it could easily fit into that mystery subgenere, and probably would have had a pretty good chance at becoming a solid series.
Overall, this mystery may not be especially memorable in the long run, and it did have its flaws, it was enjoyable enough, and is better than the ratings suggests. I've seen higher marks for far more subpar books than this one.
That said, I don’t know if I’d go to a lot of trouble trying to locate a copy for reading purposes. It is not available in digital format. However, if you want a copy to add to a book collection, you can find a few copies on eBay,and probably in a few other online used bookstore, either in paperback or hardcover. The prices and quality of the books vary, as does the cover art. but most are under five dollars- before shipping.
3.5 stars
This book is a part of my little paperback collection. Published in 1990, it doesn’t qualify as a ‘vintage’ paperback just yet- but the reason I have held onto it was because it was written by the esteemed actress Helen Hayes- “The First lady of American Theatre”. So, I’ve kept it because, to me at least, the book is collectable.
Helen Hayes was a popular and personable actress, on stage and screen, and also portrayed “Miss Marple”, in three full-length movie adaptations of Agatha Christie’s novels.
This book features a veteran actress named Halcie Harper, who rises to the occasion to help detectives solve the murder of Arthur Strickland, a movie producer who had just won an Oscar. I think Halcie’s character was loosely based on Helen, which was kind of fun, if a bit transparent.
However, the book, though lacking any text reviews on Goodreads, hasn’t received high marks. But I couldn’t bring myself to believe a book with Helen Hayes’ name attached could be that bad.
But, in all honesty, it wasn’t anything special, although, to be fair, it was structured like many light mysteries written in the early nineties. There was a nice twist I didn’t see coming, although today's audience will find some aspects to be highly implausible. Yet, the story captures some Hollywood sparkle from a different time and place, which gave the story a bit of nostalgic charm.
With the popularity of cozy mysteries right now, if this book had been written today, with a bit of modernization, it could easily fit into that mystery subgenere, and probably would have had a pretty good chance at becoming a solid series.
Overall, this mystery may not be especially memorable in the long run, and it did have its flaws, it was enjoyable enough, and is better than the ratings suggests. I've seen higher marks for far more subpar books than this one.
That said, I don’t know if I’d go to a lot of trouble trying to locate a copy for reading purposes. It is not available in digital format. However, if you want a copy to add to a book collection, you can find a few copies on eBay,and probably in a few other online used bookstore, either in paperback or hardcover. The prices and quality of the books vary, as does the cover art. but most are under five dollars- before shipping.
3.5 stars
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