Bad Lie

Jack Austin Mystery #4

by John R. Corrigan

PGA Tour pro Jack Austin promised former caddy and surrogate son Nash Henley he would help him find his biological father. But before Nash and his father are ever reunited, Owen Henley is murdered--and Nash's dream of knowing his real father dies with him. Now Nash wants to know who his father was and why he was killed. And Jack intends to keep his promise. In Bad Lie, readers see why Mystery Scene calls Austin "the perfect narrator, observant but not omnipotent, confident, but painfully aware of his flaws." Jack is coming off his first PGA Tour victory and striving to reach golf's top echelon. But Nash's request leads Jack on a tour of Owen Henley's past and into an international smuggling scheme. Plot twists abound in Bad Lie. Readers follow Austin from the fairways of the PGA Tour to a foursome on a wooded golf course in northern Maine. There, the stakes exceed any purse played for on tour, and with a single gunshot, the Jack Austin series changes forever.

284 pages, Paperback

First published October 7, 2005

About the author

John R. Corrigan worked as a newspaper reporter for two years and earned a master's of fine arts degree in creative writing from the University of Texas at El Paso. Corrigan is a member of the Mystery Writers of America. He currently lives and teaches full-time at a boarding school in Gill, Massachusetts.

Also writes under the pseudonyms D.A. Keeley and K.A. Delaney

Reviews

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have never played a round of golf in my life. I understand the basics, and have played both miniature golf and an 18-hole putting course at the Eagle Crest Golf Course a few times. I don't watch golf on television. None of that means that I cannot enjoy Bad Lie by John R. Corrigan. You don't have to play golf to get a kick out of any of the Jack Austin books. But I bet if you do enjoy playing or watching golf, you will absolutely love these mystery novels.

The story in Bad Lie starts off slowly and gradually picks up speed. Jack decides to help Nash find out more about his murdered father, a man Nash never really knew. But things get drastically more complicated when Jack hits a local thug who then threatens to kill him. So, not only does Jack need to have eyes in the back of his head watching out for Pulchuck, he must play four days at the Valero Texas Open at the La Cantera Golf Club and Resort in San Antonio, Texas. No pressure there, right?

The great thing about John R. Corrigan is how he develops his characters. With every book, we learn more about Jack, Perkins and the other main characters. What I found interesting in this book was the character of Jerome Pulchuck. He came up with an interesting way of selling drugs across the Canadian border that actually made me laugh. Sure, he is a bad guy, but at least he seems like a somewhat intelligent bad guy, which is probably why Perkins kept underestimating him.

There was a lot more golfing in this book than previous books, or at least it seemed that way to me. But that is fine by me because I get a kick out of reading about Jack and his struggles to win a tournament. I like the way Jack's caddy, Silvers, and he interact while on the golf courses and thoroughly enjoy the descriptive sports writing.

The combination of golf and murder make the Jack Austin books stand out from all other murder mystery books written today. Jack Austin is not a cop or a private detective, he is professional PGA Tour player that helps out friends that are in trouble. I really do love these books.

Overall, Bad Lie is a great addition to the Jack Austin Mystery series by John R. Corrigan. This book is a real bump and run. I cannot wait to read about Jack Austin in his next book and learn more about the great game of golf.

I rated this book an 8½ out of 10.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

4th in Jack Austin mystery series. Used for University Press LJ article. Serious descriptions of golf.
Jack's a golf professional who quotes Philip Levine poetry and has dyslexia issues. Rather leisurely paced. Jack has a big heart and never loses sight of his priorities. Think Robert B. Parker or Dick Francis.

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I read in this series. Not exactly sure how I ended up picking it to bring home, but I did!

Overall a good read...quick as well. Not quite up to Robert Parker like the cover says, but still good. I will pick up the other books in the series and read them.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure I'm into golf fiction, but it was okay.