Liars’ Paradox

This high-octane series launch from Stevens (The Mask) introduces twins Jonathan and Julia Smith, aka Jack and Jill. Starting at age five, the siblings lived like spies, constantly changing names and moving from country to country while learning guerilla and psychological warfare from their mother, Clare. As teenagers, they came to suspect that their mother was mentally ill, so when the now-estranged 26-year-olds receive an urgent maternal summons, they assume that Clare is in the grips of yet another paranoid delusion—until her off-the-grid Texas compound explodes. With Clare missing and mercenaries swarming the property, Jack and Jill go on the run, determined to locate their mother and learn the truth about their past. Abundant action, unexpected twists, and a kaleidoscopic narrative keep the pace brisk and the tension high. Stevens takes too long to develop her point-of-view characters, which undermines the story’s drama and lessens its emotional heft, but the cinematic plot entertains, and a nail-biting conclusion gratifies while raising the stakes for book two. Agent: Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Assoc. (Jan.)