The Biggest Liar in Los Angeles
Set in 1926, The Biggest Liar in Los Angeles is the prequel to the Tom Hickey California Century novel series. At this point our detective is still a young bandleader whose football days aren’t long behind him. He’s guardian to his sister, 17-year-old Florence, who is proving to be as headstrong as their mother, Milly. Clearly removing Milly’s influence over the girl wouldn’t be entirely possible. When Tom learns of a lynching that the police and the newspapers are covering up, he’s horrified to discover the victim is Frank Gaines, the man who looked after him when it was obvious that his own mother couldn’t. Though circumstances draw Tom and his sister back into contact with Milly, he vows to discover the truth.
The novel centers on control of the media in the 1920s. Is the Gaines cover-up a conspiracy between the police and a publisher of one of the big newspapers of the day – William Randolph Hearst, The Examiner, or Harry Chandler, The Times? Is the evangelist Sister Aimee Semple McPherson (whose disappearance for several weeks may or may not be a kidnapping) manipulating the news for her own gain? Or is the biggest liar in LA someone else?
Ken Kuhlken’s characters feel real and in step with their time. I adore the relationship between Tom and his sister, how he allows her to keep hope. The plot’s wider picture, though, so easily translates to present day.
