House of Lies by S.R.Claridge
Review by Justin Rentschler, RipeReviews
It is rare that a novel from an unknown author makes
headlines right out of the gate, but House of Lies has done just that. A short month after its early October 2012
release by Vanilla Heart publishing, House of Lies and author S.R.Claridge were featured on Fox4 News in
Kansas City, Missouri. (Watch
the broadcast.) Claridge’s novel has also become a source of discussion on
blog sites and global news venues.
Apparently the story written by Claridge pre-told the death
of Bethany Leidlein Deaton, which occurred in Kansas City three weeks after the
book’s release. Fox4 News posed a
question that seemed to be on everyone’s mind, “Does the author know more than
she’s letting on?”
The book is about a religious cult group in the Kansas City
area, one that is foundationally based in false prophecy. The main character, a 29-year old woman named
Skylar, embarks on a journey to rescue her sister, who is being groomed to become
a leader, from the group named P3. Claridge’s
heroine proves that none of the cult group’s prophetic visions are real, and
yet, ironically, the novel itself prophetically foretold of the upcoming Deaton
murder. (Google the Deaton murder for more information.) An additional source of irony is the fact
that Claridge’s sister is a leader in a group called the International House of
Prayer, based in Kansas City, and touted by many to be a cult. This brings us back to Fox4 New’s
question: “Does the author know more?”
Claridge has been vocal about her distaste for the
International House of Prayer and has even called the group a “cult” on her
blog. (Claridge Blog.) However, she told Fox4 News that House of Lies
is fiction and, though her relationship with her sister may have inspired the
novel, it was not written specifically about her sister or about any one cult
group. Claridge claims to have studied
five groups with cult tendencies, but admits she has only received backlash
from International House of Prayer members, and not from any of the other
groups. Why? Because, and here’s another ironic element to
this whole thing, Bethany Leidlein Deaton was a member of the International
House of Prayer. On her blog, Claridge
has posted some of the threatening
letters she has received from International House of Prayer members who claim
to be upset because the book doesn’t accurately depict their group. Claridge’s response: “The book is fiction.”
Now, onward to my review:
House of Lies is a unique animal. It reminded me of The DaVinci Code, written
by Dan Brown, and also a little bit of Grisham’s , The Pelican Brief. While reading, there is an inescapable sense
that the author has tapped into something dangerously real; and we can’t deny
the fact that she may have done just that.
Our heroine is likeable but has a chip on her shoulder. Her sister was spiritually ravished by P3 founder, Sagan,
at a young age and groomed to become a leader in the P3 group, which became the
driving factor behind Skylar’s in-depth study of P3. Sidebar:
I enjoyed Claridge’s use of the name “Sagan” as it is close to the name “Satan.” She incorporates play-on-words vernacular throughout, keeping the reader on their toes.
The book opens with a bang and we are immediately let in on
a little secret, that something isn’t right in this group. We get a glimpse of the physical
manipulations even before our heroine becomes aware of said practices. This was a nice touch because it allowed the
reader to more easily connect with Skylar and her quest to rescue her sister,Tess.
Along the way Claridge re-introduces two characters from her
debut novel, No Easy Way, released in October 2010; Stephen Braznovich and his
pseudo-assistant, ex-cop, Ernie James.
They are an unlikely duo, but make an effective crime-solving team. I am hopeful Claridge will incorporate them
into future novels as well. A blossoming
romance between Braznovich and our heroine adds a nice sexual tension to the
story, while Ernie laces the plot with chain-smoking humor; all of which is
needed to keep the intensity in balance.
Claridge has a knack for taking readers to the very edge, dangling them
there and then doing something unexpected.
She is author of the Just Call
Me Angel series, a mafia story set in present day Chicago. I will be reviewing the series as a whole
later this year. But, in all of Claridge’s
novels I’ve noticed that no character is safe, not even the hero or
heroine. Like the t.v. series, 24,
Claridge will twist the plot in an instant and send readers reeling into the
unknown. Few authors are able to do this
and still keep the story cohesive.
Claridge is one of them.
It is without question that House of Lies carries truth, but
how much and about whom is unknown and I predict it will remain that way. Several on-line articles have alluded to the
fact that Claridge isn’t talking. House of Lies isn’t so much a book about a
religious sect, but how the P3 group hides their political agenda beneath a pseudo-evangelical
veil. Its tentacles reach into the upper
echelon of the United States government and into the global economy. Readers don’t know who to trust and neither
does the heroine who finds herself trapped between a group of local,
revenge-seeking vigilantes and Braznovich, whose motives are unclear. The plot explodes mid-way through the book and
then in Claridge-fashion, the author takes everything apart to put it back
together in a new light.
The ending is absurdly frustrating to the reader who must
wait for the sequel, but well-prosed with another Claridge play-on-words. She’s created an underground movement,
responsible for tracking the activities of cult groups in the United States,
called Defense Against Religious Cults or D.A.R.C. Skylar, Braznovich and a handful of others
are taken to this underground security facility for safety. The last line of the book: “… they
would all have to remain in the DARC.”
House of Lies is a difficult book to summarize because so
much of the plot cannot be given away. Each step in the story is relevant to a
future development and so a scathe overview is impossible without giving away
too much. For the avid suspense reader
or those that enjoy political thrillers, this book should be on your list. If you’re looking for a pure romance novel,
you’re not going to find it in House of Lies or in any of Claridge’s books to
date. If you want action, tension,
humor, and unbridled suspense, Claridge is for you.
House of Lies: 5 Stars
by Justin Rentschler, RipeReviews
