Book Review: Believe Me by J.P. Delaney

Hello, Fellow Book Worms and Book Dragons!

  Taking a genre and altering it to fit a new generation can be difficult. But for J.P. Delaney, old noir stories with a new twist seem almost effortless. When I began to read Believe Me, I was certain that the premise was strong enough to reel me in. But what I found was a story a lot more intricate and diabolical than I could have imagined.

Trust me. Love me. Just don't believe me...

  Believe Me is written by J.P. Delaney (a pseudonym of author, Anthony Capella). It is published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of Penguin Random House. The story was originally published in 2001 as the Decoy under Capella's other pen name, Tony Strong. This newer version revises some names and changes plot points, but keeps the over-all foundation intact. Admittedly, Capella felt that the original version of his work was lacking. Using his fame as J.P. Delaney from the Girl Before, he used his current resources to re-imagine and re-release a story that he genuinely cared about.   

  In this tense and taught tale we are introduced to Claire Wright, a struggling actress. She is in the United States on a student visa from the United Kingdom. She does her best to keep up her visa by staying in school, being employed, and having a residence. But soon she is fired from her job, behind in her rent, and she feels that she will fail in America as miserably as she did in her homeland. One day while trying to get work with a local agent, she is referred to a man named Henry. An ex-cop, Henry is in the business of catching cheating husbands. He tells Claire that she will be a decoy used to get the husbands to admit any wrong-doing in front of a concealed camera that she carries. Each job is worth four hundred dollars, money Claire desperately needs to live on. Successful in her encounters, Henry keeps her on.

  For her next job she is asked to appear at the Lexington Hotel in midtown Manhattan to meet the next client, Stella Fogler. She is a wealthy client that is looking to incriminate her husband, Patrick. She warns Claire never to turn her back on her husband, that it could be dangerous. But when Claire meets Patrick she finds a rather handsome and respectful college professor. He shows Claire that he is clearly not interested in her and departs, leaving behind a macabre book of poetry for her. Even though the evening did not go her way, Stella still pays Claire. The actress leaves and heads home, not knowing that it will be the last time that she will see Mrs. Fogler. Soon after she is informed that Stella has been murdered, and Claire is a suspect in what the police believe to be a robbery gone wrong. 

  As the evidence presents itself, it is looking that Patrick may have killed his wife. With no evidence to prove so, the police decide to enlist the aid of Claire's acting skills to draw Fogler out. What Claire does not know is that Fogler is thought to have killed many female prostitutes, each murdered in a way that is presented in the book of poetry that Patrick gave Claire. Assuming an identity of a student at the school where Patrick teaches, Claire is set to help the police catch Patrick. But the sting goes horribly wrong. And all that Claire has thought was true begins to unravel. 

  This crazy ride had an inescapable feeling of dread followed the main character around like a specter of death. The intricate game of cat and mouse was perilous and dangled me on the edge along with Claire. Delaney had a way of creatively going into Claire's head, as she presented parts of her life like a movie script. I was drawn into the murder mystery that Believe Me circled like a hungry shark, constantly shocked from page-to-page. And when I reached the end, I felt disoriented and thrilled at the same time. From the streets of New York to the halls of a psychiatric hospital to the dark catacombs of Paris, this book was an unrelenting piece of narrative pie that I wanted to devour. I have not felt this exhausted finishing a book in a long while.   

  The audio book experience of Believe Me was presented with sound effects and a full cast, including Sally Scott, Matt Reeves, Lorelei King, John Chancer, and Eric Meyers. Sally Scott provided the main narrative, while her co-stars presented the movie-script style entries as seen through Claire's eyes. Sally Scott's portrayal of Claire was insightful and dramatic. I felt as if I was sitting down with a friend to hear her tell me about a time in her life. The production of this audio book was excellent and very immersive. I was very pleased at the time and effort allowed for this story.

  Believe Me was a suspenseful novel that consistently had me guessing. When I felt that I had figured out what was happening, Delaney made sure to prove me wrong. I was toyed with jostled around this novel like a an amusement park ride that suddenly became unstable. I held on for dear life with this five star read. And at the end I wanted to re-read it almost immediately. Cancel your plans and sit down with some coffee, because you will be up all night trying to solve this amazing psychological thriller.    


Have fun reading this week. Let me know in the comments below what you are reading.


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