Reviews for:
FALSE TRUTHS
The Second DeLande Novel - By GWEN HUNTER
also published as
TAUSENDMAL BERÜHRT in Germany
& BLOEDSCHANDE in Holland
FALSE TRUTHS – Gwen Hunter
Set on the South Louisiana Bayou and in the city of New Orleans, FALSE
TRUTHS is an account of a young girl coming to know her true background and
family in all its perverse and manipulative glory. Having always known she
was different, she comes of age and decides to hire a private detective to
track down her mother (alive or dead). In the process she stirs up things
about her past which shock and almost destroy her, but which also teach her
about the real meaning of "family".
Although two thirds of the plot seems to be revealed in the last few
chapters leaving the reader a little dazed, this is probably because the
author takes a lot of time and care setting the atmosphere and building her
characters. The heroine is a likeable mix of naiveté and artistic flair; the
private eye a no-nonsense, horse-loving loner and the heroine's employer, a
temperamental, womanizing artist. The novel is full of eccentric people who
all spend a great deal of their time drinking strong black chicory coffee "a
typical French Louisiana passion". The author's knowledge of and love for
the bayou saturate the prose and the novel is full of highly evocative
descriptions of the scenery of the area and the lifestyles of its Cajun
inhabitants.
The book is well worth reading for such descriptions alone (a passage
describing the egrets coming back to roost at dusk sticks in my mind
especially), and although the plot is at times rather shaky and
unconvincingly overdramatic the whole is well written and enjoyable. I
didn't need any of the character's favorite stimulant to keep me awake and
engrossed. (A.J.C)
FALSE TRUTHS – Gwen Hunter
They Didn’t Bargain For Bonnie From The Bayou
Bonnie Sarvaunt is a young woman with a mission—To find
out who she really is, where she comes from and why her past has been hidden
from her all her life.
Living out on the bayou, she is mysteriously visited by
a man who gives her the key to her past.
Her quest takes her to New Orleans where she encounters
violence, more secrets and dirty dealings as well as the chance to develop
her painting skills while working for a world-famous artist.
A book full of suspense, FALSE TRUTHS twists and turns
its way to a climax far more intricate and tangled than the relaxed first
few pages of the novel would suggest.
Gwen Hunter builds her characters and describes their lives with effective, detailed prose.
Her words reflect the talent of her central character,
and her narrative paints vivid pictures of Bonnie’s life and experiences.
The switches of time and place are also handled with ease.
A fast-paced thriller the novel features the evil
DeLande family who were also a part of Ms. Hunter’s first book BETRAYAL (titled STOLEN CHILDREN in the UK).
The DeLande’s money and power put them beyond the law . . . but they had not bargained for Bonnie.
Josie Whiteley — The Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Ingram
Haunted by the death of a mother she never knew, Cajun-raised artist Bonnibelle Sarvaunt begins an apprenticeship with an eccentric master in New Orleans and realizes that she is being stalked.
Bella Rosa Books - ISBN 0-9747685-1-0
Gwen Hunter’s books have been sold in the USA, Italy, France, Germany, Holland, Australia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Finland, and the UK, where her best seller STOLEN CHILDREN (the UK title for the novel BETRAYAL) won the W.H. Smith award for best first novel. Gwen's latest book, GRAVE CONCERNS, is a lead title from MIRA BOOKS. Look for it in book stores January, 2004.