Paperback
$20.98

Mass Market Paperback
$47.98

Follow the author

Kathy Herman

+ Follow

More books from this author

False Pretenses: A Novel (Secrets of Roux River Bayou) Paperback – Bargain Price, March 1, 2011

by Kathy Herman (Author)

4.4 635 ratings

Book 1 of 3: Secrets of Roux River Bayou

See all formats and editions

Zoe Broussard loves the life she and her husband Pierce have built in her beloved Louisiana hometown—especially their popular brasserie Zoe B’s, to which folks drive all the way from Lafayette for lunch or dinner. It seems like heaven. But it’s about to become hell. A series of anonymous notes is making her life a misery—because Zoe has a secret so terrible it could leave the business in shambles and tear her marriage apart. Can she find the courage to face her past? The first in a new series from Kathy Herman, False Pretenses is a gripping suspense novel that leaves a lasting impression about honesty and accountability.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Zoe Broussard stands in the shade of the live oak on Main Street and surveys her beloved Louisiana hometown. Wrought-iron galleries overhang the sidewalk lined with brightly colored shops, and the smell of coffee wafts from the brasserie she and her husband Pierce own, to which folks drive all the way from Lafayette for lunch or dinner. It seems like heaven. But it’s about to become hell. A series of threatening, anonymous notes is making her life a misery—because Zoe has a secret so terrible it could leave the business in shambles and tear her marriage apart. Terrified by a stranger who seems to know her, Zoe must confront her past before it confronts her. Can she find the courage to do the right thing?

About the Author

Best-selling suspense novelist Kathy Herman has written more than sixteen novels since retiring from her family’s Christian bookstore business. She and her husband, Paul, have three grown children and live in Tyler, Texas. False Pretenses is the first in the Secrets of Roux River Bayou series, set in Louisiana.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B005IUHE4W
Publisher ‏ : ‎ David C. Cook (March 1, 2011)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 384 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0781403405
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0781403405
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 14.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.25 x 5.5 x 8.5 inches

Customer Reviews:
4.4 635 ratings

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Videos

Help others learn more about this product by uploading a video!

Upload your video

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Kathy Herman

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Kathy Herman is no stranger to the Christian publishing industry. Before becoming a bestselling author and award-winning poet, Kathy worked on staff at the Christian Booksellers Association for five years. She gained eleven years of bookstore experience as a children's products specialist and drew on that expertise to conduct related seminars in the U.S. and Canada.

Kathy quickly rose to the rank of bestselling author when her first novel, TESTED BY FIRE, became a CBA bestseller shortly after its release. Since then, eight more of her novels have claimed the title of bestseller: ALL THINGS HIDDEN, THE REAL ENEMY, THE LAST WORD, THE RIGHT CALL,FALSE PRETENSES,DANGEROUS MERCY, RELENTLESS PURSUIT and NOT BY SIGHT.

Her contemporary, fast-paced novels weave inspirational messages into the storyline so effectively that a college professor in Houston utilized her books as required reading to educate students on the value of teaching through fiction. Kathy's books have also been widely used in book club discussion and Bible study groups.

Kathy and her late husband Paul have a blended family of three grown children and five "nearly perfect" grandchildren. Her hobbies include nature photography and bird watching--especially an ongoing fascination with hummingbirds. Kathy lives in the Northwest with an adorable cat named Prissy.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5

635 global ratings

How customer reviews and ratings work

Sort reviews by

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

kahmusic

Excellent book!

Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2017

Verified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading False Pretense. The characters come to life in the story. They make mistakes, show sin, love, grace, and faith in God. One of the most interesting aspects of this book is the comparison of two couples. One couple has fully accepted Christ as savior and Lord. He lives in their hearts. The other couple has a head knowledge and worship God but there is no heart knowledge. During the telling of the story with good and bad things happening. the couples both lean on God to get through some very tough situations. I actually had to put the book down for a few hours because the situation was so intense. A loving relationship with Jesus is the final victor in this book. He is the center! I am looking forward to reading the next book.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Coramdeo540

A New mystery series

Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012

Verified Purchase

False Pretenses

Kathy Herman

Zoe Broussard loves the life she and her husband Pierce have built in her beloved Louisiana hometown-especially their popular brasserie Zoe B's, to which folks drive all the way from Lafayette for lunch or dinner. It seems like heaven.

