#1 New York Times, Publishers Weekly and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Lee Goldberg hits the ground running in a breakneck thriller where truth and fiction collide for the unluckiest writer alive.
When a passenger jet crashes onto the beaches of Waikiki, bestselling thriller writer Ian Ludlow knows the horrific tragedy wasn’t an accident.
Years before, the CIA enlisted Ian to dream up terrorism scenarios to prepare the government for nightmares they couldn’t imagine. Now one of those schemes has come true, and Ian is the only person alive who knows how it was done… and who is behind the plot. That makes him too dangerous to live.
Ian goes on the run, sweeping up an innocent bystander in his plight—Margo French, a dog walker and aspiring singer. They are pursued by assassins and an all-seeing global-intelligence network that won’t stop until Ian and Margo are dead. Ian has written thrillers like this before, but this time he doesn’t know how it’s going to end—or if he will be alive to find out.
Praise for TRUE FICTION
“Thriller fiction at its absolute finest—and it could happen for real. But not to me, I hope.” —Lee Child, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Goldberg has crafted a clever, silly and exciting thriller that showcases a love for the genre and the world of writing.”—Washington Post
“A crackerjack thriller! Goldberg’s urge to tease is irresistible [and] is the right touch for a story of life imitating art.”—Booklist
“This is my life…. in a thriller! True Fiction is great fun.” —Brad Meltzer, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“This may be the most fun you’ll ever have reading a thriller. It’s a breathtaking rush of suspense, intrigue and laughter that only Lee Goldberg could pull off. I loved it.” —Janet Evanovich, #1 New York Times bestselling author
“Fans of parodic thrillers will enjoy the exhilarating ride… [in] this Elmore Leonard mashed with Get Smart romp.”—Publishers Weekly
“True Fiction is a conspiracy thriller of the first order, a magical blend of fact and it-could-happen scary fiction. Nail-biting, page-turning, and laced with Goldberg’s wry humor, True Fiction is a true delight, reminiscent of Three Days of the Condor and the best of Hitchcock’s innocent-man-in-peril films.”
—Paul Levine, #1 Amazon bestselling author of Bum Rap
“Imagine Three Days of the Condor on meth. That’s True Fiction. Nonstop action and a great main character, a thriller writer being chased by a super secret intelligence agency. Easy to see why this is a bestseller.” —Harry Hunsicker, author of The Devil’s Country
“Truly an enjoyable read. The chapters from the Straker novels are the Mona Lisa of parodies.”
—Christopher Reich, New York Times bestselling author
“I enjoyed the heck out of this,” Ian Rankin, New York Times bestselling author
“New York Times bestselling author Lee Goldberg’s new thriller, True Fiction, is a fast-moving adventure filled with his signature witty wordplay, twisty plots and mesmerizing characters.” –National Examiner
“I loved every word of this book. Ian Ludlow is an action hero I can relate to. If great pacing with awesome characters are what keep you up at night, then make a pot of coffee and open this book.” —Crimespree Magazine
“Great fun that moves as fast as a jet. Goldberg walks a tightrope between suspense and humor and never slips.” —Linwood Barclay, New York Times bestselling author of The Twenty Three
“I haven’t read anything this much fun since Donald E. Westlake’s comic-caper novels. Immensely entertaining, clever, and timely.”—David Morrell, New York Times bestselling author of Murder As a Fine Art and First Blood, the book that introduced Rambo
“Ian Ludlow is one of the coolest heroes to emerge in post-9/11 thrillers. A wonderful, classic yet modern, breakneck suspense novel. Lee Goldberg delivers a great story with a literary meta-fiction wink that makes its thrills resonate.” —James Grady, author of Six Days of the Condor
“The story of an innocent man caught in a deadly conspiracy has been told before—think Hitchcock’s ‘North by Northwest’ or ‘The Man Who Knew Too Much’ — but Lee Goldberg takes it a step further in this rollicking, sometimes humorous, always deadly True Fiction. In this novel, thriller writer Ian Ludlow fights to stay alive when he realizes his make-believe world of plots and assassins has suddenly become all too real. Highly recommended.” —Brendan DuBois, Shamus Award-winning author of the Lewis Cole mysteries
“True Fiction jumps into Elmore Leonard territory as a witty send-up of spy novels and the book industry. Goldberg delivers a character who seems, well, very much like himself. This one promises to be the first in what should be a most amusing series to follow.” Mystery Scene Magazine
““Humorous, thrilling, and scary, True Fiction is a great caper story of the little guys taking on the all-encompassing secret state in a knock-down, drag-out fight to the finish.” Authorlink
“I had more fun reading your True Fiction than any book in months. Outstanding job. Wish I’d written it,” Reavis Z. Wortham, author of Hawke’s Prey and Gold Dust