A Good Lie

A bride withholds a shocking secret from her new husband.

Could you keep a secret from your daughter forever? Louie plans to.
Is love enough to keep the marriage together?

When a quiet Midwestern family receives flawed medical advice, psychotic post-partum depression is misdiagnosed and catastrophe ensues. Louie attempts to raise Laurie, his daughter, while perpetuating a devastating lie. Laurie, a desperate, lonely New Jersey teenager, connects with a cunning cult leader and a devious psychotherapist, but they are no match for the two strong women who thoughtfully upend societal expectations and provide wisdom and stability. Family relationships are complicated; love shows up in many forms.

Editorial Reviews:

"A delicious, fast-paced page-turner of a novel. A Good Lie provides readers with a valuable roadmap to navigate their own family’s mysteries, and wonder if some secrets should remain unspoken."
—Stephen J. Lyons, author of Landscape of the Heart and Going Driftless: Life Lessons from the Heartland

“Dark secrets threaten to upend a family in this novel. Temes maintains a brisk pace throughout...characters’ lives intersect and interweave in unexpected ways. An engaging tale…” —Kirkus Reviews

“A Good Lie takes you on a journey with friends you’ll feel you always knew….Woven throughout the novel are wise psychological messages that I want to revisit.” —Karen Berliner, Clinical Supervisor, Pace University

“A Good Lie captures the complexities of motherhood and marriage. I stayed up all night to finish the book and recommend it for readers of all ages.” —Rena Appel Schainholz, LCSW

“What a story! I was intrigued by hard-working Louie and his young adult daughter struggling to move forward. Would they uncover the lie that binds them?” —Roselle Farina Hecht, CEO, Family Resource Publications

"A heart-wrenching story that leads the reader through a rich tapestry of human emotions. This insightful psychological drama accurately conveys the realities of post-partum depression and the symptoms of adolescent depression, while driving you to turn the page to see how the story will unfold. —Donna S. Moore-Ede Ph.D., M.Ed.

Roberta Temes is a psychotherapist who has practiced in New York City and in New Jersey for decades. She is the award-winning author of many professional books, magazine articles and essays. A Good Lie is her first work of fiction. Dr. Temes lives with her husband in New Jersey and in Florida.