Reporter Tom Valle overslept one day and made up a story to meet his deadline. Then he made up another, and another... until the lies caught up with him more than 50 articles later. Forced to leave the paper in disgrace, two years later Valle is an exile in the desert, working at a small- town California newspaper, reporting on local residents and community events. A fiery car crash on the highway interrupts the monotony and then triggers Valle's journalistic instincts when he discovers that the victim allegedly killed in the crash is apparently still alive in Iowa. As he investigates, Valle begins to realize that he's stumbled onto a complicated conspiracy, one that may have been going on for years. It's the biggest story of his career, but it seems almost too incredible to be true -- especially coming from a journalist who based much of his career on lies. Even if he can manage to expose the truth, who will believe him?

This is a fascinating story based on the old adage that the truth can, indeed, be stranger than fiction. It's also a tale of redemption for Tom Valle, an unlikely hero surrounded by eccentric small-town characters. Although readers may figure out some elements before Valle does (and he admits as much in his "journal" entries addressed to the reader), there are plenty of twists and turns to keep people interested. I found myself totally absorbed in Valle's adventures as he traced the roots of a decades-old conspiracy. I liked the combination of dark humor, suspense and mystery.