Lying Game / Matador (ePub)

Paul Darling has lost his short term memory. He remembers everything about himself except where he is now, how he got there and why there is a dead body in the next room that looks like him. He flashes back to his mundane childhood in boring Bournemouth, which he seeks to escape from by becoming a skillful liar and fantasist. At sixteen, his life changes dramatically when he has a serious bicycle accident and, a few months later, his father lapses into a vegetative state. He starts work as a trainee journalist on the local newspaper and, fortuitously, breaks a dramatic story which hits the national press. This success is short-lived and he remains stuck in Bournemouth until a meeting with an old friend lands him a job and a move to London. Once there, his rise is rapid. He soon has friends in high places, an aristocratic girlfriend and a job at the Daily Mail. And then, he is headhunted by a mysterious organisation, Anderson Consulting, run by a sinister duo: Colin and David. The work involves cleaning up problems which threaten the stability of the government and the country. Paul discovers a talent for the tasks he is given and also feels a sense of achievement. However, he starts to have doubts about some of the assignments and worries about just how far the organisation is going to solve problems. Are they having people killed?He wants out, but Colin and David cannot afford to let him go. In an attempt to fight back, he discovers something about Colin and David which puts him in great danger. He becomes convinced that they are trying to have him killed and plans his escape. But will he get away in time?