But it's about to become hell. A series of anonymous notes is making her life a misery-because Zoe has a secret so terrible it could leave the business in shambles and tear her marriage apart. Can she find the courage to face her past?

The first in a new series from Kathy Herman, False Pretenses is a gripping suspense novel that leaves a lasting impression about honesty and accountability.

This was an enjoyable mystery that kept me on my toes waiting for the other shoe to drop. I found the 4 main characters at the start to be confusing at the start I found it a great story builder and increased the pace of the book. Zoe, while having done something extremely wrong was an interesting twist on the main character. It was great to have a character remind me that the grace of Christ can cover and prompts us to love the lost not their sin. It was an ongoing theme of the book. I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series.

I would like to thank Net Galley and David C. Cook Publishing for allowing me to read and review this book in return for a free copy and was never asked to write a favorable review by anyone.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Nor1018

Fantastic fast paced suspense

Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2013

Verified Purchase

I loved this book. Only just met this author and am hooked. I read Not By Sight, the Ozark Mtn. Trilogy and was wonderful. While waiting for book #2, I discovered this trilogy and am on book #2. Zoe is a character that you get into. Her life has been a life of such twists and turns. You feel for the childhood she endured and totally understand why she has done what it took for her to get a new life. Without giving away anything, she did everything right even though it looked a little lost for a while. The truth always wins out. Adele is a fantastic and heart warming old woman. Thank you for her character. The little twist of Vanessa and Ethan and Langley Manor is just added enjoyment to this book. Can't wait to read more about these people, my family, in book #2. Thank you for a terrific read.

Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2012

Verified Purchase

This novel was truly amazing. I just could not put it down. It is a good book for almost all aduiences well maybe not all I am not sure how a guy would like it. Anyways, I think any girl or woman no matter the age would love it. It has shocking discoveries in the first few chapters. One of the main familes right off the bat has an issue with a certain someone. This book is kind of hard to follow if you do not pay attention to it. Almost every other chapter is about the two main characters Zoe or Vanessa and her family. Each chapter connects the characters issues but also goes into detail aboout some screts that no other character knows. The characters come off in a sweet loving tone but I was shocked to find out what happend in the past of some of these characters. Also a specific inncident in the book surprised me. It finally linked everything together. It was really cool to see how Kathy, the author, connected all of the seprate issues into one huge thriller of a book. I know for sure I will be recomending this book to all of my friends.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

acdrx2013

False Pretenses

Reviewed in the United States on July 17, 2013

Verified Purchase

False Pretenses was an "all in one book" for me. This book contained murder, mystery, lies/secrets, romance, & faith. I never got bored with plot, & it seemed like I couldn't put this book down...not even for a minute! This was an easy read for me, but it did keep me on my toes. There were a few editing mistakes, but overall, the actual story outweighed the very few editing mistakes. Once you read this novel, you won't be able to put it down! This novel was very well-written to the fact that while I was reading, I was putting myself into the book! The book was detailed enough to picture the story & characters into your head to form one of your own. I can't wait to read more by this author.

Helpful

Siouxzanne Harris

A love story full of faith

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2018

Verified Purchase

This is the story of a relationship built on lies. It takes place in Louisiana and centers around a Cajun Cafe with a cast of regular characters. It,s not a “deep” story but the characters have personality and connect. Faith in God helps this couple get over a life threatening situation. It was an enjoyable quick read.

Reviewed in the United States on August 30, 2012

Verified Purchase

This story started out slow for me. About 1/3 of the way through the book the facts made the story very interesting to read and the pace of the story really started to move. I enjoyed that some of the characters lived their faith in God. the story warmed my heart and made me think. I will seek-out this author again in the future.

2 people found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

gloria

... books all have the element of suspense that I enjoy. Over the years I have read many of ...

Reviewed in Canada on February 4, 2017

Verified Purchase

Kathy's books all have the element of suspense that I enjoy. Over the years I have read many of her books and I have enjoyed each one of them.
Gloria

Lynette McMillan

Suspense and mystery and grace

Reviewed in Australia on February 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is the first time I've read any of Kathy Hermans novels. I loved the storyline and was kept on the edge wondering what was going to happen next. The only thing that I found a bit annoying was the phonetic spelling throughout bits of the book but apart from that I would recommend this as a good Christian read.