Truth Unscrewed by Lisbeth Foye

Simon Tate is slowly allowing himself to die. 

When Lana makes a throwaway comment about the people from her past, it triggers a notion in Simon's head, an idea which should have gone no further. Simon enlists the help of Rupert, his young nephew, but his seemingly innocent project is on course to create carnage as it ushers his nephew towards the odious and dark world of Piet de Vos. Where the tragic consequences can only go one way. 

No-one is untouched by upheaval; no-one's life will ever be the same again. 

Lessons are learnt. Love is found, and lost. Livelihoods are destroyed and new lives begin. 

The end result, for all concerned, is not what Simon had in mind when he first planned his final gift to his friend, Lana. But then, nothing in life goes strictly to plan, does it? 

Truth Unscrewed will take you on an odyssey through Europe, Asia, North and South America, into the lives of these same people who are no longer connected to each other; but each has their own story to tell - and the fallout to deal with. 

The Biggest Lie introduced you to Lana, Joe, Fran, Simon, Tess, Theo, Piet, Anita, Howard... Now, many years later their lives have moved on. Simon's nephew, Rupert, is sent by his uncle to discover secrets from their past, one of which - had she known at the time - could have altered the path which Lana took, all those years ago.

Truth Unscrewed by Lisbeth Foye was published on 28 April 2014 and is available in both ebook and paperback. Truth Unscrewed is the follow-up to The Biggest Lie which I reviewed here on Random Things back in February 2014.

The Biggest Lie was Lana's story, and Truth Unscrewed returns to the same characters, but with a different slant. Whilst Lana is still a big part of the story, in this book, her old friends and acquaintances have a much bigger part to play.

Whilst Truth Unscrewed reveals the answers to some questions that were left unanswered in The Biggest Lie, and makes reference to past happenings, it is easily read as a stand-alone book. The author gives enough of the back story throughout the novel, without going over old ground. Readers who have not read The Biggest Lie will not struggle with this one.

Rupert's Uncle Simon is dying, he is perfectly happy to die as he is grieving for his wife who died recently, He can see no reason to stay alive without her. When Lana mentions the people she used to know, Simon decides that his nephew Rupert is the perfect person to track them all down, to see where they are and what they have become,

Rupert is unsure about his task, but he owes a great deal to his Uncle and hesitantly at first, starts to make enquiries.

What follows is a journey of discovery and tragedy that will affect everyone that is involved, and raises the age-old saying 'never look back'.

Once again, Lisbeth Foye has created a story that hooks the reader immediately, her characters are huge, well-developed and very natural. The story takes us across the world, taking in different countries and continents and the sense of place is extremely well managed.

Truth Unscrewed is an unusual and compelling read. Lisbeth Foye is a natural storyteller.

My thanks to the author, who sent my copy for review.

Lisbeth Foye is the author of Three fictional novels; The Biggest Lie, Luca and Truth Unscrewed - the sequel to The Biggest.Lie was released April 2014

She was born in York, England where she grew up in the 1950's and 60's. 

The 1970's took her travelling around Europe where she spent the decade living and working in Paris - France, Spain and many years in Holland before returning to England in 1983 where she settled in London before moving to Cambridgeshire where she now lives.

She believes that there's still another location or two she has yet to move on to...


A nomadic-hippy at heart, Lisbeth's experiences have been a big influence contributing to the colorful characters and incidents in her books.

Follow her on Twitter @LisbethFoye