At first everyone at the exclusive Maine hotel was a murder suspect in The Telling Of Lies, including Vanessa Van Horne’s friend and Calder’s mistress Lily Porter. There was also the disappearing chauffeur, the rigid and self absorbed Nigel and the suspicious Dr. Chilcott whose famous patients included the president.
Calder Maddox is Murdered
Calder Maddox was a sickly old man who owned a huge pharmaceutical business. His experimental drugs were famous, with many of them being named after him. He became involved in pharmaceutical research and developments because of his endless minor, yet annoying ailments.
Since Maddox was a mean old man who stabbed common people with his words, most did not miss him. His murder was a still huge deal because he was rich and had so many famous pharmaceutical recruiters.
A cover-up at Aurora Sands Hotel followed as there was so much pharmaceutical research gone wrong and important people didn’t want that publicized.
Lawrence and Vanessa Investigate a Murder in The Telling Of Lies
Lawrence initially suspected Calder Maddox was murdered and convinced Vanessa of this. They both became amateur sleuths, although Vanessa was much better at keeping a low profile. Timothy Findley made Lawrence’s character a determined doctor, but he was also impatient, stubborn, quick-tempered and loud. Vanessa knew him because he was married to her cousin Petra.
Eventually, Vanessa went rogue because Lawrence was endangering them both and losing his nerve. Vanessa still made quite the hilarious scene herself when she and her famous friend Mercedes decided to crash an exclusive party full of politicians. The fact that even the president was somehow involved in the murder made them realize the extent of the danger they were in.
To add to the stress, there was a group of matriarchs who Vanessa’s mother used to be a part of nicknamed “Stonehenge” watching their every move.
Point of View in The Telling Of Lies
Timothy Findley wrote the murder mystery The Telling Of Lies (Penguin Books Canada, 1986) in the first person through the voice of Vanessa. There was some talk of knotting the back of needlework, (which isn’t often done in embroidery); other than that, his transformation into a woman was brilliant.
The Telling of Lies is a murder mystery, but it’s also an exploration of human nature and the evil anyone might be capable of, given the right circumstances. Some people manage to hide and/or control these negative aspects of their personalities better than others. Some are driven to commit unspeakable acts after suffering too long at the hands of one more powerful. Timothy Findley doesn’t necessarily justify murder, but he makes you better understand a murderer’s motivations.
Also by Timothy Findley:
Sandra Williams - Sandra's a book addict and writer from Ontario, Canada. Her interests include cooking, health and personal development, so many of her ...
