Finding the Truth in Our Everyday Lies: Navigating the Intersection of Politics and Marriage in "The Lies That Bind Us"

In the complex web of relationships, lies, whether small or large, seem almost inevitable. They’re the white lies we tell to protect loved ones, the half-truths we share to sidestep uncomfortable conversations, and, sometimes, the deeply buried secrets we’re not ready to confront ourselves. In The Lies That Bind Us, these everyday lies collide with political intrigue, creating a tense, layered story that examines what happens when personal and political fronts clash under the spotlight of truth. And there's something about writing the truth behind lies that scratches beneath the surface of my own life. Yes, I tell lies too. So do the people around me.

Writing Realism in a Sea of Deception

Building a narrative on the foundation of political drama interwoven with marital struggles is both enticing and challenging. It’s one thing to craft a thriller around high-stakes power plays; it’s another to bring it close to home, exploring how the political choices, professional secrets, and hidden agendas ripple into personal relationships. Detective John Keegan's life is a tapestry of secrets—some rooted in his work as a detective, others born from his ongoing struggle with identity, loyalty, and the high cost of public exposure.

From a writer’s perspective, shaping these dual-layered conflicts means treating personal truths with as much care as the larger political tensions. Keegan’s investigations uncover not only societal corruption but also the quiet deceit and unspoken fears within his own marriage. Here, his wife Pauline, herself an undercover officer, becomes more than just a partner; she represents a personal battlefield, where their professional lies inevitably intrude into their shared life. Pauline’s journey mirrors a modern-day truth—where the blending of personal and professional personas demands the constant juggling of facades and the hope that, when stripped away, the core will hold strong.

I didn't base this on anything in my own life but I've also said, many times, that all writing is autobiographical. Therefore, there is some truth to the story, maybe in that this is how I would react if put in the same place. Edited and rearranged to fit Keegan, of course, but a shred of me lives under the surface, as it mostly does.

The Truth Between Partners

Navigating the Keegan-verse, where lies are as much about survival as they are deception, meant taking an unflinching look at marriage’s fragility under pressure. Again, I want to object to any real-life correlation and here I can do so comfortably. Keegan and Pauline's relationship exemplifies the strains many face but in an amplified setting, the stage of the murder of NYC's mayor.  For Keegan, every revelation, every moment of brutal honesty, comes with the risk of pushing Pauline away or, conversely, making her his greatest ally. The truth, then, is not always the goal; it’s about choosing what parts of oneself to reveal, and when, in order to survive both the job and the marriage. It's also about accepting the flaws in others. Often that's what we fall in love with, the intricate vulnerabilities shared with us and no one else. 

In The Lies That Bind Us, Keegan’s internal struggle to reconcile his professional duties with personal ethics becomes a focal point. Pauline's position, too, reveals the toll of walking in two worlds. Balancing truth and deception, love and duty, they reflect a universal tension: when we can’t bring our full selves to those closest to us, does the relationship suffer, or does it deepen in complexity?

Where Story Meets Real Life

I wanted to bring Pauline closer to the reader for this book. She essentially demanded a larger role. In doing so, I reflected on the specifics of relationships and how Keegan and Pauline operated. Writing about these dynamics in the Keegan novels wasn’t just about constructing tension for tension’s sake. Rather, it’s an exploration of a fundamental truth—our lives are often segmented. We wear different masks depending on the setting, but every so often, we get a glimpse of what we might be like without the pretense. In building Keegan’s story, it became clear that while political power plays and mysteries drive the narrative, it’s the everyday lies—the ones that sit between him and Pauline over breakfast or during a quiet evening—that hold the deepest stakes.

Just as in life, where our truths are seldom as transparent as we wish, the Keegan series suggests that navigating the gray areas of loyalty, truth, and self-preservation requires grace and a tolerance for ambiguity. For Keegan and Pauline, “the lies that bind” aren't always destructive; sometimes, they are the very thing that holds them together.

In the end, the reader is left to wonder—do we truly want to unravel every lie? Or are there some deceptions, however small, that allow us to live closer to our ideal selves?