5 Star Book Review of Michael French's "Once Upon a Lie"

Review by Crystal J. Casavant-Otto

Awesome storytelling can be found in the fast paced mystery Once Upon a Lie by Michael French! This book does not disappoint. I love how journaling plays such a special role in the story. I can't wait to read more books by Michael French.

The story of Once Upon a Lie is captivating from cover to cover. This is a very quick read because the characters draw you in from the very beginning. The plot is well developed and even though it is a work of fiction, there are many topics that readers can relate to (race relations, love, mother child relationships, etc...). The characters of Jaleel and Alex will stick with you long after you've finished the final pages of this thrilling novel.

The unlikely friendship of the two main characters isn't short lived and it's enjoyable to watch how that friendship grows and changes over the years. This is a book that will appeal to many, because just like real life, there are so many layers to the story and the characters. This book did not disappoint and I can absolutely say I have recommended it to friends and will continue to do so.


Official Book Summary

Twelve-year-old Jaleel Robeson is on the run after the police in his tiny Texas town try to frame him for the death of his father. A world away, Alexandra “Alex” Baten is growing up amid all the material comforts a wealthy Los Angeles lawyer can provide. One day, a simple cup of lemonade unites their lives, leading to a maze of adultery and murder that shatters Alex’s youthful innocence and Jaleel’s struggle to reshape his life.



While the forces of the law try to unravel the mysterious death―or at least find a scapegoat―the two youths see the trajectories of their lives entwine, unravel, and come together again. Justice, Alex learns, can be a strange and nebulous thing, easily enmeshed in webs of loyalty and betrayal. Justice, Jaleel finds, can be a powerful―but dangerous―rock on which to build a life of honor and courage. As their stories play out over the years in cities far apart, best-selling author Michael French fills the world of Alex and Jaleel with a cast of vivid characters both supporting and threatening their efforts to build a life that “works” amid the expectancies of others and their own conflicting drives.


Book Details:
Paperback: 388 pages
Publisher: Terra Nova Books (March 15, 2016)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1938288653
ISBN-13: 978-1938288654
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About the Author

National best selling author Michael French is a graduate of Stanford University and Northwestern University. He is a businessman and author who divides his time between Santa Barbara, California, and Santa Fe, New Mexico. He is an avid high-altitude mountain trekker, world traveler to developing countries, and is a collector of first editions of twentieth-century fiction.

He has published twenty two books, including fiction, young adult fiction, biographies, and art criticism. His novel, Abingdon's, was a bestseller and a Literary Guild Alternate Selection. His young adult novel, Pursuit, was awarded the California Young Reader Medal.

The Reconstruction of Wilson Ryder was released January 2013.
Mountains beyond Mountains was released April 2013.
Michael's latest novel, Once Upon A Lie, will be released on March 15, 2016.