Promo by proxy

Promoting a new book is a tenuous ordeal for authors. You can have a wonderful novel with all the twists and turns of a potential classic. Nonetheless it is still competing among the millions of other literary masterpieces, or so each writer will proclaim. It is especially difficult if you are unable to promote your book in person due to illness. Such is the case of Patry Francis, who is suffering from cancer. Her book The Liar's Diary is out in paperback. Author bloggers are promoting her book by proxy in order to assist this talented writer in her PR campaign. So many books come out everyday that it is difficult for a reader to know what to choose. They depend on the advertising and shameless plugs in order to make the all important decision as to where to put their literary money.

From Publishers Weekly:
A case study in the explosive effects of extreme denial, Francis's debut relies completely on its very unreliable narrator, with mixed results. When local violinist and composer Ali Mather, a very sexy 46, comes to teach music at the Bridgeway high school where narrator Jeanne Cross, a very plain 37, is the secretary, teachers and students alike are abuzz. Ali is separated from her mild husband George, and is soon sleeping with the 31-year-old shop teacher, Brian Shagaury (and also with car dealer Jack Butterfield). Jeanne is married to a buff orthopedic surgeon, Gavin, with whom she has an overweight, dyslexic 16-year-old son, Jamie, who attends the school. An unlikely friendship develops between the seemingly steady Jeanne and acting-out Ali, and Jeanne's purposefully flat narration is effective in doling out disorienting incongruities (as in the offhanded way Jeanne develops a serious pill habit). Ali's provocative lifestyle eventually intersects directly with Jeanne's home life. When tragedy strikes, Jeanne's Stepford routine holds for a while, then becomes a giveaway.
So, there you have it. The Liar's Diary, another thriller/mystery that deserves to sit on top of the heap.