Sacrament of Lies, book review

My latest read, Sacrament of Lies by Elizabeth Dewberry, was a random pick off the used-book shelf – well, not completely random. I found the premise appealing, as well as the setting, having lived several childhood years in New Orleans. The author, however, was new to me, and therefore a wild card.

Set against the lurid backdrop of Southern politics, the story opens when Grayson Guillory begins to suspect her father, Louisiana’s power-grabbing governor, of murdering her mother. What’s more, Grayson thinks her father’s chief speech writer, Carter – who happens to be her husband – helped cover it up. As she searches for clues to help her divine the truth, Grayson starts questioning her own sanity, and her marriage to Carter falters under the strain of suspicion.

From the opening pages, I was captured by the strength of Dewberry’s writing. She liberally laces her prose with symbolism that exists not for its own sake, but to allow deep dives into character. (“My foot had stopped bleeding, but I’d tracked it onto the carpet, each mark smaller and lighter than the one before, as if I’d gradually disappeared.”) She keeps character sketches sparse but keenly descriptive. (“She was wearing a cat T-shirt and a big pewter cat necklace on a string and slightly too much blush. She reminded me of hot chocolate with marshmallows.”) Her prose reveals her careful study of human nature. Even throwaway comments allow connection to Grayson, the first person narrator, in satisfying resonance. (“part of me missed that elusive comfort that comes when you look at your worn carpet and think, Someday we’ll replace that with a nicer color, and everything will be better.”)

Sacrament of Lies is a smart, fast-paced literary thriller. I swallowed it whole in practically one reading, leaving me sorry the ride was over but anticipating the pleasure of my next Elizabeth Dewberry novel.