Leo Balanoff is a defense attorney who just can’t let justice slip by. He also has a dark and heartbreaking past that molded him into the kind of person that bends the rules for a good cause. This kind of thinking has gotten him into trouble more than once. When big-time drug dealer Cyrus Balik turns up dead, and Leo’s fingerprints are on the murder weapon, law enforcement thinks they have an open-shut case. Especially since he has connections and motive for this particular crime. So when FBI Agent Chris Roberti offers him a deal if he goes undercover to bust the person at the top, he reluctantly agrees to avoid going straight to prison. This throws him in the path of his ex-fiancé and former cop Andi Piotrowski, who has also been quite busy since they broke up. The longer Leo cooperates, the deeper he falls into a network that spans global operations, larger crime rings, and generations. The Best Lies by New York Times bestselling author David Ellis takes readers on a wild ride as Leo uses his wits, connections, and quirks to stay one step ahead of everyone to settle a score decades in the making.
Book
Being in his career for as long as he has, Leo knows the drill. He takes his chances going undercover for the FBI, rather than go to prison for murder. But Leo is intelligent. And he’s got tricks up his sleeve that he’s been waiting to put into place. And due to his upbringing, he has no problem lying for a good cause. Not surprisingly, this way of thinking has caused problems for his career and personal life. And all of those details seem to be coming back into play in his current predicament.
Agent Roberti is a cancer survivor struggling to get the momentum back in his career. He’s determined to catch the big fish, Nico Katsaros, and Leo is his ticket. Just as long as he cooperates. Andi, on the other hand, works as the head of security for a medical lab working on a highly sought-after product. And some powerful people want to get their hands on the prototype. How this connects to the organized crime ring goes so much deeper and best left for readers to discover themselves. Some players want to protect intellectual property. Some want to bring horrible people to justice. Most just want that big paycheck once it’s all over. Everyone’s motives are murky and questionable. And readers won’t be able to determine who has the upper hand until the very end.
Review
Ellis delivers a fast-paced, sophisticated, and highly entertaining story with The Best Lies. The many twists and turns takes the readers on a journey that will have their head spinning. We get POVs from Leo, Chris, and Andi, making us eager to learn everyone’s true agendas yet not being sure until the final act. The flashbacks help us get there while detailing the history between characters. That being said, readers will have to keep up, but the reward is that much sweeter for it.
I absolutely loved Leo as a protagonist. He’s quirky yet so intelligent that readers won’t be able to guess his next step. His antics and sense of humor had me laughing at unexpected moments. I know that The Best Lies is not a romance novel, but I think Leo Balanoff just made the Book Boyfriends List. That’s a first for me. And I’m not mad about it.
