Contemporary Thrillers THE BEST LIES with David Ellis

Leo Balanoff is a diagnosed pathological liar with unthinkable skeletons in his family’s closet. He’s also a crusading attorney who seeks justice at all costs. When a ruthless drug dealer is found dead and Leo’s fingerprints show up on the murder weapon, no one believes a word he says. But he might be the FBI’s only shot at taking down the dealer’s brutal syndicate.

Risk his life going undercover for the feds or head straight to prison for murder? Leo accepts the FBI’s offer—but it comes with a price, including a collision course with his ex, Andi Piotrowski, a former cop and “the one who got away.” Forced to walk a tightrope between an ambitious FBI agent and a cruel, calculating crime boss, Leo’s trapped in a corner. But he has more secrets than anyone realizes, and a few more cards left to play …

New York Times bestselling author, David Ellis recently sat down with The Big Thrill to discuss his latest contemporary thriller, THE BEST LIES.

David Ellis

How does this book make a contribution to the genre?

I have never read a book where the first-person protagonist was a pathological liar. We have read unreliable protagonists, but has the reader ever wondered if the protagonist was lying to them? It opened up so many avenues for me and creates such a unique experience for the reader.

What authors or books have influenced your career as a writer, and why?

I find most of my inspiration in great works of art, whether it’s a book, a show, a piece of music, whatever. My favorite authors are Tana French, Megan Abbott, Ruth Ware, Scott Turow, and Hannah Morrissey. I want to write as powerfully as they do, in their own different ways. Each of them explore the underside of human nature but do so in a realistic way, showing the good and bad of the characters, which makes it so much more meaningful.

What attracts you to this book’s genre?

Three things. One, I like exploring people who are conventional in all measurable ways but who are pushed to cross the lines that most of us will never cross. This genre affords me the opportunity to create those situations and see how those people react. Two, I have always been fascinated by the art of deception, the different ways that someone, subtly or overtly, can convince you that up is down and white is black. And three, I love the game! I love being taken on a ride and trying to guess the twists … and it’s even more fun being the writer, trying to mislead the reader and (hopefully) hitting them with some great twists.

Which took shape first: plot, character, or setting?

I always begin with the character. Always, always, always. I write my best stuff when I come up with an intriguing character with whom I want to spend a lot of time. Once I’ve created an enigmatic character, I dig into how they became who they are—their background, their upbringing. Invariably their back story, their dark secrets, become part of the plot of the novel. The best plots are usually based on the character, not the other way around.

What was the biggest challenge this book presented? What about the biggest opportunity?

The biggest challenge was writing the next book after LOOK CLOSER. That book has succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, and I felt a lot of pressure to hit another “home run,” so to speak. It can be paralyzing. I realized that all I could do was follow my formula of creating a really unique and complex protagonist and then taking him for a wild ride. Once I created Leo, my pathological liar, and knew the impossible situation I was going to place him in, I knew I had something special.